History of Computers | From 1930 to Present

The history of the computer dates back to the 1800s, when many scientists laid the foundations for what would become the computer. But it was not until the 1930s that the modern computer began to be developed, when Konrad Zuse created the first programmable computer, the Z1. This was followed by the Z4, the world's first commercial digital computer, followed by Colossus and ENIAC, huge computers that occupied an entire room. It wasn't until the 1950s, when IBM created its first computer, the IBM 701, that they came closer and closer to modern computers. Apple has also appeared on the computer market with Apple I and Apple II or Macintosh, very successful. Therefore, the history of the computer is very complex, and their development has brought us today high-performance computers at affordable prices.

[philipgrice]

I'm glad to see Konrad Zuse and John Atanasoff get credit for their early roles in electronic computing but shocked to see Harvard credited for the Colossus which was designed and build by the British during WWII to break the German Lorentz encryption codes.

There are a lot of errors throughout and much left out that needed to be included to live up to the video's title. This is always a problem when history is written by people that grew up during the PC era. Company's like CDC, Cray, Amdahl, and pioneering software products like UNIX, CPM, Multics are completely overlooked. Missing are gems like the fact that the first IBM operating system was developed by General Motors. It was called GMOS and developed for the IBM 701.

The first computer I operated was an EMIDEC 1100. It preceded operating systems. Every program was written in 'machine code' and was 'boot strapped' into the computer from paper tape. The computer had two Williams tube central memories, basically phosphor coated TV like screens where up to 1024 dots could be written and rewritten on the screen.
and "anded" together to provide some level of redundancy as the stored dots would decay if not rewritten within a 10 - 20 period. It also had an 8k drum for random access storage. All sorts were done using four 35mm sprocket feed magnetic tapes and could take hours and some large ones days while the operators were swapping tape reels like one armed paper hangers. We used that machine to manage a plastics manufacturing and research plant as well as the 7000 employee payroll, physical inventors and sales statistics as well as all the things necessary to handle business accounting along the way.

Software used to be written by one or two very clever people in the early days. Then IBM came along and divided every program up into modules where dozens of programmers would write 'their' bit and eventually all the bits would be gathered together, compiled, tested, debugged, rewritten, recompiled, re-debugged, ad infinitum. They effectively invented linear programming which is slow, inefficient and required massive computers to work at all. A typical IBM computer consumed half the resources just to run the lame operating systems. New versions were released almost weekly it seemed and were always riddled with bugs. IBM's monopolistic business practices were later adopted by Microsoft with similar results. Huge profits for poor products.

Thank goodness UNIX lingered on until Linux was born and now Android provides a versatile platform for so many sophisticated products. Sadly, most of the processing is for video processing to paint high resolution images on small screens, but the silicon is capable of far greater capabilities. With all the computer capability used in our vehicles these days I'm looking forward to being able to buy a Tesla robot to take care of me in my quickly arriving final years.

[pirobotbeta]

Built my first computer in 1977, while stationed in South Korea.
8080A processor, 750 kilohertz, 4k RAM, EEPROM card, tape interface card and 'video' card.
It was all S100 buss, so that was fun.
Used it during field exercises at Fort Hood...monitoring teletype signals.
I upgraded to the Radio Shack 'Color Computer'..6809 processor let me run UNIX...

[AnaMaria-dgxx]

really helped me with my IT homework. great quality too and i'm very thankful for the russian subtitles

[yakovkhalip]

nice ! My first computer we used at home was Amstrad PCW8512 - from 1988 to 1995. Im 1995 bought a DEC made Pentium1-75, which I still own)... In 2006 began to collect "classic computers" - now my collection consists of about 40 machines from 1981 to 2001, including IBM PC 5150 and Commodore Amiga 3000 )

[AllayDude]

Kinda late but it would make me feel better if I wasn't the only one watching in 2024. Any others?
I
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[FarumuKuwrumu]

what a fantastic video, it kept me engaged from start to finish!

[nesrkcb]

This video describes all the computers that existed from the 1930s to the present. In the 1930s, computers that can speed up calculations were developed, but they were destroyed during World War I. It is also a mystery that computers were developed for various wars. Existing computers were much larger than today, making them difficult for many people to use, but as they gradually decreased in size, commercial use began to be developed. I think it is a video that summarizes the detailed history of computers and their use.(10403 김세현)

[callumfreebairn]

there's no limit to how powerful computers can get

[elinorregina]

COBOL was not the first computer language. It is pre-dated by assembly language and FORTRAN among others.

[hgfhghghgfhfghgfhghg]

wow how could you miss the whole commodore 64 and amiga era and atari computers

[mortarmopp]

Why would you show a 3.5" floppy as the first floppy disk when there's plenty of images of the actual first floppy format, the 8" disk? Come on!

Your statement regarding the Altair using BASIC makes it sound like that was the default language, when in fact the Altair didn't come with ANY language. All programming had to be done through the front-panel switches. This made it possible to write a boot routine that loaded the BASIC language.

Speaking of BASIC, Gates and Allen did not create BASIC. That honor goes to John G. Kemeny and Thomas E. Kurtz and came out in 1964. Gates and Allen created a /version/ of BASIC that would work on the 8080 processor.

[sanyuelpuganda]

Thank you Very much!! Awesome... I will use show this one in my class... Thank you

[lazydaze_]

imagine your calculator being the size of a 2 refrigerators 😭

[gilbertokoxx]

This video had to be at least 30 minutes longer to deserve its rather presumptuous title.

Anyway, you have a clear voice and you sum things up well, I grant you that.

[ApolloKid]

Perhaps worth mentioning is that the Apollo Guidance Computer was the first computer with ICs.

[vianadecapitanis]

When the "Programma 101" was introduced you should credit the manufacturer (it was Olivetti, an italian company at that time leader of the european typewriter market). Also, it worths nothing say that it was revolutionary. Tell "the first desktop computer" does not explain well enough, it means that until that model every computer was connected with a cable to a much bigger "brain" normally in other rooms or underground. Producing the first desktop computer meant that people for the first time could take it from one place to an other(!) - it was like to invent the wheel. When it was introduced in a very important NY computer fair, journalists constantly looked on the back to find the cable - "where's the cable?!?" Steve Jobs had one at home, under a light spot, so every guest could look at it (actually HAD to look at hit). THIS, is the story and importance of the Programma 101.

[wyattfiore]

I was born in 1996, and I remember playing computer games on floppy disks as a kid. I also remember Internet Explorer and how long it took for the Internet to load. I miss that

[johneygd]

With the development stage of quantum computers we are back to the beginning with the same story.

[GOGPlays]

I think if transistor size could go smaller and smaller after today's 3-4nm, we would end up tablets having very powerful CPU and GPUs competing with gaming PCs. They would be enough for everything. You would need only a HDMI cable to connect the bigger screens.

[malikkhokharmalik]

really appreciated ❤work good bro keep it up