History of computing and internet
Page 1: Title Page
The History of Computing From Turing to Jensen
Prof. Justin Kee
October 2024
Page 2: About Prof. Justin Kee
Title: Instructor in Philosophy and Politics
Location: Lake Forest College
Academic Interests:
Artificial Intelligence and the Law
First Amendment Law
International Law
History of Computers and Cyberspace
Education:
J.D. from Loyola University Chicago
B.S. in Computer Science from Northwestern University
Contact: kee@lakeforest.edu
Page 3: The Abacus
Introduction:
Developed around 2400 BCE.
One of the earliest known arithmetic tools.
Cultural Use: Used in Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, Rome, China, and Japan.
Mechanics:
Consists of rods/wires with movable beads.
Allows manual operations like counting, adding, and subtracting.
Significance:
Laid groundwork for future computational tools.
Page 4: The Slide Rule
Overview:
Dates back to the 17th century based on logarithms.
Invention:
Credited to William Oughtred in 1620.
Functions:
Used for multiplication, division, and extraction of roots.
Design:
Consists of a fixed ruler and a sliding strip.
Evolution:
Key in engineering, aviation, and space exploration.
Declined with the rise of electronic calculators in the 1970s.
Page 5: The Jacquard Loom
Inventor: Joseph Marie Jacquard in 1804.
Impact: Revolutionized textile manufacturing.
Mechanism:
Uses punched cards to control weaving patterns.
Historical Significance: Influenced early computers through data input concepts.
Page 6: The Difference Engine
Inventor: Charles Babbage in the 1820s.
Purpose: Automate calculation of polynomial functions.
Innovations:
Introduced gears and levers for mechanical calculations.
Legacy: Key step towards computing development.
Page 7: The Analytical Engine
Inventor: Charles Babbage, conceived in 1837.
Description: Regarded as the first general-purpose computer.
Features:
Programmable with ALU, control flow, and memory.
Historical Impact: Introduced concept of a machine performing any computation.
Page 8: Development of the Vacuum Tube
Timeframe: Early 20th century.
Function: Amplifies electrical signals for reliable electronic switching.
Uses: Early radios, televisions, first generation computers like ENIAC.
Significance: Marked the transition to modern electronics.
Page 9: The Turing Machine
Introduced by Alan Turing in 1936.
Concept: Theoretical device simulating computer algorithms.
Structure: Consisted of an infinite tape and a read/write head.
Legacy: Formed the foundation of modern computational theory.
Page 11: Konrad Zuse and the Z3 Computer
Status: Pioneer of computing, German engineer.
Z3 Development:
First fully programmable, automatic digital computer (1941).
Approach: Used binary arithmetic and punched tape.
Impact: Laid groundwork for future computer designs.
Page 12: Colossus
Description:
World's first programmable digital computer, completed in 1943.
Purpose: Aided in breaking the German Lorenz cipher during WWII.
Technology Used: Utilized thousands of vacuum tubes for calculations.
Influence: Demonstrated the power of electronic digital computing.
Page 13: ENIAC
Overview:
First general-purpose electronic computer, completed in 1945.
Capabilities:
Versatile for scientific and military calculations.
Architecture: Introduced stored-program architecture concept with EDVAC.
Page 14: John von Neumann
Background:
Pioneering mathematician (1903-1957).
Contributions: Developed the stored-program computer concept (von Neumann architecture).
Legacy: His design laid foundation for nearly all computer architectures.
Page 16: Birth of Information Theory
Significant Work: Conducted by Claude Shannon in 1948.
Key Concepts Introduced:
Entropy for quantifying information.
Innovations in data transmission analysis and encoding methods.
Page 18: Magnetic Memory
Developments:
Magnetic drums and core memory emerged in the 1950s.
Importance: Became dominant form of RAM for two decades.
Page 19: The Transistor
Invention: Created in 1947 at Bell Labs.
Significance: Revolutionized electronics by replacing vacuum tubes.
Role: Acts as a switch/amplifier, leading to smaller, reliable devices.
Page 20: IBM 704
Introduction: Launched in 1954, first mass-produced computer for scientific calculations.
Importance: Established the commercial computer industry.
Page 21: Fairchild Semiconductor
Role in Silicon Valley: Founded in 1957, developed first integrated circuits.
Influence: Paved the way for modern semiconductor industry.
Page 23: The Integrated Circuit
Invention: Jack Kilby and Robert Noyce in 1958.
Impact: Allowed multiple electronic components on a single chip, enabling miniaturization.
Page 24: IBM 360 Mainframe
Launch Year: 1964.
Standardization: Established compatibility across various models.
Page 25: The Apollo Guidance Computer
Development: 1960s for NASA's Apollo missions.
Innovation: One of the first computers to use integrated circuits.
Page 26: Voyager I & II spacecraft
Launched: 1977, aimed at studying outer planets.
Significance: Demonstrated computing's capabilities in space.
Page 28: VLSI Technology
Timeframe: 1970s and 1980s.
Importance: Allowed thousands and millions of transistors on a single chip, boosting computer capabilities.
Page 29: Intel 4004
Release: 1971, first commercially available microprocessor.
Influence: Marked the onset of the microprocessor revolution.
Page 30: x86 Architecture
Origin: Introduced with Intel 8086 in 1978.
Legacy: Became the foundation for most personal computers.
Page 31: Rise of Supercomputers
Starting Point: Cray-1 in 1975 transformed high-performance computing.
Page 32: ARPAnet
Development: Late 1960s as a precursor to the modern internet.
Concepts Introduced: Packet switching, TCP/IP protocols, email.
Page 33: ARPAnet Connections
Depicted various early network connections in the development of ARPAnet.
Page 35: The "Mother of All Demos"
Event: Douglas Engelbart’s demonstration in 1968 highlighting interactive computing capabilities.
Page 36: Dennis Ritchie and Unix
Collaboration with Ken Thompson at Bell Labs.
Key Features: Flexibility, portability, multitasking.
Page 37: Unix Operating System
Core Principles: Simplicity and modularity, leading to powerful command-line tools.
Page 39: The C Programming Language
Developed by Dennis Ritchie in the 1970s with balanced low/high-level programming.
Page 40: The Apple II Computer
Launched in 1977.
Significance: Pivotal in personal computing and software industry.
Page 42: 1970s - Video Game Arcades
Rise of arcade gaming in the 1970s with games like Pong.
Page 45: IBM Personal Computer (PC)
Released in 1981.
Importance: Established standard for hardware architecture.
Page 47: The Apple Macintosh
Launched in 1984.
Significance: First mass-market computer with graphical user interface.
Page 49: 1980s - Parallel Processing
Emergence of parallel computing systems.
Page 51: Modern Internet Development
Transition from ARPAnet to modern internet through TCP/IP adoption.
Page 52: Bulletin Board Systems (BBS)
Important early part of computer culture facilitating online communities.
Page 53: The World Wide Web
Invented by Tim Berners-Lee in 1989.
Revitalized access to information through websites.
Page 54: Eternal September
Cultural shift in online communities with the influx of new users post-1993.
Page 56: Development of GPU
Emergence of dedicated Graphics Processing Units in the 1980s and 1990s.
Page 59: The Impact of Social Media
Reshaped communication and social interactions.
Page 61: The Year of AI
Introduction of ChatGPT marked significant milestones in artificial intelligence.
Page 62: Rise of Intelligent Systems
Machine learning technology and its applications in diverse fields.