Computing in its simplest form is simply logical evaluation like: if this then that. For example, if its raining then I will take an umbrella. The first computer that we know of is the Antikythera Mechanism. It was used to chart the stars by making some simple mathematical decisions.
Computing really started to come in its own by the US Military in order to compute artillery attacks. A giant room sized computer was built in order to plug in different variables like range, elevation and wind; the computer would then output the necessary settings to plug into artillery.
Once these advanced forms of calculation started to make more of a public appearance, large companies began to put a serious investment into technology. Companies like IBM took advantage of the sudden interest in computing and put all their effort into corporate us technology.One of the first operating systems to be widely used is the Unix system. Unix allowed companies and a small number of individuals to build unique programs limited to anybodies imagination. Today, Apple's operating system, OS X, is built from a very close version of the original Unix. Linux is also a more advanced build of Unix. Microsoft, although they decided to reinvent the wheel a bit by building their own computational foundation, still followed the same structure when creating Windows.
Computers have come a long way from tubes and stone and Computer Science is moving faster today than ever before. I am more excited than ever to see the new changes that are making computing cooler and cooler. I can't wait to see what happens next!
Hi Andrew,
ReplyDeleteYour post about the history of computer science was quite an interesting one. I also remember the good old days when computers were big, clunky, and cost more than a small child's weight in gold. I like how you went into some detail about the history of computers, and you talked about their use as these giant computer banks to what they are like today. I do have one small complaint though, I feel that your transition to the operating systems was a bit abrupt. I think you should have tried to gradually move on to that topic.
Hi,
ReplyDeleteYou can see how transitions happened from heavy computers few decades ago to ultra-books these days. Also, like you mentioned, computers were so expensive in early stages of development. Now, there are so many manufacturers, due to competition, we can get the best computer at a very reasonable price. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the operating systems history. Everything you have mentioned about OSs gives good amount of detail. Overall, it is a very well organized blog. Nice write up!