The History And Future Of Computers :: essays research papers

The History and Future of ComputersWith the advances in computer technology it is now possible for more andmore Canadians to have personal computers in their homes. With breakthroughs incomputer processing speeds and with computer storage capacity, the combinationof this with the reduced size of the computer have altogetherowed for even the smallestapartment to hold a computer. In the past the only places to have computerswere military institutes and some universities this was because of theirimmense size and price. Today with falling computer prices and the opportunityto access larger networks, the amount of computers has prominent from just 10% in1986 to 25% in 1994. Also, of the 25%, 34% of them were equipped with modems,which allow for connection to on line services via telephone lines.The primordial have of the computer came about around 4000 BC with theinvention of the abacus, by the Chinese. It was a rack with beads strung onwires that could be moved to shake calculation s. The first digital computer isusually accredited to Blaise Pascal. In 1642 he made the device to aid hisfather, who was a tax collector. In 1694 Gottfried Leibniz improved the railway carso that with the rearrangement of a few parts it could be used to multiply. Thenext logical advance came from Thomas of Colmar in 1890, who produced a political machinethat could perform all of the four basic operations, addition, subtraction,multiplication and division. With the added versatility this device was inoperation up until the First World War.Thomas of Colmar made the common calculator, but the real start ofcomputers as they are known today comes from Charles Babbage. Babbage designeda machine that he called a Difference Engine. It was designed to make many longcalculations mechanically and print out the results. A working model was builtin 1822 and fabrication began in 1823. Babbage works on his invention for 10years when he lost interest in it. His loss of interest was caused by a n ew ideahe thought up. The Difference Engine was limited in adaptability as well asapplicability. The new idea would be a general purpose, automatic mechanicaldigital computer that would be fully chopine controlled. He called this theAnalytical Engine. It would have Conditional Control Transfer Capability sothat commands could be inputted in any order, not just the way that it had beenprogrammed. The machine was supposed to use punch cards which were to be readinto the machine from several reading stations. The machine was supposed tooperate automatically by travel power and only require one person there to