What is computer?

HOW CAN BE COMPUTER DESCRIBED?

Computer is a machine that makes long and complex calculations fast with using logic links.

Shortly, computer is an electronic machine for data processing.

 

There are two components for this definition:

ü  Data which will be progressed

ü  Machine which will progress

We have to know data in order to solve a subject or attain an aim. If we have enough data, we can attain results easily. Machine has to be worked aright in order to give true results. This orientation means PROGRAMMING for computers.

 

 

 

COMPUTERS AS THEIR SYSTEMS

      We analyze computers three parts by systematic:

 

1.      Analogue Computers

2.      Digital Computers

3.      Hybrid Computers

 

 

WHAT IS PROGRAMME?

      It’s an instruction series which computer has to do.

 

HOW CAN BE COMPUTER ANALYZED?

ü  HARDWARE

ü  SOFTWARE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WHAT IS HARDWARE?

All physical, electrical and electronic interfaces entering and processing data and getting outputs is hardware.

 

ü  Input Units             :
               Keyboard
               Optical readers
               Joystick
               Mouse
               Scanner - Barcode

ü  Output Units                      :
               Monitor
               Printers
               Plotters
               Audio

               Foolish Terminals

ü  Main Processor      :
               The part where all process is done

ü  Input-Output Units           :
               Disk
               Diskette
               Terminals
               Modems
               Intelligent Terminals

 

      WHAT IS SOFTWARE?

               Software is used for preparing and executing programmes.

 

               BUTTONS ON KEYBOARD

ü  From A to Z letters

ü  From 0 to 9 numbers

ü  Punctuation Marks    ( . , : ; ? ! ‘ ’ “ ”)

ü  Mathematical Marks ( + Plus – Minus * Star / Slash )

ü  Special Symbols ( @ # $ ^ % & ~ | )

ü  From F1 to F12 Function Keys

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE HISTORY OF THE COMPUTERS

CHRONOLOGY

               The computers, the most important invention of the century has become a part of our daily life. In the beginning these equipments were being used for special purposes; later their dimensions became small and their prices went down, finally they started to be used more widely.

 

               The idea of computers doesn’t go for back. In 1830, Charles BABBAGE (1792-1871) invented analytic machine and calculations were made with electro-mechanical device. Even though, Charles Babbage failed with these machines, it’s admitted that Charles Babbage in a pioneer in the area of computers.

 

               In 1850, George BOOLE invented the BOOLE algebra system which uses 1 and 0 numbers. This system was a step forward in the development of computers.

 

               In 1890, Herman HOLLERITH developed a mechanic system. In this system, punched cards were being used. The information was loaded on them and additions were being made with these cards. This system was used in census in 1890 in the USA.

 

               The first analogue computer was invented by Vannevar BUSH in 1931. First digital computer was produced by George STIBIZ in 1931 in Bell Laboratory in New York. STIBIZ applied double system to this machine and performed complex arithmetical operations.

 

               The most important and fastest progress about computers started after II. World War. Haward AITKEN completed MARK 1 in 1944. Even this computer had low capacity; it’s accepted as a great success.

 

               The information was being loaded with punched cards and the results were being received similarly

 

               In 1945, a computer which was named ENIAC was developed by a group of scientists. ENIAC was improved for military purposes. The radio lamps were being used and it was faster than MARK 1. By this computer electronic computers period has started.

 

               The first computer which is used for commercial purposes was UNIVAC 1. It had a magnetic band and a printer in the same period IBM 701 computer showed up to the market.

 

               This computer had a primitive configuration with a vacuum tube, which could be programmed in a simply was IBM started to use diot and transistor instead of vacuum tube. Thus smaller and lighter computers were started to be marketed. Also, disks were started to be used for these computers.

 

               Since 1964, using complex circuit instead of transistor speeded up the development. Especially, since 1993 in addition to fast computers with huge memory, powerful programming language and operating system also came out. Nowadays, instead of core memory, cheap interior memory is being used and computers’ cost is going down every day…

              

 

 

 

The HISTORY of the COMPUTERS

      First counting idea came about by shopping by money BC 3000. First pioneers of this subject were China and Egypt. Abacus, was developed BC 2600.

 

The FIRST SERIOUS STEP to COMPUTERS

 

      In 1812 English Mathematician Charles P. Babbage (1792-1871) began to work on Difference Engine. His works lasted until 1822. He wanted subtract numbers in his chart automatically. By this method data was being processed to mechanical system.

 

      When Babbage died in 1871 his works didn’t come where he wanted level, although his compact works. But his works, calculating and drawings created basic of Calculators and Computers. Therefore Babbage is Father of Computers.

 

                                     

CHARLES P. BABBAGE (1792-1871)                             THE 1^ST COMPUTER                                (ANALITICAL MACHINE)

 

Scottish mathematician Charles BABBAGE is the first person who proved that a machine computes and stores the mathematical calculations.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE FIRST GENERATION COMPUTERS (1945-1959)

 

ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrated Analyzer and Computer)

 

ENIAC is one of the first and famous electronic calculators. It was produced for USA army in 1945 by Presper ECKER and John MAUCHY. Dimensions of its hardware were as much as a room data was processed by vacuum lamps.

      In 1953 first transistor was invented. Then the transistors replaced by vacuum lamps because at the efficiency of the transistors play an important role to decrease the dimension of computers.

 

PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE:     Machine Language

                                                              After 1957 Forthran

KIND of MAIN MEMORY:              Core Memory

INPUT-OUTPUT UNITS:                   Magnetic Band, Punched Card

PRODUCER COMPANIES:              IBM, UNIVAC, RCA, NCR, MONROE

                                                              IBM 650 - 700 – 702 – 704 – 705 -709

Other Properties:                                  To took much more place

                                                              To heat a lot

                                                              To use a lot energy

                                                              To process slowly

 

 

 

 

 

Early in the 1950’s two important discoveries changed the image of the electronic-computer field, from one of fast but unreliable hardware to an image of relatively high reliability and even more capacity. These discoveries were magnetic core memory and Transistor – Circuit Element. These Technical discoveries quickly found their way into new models of digital computers. RAM (Random Access Memory) capacities increased from 8,000 to 64,000 words in commercially available machines by the 1960’s, with the access times of 2 to 3 MS (milliseconds). These machines were very expensive to purchase or even to rent and were particularly expensive to operate because of the expanding programming. Such computers were mostly found in large computer centres operated by industry, government and private laboratories – staffed with many programmers and support personnel. This situation led to modes of operation enabling the sharing of the high potential available.

     

One such mode is batch processing, in which problems are prepared and then held ready for computation on relatively cheap storage medium.

Another mode for fast, powerful machines is called time sharing. In time sharing, the computer processes many jobs in such rapid succession that each job runs as if the other jobs didn’t exist, thus keeping each “customer” satisfied.

 

SECOND GENERATION COMPUTERS (1959-1964)

 

Computers with transistor

 

PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE:   Machine Language

                                                              Forthran, Algol, Cobol

 

KIND of MAIN MEMORY:             64 kb  

INPUT-OUTPUT UNITS:                Magnetic Disk was used.

PRODUCER COMPANIES:                       IBM, UNIVAC, RCA, NCR, MONROE,

Other Properties:                                Computers volume decreased.

                                                              Using energy decreased

 

               In the 1960’s, efforts to design and develop the fastest possible computer with the greatest capacity reached a turning point with the LARC machine. The LARC had a based memory of 98,000 words and multiplied in 10 Greek MU seconds. Stretch was made with several degrees of memory having slower access for the ranks of greater capacity, the fastest access time being less then 1 Greek MU Second and the total capacity in the vicinity of 100,000,000 words.

               During this period, the major computer manufacturers began to offer a range of capabilities and prices, as well as accessories such as:

ü  Consoles

ü  Card Feeders

ü  Page Printers

ü  Cathode – ray – tube displays

 

               These were widely used in businesses for such things as:

ü  Accounting

ü  Payroll

ü  Inventory Control

ü  Ordering Supplies

ü  Billing

 

               CPU’s for these uses didn’t have to be very fast arithmetically and were usually used to access large amounts of records on file, keeping these up to date. The most number of computer systems were sold for the more simple uses, such as hospitals (keeping track of patient records, medications and treatments given). They were also used in libraries, such as the National Medical Library retrieval system and in the Chemical Abstracts System where computer records on file now cover nearly all known chemical compounds.

 

THIRD GENERATION COMPUTERS (1964-1970)

 

Computers with Integrated Session

 

Developments of these Computers

ü  Volume decreased

ü  Using energy decreased

ü  Cost decreased

ü  Work speed was 80 nano second (nano - one in a billion)

ü  Memory increased.

ü  Security of working increased.

ü  Input-Output Units’ speed increased and their volume decreased.

ü  Micro computer was invented.

ü  Programming methods were developed.

 

               PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE: Machine Language

                                                                       Forthran, Algol, Cobol

               KIND of MAIN MEMORY:        Core Memory, Flip-Flop Memory

               INPUT OUTPUT UNITS:             Punched Card, Keyboard, Printer, Optical Reader

               PRODUCER COMPANIES:        IBM – System 360

                                                                       Spectra (RCA) – 70

        

         FOURTH GENERATION COMPUTERS (1970-???)

                                     

               LAPTOP COMPUTER                                                 POCKET COMPUTER

 

 

 

         The most important invention of 70’s was Intel’s made microprocessor. Processing was compressed to an integrated session and so they earned from place and cost…

More Recent Advances

The trend during the 1970's was, to some extent, moving away from very powerful, single - purpose computers and toward a larger range of applications for cheaper computer systems. Most continuous-process manufacturing, such as petroleum refining and electrical-power distribution systems, now used computers of smaller capability for controlling and regulating their jobs.

In the 1960’s, the problems in programming applications were an obstacle to the independence of medium sized on-site computers, but gains in applications programming language technologies removed these obstacles. Applications languages were now available for controlling a great range of manufacturing processes, for using machine tools with computers, and for many other things. Moreover, a new revolution in computer hardware was under way, involving shrinking of computer-logic circuitry and of components by what are called large-scale integration (LSI) techniques. In the 1950s it was realized that "scaling down" the size of electronic digital computer circuits and parts would increase speed and efficiency and by that, improve performance, if they could only find a way to do this. About 1960 photo printing of conductive circuit boards to eliminate wiring became more developed. Then it became possible to build resistors and capacitors into the circuitry by the same process. In the 1970’s, vacuum deposition of transistors became the norm, and entire assemblies, with adders, shifting registers, and counters, became available on tiny "chips."

In the 1980’s, very large scale integration (VLSI), in which hundreds of thousands of transistors were placed on a single chip, became more and more common. Many companies, some new to the computer field, introduced in the 1970s programmable minicomputers supplied with software packages. The "shrinking" trend continued with the introduction of personal computers (PC’s), which are programmable machines small enough and inexpensive enough to be purchased and used by individuals.

Many companies, such as Apple Computer and Radio Shack, introduced very successful PC’s in the 1970s, encouraged in part by a fad in computer (video) games. In the 1980s some friction occurred in the crowded PC field, with Apple and IBM keeping strong. In the manufacturing of semiconductor chips, the Intel and Motorola Corporations were very competitive into the 1980s, although Japanese firms were making strong economic advances, especially in the area of memory chips. By the late 1980s, some personal computers were run by microprocessors that, handling 32 bits of data at a time, could process about 4,000,000 instructions per second.

Microprocessors equipped with read-only memory (ROM), which stores constantly used, unchanging programs, now performed an increased number of process-control, testing, monitoring, and diagnosing functions, like automobile ignition systems, automobile-engine diagnosis, and production-line inspection duties.

Cray Research and Control Data Inc. dominated the field of supercomputers, or the most powerful computer systems, through the 1970s and 1980s. In the early 1980s, however, the Japanese government announced a gigantic plan to design and build a new generation of supercomputers. This new generation, the so-called "fifth" generation, is using new technologies in very large integration, along with new programming languages, and will be capable of amazing feats in the area of artificial intelligence, such as voice recognition.

Progress in the area of software has not matched the great advances in hardware. Software has become the major cost of many systems because programming productivity has not increased very quickly. New programming techniques, such as object-oriented programming, have been developed to help relieve this problem. Despite difficulties with software, however, the cost per calculation of computers is rapidly lessening, and their convenience and efficiency are expected to increase in the early future.

The computer field continues to experience huge growth. Computer networking, computer mail, and electronic publishing are just a few of the applications that have grown in recent years. Advances in technologies continue to produce cheaper and more powerful computers offering the promise that in the near future, computers or terminals will reside in most, if not all homes, offices, and schools.