computing through the ages

Computing Through the Ages

A History of Computers


• History depends on who wrote it [interpreted it]• History is not always clear, there are conflicting claims• A History of Computers is really:

– A History of Computing– Starts with counting– Keeping track of things (people, money, cows, horses, spears)– Analyzing things (how big is their army, how many pigs)– Based on human necessity


• First Computing (early humans)• Babylonian - Pebble Board


• Mechanical Age• Antikythera - programmable ship’s calendar• Abacus


• Mechanical Age• Babbage Difference Engine (1822)

Part of Babbage Difference Engine assemble by his son after Charles Babbage’s death from parts in his dad’s lab.


• Charles Babbage (1791-1871)• London Science Museum built a working replica

(1991)

A History of Computers• Electro-Mechanical Age• 1890 Census – Hollerith Tabulator• Each clerk could punch 500 cards per day• Each card read by a card reader • 40 data-recording tabulator dial results transcribed by

clerks• Sorting by a clerk using a sorting table using dial results

that specified which drawer (slot) to place the card at a rate of 80 cards per minute

• Punch card systems used into the 1950s

A History of Computers• Parts of Hollerith Machine - reader, dials, sorter

Hollerith formed companies that merged and evolved into IBM

A History of Computers• Electro-Mechanical Age• IBM formed from 4 companies:– Tabulating Machine Company– International Time Recording Company– Computing Scale Company– Bundy Machine Company

• Originally called CTR– Computing-Tabulating-Recording

• Bought Electromatic Typewriter Company

A History of Computers• Early computing - adding machine that added,

subtracted and printed (IBM)

A History of Computers• First Digital Computers - Vacuum Tube Monsters

– 1937-1942 ABC Computer (Atanasoff Berry Computer) Iowa State Univ

– 1946 ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Calculator) Univ of Pennsylvania

– 1946 UNIVAC funded at Univ of Pennsylvania– 1949 EDSAC (Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Calculator)

Cambridge Univ– 1951 ORDVAC Univ of Illinois– 1952 ILLIAC Univ of Illinois– 1952 MANIAC (Mathematical Analyzer Numerator Integrator

Computer) Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory

A History of Computers1946 ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Calculator) Univ of Pennsylvania

Filled a 20x40 foot room, >18,000 vacuum tubes

A History of ComputersVacuum Tubes in Computers

A History of Computers• 1950s Computers• IBM 501 and 701• UNIVAC 1104• Characteristics– Tubes– Transister– Core memory– early hard disk (1956)– 1st modem (SAGE computer)

A History of Computers• 1960s Computers• IBM 360• RCA 70x• UNIVAC 1108• CDC 6600• Characteristics

– Transister– IC (Integrated Circuit)– DRAM memory, Twister memory– hard disk– modem

A History of Computers• 1970s Computers• Mainframe, mini, micro• Mainframes

– IBM 370– Cray-1

• Characteristics– Transister– LSI (Large Scale Integrated Circuit)– DRAM memory, bubble memory– hard disk, tape– Modem, hard-wired Ethernet network

A History of Computers• 1970s Computers• Mainframe, mini, micro• Minis

– DEC PDP 8, 11– Others

• Characteristics– Transister– LSI (Large Scale Integrated Circuit)– DRAM memory, bubble memory– hard disk, tape– Modem, hard-wired Ethernet network

DEC PDP-8 in 1965

CRAY-1 in 1976

A History of Computers• 1970s Computers• Mainframe, mini, micro• Micros

– MITS, Altair– Apple I and II, TRS-80, Commore PET

• Characteristics– Transister– LSI (Large Scale Integrated Circuit)– RAM memory– Floppy disk 8” and 5.25”– Sneaker net

A History of ComputersMagnified Intel 4004 Computer Chip (1971)

A History of Computers• 1980s Computers• Mainframes: IBM, Cray• Characteristics– Transister– VLSI (Very Large Scale Integrated Circuit)– RAM memory– hard disk, tape, CD– Modem, hard-wired Ethernet network

A History of Computers• 1980s Computers• Minis: DEC, WANG• Characteristics– Transister– VLSI (Very Large Scale Integrated Circuit)– RAM memory– hard disk, tape, DAT tape, CD– Modem, hard-wired Ethernet network

A History of Computers• 1980s Computers• Micros: Apple, IBM, Tandy, HP, Altos, Northstar,

Compaq• Portables: Osborne, Kaypro, Compaq, HP• Characteristics– Transister– VLSI (Very Large Scale Integrated Circuit)– RAM memory– Floppy disk, hard disk, tape, CD– Modem, hard-wired Ethernet network

A History of Computers• 1990s Computers• Mainframes: IBM System 390• Minis: disappeared (squeezed out)• Micros: • Characteristics– Transister– VLSI (Very Large Scale Integrated Circuit)– RAM memory– hard disk, tape, DAT tape, CD– Modem, hard-wired Ethernet network

A History of ComputersMagnified Intel Pentium Computer Chip (1997)

7.5 Million transisters

Includes video, audio & graphics

A History of Computers• 2000s Computers• Mainframes: still exist but larger• Cell phones• Micros: xxxxxxxxxxxxx• Characteristics– SD card– VLSI (Very Large Scale Integrated Circuit)– RAM memory– hard disk, tape, DAT tape, CD, DVD, Blue-ray Disk– Modem, hard-wired Ethernet network

A History of Computers• 2010s Computers• Mainframes: still exist but larger• Cell Phones• Tablets• Micros: xxxxxxxxxxxxx• Characteristics

– Transister– VLSI (Very Large Scale Integrated Circuit)– RAM memory– hard disk, tape, DAT tape, CD– Modem, hard-wired Ethernet network


What components are part of a computer system?- Hardware

- System Board and CPU- Memory- Power Supply- Connectors- Case

- Software- Operating System- Device Drivers- Applications


What components are part of a computer system?- Storage

- Hard Disks- CD/DVDs- Floppy Disks- Tape- Cloud (new, external hard disks on Internet, accessible by everyone)- Flash Drive

- Input device(s)- Mouse- Pen- Scanner- Camera

A History of ComputersWhat components are part of a computer system?

Output device(s)- Printer- Storage- CD/DVD- Tape- Cloud- Floppy Disk- Flash Drive- Displays

Network(s)- Sneaker net- Wired (Ethernet, etc)- WiFi (started at 1G now 4G, LTE)

A History of Computers• History of CPUs

Chip Capacity & type Transistor count Date introduced Manufacturer ? 256-bit ROM bipolar TTL ? 1965 Sylvania ? 1024-bit ROM MOS ? 1965 General Microelectronics SP95 16-bit SRAM bipolar ? 1965 IBM -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------? 128-bit RAM ? 1969 IBM

512-bit PROM bipolar TTL ? 1970 Radiation Inc. 93400 256-bit RAM ? 1970 Fairchild 1103 1 kb DRAM ?1,024 1970 Intel -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1702 Erasable PROM 2 kb EPROM ? 1971 Intel ? 8 Mb DRAM ?8,388,608 Jan 6, 1984 (1986) Hitachi ? 64 Mb DRAM ?67,108,864 1994 NEC, Samsung 256 Mb DRAM ?268,435,456 Jun 12, 1995 IBM, SIEMENS, Toshiba-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------? 1 Gb DRAM ?1,073,741,824 Jan 9, 1995 (2001) Hitachi ? 64 Gb DRAM ?68,719,476,736 2007? 128 Gb DRAM ?137,438,953,472 July 5, 2012 Samsung -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Future ? ?500,000,000,000 ? ?

A History of Computers• History of Memory

Computer memory typesVolatileRAM

DRAM (e.g., DDR SDRAM) SRAM

In development

T-RAM Z-RAM

Historical

Williams–Kilburn tube (1946–47) Delay line memory (1947) Selectron tube (1953) Dekatron


Computer memory typesNon-volatileROM

Mask ROM PROM EPROM EEPROM

NVRAM

Flash memory Solid-state storage

Early stage NVRAM

nvSRAM FeRAM MRAM PRAM


Computer memory typesMechanical

Magnetic tape Hard disk drive Optical drive

In development

3D XPoint CBRAM SONOS RRAM Racetrack memory NRAM Millipede memory FJG

Historical

Paper data storage (1725) Drum memory (1932) Magnetic-core memory (1949) Plated wire memory (1957) Thin-film memory (1962) Twistor memory (~1968) Bubble memory (~1970)

A History of Computers• History of Networking (telecommunications)

Computer networking allows computer to exchange data with each other

Computer network types Internet (best known) (wireless) Packet switching over hard wires Ethernet (commonly called a LAN) Power line communication Fiber optic Radio Waves Infrared SAN, MAN, WAN, VPN, GPN

In development 5G (wireless) 10-20 GHz T-Ray (Terahertz Radiation) ?100 GHz

computing through the ages

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