History of Computers
...computers. In 1944 the Mark 1 was created. It was electromechanical. It contained one million components and 500 miles of electric wire. It could add three 8-digit numbers per second. It was a break through, but still very slow as compared to today¡¦s computers. John W. Mauchly and others created the next computer. It was called the Electronic Discrete Variable Automatic Computer (EDVAC). It used the binary numbering system and was smaller than previous computers. There was no longer a need for paper-tape storage. The Electronic Delayed Storage Automatic Computer (EDSAC) was the next computer to come out. This computer allowed storage to be used. Now more than one program could be saved at a time. All of the first generation of computers used vacuum-tube technology, and required far too much maintenance. The next wave of computers was the Second Generation of Computers. The second generation of computers used transistor technology. John Bardeen developed the transistor in 1947. Transistors were better, because they are smaller than vacuum tubes and they produced less heat. Transistors also created a more powerful computer. The next wave of computers was the Third Generation of Computers. This wave saw the creation of integrated circuits. An integrated circuit is a piece of treated silicon that forms a transistor, and acts as an electrical switch. This made computers smaller, faster, and friendlier for the consumer. The next wave of computers is the Fourth Generation of Computers. In this wave computer chip manufacturers created chips that performed more than on task. This idea is called large-scale integration (LSI). The time period is around 1970. This means that we could now use LSI to create microcomputers. We are currently still in the fourth generation of computers. Microcomputers are still used today. ~ PRESENT ~ I use computers all of the time. I have a computer in my room that I use to write papers, surf the WWW, chat with other people, listen to music, and even watch DVD movies on. It is a large part of my life. I believe that my computer makes my life better. Here is a chart showing how many times I have used a computer in the past week...