History of the Computer Module 1 COEN 1

History of the Computer Module 1 COEN 1

What makes a Computer? n Computer in the Manhattan Project (194044) ¨ Humans (mostly women) calculating according to strict rules and under strict supervision. ¨ Did not understand the purpose of the calculations. ¨ Calculations were checked by assigning them to different computers.

What makes a Computer?

What makes a Computer? n Calculators ¨ Abacus ¨ Slide Rule ¨ Mechanical Adders and Calculators Blaise Pascal 1632 -1662 n Gottfried Leibnitz 1646 -1716 n Charles de Colmar 1785 -1870 n ¨ Arithmometer: 4 basic operations

What makes a Computer? Computers are more autonomous than calculating machines. n A computer is programmed, given a set of instructions. n Behavior of computer radically changes with different instructions. n

Computer History Pioneers (1930 – 1946) n First Generation (1946 – 1955) n ¨ Humungous, power-hungry, unreliable ¨ Because they used Vacuum Tubes n Second Generation (1956 -1963) ¨ Vacuum Tubes replaced by transistors. ¨ Programming done very close to machine

Computer History n Third Generation (1964 -1971) ¨ Integrated Circuit: Many transistors in a single chip. ¨ Pushed by needs of the space program. Apollo Computer Interface Box

Computer History n Fourth Generation (1971 - 1993) ¨ Computer on a chip ¨ Personal computers Alto (HP labs, Palo Alto) n Apple (Job, Wozniak) n IBM PC n

Early Beginnings n First Programmable Device: Jacquard Loom ¨ Draw loom controlled by master weaver: n n Commands a draw boy to raise hooks that controlled harnesses. All in order to produce intricate floral patterns. Modern Draw Loom Jacquard Loom

Early Beginnings n First Programmable Device: Jacquard Loom ¨ Jacquard (1800) used punch cards to control the harnesses. ¨ Set of punch cards now controlled pattern. ¨ Master weaver skill was codified in cards. Draw Loom

Early Beginnings What was the impact of the Jacquard loom? n Who were the stakeholders. n How did they see the introduction of the Jacquard loom? n

Early Beginnings n Luddites (1811) ¨ social movement of English textile workers ¨ protested — often by destroying textile machines — against the changes produced by the Industrial ¨ named after a mythical leader, Ned Ludd.

Early Beginnings n Jacquard Loom ¨ 11000 Jacquard looms in 1812 in France ¨ Jacquard received official French pension in 1806 ¨ Economic effects: Lowered prices for complicated patterns n Increased demand for master weavers. n

Early Beginnings n Analytical Engine of Charles Babbage (1791 -1871) ¨ Gentleman n scientist: Rich banker’s son, lost access to family fortune, but remained independently wealthy. ¨ 1821: Babbage and John Herschel bemoan the poor quality of astronomical tables.

Early Beginnings n Navigation is based on astronomical tables. ¨ Errors lead to loss of ship, life, and cargo.

Early Beginnings n British government funds research on the “Difference Engine No. 1” ¨ Steam-run machine ¨ Replaces human computers of astronomical tables. ¨ Consists of 25, 000 precision parts. n Babbage abandons project after 10 years to work on “Difference Engine No. 2” ¨ Expenditures so far, ££ 17470. n And no more funding. ¨ Difference Engine No. 2 is also abandoned.

Early Beginnings n Analytical Engine: ¨ An input unit to receive instructions in the form of punched cards. ¨ A processing unit that would follow these instructions. ¨ A storage unit that would store intermediate results. ¨ An output unit that would print the results on paper. ¨ A steam power unit to provide the energy for it all. n Never completed, completely forgotten.

Birth of the Computer n Hollerith ¨ US constitution requires a census every 10 years. ¨ 1880 census was finished in 1887. n Needed to process 50 million records. ¨ Herman Hollerith used punch card technology to produce a sorting and tabulating machine. ¨ 1880 census finished in 6 weeks. ¨ Hollerith’s Tabulating Machine Company became International Business Machine Company.

Early Beginnings n Atanasoff ¨ Applications: Physics. Atanasoff had to solve linear equations for his thesis in Physics. n With assistant Berry worked on a machine that could do the job for him. n Used electronic vacuum tubes. n Atanasoff-Berry machine was forgotten. n

Early Beginnings n Konrad Zuse ¨ German aerospace engineer Proposed a computing device to solve aerodynamics equations n Used mechanical relays (as used in telephone switching) n None of his machines were completed due to the German loss of WWII n

Early Beginnings n Howard H. Aiken (1900 – 1973) ¨ Harvard Scientist, interested in numerical problems ¨ Secured 1 million dollars in research funding from IBM ¨ Further funding from Navy ¨ 1944: IBM’s Automatic Sequence Controlled Calculator (Harvard Mark 1) first operational electro-mechanical computer.

Early Beginnings n Turing and the Colossus ¨ Task: n n n Breaking the Enigma code in WW 2 Polish cryptographers found a weakness in the code English set up a deciphering effort Supported by special hardware ¨ Bombe (electro-mechanical device) ¨ Turing n proposed a more general machine, Colossus. Special purpose digital computerbuilt under Max Newman from 1943 -1945.

Early Beginnings n Turing: ¨ Developed first mathematical theory of computability Proposed Turing machine as a computer with primitive operations n Turing – Church Thesis: Everything that can be computer can be computed on a Turing machine. n ¨ Started Philosophical investigation of Artificial Intelligence. n Turing Test

Early Beginnings n John W. Mauchly and Presper Eckert ¨ Problem: Artillery Tables for US Army ¨ Mauchly proposes construction of a general computer ¨ Results in ENIAC: n Feb. 1946 n 18000 vacuum tubes n 2. 5 m high, 24 m wide n 1000 times faster than electromechanical predecessors n 5000 additions per second ¨ Predecessor of computers designed for nuclear weapons work (Von Neumann) ¨ Mauchly and Eckert started Eckert-Mauchly Computer Cooperation which designed the UNIVAC