EVOLUTION OF

COMPUTING
MS. LORIME R. MONTANES
 LEARNING OUTCOME

3 Enumerate and define the classifications of

computer.

Explain how computer came into 2

existence.

Discuss and define what is computer,

1 functions and characteristics
 What is Computer?
 a programmable electronic device that accepts raw data as input and processes it
with a set of instructions (a program) to produce the result as output.
 The term "computer" is derived from the Latin word "computare" which means to
calculate.
 a machine that performs processes, calculations and operations based on
instructions provided by a software or hardware program.
 They are also designed to execute applications.
 Charles Babbage is also known as the “father of the computer”.
 Benefits of Using a Computer:
 Increases your productivity: A computer increases your productivity. For example, after
having a basic understanding of a word processor, you can create, edit, store, and print the
documents easily and quickly.
 Connects to the Internet: It connects you to the internet that allows you to send emails,
browse content, gain information, use social media platforms, and more.
 Storage: A computer allows you to store a large amount of information.
 Organized Data and Information: It not only allows you to store data but also enables
you to organize your data.
 Improves your abilities: It helps write good English if you are not good at spelling and
grammar.
 Assist the physically challenged: It can be used to help the physically challenged, e.g.,
Stephen Hawking, who was not able to speak used computer to speak. It also can be used
to help blind people by installing special software to read what is on the screen.
 Keeps you entertained: You can use the computer to listen to songs, watch movies, play
games and more.
 Common Examples
 ATM. While withdrawing cash from an ATM,
you are using a computer that enables the
ATM to take instructions and dispense cash
accordingly.
 Digital currency: A computer keeps a record
of your transactions and balance in your
account and the money deposited in your
account in a bank is stored as a digital record
or digital currency.
 Common Examples
 Trading: Stock markets use computers for
day to day trading. There are many advanced
algorithms based on computers that handle
trading without involving humans.
 Smartphone: The smartphone that
we use throughout the day for calling,
texting, browsing is itself a computer.
 Common Examples
 VoIP: All voice over IP communication
(VoIP) is handled and done by
computers.
Four Basic Functions of a Computer
 Input Function
 The input computer function accepts data from
input devices and sends it to the computer
processor.
 The raw information entered into a computer
from the input devices.
 Common input peripherals include the
keyboard, mouse, stylus and touchscreen. -
Digital cameras, microphones, scanners and
joysticks can also be used to input information
into a computer.
 Data Processing Function
 Data processing is the most basic function
of a computer.
 The operation of data as per given
instruction.
 This function is performed by the central
processing unit (CPU), which consists of
electronic circuits that can read and
execute code instructions to perform a
wide range of tasks, from performing
complex mathematical calculations to
sorting the entries in a database.
 The CPU can be seen as the brain of the
computer, accepting input data and
instructions, executing commands, storing
results in memory and sending data to
output devices.
 It controls the sequence of operations and
the use of data storage.
 Output Function
 The process of producing the useful
information for the user after processing
input data
 After processing the input data, the CPU,
auxiliary processor, or the process
function sends the processed data to the
output function or to the default or
configured output device.
 Each output device presents the
processed data in a different form, for
example, a monitor, a printer, and a
speaker displays, prints, and plays the
processed data, respectively.
 Data Storage Function
 One of the most useful functions of a computer is data storage.
Besides storing data that has been input through peripherals,
computers also need a way to save the results of data processing.
 To store data and information, a computer uses two types of storage
components: temporary and permanent.
 Temporary storage components are used to store data temporarily.
Data stored in a temporary storage component is erased when the
system is shutdown. RAM is a compulsory temporary storage
component. A computer uses the ram to store the running
applications and their data.
 Permanent storage components are used to store data
permanently. Data stored in a permanent storage component is not
erased when the system is shutdown. The hard disk is the most
common permanent storage component. Usually, all computers have
at least one hard disk to store data. Other common permanent
storage components or devices are external drives, USB drives, and
CD/DVD.
Characteristic of a Computer
 Speed: - As you know computer can work very
fast. It takes only few seconds for calculations
that we take hours to complete. You will be
surprised to know that computer can perform
millions (1,000,000) of instructions and even
more per second.
 Accuracy: - The degree of accuracy of
computer is very high and every calculation
is performed with the same accuracy. The
errors in computer are due to human and
inaccurate data.
Characteristic of a Computer
 Diligence: - A computer is free from
tiredness, lack of concentration, fatigue,
etc. It can work for hours without creating
any error. If millions of calculations are to
be performed, a computer will perform
every calculation with the same accuracy.
 Versatility: - It means the capacity to
perform completely different type of work.
You may use your computer to prepare
payroll slips. Next moment you may use it for
inventory management or to prepare electric
bills.
Characteristic of a Computer
 Power of Remembering. Computer has
the power of storing any amount
of information or data. Any information can
be stored and recalled as long as you
require it, for any numbers of years. It
depends entirely upon you how much data
you want to store in a computer and when
to lose or retrieve these data.
 No IQ: - Computer is a dumb machine and it
cannot do any work without instruction from
the user. It performs the instructions at
tremendous speed and with accuracy. It is
you to decide what you want to do and in
what sequence. So a computer cannot take
its own decision as you can.
Characteristic of a Computer

 Storage: - The Computer has an in-built

 No Feeling: - It does not have feelings or memory where it can store a large amount of
emotion, taste, knowledge and data. You can also store data in
experience. Thus it does not get tired even secondary storage devices such as floppies,
after long hours of work. It does not which can be kept outside your computer and
distinguish between users. can be carried to other computers.
HISTORY OF COMPUTERS
  Abacus
 The history of computer begins with the birth of
abacus which is believed to be the first
computer. It is said that Chinese invented
Abacus around 4,000 years ago.
 It was a wooden rack which has metal rods
with beads mounted on them. The beads were
moved by the abacus operator according to
some rules to perform arithmetic calculations.
Abacus is still used in some countries like
China, Russia and Japan.
 Napier's Bones
 It was a manually-operated calculating
device which was invented by John
Napier (1550-1617) of Merchiston. In this
calculating tool, he used 9 different ivory
strips or bones marked with numbers to
multiply and divide. So, the tool became
known as "Napier's Bones. It was also
the first machine to use the decimal
point.
 Pascaline is also known as Arithmetic Machine or
Adding Machine. It was invented between 1642  Stepped Reckoner or Leibnitz
and 1644 by a French mathematician-philosopher
Biaise Pascal. It is believed that it was the first
wheel
mechanical and automatic calculator.  It was developed by a German
 Pascal invented this machine to help his father, a mathematician-philosopher Gottfried
tax accountant. It could only perform addition and Wilhelm Leibnitz in 1673. He improved
subtraction. It was a wooden box with a series of Pascal's invention to develop this machine. It
gears and wheels. When a wheel is rotated one was a digital mechanical calculator which
revolution, it rotates the neighboring wheel. A series was called the stepped reckoner as instead
of windows is given on the top of the wheels to of gears it was made of fluted drums. See
read the totals. the following image;
  Difference Engine
 In the early 1820s, it was designed by
Charles Babbage who is known as "Father
of Modern Computer". It was a mechanical
computer which could perform simple
calculations. It was a steam driven
calculating machine designed to solve
tables of numbers like logarithm tables.
 Analytical Engine
 This calculating machine was also developed
by Charles Babbage in 1830. It was a
mechanical computer that used punch-cards
as input. It was capable of solving any
mathematical problem and storing
information as a permanent memory.
  Tabulating Machine
 It was invented in 1890, by Herman Hollerith,
an American statistician. It was a mechanical
tabulator based on punch cards. It could
tabulate statistics and record or sort data or
information. This machine was used in the
1890 U.S. Census. Hollerith also started the
Hollerith?s Tabulating Machine Company
which later became International Business
Machine (IBM) in 1924.
 Differential Analyzer
 It was the first electronic computer introduced
in the United States in 1930. It was an analog
device invented by Vannevar Bush. This
machine has vacuum tubes to switch
electrical signals to perform calculations. It
could do 25 calculations in few minutes.
  Mark I
 The next major changes in the history of
computer began in 1937 when Howard
Aiken planned to develop a machine that
could perform calculations involving large
numbers. In 1944, Mark I computer was
built as a partnership between IBM and
Harvard. It was the first programmable
digital computer.
 GENERATIONS OF COMPUTERS
 A generation of computers refers to the specific improvements in
computer technology with time. In 1946, electronic pathways called
circuits were developed to perform the counting. It replaced the gears and
other mechanical parts used for counting in previous computing
machines.
 In each new generation, the circuits became smaller and more advanced
than the previous generation circuits. The miniaturization helped increase
the speed, memory and power of computers.
  First Generation Computers
 The first generation (1946-1959) computers
were slow, huge and expensive. In these
computers, vacuum tubes were used as the
basic components of CPU and memory. These
computers were mainly depended on batch
operating system and punch cards. Magnetic
tape and paper tape were used as output and
input devices in this generation;
 Some of the popular first generation
computers are;
 ENIAC ( Electronic Numerical Integrator and
Computer)
 EDVAC ( Electronic Discrete Variable
Automatic Computer)
 UNIVACI( Universal Automatic Computer)
 IBM-701
 IBM-650
 Second Generation Computers
 The second generation (1959-1965) was the era of
the transistor computers. These computers used
transistors which were cheap, compact and
consuming less power; it made transistor
computers faster than the first generation
computers.
 In this generation, magnetic cores were used as
the primary memory and magnetic disc and tapes
were used as the secondary storage. Assembly
language and programming languages like
COBOL and FORTRAN, and Batch processing
and multiprogramming operating systems were
used in these computers.
 Some of the popular second-generation computers
are;
 IBM 1620
 IBM 7094
 CDC 1604
 CDC 3600
 UNIVAC 1108
  Third Generation Computers
 The third-generation computers used integrated
circuits (ICs) instead of transistors. A single IC
can pack huge number of transistors which
increased the power of a computer and reduced
the cost. The computers also became more
reliable, efficient and smaller in size. These
generation computers used remote processing,
time-sharing, multi programming as operating
system. Also, the high-level programming
languages like FORTRON-II TO IV, COBOL,
PASCAL PL/1, ALGOL-68 were used in this
generation.
 Some of the popular first generation computers
are;
 IBM-360 series
 Honeywell-6000 series
 PDP (Personal Data Processor)
 IBM-370/168
 TDC-316
 Fourth Generation Computers
 The fourth generation (1971-1980) computers
used very large scale integrated (VLSI) circuits;
a chip containing millions of transistors and
other circuit elements. These chips made this
generation computer more compact, powerful,
fast and affordable. These generation computers
used real time, time sharing and distributed
operating system. The programming languages
like C, C++, DBASE were also used in this
generation.
 Some of the popular fourth generation
computers are;
 DEC 10
 STAR 1000
 PDP 11
 CRAY-1 (Super Computer)
 CRAY-X-MP (Super Computer)
  Fifth Generation Computers

 In fifth generation (1980-till date) computers, the  Some of the popular fifth generation
VLSI technology was replaced with ULSI (Ultra computers are;
Large Scale Integration). It made possible the  Desktop
production of microprocessor chips with ten  Laptop
million electronic components. This generation  NoteBook
computer used parallel processing hardware
and AI (Artificial Intelligence) software. The  UltraBook
programming languages used in this generation  ChromeBook
were C, C++, Java, .Net, etc.
 CLASSIFICATION OF COMPUTERS
 The computer systems can be classified on the following basis:
 On the basis of purpose
 On the basis of data handling.
 On the basis of size.
 Classification on the basis of purpose
 General purpose computers are designed to perform a range of tasks. They
have the ability to store numerous programs, but lack in speed and efficiency.
 Specific purpose computers are designed to handle a specific problem or to
perform a specific task. A set of instructions is built into the machine.
 Classification on the basis of data handling

 Analog Computer
 An analog computer (spelt analogue in British English) is a form of computer
that uses continuous physical phenomena such as electrical, mechanical, or
hydraulic quantities to model the problem being solved.
 Digital Computer
 A computer that performs calculations and logical operations with quantities
represented as digits, usually in the binary number system
 Hybrid Computer (Analog + Digital)
 A combination of computers those are capable of inputting and outputting in
both digital and analog signals. A hybrid computer system setup offers a cost
effective method of performing complex simulations.
  Classification on the basis of size
1. Super Computer
 The fastest and most powerful type of
computer Supercomputers are very
expensive and are employed for
specialized applications that require
immense amounts of mathematical
calculations. For example, weather
forecasting requires a supercomputer.
Other uses of supercomputers include
animated graphics, fluid dynamic
calculations, nuclear energy research, and
petroleum exploration.
 The chief difference between a
supercomputer and a mainframe is that a
supercomputer channels all its power into
executing a few programs as fast as
possible, whereas a mainframe uses its
power to execute many programs
concurrently.
 2. Mainframe Computer
 A very large and expensive computer
capable of supporting hundreds, or
even thousands, of users
simultaneously. In the hierarchy that
starts with a
simple microprocessor (in watches,
for example) at the bottom and
moves to supercomputers at the top,
mainframes are just below
supercomputers. In some ways,
mainframes are more powerful than
supercomputers because they
support more simultaneous
programs. But supercomputers can
execute a single program faster than
a mainframe.
 3. Mini Computer
 A midsized computer. In size and
power, minicomputers lie
between workstations and mainframe
s. In the past decade, the distinction
between large minicomputers and
small mainframes has blurred,
however, as has the distinction
between small minicomputers and
workstations. But in general, a
minicomputer is a multiprocessing
system capable of supporting from 4
to about 200 users simultaneously.
4. Micro Computer or Personal
Computer
 Desktop Computer: a personal or
micro-mini computer sufficient to fit
on a desk.
 Laptop Computer: a portable
computer complete with an
integrated screen and keyboard. It is
generally smaller in size than a
desktop computer and larger than a
notebook computer.
 Palmtop Computer/Digital Diary
/Notebook /PDAs: a hand-sized
computer. Palmtops have no
keyboard but the screen serves both
as an input and output device.
5. Workstations
 A terminal or desktop computer in a
network. In this context, workstation
is just a generic term for a user's
machine (client machine) in contrast
to a "server" or "mainframe."
THANK YOU  