A Short History of Computing

Ancient History

Abacus

• 3000 BCE, early 3000 BCE, early form of beads on form of beads on wires, used in wires, used in ChinaChina

• From semitic From semitic abaqabaq, meaning , meaning dust.dust.

The Middle Ages

Charles Babbage (1791-1871)

Charles Babbage (1791-1871)

• Born: December 26, 1791Born: December 26, 1791• son of Benjamin Babbage a London bankerson of Benjamin Babbage a London banker

(part of the emerging (part of the emerging middle class: property, middle class: property, education, wealth, and statuseducation, wealth, and status))

• Trinity College, Cambridge [MA, 1817]Trinity College, Cambridge [MA, 1817]

with John Herschel and George Peacock, with John Herschel and George Peacock, produced a translation of LaCroix’s calculus produced a translation of LaCroix’s calculus text.text.

Importance of the Difference Engine

• 1. First attempt to 1. First attempt to devisedevise a computing a computing machine that was machine that was automatic in actionautomatic in action and and well adapted, by its printing mechanism, to well adapted, by its printing mechanism, to a mathematical task of considerable a mathematical task of considerable importanceimportance..

• 2. An example of 2. An example of government subsidizationgovernment subsidization of innovation and technology developmentof innovation and technology development

• 3. 3. Spin offsSpin offs to the to the machine-tool “industrymachine-tool “industry””

Herman Hollerith and the Evolution of Electronic Accounting Machines

Herman Hollerith (1860-1929)

Herman Hollerith

• Born: February 29, 1860Born: February 29, 1860– Civil War: 1861-1865Civil War: 1861-1865

• Columbia School of Mines (New York)Columbia School of Mines (New York)• 1879 hired at Census Office1879 hired at Census Office• 1882 MIT faculty (1882 MIT faculty (T is for technologyT is for technology!)!)• 1883 St. Louis (1883 St. Louis (inventorinventor))• 1884 Patent Office (Wash, DC)1884 Patent Office (Wash, DC)• 1885 “Expert and Solicitor of 1885 “Expert and Solicitor of PatentsPatents””

Census

• Article I, Section 2: Representatives and Article I, Section 2: Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several states...among the several states...according to according to their respective numberstheir respective numbers...(and) ...(and) every ...term of ten yearsevery ...term of ten years

• 1790: 1st US census1790: 1st US census• Population: 3,929,214Population: 3,929,214• Census OfficeCensus Office

Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer

• 1st large scale electronic digital 1st large scale electronic digital computercomputer

• designed and constructed at the designed and constructed at the Moore SchoolMoore School of Electrical Engineering of Electrical Engineering of the University of Pennsylvaniaof the University of Pennsylvania– since 1920s, faculty had worked with since 1920s, faculty had worked with

Aberdeen Proving Ground’s Aberdeen Proving Ground’s Ballistics Ballistics Research Laboratory (BRL)Research Laboratory (BRL)

Accumulator(28 vacuum tubes)

ENIAC at Moore School, University of Pennsylvania

Manchester Mark I (1948)

Manchester Mark I (1948)

• Freddy Williams and Tom KilburnFreddy Williams and Tom Kilburn• Developed an electrostatic memoryDeveloped an electrostatic memory• Prototype operational June 21, 1948 and Prototype operational June 21, 1948 and

machine to execute a stored programmachine to execute a stored program• Memory: 32 words of 32 bits eachMemory: 32 words of 32 bits each• Storage: single Williams tube (CRT)Storage: single Williams tube (CRT)• Fully operational: October 1949Fully operational: October 1949• Ferranti Mark I delivered in February 1951Ferranti Mark I delivered in February 1951

Mainframe Computers

John Mauchly leaning on the UNIVersal Automatic Computer

Remington Rand UNIVAC• 43 UNIVACs43 UNIVACs were delivered to were delivered to

government and industry government and industry • Memory: mercury delay linesMemory: mercury delay lines: 1000 : 1000

words of 12 alphanumeric characterswords of 12 alphanumeric characters• Secondary storage: metal oxide tapeSecondary storage: metal oxide tape• Access time: 222 microseconds (average)Access time: 222 microseconds (average)• Instruction set: 45 operation codesInstruction set: 45 operation codes• Accumulators: 4Accumulators: 4• Clock: 2.25 MhzClock: 2.25 Mhz

IBM 701 (Defense Calculator)

• Addition time: 60 microsecondsAddition time: 60 microseconds• Multiplication: 456 microsecondsMultiplication: 456 microseconds• Memory: 2048 (36 bit) words using Memory: 2048 (36 bit) words using

Williams tubesWilliams tubes• Secondary memory:Secondary memory:

– Magnetic drum: 8192 wordsMagnetic drum: 8192 words– Magnetic tape: plasticMagnetic tape: plastic

• Delivered: Delivered: December 1952December 1952: IBM World : IBM World Headquarters (total of 19 installed)Headquarters (total of 19 installed)

Second Generation (1958-1964)

• 1958 Philco introduces TRANSAC S-20001958 Philco introduces TRANSAC S-2000– first transistorized commercial machinefirst transistorized commercial machine

• IBM 7070, 7074 (1960), 7072(1961)IBM 7070, 7074 (1960), 7072(1961)• 1959 IBM 7090, 7040 (1961), 7094 (1962)1959 IBM 7090, 7040 (1961), 7094 (1962)• 1959 IBM 1401, 1410 (1960), 1440 (1962)1959 IBM 1401, 1410 (1960), 1440 (1962)• FORTRAN, ALGOLFORTRAN, ALGOL, and , and COBOLCOBOL are first are first

standardized programming languagesstandardized programming languages

Third Generation (1964-1971)

• April 1964 IBM announces the System/360April 1964 IBM announces the System/360– solid logic technology (integrated circuits)solid logic technology (integrated circuits)– family of “compatible” computersfamily of “compatible” computers

• 1964 Control Data delivers the CDC 66001964 Control Data delivers the CDC 6600• nanosecondsnanoseconds• telecommunicationstelecommunications• BASICBASIC, Beginners All-purpose Symbolic , Beginners All-purpose Symbolic

Instruction CodeInstruction Code

Fourth Generation (1971- )

• Large scale integrated circuits (MSI, LSI)Large scale integrated circuits (MSI, LSI)• Nanoseconds and picosecondsNanoseconds and picoseconds• Databases (large)Databases (large)• Structured languages (Structured languages (PascalPascal))• Structured techniquesStructured techniques• Business packagesBusiness packages

Digital Equipment Corporation

(Mini-computers)

Flipchip

PDP-8, first mass-produced Mini

PDP-11 (1970)

Microcomputers

Intel

• Noyce, MooreNoyce, Moore, and , and Andrew GroveAndrew Grove leave leave Fairchild and found Intel in 1968Fairchild and found Intel in 1968– focus on random access memory (RAM) chipsfocus on random access memory (RAM) chips

• Question: if you can put transistors, Question: if you can put transistors, capacitors, etc. on a chip, why couldn’t capacitors, etc. on a chip, why couldn’t you put a central processor on a chip?you put a central processor on a chip?

• Ted Hoff Ted Hoff designs the designs the Intel 4004Intel 4004, the first , the first microprocessor in microprocessor in 19691969– based on based on Digital’s PDP-8Digital’s PDP-8

Microcomputers

• Ed RobertsEd Roberts founds founds Micro Instrumentation Micro Instrumentation Telemetry Systems (MITS)Telemetry Systems (MITS) in 1968 in 1968

• Popular Electronics Popular Electronics puts the MITS puts the MITS Altair Altair on the cover in January 1975 on the cover in January 1975 [[Intel 8080Intel 8080]]

• Les Solomon’sLes Solomon’s 12 year old daughter, 12 year old daughter, LaurenLauren, was a lover of , was a lover of Star TrekStar Trek. He . He asked her what the name of the asked her what the name of the computer on thecomputer on the Enterprise Enterprise was. She said was. She said “ ‘computer’ but why don’t you call it “ ‘computer’ but why don’t you call it AltairAltair because that is where they are because that is where they are going tonight!”going tonight!”

Altair 8800 Computer

Intel processors

• CPUCPU YearYear DataData MemoryMemory MIPSMIPS• 40044004 19711971 44 1K1K• 80088008 19721972 88 16K16K• 80808080 19741974 88 64K64K• 80888088 19801980 88 1M1M .33.33• 8028680286 19821982 1616 1M1M 33• 8038680386 19851985 3232 4G4G 1111• 8048680486 19891989 3232 4G4G 4141• Pentium1993Pentium1993 6464 4G4G 111 111