COMPUTER SOFTWARE APPLICATION 113

What is a Computer

A computer is an electronic machine that collects information, stores it, processes it

according to user instructions, and then returns the result. A computer is a programmable

electronic device that performs arithmetic and logical operations automatically using a set of

instructions provided by the user.

History of Computers Generation

The word ‘computer’ has a very interesting origin. It was first used in the 16th century for a

person who used to compute, i.e. do calculations. The word was used in the same sense as a

noun until the 20th century. Women were hired as human computers to carry out all forms of

calculations and computations. By the last part of the 19th century, the word was also used to

describe machines that did calculations. The modern-day use of the word is generally to

describe programmable digital devices that run on electricity.

History of Computers

Early History of Computer

Since the evolution of humans, devices have been used for calculations for thousands of

years. One of the earliest and most well-known devices was an abacus. Then in 1822, the

father of computers, Charles Babbage began developing what would be the first mechanical

computer. And then in 1833 he actually designed an Analytical Engine which was a general-

purpose computer. It contained an ALU, some basic flow chart principles and the concept of

integrated memory Then more than a century later in the history of computers, we got our

first electronic computer for general purpose. It was the ENIAC, which stands for Electronic

Numerical Integrator and Computer. The inventors of this computer were John W. Mauchly

and J.Presper Eckert. And with times the technology developed and the computers got
 COMPUTER SOFTWARE APPLICATION 113

smaller and the processing got faster. We got our first laptop in 1981 and it was introduced by

Adam Osborne and EPSON.

Generations of Computers

In the history of computers, we often refer to the advancements of modern computers as the

generation of computers. We are currently on the fifth generation of computers. So let us look

at the important features of these five generations of computers. 1st Generation: This was

from the period of 1940 to 1955. This was when machine language was developed for the use

of computers. They used vacuum tubes for the circuitry. For the purpose of memory, they

used magnetic drums. These machines were complicated, large, and expensive.

They were mostly reliant on batch operating systems and punch cards. As output and input

devices, magnetic tape and paper tape were implemented. For example, ENIAC, UNIVAC-1,

EDVAC, and so on. 2nd Generation: The years 1957-1963 were referred to as the “second

generation of computers” at the time. In second-generation computers, COBOL and

FORTRAN are employed as assembly languages and programming languages. Here they

advanced from vacuum tubes to transistors. This made the computers smaller, faster and

more energy-efficient. And they advanced from binary to assembly languages. For instance,

IBM 1620, IBM 7094, CDC 1604, CDC 3600, and so forth. 3rd Generation: The hallmark of

this period (1964-1971) was the development of the integrated circuit. A single integrated

circuit (IC) is made up of many transistors, which increases the power of a computer while

simultaneously lowering its cost. These computers were quicker, smaller, more reliable, and

less expensive than their predecessors. High-level programming languages such as

FORTRON-II to IV, COBOL, and PASCAL PL/1 were utilized. For example, the IBM-360

series, the Honeywell-6000 series, and the IBM-370/168. 4th Generation: The invention of

the microprocessors brought along the fourth generation of computers. The years 1971-1980
 COMPUTER SOFTWARE APPLICATION 113

were dominated by fourth generation computers. C, C++ and Java were the programming

languages utilized in this generation of computers. For instance, the STAR 1000, PDP 11,

CRAY-1, CRAY-X-MP, and Apple II. This was when we started producing computers for

home use. 5th Generation: These computers have been utilized since 1980 and continue to be

used now. This is the present and the future of the computer world. The defining aspect of

this generation is artificial intelligence. The use of parallel processing and superconductors

are making this a reality and provide a lot of scope for the future. Fifth-generation computers

use ULSI (Ultra Large Scale Integration) technology. These are the most recent and

sophisticated computers. C, C++, Java,.Net, and more programming languages are used. For

instance, IBM, Pentium, Desktop, Laptop, Notebook, Ultrabook, and so on.

Brief History of Computers

The naive understanding of computation had to be overcome before the true power of

computing could be realized. The inventors who worked tirelessly to bring the computer into

the world had to realize that what they were creating was more than just a number cruncher

or a calculator. They had to address all of the difficulties associated with inventing such a

machine, implementing the design, and actually building the thing. The history of the

computer is the history of these difficulties being solved.

19th Century

1801 – Joseph Marie Jacquard, a weaver and businessman from France, devised a loom that

employed punched wooden cards to automatically weave cloth designs.

1822 – Charles Babbage, a mathematician, invented the steam-powered calculating machine

capable of calculating number tables. The “Difference Engine” idea failed owing to a lack of

technology at the time. 1848 – The world’s first computer program was written by Ada

Lovelace, an English mathematician. Lovelace also includes a step-by-step tutorial on how to

compute Bernoulli numbers using Babbage’s machine 1890 – Herman Hollerith, an inventor,

creates the punch card technique used to calculate the 1880 U.S. census. He would go on to

start the corporation that would become IBM.

Early 20th Century

1930 – Differential Analyzer was the first large-scale automatic general-purpose mechanical

analogue computer invented and built by Vannevar Bush. 1936 – Alan Turing had an idea for

a universal machine, which he called the Turing machine, that could compute anything that

could be computed 1939 – Hewlett-Packard was discovered in a garage in Palo Alto,

California by Bill Hewlett and David Packard 1941 – Konrad Zuse, a German inventor and

engineer, completed his Z3 machine, the world’s first digital computer. However, the

machine was destroyed during a World War II bombing strike on Berlin. 1941 – J.V.

Atanasoff and graduate student Clifford Berry devise a computer capable of solving 29

equations at the same time. The first time a computer can store data in its primary memory

1945 – University of Pennsylvania academics John Mauchly and J. Presper Eckert create an

Electronic Numerical Integrator and Calculator (ENIAC). It was Turing-complete and

capable of solving “a vast class of numerical problems” by reprogramming, earning it the title

of “Grandfather of computers.” 1946 – The UNIVAC I (Universal Automatic Computer) was

the first general-purpose electronic digital computer designed in the United States for

corporate applications 1949 – The Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Calculator (EDSAC),

developed by a team at the University of Cambridge, is the “first practical stored-program

computer. 1950 – The Standards Eastern Automatic Computer (SEAC) was built in

Washington, DC, and it was the first stored-program computer completed in the United

States.

Late 20th Century

1953 – Grace Hopper, a computer scientist, creates the first computer language, which

becomes known as COBOL, which stands for COmmon, Business-Oriented Language. It

allowed a computer user to offer the computer instructions in English-like words rather than

numbers.

1954 – John Backus and a team of IBM programmers created the FORTRAN programming

language, an acronym for FORmula TRANslation. In addition, IBM developed the 650. 1958

– The integrated circuit, sometimes known as the computer chip, was created by Jack Kirby

and Robert Noyce. 1962 – Atlas, the computer, makes its appearance. It was the fastest

computer in the world at the time, and it pioneered the concept of “virtual memory.” 1964 –

Douglas Engelbart proposes a modern computer prototype that combines a mouse and a

graphical user interface (GUI) 1969 – Bell Labs developers, led by Ken Thompson and

Dennis Ritchie, revealed UNIX, an operating system developed in the C programming

language that addressed program compatibility difficulties. 1970 – The Intel 1103, the first

Dynamic Access Memory (DRAM) chip, is unveiled by Intel. 1971 – The floppy disc was

invented by Alan Shugart and a team of IBM engineers. In the same year, Xerox developed

the first laser printer, which not only produced billions of dollars but also heralded the

beginning of a new age in computer printing. 1973 – Robert Metcalfe, a member of Xerox’s

research department, created Ethernet, which is used to connect many computers and other

gear 1974 – Personal computers were introduced into the market. The first were the Altair

Scelbi & Mark-8, IBM 5100, and Radio Shack’s TRS-80. 1975 – Popular Electronics

magazine touted the Altair 8800 as the world’s first minicomputer kit in January. Paul Allen

and Bill Gates offer to build software in the BASIC language for the Altair. 1976 – Apple

Computers is founded by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, who expose the world to the Apple

I, the first computer with a single-circuit board 1977 – At the first West Coast Computer

Faire, Jobs and Wozniak announce the Apple II. It has colour graphics and a cassette drive
 COMPUTER SOFTWARE APPLICATION 113

for storing music. 1978 – The first computerized spreadsheet program, VisiCalc, is

introduced. 1979 – WordStar, a word processing tool from MicroPro International, is

released. 1981 – IBM unveils the Acorn, their first personal computer, which has an Intel

CPU, two floppy drives, and a colour display. The MS-DOS operating system from Microsoft

is used by Acorn.

1983 – The CD-ROM, which could carry 550 megabytes of pre-recorded data, hit the market.

This year also saw the release of the Gavilan SC, the first portable computer with a flip-form

design and the first to be offered as a “laptop.” 1984 – Apple launched Macintosh during the

Superbowl XVIII commercial. It was priced at $2,500 1985 – Microsoft introduces Windows,

which enables multitasking via a graphical user interface. In addition, the programming

language C++ has been released. 1990 – Tim Berners-Lee, an English programmer and

scientist, creates HyperText Markup Language, widely known as HTML. He also coined the

term “WorldWideWeb.” It includes the first browser, a server, HTML, and URLs. 1993 –

The Pentium CPU improves the usage of graphics and music on personal computers. 1995 –

Microsoft’s Windows 95 operating system was released. A $300 million promotional

campaign was launched to get the news out. Sun Microsystems introduces Java 1.0, followed

by Netscape Communications’ JavaScript. 1996 – At Stanford University, Sergey Brin and

Larry Page created the Google search engine. 1998 – Apple introduces the iMac, an all-in-

one Macintosh desktop computer. These PCs cost $1,300 and came with a 4GB hard drive,

32MB RAM, a CD-ROM, and a 15-inch monitor. 1999 – Wi-Fi, an abbreviation for “wireless

fidelity,” is created, originally covering a range of up to 300 feet

21st Century

2000 – The USB flash drive is first introduced in 2000. They were speedier and had more

storage space than other storage media options when used for data storage. 2001 – Apple
 COMPUTER SOFTWARE APPLICATION 113

releases Mac OS X, later renamed OS X and eventually simply macOS, as the successor to its

conventional Mac Operating System. 2003 – Customers could purchase AMD’s Athlon 64,

the first 64-bit CPU for consumer computers. 2004 – Facebook began as a social networking

website. 2005 – Google acquires Android, a mobile phone OS based on Linux. 2006 –

Apple’s MacBook Pro was available. The Pro was the company’s first dual-core, Intel-based

mobile computer. Amazon Web Services, including Amazon Elastic Cloud 2 (EC2) and

Amazon Simple Storage Service, were also launched (S3)

2007