Pc History, Innovation, And Components
Abstract
Personal Computers have been around since about 1975, however much earlier versions of computers were invented in the 1930’s. These earlier versions marked the way for the invention of the Personal Computer. The first PC was given the name MITS Altair 8800. Since the invention of the first PC, innovations have made much progress towards the portability of the computer and the availability to everyone. PC innovation has allowed for nearly everyone to be able to own a computer, which has led to the ability to share information, work, and find entertainment from one single device and much quicker than before the use of computers. A PC is made of five major components: processor, main memory, secondary memory, input devices, and output devices. Text, audio, image, and video data are stored in a computer’s memory as digital code.
The PC conforms the digital media into digital code for it to be able to be stored, and then it has to be converted back to its original form to be sent. Data compression is simply just as described in the name, it takes information and compresses it down into a smaller form. The more times you compress data, the worse the quality will be. Software applications are coded instructions that makes it easier for end users to complete duties. According to Stackify, they are developed by planning, design, building, testing, and deployment. Antiviruses and software firewalls protect information on a PC by allowing you to control what comes into your computer and what you send out. HyperText Markup Language in a PC allows pages that contain hyperlinks to be sent out over the Internet.
Keywords: Personal Computer, Innovation, Major Components, Digital Code, Data Compression, Software Applications, Antivirus, Software Firewalls, HyperText Markup Language
The first computer to ever be created was invented in 1822 by Charles Babbage and Ada Lovelace, called the Difference Engine. However, the computer that Babbage and Lovelace created was unlike anything that we would believe to be a computer. The first electro-mechanical binary programable computer, called Z1, was invented in 1936 by Konrad Zuse. This computer was the beginning of the computers which we know today. The first electric programmable computer, called The Colossus, was invented in 1943 by Tommy Flowers. The first digital computer with magnetic core RAM and real-time graphics was invented in 1955. These few examples of “firsts” in the computer world all led up to Ed Roberts invention of the first personal computer (PC) in 1975. Roberts called this personal computer Altair 8800. This was the beginning of the computers which we now all know and use. This led up to the IBM 5100, invented in 1975, which was the first portable computer. This computer weighed approximately 55 pounds, compared to the average 5 pounds that our portable laptops now weigh. Although many pieces of the history of the personal computer has been skipped over, they are all equally important and are the reason for the PC’s that we have today.
The Personal Computer innovations have overtime allowed almost every student and worker to have access to a computer of their own. These innovations have made it easier for jobs and classes to be done online. It has also given individuals the opportunity to stay connected and up to date with friends, families, and news updates. PC innovations have allowed for people to have all of the information they could possibly want at their fingertips within a matter of seconds. Because of these innovations, jobs have been made available fully online, as well as school and college courses. People no longer have to attend functions in person, as they are able to be there and at home at the same time. This has diminished the average persons social statuses, friendships, and relationships. Technology is advancing while society is diminishing, but also in a way thriving.
A PC is made of 5 major components: processor, main memory, secondary memory, input devices, and output devices. The processor receives the input devices and allows for the output devices to be read. The main memory is where pieces of data go so that they may be easily accessed by the processor. The secondary memory is where pieces of data go that need to be saved for a longer time period. The input devices send information to the processor and the output devices are displayed from the processor. All five of these components work together to allow the PC to function correctly and to do its job. Text, audio, image, and video data are stored in a computer’s memory by being transformed into a digital code that the PC can read. By being translated into a digital code, the PC is able to store the information until the user decides to access it. If one wishes to send or view these pieces of data, the computer then has to convert the digital code back into its original form. This allows for more available storage and easy access to all of your data. Data compression takes information which you put into your computer processor and shortens, or compresses, the information down into a much smaller form. The data being converted into a compressed form allows for much more information to be stored. It allows for more available storage than one would have had if the data were not compressed. When you compress data multiple times, data will slowly be lost. The more times you compress it, the worst quality you will end up with.
For instance, if one were to compress a picture, after three or four times of compressing the image, it may become pixelized because some of the data has been lost. Software applications are coded instructions that allows users to be able to complete tasks much easier. They can be separated into three different categories; systems software, programming software, and applications software. They are developed by design, development, testing, and deployment. The software applications first must be designed and laid out the way the developer wishes. They must then be developed into the actual software applications. Next, they must go through trial runs to ensure that everything is working the way that it should, and lastly, they are deployed into the world of technology. Antiviruses and software firewalls protect the information stored on your PC by giving you the opportunity to control what is sent and received.
According to Comodo, the firewalls and antiviruses act as a filter for your computer, filtering out the viruses and dangerous softwares that can be transferred through the Internet. There are different forms and types of firewalls and antiviruses that are available that you can get. Many serve different purposes of allowing you to adjust the firewall to your specific needs. The role of HyperText Markup Language (HTML) is to allow you to send pages that have hyperlinks attached to them over the Internet. Without HTML, the hyperlinks would not be able to be followed. This creates the opportunity for you to communicate various hyperlinks to wherever you wish to send them, whether that be to a professor, friend, or coworker.
Personal Computers (PCs) have come a long way from the place they were when they were first created. The PC is available to almost everyone, at whatever time they deem necessary. The PC and all of the various things it involves, including: major components, text, audio, image, and video data, data compression, software applications, antivirus and software firewalls, and HyperText Markup Language, have brought the world and the technology to the place it is today. Without it, most of the jobs, programs, and even schooling opportunities that are available to us today would not exist.
