Computer Confluence 7/e Chapter 1 Computers in Perspective: An Evolving Idea Every computer in use today follows the basic plan laid out by Babbage and Lady Lovelace The computer is an incredibly versatile tool  Can compute your taxes or deploy a missile © 2006 Prentice-Hall, Inc.

Computer Confluence 7/e Chapter 1 Computers in Perspective: An Evolving Idea All computers take in information (data) called input and give out information called output © 2006 Prentice-Hall, Inc.

Computer Confluence 7/e Chapter 1 Computers in Perspective: An Evolving Idea (continued) The computer's versatility is built upon its:  Hardware: The physical part  Software: The instructions that tells hardware how to transform the input data (information in a form it can read) into the necessary output © 2006 Prentice-Hall, Inc.

The First Real Computers:  1939: German engineer Konrad Zuse completed the first programmable, general-purpose digital computer © 2006 Prentice-Hall, Inc. Computer Confluence 7/e Chapter 1 Computers in Perspective: An Evolving Idea (continued)

 At about the same time, the British government was assembling a top-secret team of mathematicians and engineers to crack Nazi military codes  1943: The team, led by mathematician Alan Turing and others, completed Colossus, considered by many to be the first electronic digital computer  This special-purpose computer successfully broke secret codes used by the Nazi. © 2006 Prentice-Hall, Inc. Computer Confluence 7/e Chapter 1 Computers in Perspective: An Evolving Idea (continued)

 1939: Iowa State University professor John Atanasoff developed what could have been the first electronic digital computer, the Atanasoff-Berry Computer (ABC) © 2006 Prentice-Hall, Inc.

Computer Confluence 7/e Chapter 1 Computers in Perspective: An Evolving Idea (continued)  1944: Thanks to a one million dollar grant from IBM, Harvard professor Howard Aiken developed the Mark I © 2006 Prentice-Hall, Inc.

Computer Confluence 7/e Chapter 1 Computers in Perspective: An Evolving Idea (continued)  John Mauchly and J. Presper Eckert helped the U.S. effort in World War II by constructing a machine to calculate trajectory tables for new guns  called ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer)  After the war, Mauchly and Eckert started a private company called Sperry and created UNIVAC I, the first general-purpose commercial computer © 2006 Prentice-Hall, Inc.

Computer Confluence 7/e Chapter 1 Computers in Perspective: An Evolving Idea (continued) Evolution and Acceleration First computers were big, expensive.  Vacuum tubes were used in early computers  Transistors replaced vacuum tubes starting in 1956  By the mid-1960s transistors were replaced by integrated circuits © 2006 Prentice-Hall, Inc.

Computer Confluence 7/e Chapter 1 Computers in Perspective: An Evolving Idea (continued)  Integrated circuits brought:  Increased reliability  Smaller size  Higher speed  Higher efficiency  Lower cost © 2006 Prentice-Hall, Inc.

Computer Confluence 7/e Chapter 1 Computers in Perspective: An Evolving Idea (continued) The Microcomputer Revolution  1971: The first microprocessor was invented by Intel engineers  The microcomputer revolution began in 1970:  Apple  Commodore  Tandy  Desktop computers haven ’ t completely replaced big computers, which have also evolved © 2006 Prentice-Hall, Inc.

Computer Confluence 7/e Chapter 1 Computers Today: A Brief Taxonomy Mainframes and Supercomputers  Mainframes  Used by large organizations, such as banks and airlines, for big computing jobs  Users communicate with a mainframe using a computer terminal: a combination keyboard and screen that transfer information to and from the computer.  The computer might be in another room or even in another country. © 2006 Prentice-Hall, Inc.

Computer Confluence 7/e Chapter 1 Computers Today: A Brief Taxonomy Mainframes and Supercomputers  Mainframes  communicate with several users simultaneously through a technique called Timesharing  ex. A timesharing system allows travel agents all over the country to make reservations using the same computer and the same flight information at the same time. © 2006 Prentice-Hall, Inc.

Computer Confluence 7/e Chapter 1 Computers Today: A Brief Taxonomy  Supercomputers  For power users who need access to the fastest, most powerful computers made  these super-fast, super powerful computers are called Supercomputers  weather forecasting, oil exploration, telephone network design, simulation car crash testing,. © 2006 Prentice-Hall, Inc.

Computer Confluence 7/e Chapter 1 Computers Today: A Brief Taxonomy Servers, Workstations, and PCs  Servers  Computers designed to provide software and other resources to other computers over a network © 2006 Prentice-Hall, Inc.

Computer Confluence 7/e Chapter 1 Computers Today: A Brief Taxonomy  Workstations  High-end desktop computers with massive computing power used for high-end interactive applications  Are widely used by scientists, engineers, financial analysts, designers, …. Whose work involves intensive computations. © 2006 Prentice-Hall, Inc.

Computer Confluence 7/e Chapter 1 Computers Today: A Brief Taxonomy  PCs: Serve a single user at a time  Common applications include:  word processing, accounting, gaming, and enjoying digital music and video © 2006 Prentice-Hall, Inc.

Computer Confluence 7/e Chapter 1 Computers Today: A Brief Taxonomy  Portable Computers: Machines that are not tied to the desktop  Notebooks (laptops)  Sub notebooks : extra-light, ultra mobile notebooks  laptops can be expanded with docking stations: a device for expanding a laptop computer so that it has the power and flexibility of a desktop, so it enables a user to connect the laptop to an external monitor, keyboard, mouse, disk drives.  Handheld computers (personal digital assistants (PDAs) © 2006 Prentice-Hall, Inc.

docking stations:

Computer Confluence 7/e Chapter 1 Computers Today: A Brief Taxonomy Embedded Computers  Special-purpose computer: Dedicated computers that perform specific tasks  Controlling the temperature and humidity in a room  Monitoring your heart rate  Monitoring your house security system © 2006 Prentice-Hall, Inc.

Computer Confluence 7/e Chapter 1 Computers Today: A Brief Taxonomy Embedded computers enhance all kinds of consumer goods: toys, games, digital video recorders (DVRs), and ovens. More than 90% of the world’s microprocessors are hidden inside common household and electronic devices.

Computer Confluence 7/e Chapter 1 Computer Connections: The Internet Revolution The Emergence of Networks  Local-Area Networks (LANs): computers are physically close to each other, usually in the same building, so they could share resources, such as storage, printers. © 2006 Prentice-Hall, Inc.

Computer Connections: The Internet Revolution  Wide-Area Networks (WANs) extends over a long distance.  a remote computer could connect to a network through standard telephone lines by using a modem, or using wireless connections.  a modem is an electronic device that could translate computer data into signals compatible with the telephone system.

Computer Confluence 7/e Chapter 1 Computer Connections: The Internet Revolution (continued)  The experimental network built in 1969, called ARPANET, would become the Internet-the global collection of networks linking academic, research, government, and commercial institutions, and other organizations and individuals. The Internet Explosion  Electronic mail  software made it easy to send messages across the office or around the world  World Wide Web  Led the Internet ’ s transformation from a text-only environment into a multimedia landscape incorporating pictures, animation, sounds, and video  people connect to the web each day through Web browsers:  Programs that, in effect, serve as navigable windows into the Web © 2006 Prentice-Hall, Inc.

Computer Confluence 7/e Chapter 1 Computer Connections: The Internet Revolution  Hypertext links on web pages  Tie together millions of Web pages created by diverse authors  Intranets  Private intra-organizational networks based on Internet technology enable people to transmit, share, and store information within an organization.  Network computers (NC)  Stripped-down computers designed to function mainly as network terminals.  NCs are designed to send and receive information.  they cost less than PCs.  Set-top boxes  Provide Internet access through television sets  Ex. Modern video game consoles, such as Sony play station 2 © 2006 Prentice-Hall, Inc.

Acorn's Concord network computer (NC

Computer Confluence 7/e Chapter 1 Into the Information Age In the history of our society we have had:  An agricultural age humanity lived mainly by domesticating animals and growing food using plows and other agricultural tools.  An industrial age characterized by the shift from farms to factories, caused by advances in machine technology. Now we are in a new age, the information age:  More and more people earn their livings working with words, numbers, and ideas  Shift from an industrial economy to an information economy. © 2006 Prentice-Hall, Inc.

Computer Confluence 7/e Chapter 1 Living with Computers (continued) Explanations: Clarifying Technology  Computer literacy (the ability to use computers) is already improving our day-to- day life and careers Applications: Computers in Action  Application program: software tools that enable you to use a computer for specific purposes. Application program: © 2006 Prentice-Hall, Inc.

Computer Confluence 7/e Chapter 1 Living with Computers (continued) Application programs I. Word processing and desktop publishing II. Spreadsheets and other number-crunching applications III. Databases IV.Computer graphics and digital photos V.Digital audio, digital video, and multimedia VI.Telecommunication and networking VII.Artificial intelligence VIII.Entertainment IX.General problem-solving © 2006 Prentice-Hall, Inc.

Computer Confluence 7/e Chapter 1 Living with Computers (continued) Implications: Social and Ethical Issues  The threat to personal privacy posed by large databases and computer networks  The hazards of high-tech crime and the difficulty of keeping data secure  The difficulty of defining and protecting intellectual property in an all-digital age  The risks of computer system failure © 2006 Prentice-Hall, Inc.

Computer Confluence 7/e Chapter 1 Living with Computers (continued)  The threat of automation and the dehumanization of work  The abuse of information as a tool of political and economic power  The dangers of dependence on complex technology  The death of privacy  The blurring of reality  The evolution of intelligence  The emergence of bio-digital technology © 2006 Prentice-Hall, Inc.

Computer Confluence 7/e Chapter 1 Inventing the Future  Hardware: the base of any new project  Software: the next step, which gives value to the hardware  Service: the most successful current business approach  Way of life: computers tend to become part of our way of life © 2006 Prentice-Hall, Inc.

Computer Confluence 7/e Chapter 1 Lesson Summary  Computers have evolved at an incredible pace since Charles Babbage ’ s plan for an Analytical Engine  Computers today come in all shapes and sizes, with specific types being well suited for particular jobs  Connecting to a network enhances the value and power of a computer:  Internet  WWW  © 2006 Prentice-Hall, Inc.

Computer Confluence 7/e Chapter 1 Lesson Summary (continued)  Computers and information technology have changed the world rapidly and irreversibly  Emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence, offer promise for future applications  Computers also threaten our privacy, our security, and perhaps our way of life © 2006 Prentice-Hall, Inc.