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Early Computers: A History of Computing

Early Computers: A History of Computing

Computers are a part of our everyday lives, but about two decades ago, computers were just beginning to enter homes. Many people don’t realize what the computer evolved from, and the speed at which computer technology has taken to arrive to what it is today.

The earliest know computer is the abacus, invented by the Chinese in 2600 B.C. Not many people consider this to be a computer, but by definition, it is. One of the more recent early computers was built by Herman Hollerith, who invented a machine that used a system of cards with holes in them. By using these cards he was able to calculate the United State Census. Hollerith’s Computer Tabulating-Recording Company changed its name in 1924 to International Business Machines, IBM for short. This is the same IBM that is known today to many computer users. During the 1980s and 1990s, IBM was a large player in the personal computer market. It was as important as Microsoft is the to the world of computing today. The main term that was used was, “IBM-Compatible.”

A large movement in computer technology was the use of vacuum tubes. In 1904 John Ambrose Fleming invented the first commercial diode vacuum tube. Thomas Edison already discovered this, but discarded the discovery as useless. Before the vacuum tube was discovered, computers were made of gears and switches. Now with the vacuum tube, it acted as a switch turning on and off much faster than standard switches. This also caused less wear and tear on the machine, prolonging the life of the computer, lessening the frequency of repairs.

In 1943 ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator Analyzer and Computer) was built. It was the first all electronic computer, and required so much electricity that when the power was turned on, the lights around Philadelphia dimmed. The ENIAC was used by the United States Military to produce trajectory tables. The ENIAC was able to compute 5,000 additions a second, but it took 2 days to set up these equations. The cost of the ENIAC was $500,000, weighed 30 tons, 100 feet long, and 8 feet high. Inside the ENIAC were 1,500 relays, and 17,468 vacuum tubes. These vacuum tubes consumed 200 kilowatts of electricity, thus causing it’s own circuits to fry. The ENIAC broke down frequently. The problem was that the tubes within the ENIAC produced heat, and...

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