The History And Future Of Computers :: essays research papers

The History and Future of ComputersWith the advances in figurer technology it is now possible for more andmore Canadians to consent personal computers in their homes. With breakthroughs incomputer processing speeds and with computer memory board capacity, the combinationof this with the reduced size of the computer have allowed for even the smallest apartment to hold a computer. In the past the only places to have computerswere troops institutes and some universities this was because of theirimmense size and price. Today with falling computer prices and the chanceto access larger networks, the amount of computers has grown from just 10% in1986 to 25% in 1994. Also, of the 25%, 34% of them were equipped with modems,which allow for lodge to on line services via telephone lines.The primitive start of the computer came about around 4000 BC with theinvention of the abacus, by the Chinese. It was a contract with beads strung onwires that could be moved to desexualize calculations. The archetypical digital computer isusually accredited to Blaise Pascal. In 1642 he do the device to aid hisfather, who was a tax collector. In 1694 Gottfried Leibniz improved the political formso that with the rearrangement of a few parts it could be used to multiply. The following(a) logical advance came from Thomas of Colmar in 1890, who produced a apparatusthat could carry through all of the four basic physical processs, 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, just the real start ofcomputers as they are known today comes from Charles Babbage. Babbage intentionala machine that he called a Difference Engine. It was designed to make many longcalculations robotlikeally and print out the results. A working(a) model was builtin 1822 and fabrication began in 1823. Babbage works on his invention for 10years when he lost interest in it. Hi s loss of interest was caused by a new 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 program 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 steam power and only require one person thither to