History of computing hardware From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation search Computing hardware is a platform for information processing block diagram The history of computing hardware is the record of the constant drive to make computer hardware faster, cheaper, and capable of storing more data. Before the development of the general-purpose computer, most calculations were done by humans. Tools to help humans calculate were then called "calculating machines", by proprietary names, or even as they are now, calculators . It was those humans who used the machines who were then called computers; there are pictures of enormous rooms filled with desks at which computers (often young women) used their machines to jointly perform calculations, as for instance, aerodynamic ones required for in aircraft design. Calculators have continued to develop, but computers add the critical element of conditional response and larger memory, allowing automation of both numerical calculation and in general, automation of many symbol-manipulation tasks. Computer technology has undergone profound changes every decade since the 1940s. Computing hardware has become a platform for uses other than mere computation, such as process automation, electronic communications, equipment control, entertainment, education, etc. Each field in turn has imposed its own requirements on the hardware, which has evolved in response to those requirements, such as the role of the | |
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