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| Punched Card from fao.org |
Today, I will be writing about the history of Computer Science. This history can be traced back to 1942, with the inventor of the difference engine, Charles Babbage, and
Ada Lovelace, who designed the first computer algorithm. Originally, programmers began with punch cards and plugboards and coded in binary, meaning that only 0's (off) and 1's (on) were used. Once computers became more mainstream,
new programming languages were invented in order to make it easier for programmers to code complicated tasks.
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| Plugboard from columbia.edu |
From the images, you can clearly see why they would need to invent new programming languages. Imagine trying to write an essay using punch cards or those plugboards... coding would be just as hard, if not more difficult, than that! These languages made it far more practical to program complex algorithms. Some of the earliest languages included Fortran (used at IBM), Lisp, and Cobol. Nowadays, we have relatively simple to learn languages like Java and C++, which allows ease of access for a wider portion of the public. With more people working on computing and programming, more awesome software can be developed.
In modern times, we are using
Von Neumann architecture, which was used for the construction of the EDVAC computer in 1952. Since then, almost all computers have used this architecture. However, this architecture is beginning to reach its limits, and in order to advance in computing power, we must begin to search for a new way to design and implement computer systems. Additionally, according to
Moore's Law, the number of transistors on a chip should double every two years. This means that because we can only shrink down to the size of an atom, eventually we will reach a point where we cannot possibly advance more in computing power using current designs. Thus, we must continue to seek new, more advanced ways of obtaining computing power, such as having multiple cores in a computer. In the end though, we must always remember to give thanks and remember things such as IBM's punched cards and the Von Neumann architecture, so that we can reference the impact and use of these things in the future.
Good read Zheyu. I like how you focused on the birth of Computer Science and its architecture. IBM is definitlly one of Computer Science's major players having been among the first to make home computers or PCs (Personal Computer) available to the public. The first programmers had to code by manipulating the on/off or 1's and 0's at the base level of storage. Now a days programmers are learning advanced languages like Java and are unaware of how the underlying structure manipulates these 1's and 0's.
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