Evolution of Computer Technology

several(prenominal) centuries cave in been taken toward the ontogeny of inventions make by diametrical people into in advance(p) forms. single inventors rarely bring turn up raw invention. What we ca-ca now as electronic cheats (the calculating appliances) are inventions of several scientists, mathematicians and engineers from dissimilar centuries. For the decide of this mini research key hurt comparable evolution, engineering and estimator shall be considered, not forgetting to take a thrifty look at the evolution of these inventions from different centuries/years to our present propagation jump from the earliest know device.The characteristics of these devices from generation to generation and their classification according to sizes, functions and uses shall withal be discussed. DEFINITION OF KEY TERMS growing Evolution is a gradual development that occurs in a specific station or thing. Technology This is the use of automaton bid arts and applied science. T echnology present refers to frames, methods of organization and techniques. information processorA estimator is a programmable mechanical device that accepts breeding or stimuluss, depots and manipulates info and brings egress the contribute or prohibitedturn in quantitative format.COMPONENTS OF A COMPUTER SYSTEM A general purpose ready reckoner has iv major comp nonpareilnts callly arithmeticalal and trunk of logic building block (ALU), pull wires social unit, retrospection and commentary/output devices. These separate are interconnect by buses often made of groups of wires. arithmetical AND LOGIC UNIT (ALU) This unit carries out arithmetic and logic carrying outs. According to Stokes (2007), the vex of arithmetic operations that a disjointicular arithmetic and logic unit supports whitethorn be limited to adding and subtracting or ability include multiplying or dividing functions ( sine, cosine, etc) and square roots.While others fit real represss with the use of blow point, both(prenominal) bottom of the inning only survive on whole numbers (integers) albeit, with limited precision. Arithmetic operation could be carried out by any programmed figurer. Logic operation burn down be useful both(prenominal) for creating complicated conditional statements and processing Boolean logic. THE CONTROL UNIT The control unit which is often called a control agreement or central controller, manages the computers various components. It reads and interprets (decodes) the program nurtures, transforming them into a serial of control signals which activate other part of the computer.In order to improve executeance, the control system in advanced computer whitethorn change the order of some instructions. be given OF THE CONTROL SYSTEM It reads the codes for the next instruction from the cell indicated by the program counters. It decodes the numerical code for the instruction into a adjust of commands or signals for each of the othe r systems. some(prenominal) data the instruction requires from cells in storehouse are read by the control system. Necessary data to an arithmetic and logic unit or prove is also provided by the control system.If the instruction requires an ALU or supernumeraryized hardware to accomplish, it instructs the hardware to perform the requested operation. It writes the turn ups from the ALU back to a remembering location or to a register or perhaps an output device. It could be ob mete outd that the sequence of operations done for(p) through by the control unit to process an instruction is in itself like a short computer program. stock board The holding of a computer is seen as a list of cells into which numbers sess be placed or read. a plunk cell has a numbered address and brook store a single number.Anything such(prenominal) as numbers, letters can be represented by the information stored into the warehousing with equal ease. Software gives significance to what the ret entiveness sees as series of numbers. In intimately all modern computers, each store cell is set up to store binary numbers in gaps of 8bits or bytes. Each byte representing 256 different numbers (Stokes 2007). Several consecutive numbers may be apply to store larger numbers. Computer memory is of ii types or genius varieties The Random Access computer warehousing ( motor) and submit Only storage (read-only memory).Random Access Memory according to Inyang and Umoh (2003), is a part of old memory that holds the programs being executed and the data to be wagered upon. impound also stores the result of a processed data, waiting to be transferred to output device or subsidiary storage device. It is a temporary memory and the content of RAM is erased when a computer is turned off and data stored in it can instantly be accessed. The storage of RAM is expressed in megabytes and its cogency or size limited. An area of RAM set aside for storage of to a greater extent or less f requently accessed information is the CACHE memory.It is a temporary high speed data holding area between the memory and the central processing unit. RAM has intravenous feeding parts the conventional memory which inhabit of the root 640KB of RAM, utilise by direct system and device drivers Upper Memory Bound (UMB) located between 640KB and 1MB of RAM, utilise by device drivers extended memory (XMS) which include direct access memory above 1MB and Expended memory a special part of ram that is up to 32MB and exists exterior the conventional memory. Read only memory (ROM) is preloaded with data and software that never changes, so the central processing unit (CPU) can only read it.ROM is typically employ to store the computers initial start up instructions. It retains its data indefinitely. In a personal computer (PC), ROM contains a specialized program called the BIOS that orchestrates encumbrance the computers operating system from the hard disc drive into RAM whenever the c omputer is turn on or reset. All of the required software may be stored in ROM in embedded computers which frequently do not redeem disc drives. Software stored in ROM is referred to as firmware because it is to a greater extent like hardware than software. INPUT/ railroad siding DEVICEMeans by which information between the computer and outside valet is exchanged is known as input/output. Peripheral includes input devices like keyboard and mouse, and output devices such as the display and printer. Hard disc drives, floppy disc drives and optical disc drives serve as both input and output devices. HISTORY OF COMPUTER Computer technology has changed today world to a orbicular village. Since the field of computer is a capacious sea, there are many options and benefits one can get from it. Internet is perpetual and rapidly growing source of information.People can get information or piece of required knowledge from any part of the world by just a few clicks on the websites. There i s a rise in the need of more websites and knowledgeable sources as information is ofttimes easier to access. The early men counted by bureau of matching one set of endeavor with another set. The history of modern computer begins with two separate technologies automated figuring and programmability. The earliest known computation device was called ABACUS. It is the first counting device that was create about 500BC (Umoh and Inyang, 2003).It is made up of woodland and beads. It has a role of any number of parallel wires, rods or grooves on or in slide of beautiful beads or blocks. Strung beads which have different values were manually use to operate abacus. Bars were used in dividing the Abacus into two parts perpendicular to the rods. Bits go in active position towards the measuring rod and the ones towards the frame are ignored. Each bar signifies digits and least significant digits were on the right. Abacus was used in calculating (i. e. adding, subtracting, multiplying a nd dividing) numbers by moving the bit complex.In the 9th century, the Persian Mathematician Abu, Abdullah Muhammad hive a route Musa Al-Khwarizni developed the concept of a written process followed to achieve some goals, and published a book on the subject that gave us its modern name Algorithm. In 1623, Wilhelm Schikard, a German Scientist invented a machine that used eleven complete and six incomplete sprocketed roams that could add and with the assistance of logarithm tables, multiply and divide. Many inventions have taken several centuries to develop into the modern forms and modern inventions are rarely the ingathering of a single inventors effort.Many people each added a small contribution towards the development of the bits and pieces of a computer (including the software). Each person in this work contributed a part towards the development of computers. In 1642, a 19year old French boy, a philosopher and mathematician Blaise Pascal invented a mechanical adding machine c alled a Mechanical Calculator. It is like a modern desk calculator and contains numbers of wheel and uses gear system to perform arithmetic operations. Computations are carried out by a process of integer counting.In 1801, Punch card game were invented by a French weaverbird called Joseph Marie Jacquard. These Punch Cards allowed his loom to mechanically weave intricate patterns. Different parts were used in storing different patterns of holes that generated different patterns. Punch Cards are used in processing information in computers. The fusion of automatic calculation with programmability produced the first recognized computers. Charles Babbage, British Mathematician and inventor, invented mechanical computing machine Babbages Analytical Engine.In 1820, it carried out complex arithmetic operations and made decisions based on its own computations. It was self-controlled and had two important parts which are the storage unit with memory device and arithmetic unit known as the Mill. It was the worlds first digital computer. Babbages contributed the idea of conditional transfer which gave way to comparison of quantities and modification of programs. The idea of a sequence of punch cards to produce a more flexible design was borrowed from the Jacquards pattern weaving loom. It performed functions like additions, subtraction, division and multiplication.