Computers Part 1

While reading the book, Computers; The Life Story of a Technology by Eric G. Swedin and David L. Ferro, I have learned so much about how technology has grown from the basics to the complex machines we use today. Reading the first chapter was very interesting because I had not realized how early the use of calculating machines really was. The first chapter starts off with a story of how in 1900, a group of Greek fisherman found a shipwreck where it was discovered that this boat from probably 100 and 40 BCE had a mechanical device that calculated lunar, solar and stellar calenders. This shows that computer technology goes back too BC and has slowly evolved into what it is now. The first calculating machine which was produced by Blaise Pascal, couldn't subtract which thinking about calculators now seems ridiculous. We live in an age, where we don't even think about the mechanics of things we use everyday, but the calculator is a complex instrument that took many years to fully develop.
The development of the first computers all took place around World War II. What is interesting, is that these people all over the world, were developing similar machines, that were designed to solve more difficult mathematical equations, at the same time. John  Vincent Atanasoff in Iowa, John Mauchly and J. Presper Eckert at the Moore School, Konrad Zuse in Germany, and Howard Hathaway Aiken in Massachusetts. Mauchly and Eckert are credited with the first commercial electronic computer in the United States. This computer is said to have predicted that Eisenhower would win the election and it was indeed true. I think this was a huge break in technological advances, because this machine was so much more efficient than the early calculating machines that were very limited in their abilities.
The second generation of computers was led by IBM in their making of the 700 series of computers, followed by the 650. Instead of just being able to calculate complex mathematics, these computers were able to store characters, and the 650 was able to store 2000 ten digit words. These computers were offered to universities at a discount if they taught programming at the school. This again, was a huge advancement for computer technology, because now these machines were able to store words instead of just numbers. Marvin Minsky became the pioneer of the study of something knew called artificial intelligence. This studied computers as independent thinking machines that could do what humans could do.
The third generation of computers resulted in mini computers, super computers, microprocessors and software production. Because these computers were becoming more advanced, the need for software programs became higher in demand. Just looking at the advancement in the course of 20 years is incredible. I don't think the creators of all these new advances could have foreseen how far technology would come, to the point where almost everyone would have a personal computer, some which weigh next to nothing. I am sitting  on my bed while writing this blog, which would have been preposterous to think about in the 70s. From a huge room, to a small 13 inch lap top computer is an amazing advancement.