Name: Asia D.

Estrada Date: February 21, 2023

Year & Section: APS2 Activity 1 - LIVIT

1. Trace down the history of computer (include important devices and

persons).

According to Williamson 2021, the computer history began with primitive

designs in the early nineteenth century and progressed to change the world during
the twentieth century. Computers have been around for over 200 years. Initially
theorized by mathematicians and entrepreneurs, mechanical calculating machines
were designed and built during the nineteenth century to solve increasingly
complex number-crunching challenges. By the early twentieth century,
technological advancement had enabled ever-more-complex computers, and
computers had grown larger and more powerful. Computers today are almost
unrecognizable from designs from the nineteenth century, such as Charles
Babbage's Analytical Engine, or even from the massive computers of the twentieth
century, such as the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Calculator.
During the nineteenth century, French merchant and inventor Joseph Marie
Jacquard invents a loom that uses punched wooden cards to automatically weave
fabric designs. Similar punch cards were used in early computers. Furthermore,
an English mathematician named Charles Babbage devises a steam-powered
calculating machine capable of calculating number tables. According to the
University of Minnesota, the project, dubbed the "Difference Engine," was funded
by the British government but failed due to a lack of technology at the time. Ada
Lovelace, an English mathematician, and the poet Lord Byron's daughter, creates
the world's first computer program. Lovelace wrote the first program while
translating a paper on Babbage's Analytical Engine from French into English,
according to Anna Siffert, a professor of theoretical mathematics at the University
of Münster in Germany. "She also adds her own comments to the text. Per Georg
Scheutz of Sweden and his son Edvard create the world's first printing calculator.
Finally, Herman Hollerith designs a punch-card system to help calculate the 1890
United States Census. The machine saves the government several years of
calculations and the United States taxpayer approximately $5 million, according to
Columbia University. Hollerith later establishes a company that will eventually
become International Business Machines Corporation.
The integrated circuit, also known as the computer chip, is invented by Jack
Kilby and Robert Noyce in the twentieth century. Kilby's work is later recognized
with the Nobel Prize in Physics. Douglas Engelbart, on the other hand, reveals a
prototype of the modern computer at the Fall Joint Computer Conference in San
Francisco. According to the Doug Engelbart Institute, his presentation titled "A
Research Center for Augmenting Human Intellect" includes a live demonstration
of his computer, which includes a mouse and a graphical user interface (GUI)
(opens in new tab). This marks the transition of the computer from a specialized
machine for academics to a more general-purpose technology.
 On April Fool's Day, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak co-found Apple
Computer. According to MIT, they unveil the Apple I, the first computer with a
single-circuit board and ROM (Read Only Memory). Microsoft invests $150 million
in Apple, which is struggling financially at the time. This investment puts an end to
a legal battle in which Apple accused Microsoft of stealing its operating system.
Wi-Fi, an abbreviation for "wireless fidelity," is created, initially covering up to 300
feet (91 meters).
During the 21st century, Apple's flagship handheld tablet, the iPad, is
unveiled. Google introduces the Chromebook, which runs Google Chrome OS.
Apple releases the Apple Watch in 2015, and Microsoft releases Windows 10. The
first reprogrammable quantum computer was created in 2016. "Until now, no
quantum-computing platform has had the capability of programming new
algorithms into their system; they're usually each tailored to attack a specific
algorithm," said Shantanu Debnath, a quantum physicist and optical engineer at
the University of Maryland, College Park.

2. List down and explain the characteristics of the generations of computer.

GENERATION OF COMPUTER CHARACTERISTICS

Vacuum Tube-Based - First
Generation Computers (1942–1954)
Transistor-Based - Second Generation
Computers (1955–1964)
The main electronic component of the
first-generation computers was
vacuum tubes. Memory devices
included punch cards and paper
tapes. Has a relatively large size. Size
was comparable to a room. Have a
slow speed, hundreds of instructions
per second, and very high costs. It
also had a high failure rate, a high
number of circuit failures per second,
a high-power consumption, and it
generated a lot of heat.
The invention of the transistor ushered
in the second generation of
computers. Transistors have taken the
place of vacuum tubes. Magnetic
tapes, magnetic tapes, and magnetic
disks were used for data storage.
Computers that are smaller than the
first generation. Thousands of
instructions per second, which is
relatively fast when compared to first
generation. and is slightly less
expensive than the first generation.
Circuit failure per day with low power
consumption.
 Integrated Circuit Based - Third
Generation Computers (1965-1974)
Computers of the Fourth Generation
(1975-present) are based on VLSI
microprocessors.
Fifth Generation Computers (still in
Development)-ULSI Microprocessor-
Based
Smaller than computers from the
second generation. Minicomputers
with disk drives. Million instructions
per second, which is relatively fast in
comparison to second generation
(MIPS). Costs less than the second
generation. High-level languages
such as PASCAL, COBOL, BASIC, C,
and others. Circuit failure in weeks
and low power consumption.
With the invention of the
microprocessor, the fourth generation
of computers began. The software is
simple to use. The storage capacity is
large. Size, cost, power consumption,
and heat generation all decreased in
comparison to the previous
generation. The program is written in
the problem-oriented fourth
generation language (4GL).
The fourth generation of computers
began with the invention of the
microprocessor. The software is
straightforward to use. The storage
capacity is substantial. In comparison
to the previous generation, size, cost,
power consumption, and heat
generation all decreased. The
program is written in the fourth-
generation problem-solving language
(4GL).
References
Williamson, T. (2021, December 1). History of computers: A brief timeline.

livescience.com. https://www.livescience.com/20718-computer-history.html

V. (2018, July 12). Generations of Computers and Their Characteristics. VidyaGyaan.

http://www.vidyagyaan.com/computer-knowledge/generations-of-computers-and-

their-characteristics/