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Computer History
This category includes questions and answers about the history of the computer. Ask questions about the first computer and major developments in computing.
5,564 Questions
The first laptop concept that can be found was the "Dynabook" concept (not to be confused with Toshiba's Dynabook laptop line) developed by Alan Kay in 1968. No actual laptop was ever created however, it was simply the laptop concept that was thought up and described.
The first mass-produced portable computer was the "Osborne 1" which became available in 1981. This was a large and heavy machine about the size of a sewing machine, and had a 5" text only monitor. It used the CP/M operating system. It was not sold in large numbers at all.
Arguably the first true laptop made it's appearance in 1982. This was the GRiD Compass 1101. It introduced the familiar clamshell design with it's closing top, and it ran on batteries. It was not an IBM compatible computer, however, and its initial price was between $8 - 10k. Because of it's high price, it was not really a consumer product, but was used by the military and NASA on their work on the space shuttle during the 1980's. GRiD Systems was later bought by Tandy corporation (Radioshack).
Also released in 1982 another contender for the title of the first true laptop was the Dulmont Magnum, which made its appearance in Australia. This was the only laptop ever to be produced in Australia. It also had a clamshell design, and although it had a MS DOS 2.1 operating system, it wasn't really IBM compatible.
By 1983, many other manufacturers such as HP, Sharp, Sanyo, etc. began producing laptops and making them available on the consumer market.
The first IBM PC-compatable laptop made its appearance in 1983, as well. This was the Compaq Portable. It was still rather large and was not battery powered, but required AC power to run.
What is super mainframe computer?
The function of a mainframe computer is usually as a large database of all sorts of data. An example would be a large credit card company would have a computer that would hold every bit of data that company needed including customers and their info. So in short a computer with large amounts of data, and in most cases, backups of that data too.
Difference between office automation processing system and knowledge work systems?
Knowledge work systems and office automation systems serve the information needs at the knowledge level of the organization. , where as office automation systems primary aid data workers (although they are also used extensively by knowledge workers)
What do you mean by generation in computer terminology?
The history of computer is divided into 5 generations.
First Generation 1941-1956
Second Generation 1956-1963
Third Generation 1964-1971
Fourth Generation 1971- Present
Fifth Generation Present and Beyond
Categories of data processing?
Data is processed to get the required results. Different operations may be performed on data. Therefore, data processing is defined as:
"A sequence of operations on data to convert it into useful information is called data processing."
The important operations that can be performed on data are:
- Arithmetic and logical operations on data to get required results.
- To send and receive data from one location to another.
- Classification of data.
- Arranging data into a specific order etc.
The data processing is divided into three categories or levels.
1. Manual Data Processing: In manual data processing, data is processed manually without using any machine or tool to get required result. In manual data processing, all the calculations and logical operations are manually performed on the data. Similarly, data is manually transferred from one place to another. This method of data processing is very slow and errors may occur in the output.
In Pakistan, data is still processed manually in many small business firms as well as government offices & institutions.
2. Mechanical Data Processing: In mechanical data processing, data is processed by using different tools like calculators or other mechanical devices. This method of data processing is faster and more accurate than manual data processing.
3. Electronic Data Processing: It is the modern technique to process data. The data is processed through computer. Data and set of instructions are given to the computer as input and the computer automatically processes the data according to the given set of instructions.
The computer is also known as electronic data processing machine. This method of processing data is very fast and accurate. Now-a-days, the data is processed and analyzed through computers. For example, the results of students are prepared through computer; in banks accounts of customers are processed through computers etc.
When was Walky-talky invented?
They were originally invented by Mr. Al Gross. He patented them in 1938. Mr. Gross became interested in wireless communication when he was 12 years old and was shown a ship's radio during a boat tour. He was still working and giving presentations to school children, one of his favorite things, when he was over 70 years old. Mr. Gross also invented the pager, the CB radio, and came up with the idea behind cellular communications (cell phones). Some sources also give credit for the walkie-talkie to Mr. Donald Hings. He had a walkie-talkie that was introduced in 1942. Mr. Hings may have come up with the name "walkie-talkies." He was asked what people could do with the radio, and he said, "walk and talk." He died on December 21, 2000. http://library.thinkquest.org/04oct/00451/walkietalkie.htm
Can you permantantly delete your internet history form your computer?
The method of deleting internet history depends on the OS and browser.
If you are using a Microsoft OS and MS Explorer:
1) Open a browser window
2) Go to Tools
3) Go to Internet Options
Note: You can also go to Internet Options from the Control Panel
4) Under Browsing history, click on "Delete"
5) From there, you can close out the window and exit the browser
You can also clear part of the browser history by going to "Favorites" then the "History" tab and then deleting all the days shown. This won't get rid of the most recently visited sites up in the address bar though.
If you are using Firefox:
1) Open a browser window
2) Go to Tools
3) Go to the Privacy tab
4) Check the box for "Clear history when Firefox closes"
5) Close the Tools window
6) Close the browser
To elminate some other residual information that could be used to reconstruct your internet history, you might also want to do two more things: 1) delete cookies and 2) go to the Start window, open All Programs, open Accessories, open Disk Cleanup, make sure "Temporary Internet Files" is checked, then click "OK" to delete the temporary files.
Other browsers like Chrome or Opera have similar procedures to clear the browser history. With all that said, a person skilled in computer forensics can still recover most if not all of your internet history, so if you are trying to delete the history to cover up illegal activities - your only hope is to incinerate your computer, change your name, and flee to a country that doesn't allow extradition. If you are trying to cover up your browsing the internet at work to feed your particular kink - your employer can still reconstruct your browsing from the server logs (unless they have a lousy sysadmin) which you can't touch unless your ARE the sysadmin, so - behave yourself at work.
How much did computers cost in the 1990's?
Not exactly what you've asked, but anyway: December 1991 I purchased in Perth at Myers an Amstrad 286 PC, for about $1900 Australian. It had a 40Mb HDD, 16Mhz CPU, 14 inch monitor, and a five and an a quarter plus a three and half FDD, and about one or two Meg RAM if I recall correctly.
Who made the first electronic spreadsheet?
The very first spreadsheet was developed (or invented) by Dan Bricklin and Bob Frankston called VisiCalc
The very first spreadsheet was developed (or invented) by Dan Bricklin and Bob Frankston called VisiCalc
HITLER
He invented the PC modem. I remember the Hayes brand well I have been in I.T for 25 years
Visit my PC help site http://www.pchelphq.com/
Which is the world's best computer brand?
It depends on the kind of computer you wish to buy. There are several categories of computers and what individual needs are. Here are some of the best computers for different tasks:
- Gaming: Alienware- these computers have raw power, perfect for gaming and movies. They are some of the best out there from a technical standpoint.
- Business: Dell or Apple- While Dell is more affordable and commonly used, if you can afford it go with Apple. An Apple can do absolutely anything a Dell can do and more. Dell however has the upper hand with the affordability and existing use.
- Art/Music/Film Design: Apple is by far the most evolved and developed brand for designing and creating. This is a staple of the company and rightly so; all their programs run without a hitch and their machines are capable of high processing power
- Overall use and Reliability: Apple- No matter who you are, if you use an Apple it will just work. They are easy, user friendly and reliable. Virtually no virus' exist for Mac's operating system and it includes so many features that just make since. If you want a computer that just works and will never crash, buy a Mac. They are good at just about everything. (they can run all Windows OS' including windows 7)
What year was first computer made?
Charles Babbage designed a programmable mechanical computer that he called "The Analytical Engine" in 1837 but it was never built.
In May 1941, Konrad Zuse then built an electromechanical "Z machine" known as the Z3 that was capable of binary math, floating point operations, and some measure of programmability. Konrad Zuse is also known for starting the first computer company in 1946.
The first digital computer is usually considered ENIAC which came in 1946. It was the first digital computer that could be reprogrammed as needed. ENIAC was built to calculate the artillery firing tables for the Ballistic Research Laboratory of the United States.
ENIAC contained 17,468 vacuum tubes, 7,200 crystal diodes, 1500 relays, 70,000 resistors, 10,000 capacitors, and 5-million hand-soldered joints to weigh in at 27 tons.
The MODERN computer
The modern computer was designed by John von Neumann whos architecture could be implimented to create a stored-program digital computer. That is, a computer with RAM, a CPU, and a programmable input. This was a huge step over systems like ENIAC that had to be rewired to make changes.
The first working von Neumann machine was the Manchester "Baby", or Small-Scale Experimental Machine, built in 1948.
What is the difference between 1st and 2nd generation of computer?
First Generation Computers refer to ones with vacuum tubes and were really huge and required vast amounts of electricity. The programming was very limited and very complex USN machine language. Usually they were hardwired and the applications very limited.
Second Generation Computer were built using transistors that were much smaller and required less power and space. General Purpose program languages were developed that could be moved from 1 computer to the next.
What are the five major computer companies that exist today?
You likely are thinking of IBM, Intel, and Apple, to name a few.
This is a very difficult question because it's unclear how large of a scale that you are talking about. Some of the biggest (not necessarily the best) companies on the market today are Compaq/Hewlett Packard, Dell, and Toshiba. Those are probably the biggest on the market today. Depending on what type of things you will be doing on the computer itself is what you will actually need to be looking at.
Which invention led to third generation of computer?
The Third Generation of Computers was known as Integrated Circuits. IC's was created by Mr. Jack S. Kilby. At this period of time, transistors where shrunk into smaller ones and where placed in a silicon chip. Also, a more efficient way of user input has been created. Keyboards and monitors have been used instead of punch cards and vacuum tubes.
How do you talk to somebody on a web camera?
For a long time i work as a webcam model and this is not difficult for me to have a conversation with people using a webcam. when i was a beginner it was really a big question for me but i found answer on Joboncam.com Hope this will help you too!
Which generation does our present computer belongs to?
hard to say. there are so many different definitions of computer generations.
How many transistors did the ENIAC computer have?
None, the transistor did not yet exist. It was built with vacuum tubes and had roughly 18,000 of them.
When a project was done to recreate ENIAC on a chip, it took about 180,000 transistors. But you have to realize that the vast majority of these transistors are not active processing transistors, but are just switches to simulate the plugging in of the program cables into different connectors on the various panels. Only one wafer of ENIAC on a chip was ever made, it needed a PC to translate a cabling diagram to internal switch settings and load the settings into the chip. The PC was a more powerful computer than ENIAC. Most of the ENIAC on a chip devices never saw use, they went to museums or computer history collectors.
What component must be compatible with every other component of the computer motherboard?
The anwers is not avalible!!
When was the first computer offered to the public and what was its name?
In the US, the first manufactured computer was the UNIVAC I in Philadelphia Pennsylvania by Remington Rand, in 1952.
What are the most common uses of a computer?
1. You can look up information.
2. You can view movies and pictures.
3. You can type a piece of writing.
4. You can order things through internet.
5. You can send information.
What is the description of the first computer?
As originally defined in the 1500s a computer is a person that computes. You are a computer.
The word only acquired the modern meaning of an electronic machine that computes after ww2. There is one right in front of you that you use to access this site.
Either way I don't need to describe it as you can see it yourself.
Internal Final Release date (RTM or "Gold"): July 22, 2009.
Release to Retail: October 22, 2009.
Current version (please update if outdated): 6.1, Build 7601:SP1 on February 22, 2011
What did the first computers perform?
The first computer was an Chinese abacus.
A computer is defined as A device that computes that assembles, stores, correlates, or otherwise processes information.
An abacus is a manual computing device consisting of a frame holding parallel rods strung with movable counters.
Word History: The adjective dusty, with its connotations of disuse and age, might seem an appropriate word to describe the abacus, since this counting device was used for solving arithmetical problems in the days before calculators and computers. Originally the abacus was, in fact, dusty. The source of our word abacus, the Greek word abax, probably comes from Hebrew 'bq, "dust," although the details of transmission are obscure. In postbiblical usage 'bq meant "sand used as a writing surface." The Greek word abax has as one of its senses "a board sprinkled with sand or dust for drawing geometric diagrams." This board is a relative of the abacus with movable counters strung on rods that is familiar to us. The first use of the word abacus, recorded in Middle English in a work written before 1387, refers to a sand-board abacus used by the Arabs. The difference in form between the Middle English word abacus and its Greek source abax is explained by the fact that Middle English borrowed Latin abacus, which came from the Greek genitive form (abakos) of abax.
