2. "Computers in the future may weigh no more than 1.5 tons.“ - Popular Mechanics, 1949 "I think there is a world market for maybe five computers."- Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943 "There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home."- Ken Olson, president, chairman and founder of DEC Computers: Rapidly changing history
3. Always a Need for Computers Abacus People have wanted to create machines to help them sort data In Ancient Times, one device used was the Abacus – used for counting Adoption of the Arabic numeral system around the world
4. Al-Jazari The Castle Clock The "castle clock", an astronomical clock invented by Al-Jazari in 1206, is thought to be the earliest programmable analog computer. It displayed the zodiac, the solar and lunar orbits, a crescent moon-shaped pointer traveling across a gateway causing automatic doors to open every hour, and five robotic musicians who play music when struck by levers operated by a camshaft attached to a water wheel. The length of day and night could be re-programmed every day in order to account for the changing lengths of day and night throughout the year.
5. Since the Middle Ages, a series of inventions came out in Europe in which people created mechanisms that performed computer functions In 1642 Blaise Pascal invented the mechanical calculator In 1801 a punch card system was created to operate a loom to automatically make detailed patterns in clothing Creating Mechanical Computers
6. In 1880 the US government did a census, and it took 9 years to finish adding up all the numbers Herman Hollerith built a counting machine, which was used in the 1888 census With his machine it took 6 weeks to the calculations Hollerith and his friends decided to create a company to sell his machines: International Business Machines (IBM) Example of the Changes it Could Do
7. Vacuum Tubes Vacuum Tube from the 1960s Thomas Edison credited with inventing the Vacuum Tube in the 19th century By the 20th century was being used in all kinds of electronic equipment like radios, televisions and the earliest computers
8. Around 1940, large computers were being built, such as ENAIC and the Mark I they could only solve one problem at a time Input was based on punched cards and paper tape, and output was displayed on printouts Were so big because they need thousands of vacuum tubes Needed a lot of electricity and generated lots of heat, making them prone to breaking down Giant Computers
9. Two important inventions in the 1950s Integrated circuits (aka microchips) Transistors They made computers much smaller and more efficient Since then, scientists are continually able to make these components smaller and more powerful Allowed for the use of monitors and keyboards, and able to run more than one task at a time New Inventions
10. Computers and the Public Spacewar, invented in 1962 Video games show what the capabilities of computers are to the general public Personal computers – people can buy their own computers
11. Microsoft Staff photo from 1978 Started in 1975, Microsoft started creating software to run computers – Operating Systems, like DOS and Windows Also created programs like Microsoft Word $$$
12. Apple Inc established on April 1, 1976 by Steve Jobs to sell the Apple I personal computer kit In 1984, launched its Macintosh personal computer Company has had ups and downs in the 80s and 90s In 2007, shifted emphasis to mobile electronic devices
