Computer

=The invention of the Computer= =**Who**= In the year 1837, Charles Babbage was the first to think about something that would function like a computer and ended up designing a programmable mechanical computer that he called "The Analytical Engine" but because of limited finance, and an the inability to stop himself from trying to upgrade it and find some innovation with the design, Babbage could never actually built his Analytical Engine.http://www.buzzle.com/articles/when-was-the-first-computer-made.htm =What= Why Computers were made to do the very tedious computations of everyday life and business. The first calculators performed computations in seconds that would take someone using a slide rule minutes if not hours to do. Calculations for NASA entry and exit trajectories would take days or even weeks to calculate by hand and the first mainframe computers would do the calculations in minutes.Computer - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

=When = The first computer was called the ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer). The contract to make it was signed on June 5, 1943, and the first one manufactured was on February 14, 1946. It was designed by John Mauchly and J. Presper Eckert of the University of Pennsylvania. For the very earliest computer, see the related link to the Antikythera Mechanism. It was also made to help humans to be better at spelling

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Bugs
Errors in computer programs are called "[|bugs]". Bugs may be benign and not affect the usefulness of the program, or have only subtle effects. But in some cases they may cause the program to "[|hang]"—become unresponsive to input such as [|mouse] clicks or keystrokes, or to completely fail or "[|crash]". Otherwise benign bugs may sometimes may be harnessed for malicious intent by an unscrupulous user writing an "[|exploit]"—code designed to take advantage of a bug and disrupt a computer's proper execution. Bugs are usually not the fault of the computer. Since computers merely execute the instructions they are given, bugs are nearly always the result of programmer error or an oversight made in the program's design.Computer - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ===**__Software__Software** refers to parts of the computer which do not have a material form, such as programs, data, protocols, etc. When software is stored in hardware that cannot easily be modified (such as [|BIOS] [|ROM] in an [|IBM PC compatible]), it is sometimes called "firmware" to indicate that it falls into an uncertain area somewhere between hardware and so.Computer - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia=== Though considerably easier than in machine language, writing long programs in assembly language is often difficult and is also error prone. Therefore, most practical programs are written in more abstract [|high-level programming languages] that are able to express the needs of the [|programmer] more conveniently (and thereby help reduce programmer error). High level languages are usually "compiled" into machine language (or sometimes into assembly language and then into machine language) using another computer program called a [|compiler].[|[][|23][|]] High level languages are less related to the workings of the target computer than assembly language, and more related to the language and structure of the problem(s) to be solved by the final program. It is therefore often possible to use different compilers to translate the same high level language program into the machine language of many different types of computer. This is part of the means by which software like video games may be made available for different computer architectures such as personal computers and various [|video game consoles]. The task of developing large [|software] systems presents a significant intellectual challenge. Producing software with an acceptably high reliability within a predictable schedule and budget has historically been difficult; the academic and professional discipline of [|software engineering] concentrates specifically on this challenge.Computer - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Function
Main articles: [|Central processing unit] and [|Microprocessor] A general purpose computer has four main components: the [|arithmetic logic unit] (ALU), the [|control unit], the [|memory], and the input and output devices (collectively termed I/O). These parts are interconnected by [|busses], often made of groups of [|wires]. Inside each of these parts are thousands to trillions of small [|electrical circuits] which can be turned off or on by means of an [|electronic switch]. Each circuit represents a [|bit] (binary digit) of information so that when the circuit is on it represents a "1", and when off it represents a "0" (in positive logic representation). The circuits are arranged in [|logic gates] so that one or more of the circuits may control the state of one or more of the other circuits. The control unit, ALU, registers, and basic I/O (and often other hardware closely linked with these) are collectively known as a [|central processing unit] (CPU). Early CPUs were composed of many separate components but since the mid-1970s CPUs have typically been constructed on a single [|integrated circuit] called a //[|microprocessor]//.Computer - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Memory
Main article: [|Computer data storage] [|Magnetic core memory] was the computer memory of choice throughout the 1960s, until it was replaced by semiconductor memory. A computer's memory can be viewed as a list of cells into which numbers can be placed or read. Each cell has a numbered "address" and can store a single number. The computer can be instructed to "put the number 123 into the cell numbered 1357" or to "add the number that is in cell 1357 to the number that is in cell 2468 and put the answer into cell 1595". The information stored in memory may represent practically anything. Letters, numbers, even computer instructions can be placed into memory with equal ease. Since the CPU does not differentiate between different types of information, it is the software's responsibility to give significance to what the memory sees as nothing but a series of numbers. In almost all modern computers, each memory cell is set up to store [|binary numbers] in groups of eight bits (called a [|byte]). Each byte is able to represent 256 different numbers (2^8 = 256); either from 0 to 255 or −128 to +127. To store larger numbers, several consecutive bytes may be used (typically, two, four or eight). When negative numbers are required, they are usually stored in [|two's complement] notation. Other arrangements are possible, but are usually not seen outside of specialized applications or historical contexts. A computer can store any kind of information in memory if it can be represented numerically. Modern computers have billions or even trillions of bytes of memory. The CPU contains a special set of memory cells called [|registers] that can be read and written to much more rapidly than the main memory area. There are typically between two and one hundred registers depending on the type of CPU. Registers are used for the most frequently needed data items to avoid having to access main memory every time data is needed. As data is constantly being worked on, reducing the need to access main memory (which is often slow compared to the ALU and control units) greatly increases the computer's speed. Computer main memory comes in two principal varieties: [|random-access memory] or RAM and [|read-only memory] or ROM. RAM can be read and written to anytime the CPU commands it, but ROM is pre-loaded with data and software that never changes, so the CPU can only read from it. ROM is typically used to store the computer's initial start-up instructions. In general, the contents of RAM are erased when the power to the computer is turned off, but ROM retains its data indefinitely. In a PC, the ROM contains a specialized program called the [|BIOS] that orchestrates loading the computer's [|operating system] from the hard disk drive into RAM whenever the computer is turned on or reset. In [|embedded computers], which frequently do not have disk drives, all of the required software may be stored in ROM. Software stored in ROM is often called [|firmware], because it is notionally more like hardware than software. [|Flash memory] blurs the distinction between ROM and RAM, as it retains its data when turned off but is also rewritable. It is typically much slower than conventional ROM and RAM however, so its use is restricted to applications where high speed is unnecessary.[|[][|28][|]] In more sophisticated computers there may be one or more RAM [|cache memories] which are slower than registers but faster than main memory. Generally computers with this sort of cache are designed to move frequently needed data into the cache automatically, often without the need for any intervention on the programmer's part.Computer - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Input/output (I/O)
Main article: [|Input/output] [|Hard disk drives] are common storage devices used with computers. I/O is the means by which a computer exchanges information with the outside world.[|[][|29][|]] Devices that provide input or output to the computer are called [|peripherals].[|[][|30][|]] On a typical [|personal computer], peripherals include input devices like the keyboard and [|mouse], and output devices such as the [|display] and [|printer]. [|Hard disk drives], [|floppy disk drives] and [|optical disc drives] serve as both input and output devices. [|Computer networking] is another form of I/O. Often, I/O devices are complex computers in their own right with their own CPU and memory. A [|graphics processing unit] might contain fifty or more tiny computers that perform the calculations necessary to display [|3D graphics] [//[|citation needed]//]. Modern [|desktop computers] contain many smaller computers that assist the main CPU in performing I/O.Computer - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Multitasking
Main article: [|Computer multitasking] While a computer may be viewed as running one gigantic program stored in its main memory, in some systems it is necessary to give the appearance of running several programs simultaneously. This is achieved by multitasking i.e. having the computer switch rapidly between running each program in turn.[|[][|31][|]] One means by which this is done is with a special signal called an [|interrupt] which can periodically cause the computer to stop executing instructions where it was and do something else instead. By remembering where it was executing prior to the interrupt, the computer can return to that task later. If several programs are running "at the same time", then the interrupt generator might be causing several hundred interrupts per second, causing a program switch each time. Since modern computers typically execute instructions several orders of magnitude faster than human perception, it may appear that many programs are running at the same time even though only one is ever executing in any given instant. This method of multitasking is sometimes termed "time-sharing" since each program is allocated a "slice" of time in turn.[|[][|32][|]] Before the era of cheap computers, the principle use for multitasking was to allow many people to share the same computer. Seemingly, multitasking would cause a computer that is switching between several programs to run more slowly — in direct proportion to the number of programs it is running. However, most programs spend much of their time waiting for slow input/output devices to complete their tasks. If a program is waiting for the user to click on the mouse or press a key on the keyboard, then it will not take a "time slice" until the event it is waiting for has occurred. This frees up time for other programs to execute so that many programs may be run at the same time without unacceptable speed loss.Computer - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Multiprocessing
Main article: [|Multiprocessing] [|Cray] designed many supercomputers that used multiprocessing heavily. Some computers are designed to distribute their work across several CPUs in a multiprocessing configuration, a technique once employed only in large and powerful machines such as [|supercomputers], [|mainframe computers] and [|servers]. Multiprocessor and [|multi-core] (multiple CPUs on a single integrated circuit) personal and laptop computers are now widely available, and are being increasingly used in lower-end markets as a result. Supercomputers in particular often have highly unique architectures that differ significantly from the basic stored-program architecture and from general purpose computers.[|[][|33][|]] They often feature thousands of CPUs, customized high-speed interconnects, and specialized computing hardware. Such designs tend to be useful only for specialized tasks due to the large scale of program organization required to successfully utilize most of the available resources at once. Supercomputers usually see usage in large-scale [|simulation], [|graphics rendering], and [|cryptography] applications, as well as with other so-called "[|embarrassingly parallel]" tasks.Computer - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Networking and the Internet
Main articles: [|Computer networking] and [|Internet] Visualization of a portion of the [|routes] on the [|Internet]. Computers have been used to coordinate information between multiple locations since the 1950s. The U.S. military's [|SAGE] system was the first large-scale example of such a system, which led to a number of special-purpose commercial systems like [|Sabre].[|[][|34][|]] In the 1970s, computer engineers at research institutions throughout the United States began to link their computers together using telecommunications technology. This effort was funded by ARPA (now [|DARPA]), and the [|computer network] that it produced was called the [|ARPANET].[|[][|35][|]] The technologies that made the Arpanet possible spread and evolved. In time, the network spread beyond academic and military institutions and became known as the [|Internet]. The emergence of networking involved a redefinition of the nature and boundaries of the computer. Computer operating systems and applications were modified to include the ability to define and access the resources of other computers on the network, such as peripheral devices, stored information, and the like, as extensions of the resources of an individual computer. Initially these facilities were available primarily to people working in high-tech environments, but in the 1990s the spread of applications like [|e-mail] and the [|World Wide Web], combined with the development of cheap, fast networking technologies like [|Ethernet] and [|ADSL] saw computer networking become almost ubiquitous. In fact, the number of computers that are networked is growing phenomenally. A very large proportion of [|personal computers] regularly connect to the [|Internet] to communicate and receive information. "Wireless" networking, often utilizing [|mobile phone] networks, has meant networking is becoming increasingly ubiquitous even in mobile computing environments.Computer - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 2. [|The first computer mouse was invented by Doug Engelbart in around 1964 and was made of wood.Computer Facts - Interesting Funny Computer Fun Facts]

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Date Added: 2009-04-30 09:51:08

> Fact Category: **Computer Fact** 14 3. [|Bill Gates' house was designed using a Macintosh computer.Computer Facts - Interesting Funny Computer Fun Facts]

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Date Added: 2009-04-30 09:51:08

> Fact Category: **Computer Fact** 27 4. For every 'normal' webpage, there are five porn pages.Computer Facts - Interesting Funny Computer Fun Facts

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Date Added: 2009-04-30 09:51:08

> Fact Category: **Computer Fact** 15 5. "Stewardesses" is the longest word that is typed with only the left hand.Computer Facts - Interesting Funny Computer Fun Facts

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Tags: **[|English]**, **[|Language]**, **[|Typing]**, **[|Word]**, **[|Computer]**

> ===Fact Details=== Date Added: 2010-04-12 16:57:51

> Fact Category: **Computer Fact**

All Computer Facts
1. On eBay, there are an average of $680 worth of transactions each second.Computer Facts - Interesting Funny Computer Fun Facts

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> ===Fact Details=== Date Added: 2010-06-29 20:04:43

> Fact Category: **Computer Fact** 152. "Stewardesses" is the longest word that is typed with only the left hand.Computer Facts - Interesting Funny Computer Fun Facts

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Tags: **[|English]**, **[|Language]**, **[|Typing]**, **[|Word]**, **[|Computer]**

> ===Fact Details=== Date Added: 2010-04-12 16:57:51

> Fact Category: **Computer Fact** > > Read more: [] A [|computer] is any device capable of making calculations--it performs a computation and produces an answer. But this is a little too broad to describe most [|computers] today. Today's [|computers] can perform very complex calculations at extremely high speeds. InetDaemon > The earliest calculator was the human hand and its fingers. When quantities larger than fingers needed counting, various natural items like pebbles and twigs were used. > Then they created a computer that you could take anywhere!They called it the laptop.  > Read more: [] > > > > > > >
 * Thomas Watson, founder of IBM, is sometimes quoted as asserting that the world would probably never need more than 5 computers. He was referring, of course, to main frame computers, which his company built.hub pages
 * Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak built the first Apple computers from parts they got for free from their employers. They originally approached their employers with their idea for a 'personal computer', but they were rebuffed. They were actually encouraged to scrounge spare parts from work and complete their project in their spare time. Hub pages
 * The first machine was abacus invented by the Chineese between 2400 BC and 300 BC.
 * A computer is something you are using right now.
 * For centuries, humans have needed help in calculating. Making trade transactions, taking a population census, or figuring out the distance between two stars takes tons of calculating. And if you want an accurate result, no mistakes are allowed.