Introduction to computer systems architecture and programming

168 Introduction to computer systems architecture and programming
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World War for the accurate calculation of the firing tables used to aim
their artillery. However, the ENIAC was only completed in 1946, and as
a consequence its first task was to help with some complex calculations
that were required to assess the feasibility of the hydrogen bomb. Hence
the ENIAC is often described as the first general-purpose electronic
computer and is often chosen as the main representative of vacuum tube
computers or as what we now refer to as first-generation computers
(Stallings 2010). For an interesting video clip on the ENIAC visit http://
news.cnet.com/1606-2_3-29770.html
From transistors to integrated circuits
Since the development of first-generation computers, the further
development of the computer has been pushed forward by advances
in technology. Second-generation computers emerged with the
development of the transistor in the 1950s. The transistor replaced
the vacuum tube. Made from silicon, major advantages of the transistor
included its smaller size, lower price and lower heat emission.
The invention of the integrated circuit in 1958 marks the era of thirdgeneration
computers. Rather than having to treat components such
as transistors, resistors and conductors as separate components that have
to be connected, the advances in micro-electronics allowed the production
of an entire circuit from one tiny piece of silicon.
Beyond the third generation, there are varying views of how or whether
computer hardware advancement can be divided into further generations,
but some attempts have been made based on the advances of integrated
circuit technology (Stallings 2010).
A major milestone in the development of computers since the 1940s
includes the development of the first desktop computers. Several
(successful) attempts were made by computer companies and individuals.
However, the most famous remains the development of the PC (personal
computer), which was first developed by IBM in 1981 with software by
Microsoft. We still use the term PC today to refer to any computer, from
any manufacturer, that has evolved from IBM’s original desktop computer
(Brookshear 2009).
Since the early beginnings of the desktop computer as a tool that was
useful in disciplines beyond mathematical calculations, and accessible
to a more general user group, computer technology has penetrated all
aspects of life. Today most of us use a PC on a daily basis, and computer
technology is integrated in our telephones, entertainment technologies,
our cars, etc.
In order to gain a better understanding of how computer technology
works, the remainder of this chapter introduces you to the areas of
computer architecture that are essential for you to understand the internal
processes of a computer.
Reading
Now read Brookshear (2009) Chapter 0, section 0.2 and Reynolds and Tymann (2008)
Chapter 1.
Activities
1. On the internet find pictures and/or video clips of the early computing machines
mentioned in this chapter (and others). Get a sense of their size, the materials/
components that were used to build them, the way they were operated and how they
have evolved over the past few centuries. You may want to look at the sources below,