-
1942 - Atanasoff-Berry Computer
The Atanasoff-Berry Computer (ABC) was the first electronic digital computer. The ABC was purpose built to calculate linear equations.
Attributes: Non-programmable, electric, digital
Purpose: Solve problems of linear equations
Technology Used: Vacuum Tubes, Relays
Facts
- The first computer to represent numbers and data in binary
- The inventors of the ABC were involved in a court case with the invenors of the ENIAC to dispute the patent for a digital computing device. The inventors of the ENIAC lost their patent and
Input: Punched cards
Output: Front Panel Display
-
1944 - Colossus
The Collossus was a programmable electronic digital computer developed by the British at Bletchley park to break the encryption used by the Germans for communication during World War II.
Attributes: Electronic, Programmable, Digital
Purpose: To break the encryption used by the Germans (specifically Lorenz Cipher) in World War II
Technology Used: Vacuum Tubes, Programmable using switches and plug panels
Facts
- There were multiple Colossus machines built during the course of the war
- Because of the classified status of the Colossus machines, contributors of the project were not credited for their achievement during their lifetimes.
- The Colossus machines were the first programmable electronic digital computers - however they were not considered to be Turing Complete
Input: Encrypted messages on paper tape
Output: Electric Typewriter
-
1944 - Harvard Mark I (Also IBM ASCC)
The Harvard Mark I, the first of the "Harvard Machiens" was a fully automatic electromechanical digital computer.
Attributes: fully automatic (did not require human interaction to operate), electromechanical, digital
Purpose: sdfsdfdf
Technology Used: switches, relays, clutches, electric motor
Facts
- A loop could be created by joining the end of the paper tape program back to the beginning of the paper tape.
- First computer not to require human interaction to operate, therefore first fully automatic computer completed
Input: Sets of switches for data entry and paper tape for instructions
Output: Electric Typewriter
-
1946 - ENIAC
ENIAC (Electrical Numerical Integrator And Computer) was the world's first general purpose digital electronic computer (more info)
Attributes: Electronic, Programmable, General Purpose, Digital, Turing Complete
Purpose: Originally designed to calculate bombing trajectories, the ENIAC was built to late to fulfull this purpose. Instead ENIAC's first use was performing calculations for use in the hydrogen bomb.
Technology Used: Vacuum Tubes, Function Tables, Accumulators
Facts
- The vacuum tubes in ENIAC often malfunctioned during the booting and shutting down process. To circumvent this, the ENIAC engineers decided to simply leave the ENIAC always running.
- ENIAC was in continual use until 1955
- ENIAC needed nearly 18,000 vacuum tubes to operate
Input: IBM Card Reader
Output: IBM Card Card Punch
-
1948 - Machester "Baby"
The Manchester Baby, or more technically, the Manchester Small-Scale Experiemental machine was the world's first stored program computer.
Attributes: Stored program computer, electronic, Turing Complete
Purpose: Built to test an early type of memory known as a Williams tube, a cathode ray tube used to electronically store binary data.
Technology Used: Williams tube
Facts
- The Manchester Baby ran its first program on the 21st of June 1948.
- Built at the Victoria University of Manchester, hence "Manchester" Baby.
Input: Buttons and Switches
Output: CRT
-
1949 - EDSAC
The EDVAC, short for Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Calculator, was an electronic stored program computer.
Attributes: Stored Program Computer, electronic, digital, Turing Complete
Purpose: sdfsdfdf
Technology Used: Vacuum Tubes, Mercury Delay Lines (as memory)
Facts
- An instruction in the EDSAC was a 5-bit binary code that represented a letter mnemonic corresponding to the instruction
Input: Magnetic Tape
Output: Teleprinter
-
1951 - EDVAC
The EDVAC, short for Electronic Discrete Variable Automatic Computer was a binary stored program computer.
Attributes: Used binary system instead of decimal, stored program computer
Purpose: Aided in research at the Unversity of Cambridge
Technology Used: Vacuum Tubes, Diodes, Magnetic tape reader and recorder
Facts
- EDVAC used almost 6000 vacuum tubes and 12,000 diodes
Input: Encrypted messages on paper tape
Output: Electric Typewriter