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A Brief History of ComputersIn 1821 an English mathematician named Charles Babbage began to consider how routine calculations could be performed mechanically. He invented two machines, the differential engine and the analytical engine. The differential engine was a sophisticated specialized calculating machine, which was a step toward the construction of calculating machines. The analytical engine was designed as a digital programmable computer more than 100 years before such a machine was produced. For his work, he is often called “The Father of Computers”.Toward the end of the 19th century, other inventors became more successful in the efforts to construct calculation “engines.” An American statistician, Herman Hollerith, built the tabulator to help compile census data. Because of the population growth by the 1880s, taking data by hand took more than seven years. The machine developed by Hollerith used punched cards where information could be read from the cards automatically.The First Generation of Computers from 1940-1956 used vacuum tubes. They could solve only one problem at a time, and punched cards and paper tape were used as input devices. The UNIVAC was the first commercial electronic computer, used by the U.S. Census Bureau in 1951.Second Generation Computers developed from 1956-1963 used transistors. This enabled the computers to be much smaller, faster, cheaper, and more energy efficient. During this time period, high-level programming languages, such as COBOL and FORTRAN were developed. Third Generation Computers from 1964-1971 used integrated circuits. Transistors were made smaller and placed on silicon chips. This increased the speed and efficiency of computers. Users were able to interact with keyboards and monitors, and for the first time computers were accessible to the public because they were smaller and cheaper. In 1969, ARPANET sent the first message from a professor at the University of California to a second network node to a professor at Stanford Research Institute. Fourth Generation Computers from 1971-present brought about the invention of the microprocessor. The first computer for home use was introduced in 1981 by Apple. In 1984 Apple developed the Macintosh, and desktop computers were born. These small computers could be linked together to form a network of computers, and the Internet was born. These computers also led to the use of the mouse, Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs), and ultimately hand-held devices. When Bill Gates saw how easy to use the Macintosh desktop was, he developed Windows, which was an immense improvement over the MS-DOS operating system used by IBM.Fifth Generation Computers (today and beyond) are based on artificial intelligence. Some applications are used today, such as voice recognition. Natural language input and the capability of learning and self-computing are the goals of artificial intelligence. ................
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