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Introduction to Computers

by

Syed Ali Hussain

BSPT (RMC, UHS)
MS OMPT (RCRS, RIU)
PGD PE & TM (RIU)
Assistant Professor, D-AHS STMU
MSK Sonotherapist (Sonosite Netherland)
Consultant Physiotherapist Max Rehab & Physical Therapy Centre
General Secretary PAOMPT
 In this Lecture
• We will discuss
• History of Computers
– Types of Computers
– Uses of Computers
• Basic concepts of computers

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 History
• Probably the first calculating aids people used were
their fingers.

• The oldest known calculating device is the ABACUS,

was used by the Sumerians and Egyptians as early as
2000 BC.

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 History
• The modern uses of computers include:
(among many others)
• allowing calculations to be performed very
quickly,
• automating repetitive processes,
• storing and manipulating large quantities of
data,
• allowing us to browse the Internet.
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 1600’s : Mechanical Calculators
• Throughout the 17’th century there was a great deal of
interest in designing and building mechanical
calculators.
• Particularly noteworthy were the calculators designed
and built by Blaise Pascal and by Gottfried Leibnitz
(who also described the binary number system that is
used in all modern computers.)

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 1600’s : Mechanical Calculators
• It was in this period that the slide rule first
appeared.

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1800’s: Babbage

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 1800’s: Babbage
• Charles Babbage designed what he called his difference
engine.
• The difference engine was designed to calculate values of
polynomial functions. Although he never succeeded in
making it.
• He turned his attention to the analytical engine which was,
in fact, a programmable computer.
• It was not until the 1940s that the first general-purpose
computers were actually built .

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 1940’s: Electromechanical and
Electronic Computers
• By the 1940’s it was becoming clear that
electronic devices could do computation faster
than mechanical devices.
• As is all too often the case in technological
development, it was war that motivated (and
funded) much of the development of the
computers of the 1940’s and 1950’s.

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1940’s: Electromechanical and
Electronic Computers

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 1940’s: Electromechanical and
Electronic Computers
• The world's first programmable, electronic, digital
computers were the Colossus computers, developed for
British code breakers during World War II to help in the
cryptanalysis.
• The Colossus Mark 1 first became operational in Feb. 1944
and an improved (much faster) Colossus Mark 2ix first put
into service in June 1944, just in time for the Normandy
landings.

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 1940’s: Electromechanical and
Electronic Computers
• In the United States, ENIAC, the first general
purpose, programmable computer was initially
designed to compute artillery firing tables for the
US army. ENIACx was not completed until shortly
after the war ended, but it was immediately put
to use in the development of the hydrogen bomb.

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1940’s: Electromechanical and
Electronic Computers

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 1950’s: Commercial Computers
• The first commercial computers began to appear in
1951.
• The Lyons Electronic Office (LEO I) was the first
computer used for commercial business applications.
• UNIVAC was the first commercially successful
electronic computer produced in the United States.

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 1950’s: Commercial Computers
• The first electronic computers were electromechanical, using
electrical relays, but soon the electromechanical relays were
replaced by vacuum tubes.

• In 1947, the transistor was developed, and, beginning in about 1955

it began to be used in computers, resulting in smaller units that
required less power and generated less heat.

• In 1957 the integrated circuit was developed, which shortly began

resulting in even smaller units requiring even less power.

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 1950’s: Commercial Computers

• It was in the 1950’s that IBM entered the

computer business (which they were soon to
completely dominate) starting with the xiiIBM
650, the first mass-produced computer, with
approximately 2000 installations.

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 1960’s and beyond:
• Starting around 1960, the world’s computing hardware began to
very quickly convert from vacuum tube to solid state devices such
as the transistor and, later, the integrated circuit.
• By 1959 discrete transistors were considered sufficiently reliable
and economical that they made further vacuum tube computers
uncompetitive. Computer main memory slowly moved away from
magnetic core memory devices to solid-state semiconductor
memory This greatly reduced the cost, size and power consumption
of computing devices.

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 Graphical User Interface
• With the introduction of the graphical user interface (GUI),
the use of computers no longer required specialized
training and the development of the Internet (especially
the World Wide Web) allowed home and mobile computers
(including smart phones) to be used for entertainment,
finance (especially online banking), e-commerce (online
shopping), personal research (Google search, Wikipedia),
communications (e-mail, Instant Messaging, Facebook,
Twitter) and education. Of course, with such widespread
uses for a wide range of people, there was a great
proliferation of computers and computer applications that
could not possibly have been imagined by the original
pioneers in the field.

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 Graphical User Interface

• An interface is something that allows 2 things

to communicate. In this case, human and
machine.
• Non-graphic user interface is a system that
allows the user to communicate with the
machine without using any graphic.

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 Different classes of Computers:
• Mainframe Computers
• Minicomputers
• Supercomputers
• Personal Computers
• PDA’s
• Tablet Computers
• Embedded Computers

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 Mainframe Computers
• Mainframe computers are computers used primarily by commercial
and governmental organizations for critical applications and bulk
data processing such as census, industry and consumer statistics,
enterprise resource planning and transaction processing.

• The term “Mainframe” originally referred to the large cabinets that

housed the central processing unit and main memory of early
computers. Later, the term was used to distinguish high-end
commercial machines from less powerful units.

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Mainframe Computers

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 Minicomputers
• Minicomputers are a class of smaller computers that developed in
the mid-1960s and sold for much less than mainframe and mid-size
computers from IBM.

• When single-chip CPUs appeared, beginning with the Intel 4004 in

1971, the term "minicomputer" came to mean a machine that lies
in the middle range of the computing spectrum, smaller than the
mainframe computers but larger than the microcomputers.
Minicomputers usually took up one or a few 19-inch rack cabinets.

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 Minicomputers
• The definition of minicomputer is vague, and,
consequently, there are a number of candidates for
being the first minicomputer. An early and highly
successful minicomputer was Digital Equipment
Corporation's (DEC) PDP-8xv, which was launched in
1964 and cost from US$16,000 upwards.
• The term minicomputer is no longer widely used. The
term midrange computer is now preferred.

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 Supercomputers
• Supercomputers are computers that have world-class
computational capacity. In 2015, such machines could
perform quadrillions of floating point operations per
second.
• Supercomputers were introduced in the 1960s, made
initially, and for decades primarily by Seymour Cray at
Control Data Corporation (CDC), then at Cray Research and
at subsequent companies, all bearing his name or
monogram.

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 Supercomputers
• The first computer to be commonly referred to as
a supercomputer was the CDC6600, released in
1964. It was designed by Cray and was the fastest
in the world by a large margin. It demonstrated
that there was a viable supercomputing market
when one hundred computers were sold at $8
million each.

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Supercomputers

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 Supercomputers

• Cray left CDC in 1972 and formed his own

company, Cray Research Inc. In 1976, Cray
Research delivered the Cray 1 which became one
of the most successful supercomputers in history.

• As of 2015,, the fastest supercomputer was the

Chinese Tianhe-2.

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Supercomputers

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 Supercomputers
• Supercomputers play an important role in the field of computational
science, and are used for a wide range of computationally intensive tasks
in various fields, including quantum mechanics, weather forecasting,
climate research, oil and gas exploration, molecular modeling (computing
the structures and properties of chemical compounds, biological
macromolecules, polymers, and crystals), and physical simulations (such
as simulations of the early moments of the universe, airplane and
spacecraft aerodynamics, the detonation of nuclear weapons, and nuclear
fusion).

• Throughout their history, they have been essential in the field of

cryptanalysis.
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 Personal Computers

• Personal computers are general-purpose

computers whose size, capabilities and
original sale price make them useful for
individuals, and are intended to be operated
directly by end-users with no intervening
computer operator.
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 Personal Computers
• Early personal computers (generally called microcomputers)
were often sold in a kit form, in limited volumes, and were
of interest mostly to hobbyists and technicians.
• The first successfully mass marketed personal computer
was the Commodore PET, introduced in January 1977. At
the same time, the Apple II came out in June 1977, and the
TRS-80, from Tandy Corporation / Tandy Radio Shack, in
summer 1977.

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Personal Computers

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 Personal Computers

• In 1981, IBM announced their IBM Personal

Computer (PC).
• The personal computer market soon split into
two distinct types of computers:
– Desktop computers:
– Laptop Computers:

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 Desktop computers:
• For a long time, desktop computers were the most
common type of personal computer.
• These are characterized by being small enough to fit on top
of (or beside or beneath) a desk.
• A typical desktop computer requires an external power
source, since they are normally used in locations (homes,
offices, …) where external power is readily available.
Internal batteries would be an unnecessary expense.

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Desktop computers:

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 Laptop Computers:
• Also called portable computers or notebook computers, as
well as various other names.
• A laptop can be powered either from a rechargeable
battery, or by household electricity via an AC adapter.
• “Laptop” is a diverse category of devices and many more
specific terms, such as “rugged notebook” or “convertible”,
refer to specialist types of laptops, which have been
optimized for specific uses.

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Laptop Computers:

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 PDA’s (Personal Digital Assistant)
• As technology evolved, it became possible to make
computers small enough to hold in one hand, and the
portable computer merged with the pocket calculator to
become what was often referred to as a personal digital
assistant, or PDA.
• A PDA is a mobile device that functions as a personal
information manager. PDAs were discontinued in early
2010s after the widespread adoption of smartphones and
tablets.
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 PDA’s (Personal Digital Assistant)
• The term PDA first appeared in January 1992, referring to the Apple
Newton.

• In 1994, IBM introduced the IBM Simon, which was the first PDA with full
mobile phone functionality. The IBM Simon can also be considered the
first smartphone.

• In 1996, Nokia introduced a PDA with full mobile phone functionality, the
9000 Communicator, which became the world's best-selling PDA.

• The Communicator spawned a new category of PDAs: the "PDA phone",

now called "smartphone". Another early entrant in this market was Palm,
with a line of PDA products which began in March 1996.

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 Smartphones
• Smartphones typically combine the features of a cell
phone with those of other popular mobile devices,
such as personal digital assistant, media player and GPS
navigation unit.
• It is the mobile phone functionality that distinguishes
the smart phone from the PDA. Most smartphones
have a touchscreen user interface, can run third-party
apps, and have cameras built in.

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Smartphones

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 Tablet Computers
• A tablet computer is a mobile computer with a touchscreen
display, circuitry and battery in a single unit.
• Tablets come equipped with cameras, microphones and
accelerometers. The touchscreen display uses finger or
stylus gestures substituting for the use of mouse and
keyboard in a standard personal computer. Tablets usually
feature on-screen, pop-up virtual keyboards for typing.
• The first modern tablet, the iPadxxiv, was released in 2010.

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Tablet Computers

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 Embedded Computers
• The reduction in size, price and power consumption of computer components has
made it possible to install specialized computers as embedded systems in many
devices.

• Embedded systems are generally designed to do some specific task, rather than be
a general-purpose computer for multiple tasks. Some also have specific constraints
for reasons such as safety and usability. Others may have low performance
requirements, allowing the system hardware to be simplified to reduce costs.

• Embedded systems are installed in things that range from portable devices, such
as digital watches and MP3 players, to large stationary installations like traffic
lights, factory controllers, and large complex systems like hybrid vehicles.

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 Introduction to Computers
• In today’s world wherever we go we are
surrounded by various varieties of computers.
• They enable us to send or receive data from any
part of the world with a click of a mouse.
• Today we can write e-mails, play games, watch
television, listen to music, work on our office
data, watch video lectures and do endless things
through our computers. Computers today come
in many shapes and sizes like desktop, laptop,
palmtops, PDAs etc.
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 What is a Computer?
• A computer is a device that accepts information
(in the form of digitalized data) and manipulates
it for some result based on a program or
sequence of instructions on how the data is to be
processed.
• A programmer is a person who inputs the data
into the computer in order to get a desired final
result.
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 The Computer Defined

• Electronic device
• Converts data into information
• Modern computers are digital
– Two digits combine to make data

• Older computers were analog

– A range of values made data
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 Computers For Individual Use
• Desktop computers
– The most common type of computer
– Sits on the desk or floor
– Performs a variety of tasks
• Workstations
– Specialized computers
– Optimized for science or graphics
– More powerful than a desktop

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 Computers For Individual Use

• Notebook computers
– Small portable computers

– Weighs between 3 and 8 pounds

– About 8 ½ by 11 inches

– Typically as powerful as a desktop

– Can include a docking station

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 Computers For Individual Use
• Tablet computers
– Newest development
in portable computers
– Input is through
a pen
– Run specialized
versions of office
products

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 Computers For Individual Use
• Handheld computers
– Very small computers
– Personal Digital Assistants (PDA)
– Note taking or contact management
– Data can synchronize with a desktop
• Smart phones
– Hybrid of cell phone and PDA
– Web surfing, e-mail access

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 Computers For Organizations

• Network servers
– Centralized computer

– All other computers connect

– Provides access to network resources

– Multiple servers are called server farms

– Often simply a powerful desktop

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 Computers For Organizations
• Mainframes
– Used in large
organizations
– Handle thousands
of users
– Users access through a
terminal

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 Computers For Organizations
• Minicomputers
– Called midrange computers
– Power between mainframe and desktop
– Handle hundreds of users
– Used in smaller organizations
– Users access through a terminal

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 Computers For Organizations
• Supercomputers
– The most powerful
computers made
– Handle large and
complex calculations
– Process trillions of
operations per second
– Found in research
organizations

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 Computers In Society
• More impact than any other invention
– Changed work and leisure activities
– Used by all demographic groups
• Computers are important because:
– Provide information to users
– Information is critical to our society
– Managing information is difficult

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 Computers In Society
• Computers at home
– Many homes have multiple computers
– Most American homes have Internet
– Computers are used for
• Business
• Entertainment
• Communication
• Education

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 Computers In Society
• Computers in education
– Computer literacy required at all levels
• Computers in small business
– Makes businesses more profitable
– Allows owners to manage
• Computers in industry
– Computers are used to design products
– Assembly lines are automated

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 Computers In Society
• Computers in government
– Necessary to track data for population
• Police officers
• Tax calculation and collection
– Governments were the first computer users

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 Computers In Society
• Computers in health care
– Revolutionized health care
– New treatments possible
– Scheduling of patients has improved
– Delivery of medicine is safer

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 References
• Introduction to Computers 2018 Edition By
Darrell Hajek, Cesar Herrera
• Introduction to Computers by Peter Norton 6th
Edition
• www.google.com

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