Computers can handle anything from printing text to launching spaceships. They are so firmly entrenched in human life that even children often learn the language of a computer faster than simple speech. But the first computer was very different from today's.
Acquaintance with the computer took place not so long ago, but its appearance was preceded by a long history of creation.
A bit of history
Blaise Pascal's mechanical machine and Wilhelm Leibniz's adding machine are considered the ancestors of the modern personal computer. The term "computer" was first mentioned in the 18th century. Then this term was applied to any mechanical computing device that was able to perform the simplest operations - addition and subtraction.
In the Oxford Dictionary, the word "computer" was interpreted as "calculator."
Later, in the early 19th century, a smarter machine was invented that could solve even simple equations. Even later, they were able to create the first analytical multifunctional machine working with punched cards. Considering the close attention of scientists to these devices, their modernization took place at an accelerated pace. In a short time they were equipped with electric relays and vacuum tubes.
A long way from the first computer to the modern computer
In 1946 the first computer was presented to the world. True, that machine was several times larger than a modern computer and consumed a fairly large amount of electricity. The weight of the first computer was approximately 30 tons. Only large, wealthy companies and enterprises allowed themselves to use such computers.
In the early 60s, thanks to the invention of transistors, manufacturers were able to release the first PDP-8 mini-computer. The computer was equipped with random access memory for storing information, and learned how to store information on magnetic disks. The leading position in the production of computers at that time was taken by IBM, which to this day remains the largest manufacturer of computers in the world.
A significant event in the development of personal computers is the creation by Bill Gates of the Basic interpreter "Altair", which made it possible to create a variety of programs for computers.
Since the creation of "Altair", the production of computers began to take on a mass character. Many manufacturers of PCs and software for them began to appear.
From that moment on, the main emphasis was placed on improving the quality and multifunctionality of this technique, which allowed a person to use a multifunctional and compact "super-device" - a modern computer.
