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A BRIEF COMPUTER HISTORY

The computer as we know it today had its beginning with a 19th century English
mathematics professor name Charles Babbage.
He designed the Analytical Engine and it was this design that the basic framework of
the computers of today are based on.
enerally speaking! computers can be classified into three generations. Each
generation lasted for a certain period of
time!and each ga"e us either a new and impro"ed computer or an impro"ement to the
e#isting computer.
$irst generation% 19&' ( 19)* + ,n 19&' the first electronic digital computer was built
by -r. .ohn /. Atanasoff and Clifford Berry. ,t was called the Atanasoff+Berry
Computer 0ABC1. ,n 19)& an electronic computer name the Colossus was built for the
military. 2ther de"elopments continued until in 19)* the first general( purpose digital
computer! the Electronic 3umerical ,ntegrator and Computer 0E3,AC1 was built. ,t is
said that this computer weighed &4 tons! and had 15!444 "acuum tubes which was
used for processing. 6hen this computer was turned on for the first time lights dim in
sections of 7hiladelphia. Computers of this generation could only perform single task!
and they had no operating system.
8econd generation% 19)' ( 19*9 + This generation of computers used transistors
instead of "acuum tubes which were more reliable. ,n 19:1 the first computer for
commercial use was introduced to the public; the <ni"ersal Automatic Computer
0<3,/AC 11. ,n 19:& the ,nternational Business =achine 0,B=1 *:4 and '44 series
computers made their mark in the computer world. -uring this generation of
computers o"er 144 computer programming languages were de"eloped! computers
had memory and operating systems. 8torage media such as tape and disk were in use
also were printers for output.
Third generation% 19*& + present + The in"ention of integrated circuit brought us the
third generation of computers. 6ith this in"ention computers became smaller! more
powerful more reliable and they are able to run many different programs at the same
time. ,n1954 =icrosoft -isk 2perating 8ystem 0=8+-os1 was born and in 1951 ,B=
introduced the personal computer 07C1 for home and office use. Three years later
Apple ga"e us the =acintosh computer with its icon dri"en interface and the 94s ga"e
us 6indows operating system.
As a result of the "arious impro"ements to the de"elopment of the computer we ha"e
seen the computer being used in all areas of life. ,t is a "ery useful tool that will
continue to e#perience new de"elopment as time passes.

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