Historical Computers

Computers have gone through dramatic changes over the years. Most of the things they can do now weren't possible back then. Slowly, as time went on, technology improved. In this section, I outline some of the first computers ever developed. I also explain what functions they had. Before I delve into the topic, here is an interesting fact. The term "computer," was first introduced in the year 1613. At that time, it described a human who could perform calculations or computations. The term remained the same until the end of the 19th century. People soon realized computers were more efficient at computations and calculations. More efficient than our own selves.

First off, there are many different classifications of computers. Thus, there is no way of identifying which computer was invented first. Instead, I present you all with some of the first computers ever revealed.

In the year 1822, Charles Babbage conceptualized and developed the Difference Engine. This was believed to be the first automatic computing engine. It could compute groups of numbers and make physical copies of the results. However, due to funding issues, this machine was never built. But in June 1991, the London Science Museum completed the Difference Engine No. 2. This was built for the bicentennial year of Babbage's birth. Later, the museum completed the printing mechanism. Below is a video providing some information on the machine.

Here we have the first ever general mechanical computer. This is the Analytical Engine. This was the first general-purpose computer concept to be proposed. This too was proposed by Charles Babbage. Unfortunately, it was never designed due to the same reason as before. The project did not receive enough funding for development. Fortunately however, Charles' youngest son Henry, completed a portion of this machine. Built in 1910, it was able perform basic calculations.This is a picture of the Analytical Engine.

The first ever programmable computer did not come until 1938. This computer is known as the "Z1." It was built by Konrad Zuse in his parents' living room. This was believed to be the first electro-mechanical computer. This also was really the first functional computer. The picture of the Z1 below is a replica.


The Colossus came to be known as the first electric programmable computer. It was developed by Tommy Flowers and first introduced in 1943. This computer was primarily designed for one task. It assisted the British code breakers in reading encrypted German messages during World War II.

The Turing Machine was first proposed by Alan Turing in 1936. This machine became the basis for theories about computing and computers. The machine printed symbols on paper tape.  This was in a manner that emulated a person following logical instructions. Without these principles, we wouldn't have the computers we possess today. The picture below is a rebuilt version of the original machine.

As you can see, computers looked and worked very differently back then. They were big and cumbersome. They took up a lots of room space. This was because computers had greater amounts of components at the time. The components themselves were also big. We did not possess the knowledge or technology to develop today's components. Today's computers are smaller, faster, and easier to use. But just think of how complex they were in previous years. Not to mention computers weren't available to the public at first. They were designed to fulfill very specific purposes. Be thankful to those who created the first computers. Without them, we would not possess the technology we have today.

Computer Fundamentals: IPOS Cycle

A computer is an electronic device that performs four basic functions. These functions make up the IPOS cycle, or information processing cycle. The four functions are as follows: 

Input-The action of entering data into the computer.

Processing-The manipulation of input data by a sequence of instruction. This instruction will then convert the data into information. Data is just raw bits of facts and is unorganized. Information is data that is organized in a useful manner.

Output-The display of information.

Storage-The action of saving information for later use.

These functions depend on each other. Therefore, the IPOS cycle is always carried out in this order. This is generally how a computer works. Next, we'll look at how each function in the cycle works.

The first step is input. Input comes in many forms. Some examples are words, numbers, pictures, and videos. You input data through devices like keyboards, microphones, or webcams. An example would be pressing keys on a keyboard. Each key is assigned a unique binary code. Each time a specific key is pressed, the computer receives a signal from the keyboard. This signal informs the computer that a key was pressed. In return, the computer processes that signal and displays the same character that was struck on the keyboard. This what we call input. Next, we'll look into the processing step.

In this cycle, processing converts data into information. The central processing unit receives directions from the operating system software and the application software. This allows the central processing unit to perform operations based on the input of data. As previously stated, pressing a key on a keyboard will send a signal to the computer. The computer will then process this signal to display on the screen. This is an example of processing. The next step well look into is output.

Output is experienced through devices such as a monitor, or speakers. These devices enable you to see and hear the results of processing. The most common example is a computer monitor. When a keyboard key is struck, its character will be displayed on the monitor. This is output. The last step we will look into is storage.

In this last step, information is then stored for future use. Take for example, a word document you are typing. While you are typing, data is held in RAM until you save your document. RAM, or random access memory, is a device that temporarily stores data. When the computer power goes off, all data that was in RAM becomes lost. Once the file is saved, data is then stored in a storage device. A storage device retains all data even when the computer turns off. These are the things that occur in the storage step.

To recap what I said, computers perform four basic functions. These functions occur in a very specific order. Those functions were input, processing, output, and storage. All of these functions depend on each other.