|
|
|
|
Computers...! A miraculous boon to mankind for sure. Or to be more precise, a simple yes or no answer to this question would sum it all up. Can we come across one particular field or industry which can survive without the use of computers? The answer is definitely negative, because we have reached such a stage where it has become inevitable to survive without this idiot box. But the fact is that there still remains a lot to be known and understood about computers though we tend to apply them almost in every aspect of our day to day life. Let's try and discover the basics of this device. A computer is basically a device that has been designed in such a way that it can carry out instructions fed by a human. The best part is the speed with which it can execute them sequentially and come out with results.
Now how does the computer understand what we want? Here is where the term "program" comes into picture. A program is nothing but the set of instructions which a computer follows to carry out any particular task be it a simple arithmetic operation such as addition or a complex problem. In order to store these programs or any other such data there has to be a brain or a storage device which is called memory. There are also input devices for the computer through which the data or instruction is fed normally. These input devices are the keyboard and the mouse. Just like how we feed the data into the computer we would also require a medium called the output device to see the accomplished result of our provided instructions in the form of display screens and printers.
There is also a central processing unit for executing the instructions inside the computer. Apart from these components a lot of other parts contribute in making the computer for what it is now. Like say for instance every computer needs a bus to transport the given data from one part of the computer to another. Depending upon the size and power of computers, they can be classified into five different categories. The first one being the personal computer which is a small single-user computer provided with a keyboard for giving input and a monitor for displaying the output and a storage device for saving whatever data is given. The second version is called workstation which is more powerful but it bears some similarities to the personal computer. It has a powerful microprocessor and a comparatively better quality monitor though. The third category called minicomputer supports multi user facilities having the facility to support hundreds of users simultaneously. Then comes the mainframe version where thousands of users are able to access information simultaneously.
The last but not the least is the supercomputer which possesses the capability of performing millions of instructions within a second. Aren't you curious to find out the story behind how these devices were invented? It all started in the year 1801 when Joseph Marie Jacquard introduced punched paper cards in his textile loom which could automatically weave patterns. It was a major step towards the invention of computers as this was seen as the first step taken towards programming. Later on in the 1830s Charles Babbage went on to design the first fully programmable mechanical computer. Unfortunately as he could not resist tinkering with the supposed design and the computer was not fully completed. It was his son Henry Babbage who later on went ahead with completing the device in the year 1888. This machine was gifted to the Science museum in south Kensington in 1910. You can still find it now in the museum. I recently watched and read about it on the internet through Verizon FIOS Internet services. By looking at the voracious speed with which this device has evolved and the humongous career prospects it has offered. There is no doubt in denying that computers are definitely going to lead the future generations to come in a remarkable way...
|
|
