The History of Computing

Computing has drastically has drastically impacted advancement in science, engineering, business and numerous other regions in human endeavor. In this day and age, about everybody needs to utilize computers. Computing will keep on showing testing profession openings and those who study computing will have a vital role in shaping up the future ( Shackelford ). Computing of course, cannot exist without the use of computers. Prior to 1935 , a computer was a man who performed arithmetical estimations. Somewhere in the range of 1935 and 1945 the definition alluded to a machine, instead of a man. The advanced machine definition depends on von Neumann's concept: it accepts input, processes data, stores information, and produces yield ( George Mason University ).

Before the actual power of computing could be realized, the guileless perspective of calculation had to be overcome. The people who worked to bring the computer into fruition had to learn that what they were making was not simply just a calculator, but a machine that would solve numerous problems, even problems not yet envisioned when the computer was fabricated. Likewise, they needed to figure out how to tell such a critically thinking computer how to interpret different problems. In other words, they needed to invent programming. They needed to take care of all the overwhelming issues of creating such a device, of actualizing the plan, of actually fabricating the thing. The history of tackling these issues is the history of computing ( Freiberger ).

There have been a number of computing milestones and it has evolved in many ways over the years. The earliest form of the computer dates back to the 14 th century and it was known as the “Abacus”. It is an instrument used for calculations by sliding counters along rods or in grooves (

George Mason University ). Presently, as like before, it typically consisted of a rectangular edge with thin parallel poles hung with dabs. It represented values discreetly. Each bead was in a predefined position or the other representing unambiguously a number each ( Freiberger ). In the 17 th century, calculating devices took a new turn through John Napier, a Scottish mathematician who created the “Slide Rule”. A manual gadget used for estimation that comprises in its simple form of a ruler and a mobile centerpiece which are graduated with comparable logarithmic scales.