History of Computers (BBC Documentary)

History of Computers - BBC Docu Film

The purpose of this blog post is to inform everyone the history of computers in accordance to BBC.

The following are the basic know what's of computers:

1. What was the original use of computers?

Computers are mainly used as tools to calculate various data.

2. What was the first generation electronic computer made of?

Programs written in simple codes, then converted to punch tapes and fed into the machine was originally used by Camp Bridge Machine to speed the actions of scientific calculations.

3. In World War II, what is the electronic digital computer used for?

Colossus, designed by Alan Turing, used to decode letters and broke many top secret messages unlike ENIAC during World War II.

4. What is the contribution of Allan Turing during the World War II?

Alan Turing, British Mathematician who is involved in cracking German’s code during the World War II, designed the Pilot Ace in 1946 and Lorenz, a machine that scrambled letter in a pattern way for communication purposes.

5. What is the name of the first commercial computer in US?

UNIVAC is made of vacuum tubes but too complex as people are required to understand and master Advanced Math and logic just to operate the machine.

6. Which company finally made the first commercial computer in US?

Eckert-Mauchly sold the machine to US Census Bureau to process population data, record keeping and accounting purposes for $350,270 in September 1946.

7. When did IBM enter the computer business and who was the main driver?

International Business Machine was originally keen on keep using the punch cards on tabulating data until 1951 when US Census Bureau, one of their customers, ordered UNIVAC machines. That’s why Thomas Watson Jr. decided to change IBM from inside out as the market clearly changed and enter the computer business and designed scientific computer rather than a commercial computer.

8. In UK, which company has the first computer for commercial use and which company manufactured it?

J. Lyons Company Limited, large scale food manufacturer and distributor, is the first ever company in UK who first ever used computer for commercial use in UK to keep track of their employees and products. But in 1947 there was no available computer to buy in London so J. Lyons decided to build their own computer with the help from a student in Campbridge University named Maurice Wilkes. This machine was named as LEO.

9. What are the social effects of using computers in factory and office automation?

UNIVAC was used to forecast the outcome of election in 1952 which simplified a lot of things.

10. When did Apple design the first personal computer?

11. When the mouse was designed?

12. What is ALTAIR 8800 and when did it appear in the market?

13. What is the contribution of Xerox in the evolution of computer?

14. When did IBM design the first personal computer and why it failed?

15. What was the major problem in the first generation personal computers?

16. What are the main features of Macintosh as compared with other personal computers in 1984?

17. What are the technological advancements, both in hardware and software, from the first generation electronic computers to the era of personal computers?

18. What is program?

19. How disable persons can be benefited from the computer technologies?