History of Computer & Importance of Computer

The History of Computer

The development of data storage, management, counting and accounting mechanism started from the very beginning. The introduction of number and importance of digit management started from business and trading system. People used oyster and pebble for trading and counting. The word calculus comes from Latin word pebble. The introduction of wealth and tax calculation introduced from 4000 BC to 1200 BC by Sunario civilization and they used Clay Tablet, which can compare with computer data management system.The name of old calculation machine is Abacus. Its only value is that it aids the memory of the human performing the calculation. A skilled abacus operator can work on addition and subtraction problems at the speed of a person equipped with a hand calculator. In fact, the oldest surviving abacus was used in 300 B.C. by the Babylonians. In latter, abacus also used by China, Japan, Greek and Roman. The prime number was invented by Eratosthenes which known as sieve of Eratosthenes. Zero have used as digit firstly in India. But still it was difficult to calculate adding, dividing, subtracting and multiplying. The invention of logarithm method was invented by John Napier, which made easily to calculate adding, dividing, subtracting, square, multiplying etc. Napier's invention led directly to the slide rule. The first gear-driven calculating machine to actually be built was probably the calculating clock, the German professor Wilhelm Schickard in 1623. This device got little publicity because Schickard died soon afterward in the bubonic plague. In 1642 Blaise Pascal, at age 19, invented the Pascaline as an aid for his father who was a tax collector. Pascal went on to invent probability theory, the hydraulic press, and the syringe. Shown below is an 8 digit version of the Pascaline, and two views of a 6 digit version. Just a few years after Pascal, the German Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz managed to build a four-function (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division) calculator that he called the stepped reckoner because, instead of gears, it employed fluted drums having ten flutes arranged around their circumference in a stair-step fashion. In 1801 the Frenchman Joseph Marie Jacquard invented a power loom that could base its weave upon a pattern automatically read from punched wooden cards, held together in a long row by rope. By 1822 the English mathematician Charles Babbage was proposing a steam driven calculating machine the size of a room, which he called the Difference Engine. This machine would be able to compute tables of numbers, such as logarithm tables. He obtained government funding for this project due to the importance of numeric tables in ocean navigation. Ten years later the device was still nowhere near complete, acrimony abounded between all involved, funding dried up and the device was not finished. Babbage was not deterred, and by then was on to his next brainstorm, which he called the Analytic Engine. This device, large as a house and powered by 6 steam engines, would be more general purpose in nature because it would be programmable. The Analytic Engine also had a key function that distinguishes computers from calculators: the conditional statement. A conditional statement allows a program to achieve different results each time it is run.

Md. Khalid Hossain

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History of Computer & Importance of Computer

Hollerith's invention, known as the Hollerith desk, consisted of a card reader which sensed the holes in the cards, a gear driven mechanism which could count (using Pascal's mechanism), and a large wall of dial indicators to display the results of the count. Hollerith had the insight to convert punched cards to what is today called a read/write technology Hollerith's technique was successful and the 1890 census was completed in only 3 years at a savings of 5 million dollars in U.S. Hollerith built a company, the Tabulating Machine Company which known today as IBM. IBM grew rapidly and punched cards became ubiquitous. IBM continued to develop mechanical calculators for sale to businesses to help with financial accounting and inventory accounting. But the U.S. military desired a mechanical calculator more optimized for scientific computation. One early success was the Harvard Mark I computer which was built as a partnership between Harvard and IBM in 1944. This was the first programmable digital computer made in the U.S. But it was not a purely electronic computer. Instead the Mark I was constructed out of switches, relays, rotating shafts, and clutches. The machine weighed 5 tons, incorporated 500 miles of wire, was 8 feet tall and 51 feet long, and had a 50 ft rotating shaft running its length, turned by a 5 horsepower electric motor. The Mark I ran non-stop for 15 years, sounding like a roomful of ladies knitting.Though the invention of vacuam valb invented at the beginning of 20th century, but using computer started from 1935. Since Second World War Germany highcommend communicate with their army from thousand miles far way by using secrete code digit. The opposite army was trying to understand the meaning of secrete code and for that purpose British government introduce ultra project. John Von Neumann called the father of modern computer. U.S army (EDVAC) was formed based on his idea. The introducer of Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Calculator (EDSAC) and EDVAC Mosli and Ecart started Universal Automatic Computer (UNIVAC) in 1951. UNIVAC started electronic computer firstly for trading. At that time IBM also introduce them as trader with Defence Calculator and the next year they introduce IBM 650. On that time, some computer language also invented such as Fortran, Cobol.In 1971 Dr. Ted Hoff adjusted all equipment of processor in on silicon chip which known as intel-4004. Intel-4004 was first microprocessor as commercially. In 1975, Bill Gates, the student of Harvard University and his friend Paul Allen wrote BASIC for MITS. At the end of 1975 the trading amity between Bill Gates and Paul Allen is named Microsoft. This small Microsoft Company at the latter placed a big market in computer world. In 1976 with the combine task of Stephen Wozniak and Steve Jobs made Apple 1 computer and after they introduced Apple Company. In next year the innovation of Apple II which added new line in the microcomputer development. After that IBM decide to make personal computer and for this they started a secrete project Acron. They used PC-DOS as operating system. In 1981, IBM made PC that adds new line in computer world. After PC, the improvement of computer changes so quickly. In 1983 the innovation of C++ language, in 1984 Cedi Rom, in 1985 windows 1.0, in 1990 windows 3.0, in 1993 Intel Pentium, in 1995 windows 95, Java language, in 1996 Intel Pentium Pro, in 1997 the Intel Pentium MMX, in 1998 windows 98 and so on.
Md. Khalid Hossain Page 2

History of Computer & Importance of Computer

Importance of computer
Large volume of data: The memory of computer can bear large volume of data. Data can easily store and instruct them in memory. Huge data can be stored safely and unchanged. Day after day, the memory of computer has increased and now a days the almost all world data storage depending on computers memory. Accuracy: Computer takes millisecond or nanosecond to find out any data accurately. At the necessary moment computer give right solution from the given instruct by using large volume of data. Any calculation can be possible accurately with a second. Repetitiveness: Computer can repeated task again and again accurately within a less time. Complexity: Now a days computer is a media to calculate versatility task. It can give general as well as scientific solution. Speed: The speed of computer is unbelievable. It works with electronic signal and within a second it can corrors of calculation. This high speed is known as millisecond, microsecond, nanosecond and picoseconds. Reliability and logical decision: Computer works so first to maintain reliability of user. The task of computer not limited in geometric solution but also give logical solution for helping in decision by using program.

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Md. Khalid Hossain

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History of Computer & Importance of Computer

Md. Khalid Hossain

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