When you hear the word computer, what do you picture? Most people would picture an electrical device similar to the one on which you will be reading this blog. Even smartphones are just modernised computers on the go.
Where did the word ‘computer’ start?
The word ‘computer’ has been around since 1613. It was not an electrical device back then; it was a profession. Same as a doctor, teacher, builder, police officer, and the many other jobs we have today. If you were a computer, you were someone who solved problems. Today we would call them Mathematicians.
The first time an electrical device was named a computer wasn’t until 1897.
Like many other inventions, not just one person came up with the idea for computers. It is a combination of many people and ideas that have evolved to produce the modern computers we know today.
Alan Turing Credit: Wikimedia Commons
One person who had a significant impact on the progress of computers was Alan Turing. Turing created a ‘computer’-like device that The Codebreakers used to crack the German Engima code. Look at our Alan Turing ‘Father of modern computing’ blog to know more about him and his invention.
The first digital computer
The ENIAC computer Credit: Wikimedia commons
The Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer (ENIAC) was the first programable digital computer. J. Presper Eckert and John Mauchly invented the ENIAC in 1945. This computer was the first to resemble the computers we all know today. It was able to be fully reprogramed, although this took multiple days. The ENIAC solved several complex problems in a concise amount of time. It would take ruffly 40 hours for a mechanical computer to solve one complex problem. The ENIAC was able to complete the same problem in just 20 seconds.
The ENIAC was so large it took up a whole room and needed roughly six programmers to make it work. (That is a massive difference from the device on your lap or desk).
Due to it being the first digital computer, the design had some major hiccups. When turned on, the ENIAC used up roughly 150kw of electricity which caused many lights and devices to flicker in the surrounding area. It also burnt through many of its tubes, causing the need to replace them daily.
Over the next 39 years, many different ‘computer’ devices popped up, including the first personal computer in 1973 and the first laptop in 1981. However, none looked like the computers and laptops we know today.
Macintosh Computers (Macs)
First Mac computer 1984 Credit: Wikimedia Commons
A popular computer/device company we have today is Apple. Apple invented the first Mac device in 1984; the computer was considered portable and was the first device to come with a keyboard, mouse and strap. However, it was very bulky and tended to overheat due to not having a cooling system.
24inch Mac Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Looking at the IMac 24-inch that came out in April 2021, we can see the complete transformation over the past 37 years. Starting from the heavy brick-like computer to the super-thin lightweight computers we use today.
Why computers?
It all started because people wanted to avoid human error when solving problems. It would take multiple days/hours to solve different problems with the possibility of the answer being wrong. However, with Computers, they are able to solve the problems quickly and correctly. The evolution of computers is extraordinary, from solving minor complex problems to now being the most used objects for both work and pleasure.
Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Credit: Wikimedia Commons
