The Abacus was developed many centuries ago and, is still in use in many parts of the world today.

While the Abacus does not look like the computers we use today, the common link between the two is they are both computing devices. In each case there is a certain feel and flow to the logic that directs their activities.

The electronic computing age began with development of the Electronic Numerical Intergrater And Computer (ENIAC) in 1946. However, ENIAC was not the first computer ever developed. Some of the first developments in computers were:

• Pascal Adding Machine - During the 1600's the Pascal adding machine was developed. This was a mechanical device that laid the groundwork for today's odometers and gas meters.

• The Difference Engine - In modern times Charles Babbage is considered as the "Father of Computing." Mr. Babbage was the chief designer/inventor of a calculator called the "Difference Engine" developed during the late 1800's. Babbage also developed the "Analytical Engine" which was a machine capable of performing more complex calculations than his previous invention.

• Tabulating Machines - The 1800's also saw many machines such as weaving looms developed that were controlled by punched cards With this in mind, a man by the name of Herman Hollerith developed a sorting and tabulating machine that was able to process information using 80 column punched cards. This card was known later as the common "IBM Card." > The theoretical basis for electronic circuitry was also developed during"gb this time.

• The First Electronic Computer - Was developed in 1942 at Iowa State College. From this point forth there were many firsts as computers became less mechanical, smaller, faster and cheaper. Some of the key advances have been:

• 1948 - Bell Labs engineers John Bardeen, Walter Brattain, and William Shockley invented the transistor or semiconductor. This was one of the most important inventions of our time. The transistor, called a solid state switch, replaced the vacuum tube. This allowed the start of the miniaturization trend that still prevails today. Some of the key advantages of the transistor were:
  • Used much less power than vacuum tubes.
  • Much smaller than vacuum tubes.
  • Circuits made with transistors worked faster.
  • Costs much less to manufacture.

• 1959 - Texas Instruments engineers invent the Intergrated Circuit (IC). This was a semiconductor circuit that connected more than on transistor on the same base. By contrast the first Intel Pentium processor chip contained more than 6 million transistors.

• 1969 - Intel corp developed the 1K bit memory chip. This chip stored 128 byte of data (1 byte=8bits). As a result, a Japanese firm ask Intel to design 12 logic chips, each with different function for their calculators. Instead Intel designed a chip that incorporated all 12 designs into one chip. They also included built in instructions that allowed the chip to function in many different circuit board designs.

• 1971 - Intel develops the first microprocessor. Intel developed the 4044 which was a 4-bit processor. This chip could process 4-bits of data at a time.

• 1972 - Intel developed the 8008 which was a 8-bit processor. This chip could process 8-bits of data at a time.

• 1980 - The breakthrough in engineering, brought on by the development of the Z80 micro chip, allowed companies like Zenith, Commadore, and Radio Shack (Tandy Corporation) to introduce some of the first desktop computers designed for use by the general public. These machines ran very slow (1.4 Mhz) and had a memory limit of 64,000 characters.

• 1981 - IBM Corporation developed and marketed the first IBM PC. This system was based on the 8088 processor chip. This chip could process two characters at a time but could transfer only 1 character at a time to an output device. The speed of the processor was considerably faster than its predecessor (4Mhz).

• January 1983 - Apple releases the Lisa, one of the first microcomputers with a graphical user interface. With unreliable hardware and an average price tag of $10,000, the Lisa is a failure, but it spawns the more affordable Macintosh a year later. The Lisa and the Mac offer what DOS devotees derisively call the WIMP (windows, icons, mice, pointers) interface, as well as folders and long filenames--features that begin to come to Windows with Version 2.0. Some are not fully implemented until Windows 95.

• 1983-1984 - Toward the last part of 1983 IBM developed and marketed the IBM 80286 AT computer. This system was based on the Intel 80286 processor chip. The 80286 could process two characters at a time and could transfer two characters at a time to an output device. This chip could access up to 16 million characters of memory.

• 1986 to present - Since 1986 we have seen processor chips developed such as the 80386, 80486, and the Pentium. Each of these chips have provided major increases to the computing power and speed of personal computers.