History of Computers

This is a searchable directory about the history of computers, computing and a timeline of the history of computers and early calculating machines has been included. Our timeline includes developments in the 1600's and their impact on computing. The development of the modern day computer was the result of advances in technologies and man's need to quantify. (The abacus was one of the first counting machines. Calculating machines were sold commercially before the advent of steel manufacturing technologies. Papyrus was something to write on, before we had paper. Writing was a way to record mathematical calculations.) 

This history of computers site includes the names of early pioneers of math and computing and links to related sites for further study. A new "Timeline of the History of Computers and Related Technologies" has been added. This site was designed to be used by students assigned topics about the history of computers and computing. Original articles are footnoted and related links are included. One important purpose of this Web page, is to debunk myths some people create, such as "we have computers because of the military" (Not true). 

We have computers because man wanted to quantify as early as the ancient Chinese Dynasties, when they created the abacus and used it for calculating, and adding and subtracting in particular... Babbage and Lovelace were "programming" machines as early as the 1800's before any military computer in this country. 1801 was the creation of the Jacquard loom which used "punch cards". Cathode Ray Tubes (CRTs) have been around since 1885 and the US gov't first used a computer in the 1950's. Great Britain's COLOSSUS was developed before the ENGIGMA, so people trying to perpetuate the importance of the US military in the development of computer technologies is doing a disservice to students. Electronics and related computer development, and the invention of the transistor were all independent of military intent. If anything, even the totalisator machines were created for statistical purposes and have been used for horse racing, not rocket science. 

I love my Mac, and it has no military background that I am aware of. Military computers did not have integrated circuits like PC computer chips either... Stop saying computer development was military in origin... simply can't back it up with fact. Yes, the military also had old computers, just like my Commodore was old... but they weren't related... no tubes in my commodore, that was different technology altogether than a military monster computer with vacuum tubes... mechanical relays... ta dah... that was hot stuff in that age.

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The History of Football

The contemporary history of the world's favourite game spans more than 100 years. It all began in 1863 in England, when rugby football and association football branched off on their different courses and the Football Association in England was formed - becoming the sport's first governing body.

Both codes stemmed from a common root and both have a long and intricately branched ancestral tree. A search down the centuries reveals at least half a dozen different games, varying to different degrees, and to which the historical development of football has been traced back. Whether this can be justified in some instances is disputable. Nevertheless, the fact remains that people have enjoyed kicking a ball about for thousands of years and there is absolutely no reason to consider it an aberration of the more 'natural' form of playing a ball with the hands.

On the contrary, apart from the need to employ the legs and feet in tough tussles for the ball, often without any laws for protection, it was recognised right at the outset that the art of controlling the ball with the feet was not easy and, as such, required no small measure of skill. The very earliest form of the game for which there is scientific evidence was an exercise from a military manual dating back to the second and third centuries BC in China.

This Han Dynasty forebear of football was called Tsu' Chu and it consisted of kicking a leather ball filled with feathers and hair through an opening, measuring only 30-40cm in width, into a small net fixed onto long bamboo canes. According to one variation of this exercise, the player was not permitted to aim at his target unimpeded, but had to use his feet, chest, back and shoulders while trying to withstand the attacks of his opponents. Use of the hands was not permitted.

Another form of the game, also originating from the Far East, was the Japanese Kemari, which began some 500-600 years later and is still played today. This is a sport lacking the competitive element of Tsu' Chu with no struggle for possession involved. Standing in a circle, the players had to pass the ball to each other, in a relatively small space, trying not to let it touch the ground.

The Greek 'Episkyros' - of which few concrete details survive - was much livelier, as was the Roman 'Harpastum'. The latter was played out with a smaller ball by two teams on a rectangular field marked by boundary lines and a centre line. The objective was to get the ball over the opposition's boundary lines and as players passed it between themselves, trickery was the order of the day. The game remained popular for 700-800 years, but, although the Romans took it to Britain with them, the use of feet was so small as to scarcely be of consequence.

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The History of Java Technology

Since 1995, Java has changed our world . . . and our expectations..

Today, with technology such a part of our daily lives, we take it for granted that we can be connected and access applications and content anywhere, anytime. Because of Java, we expect digital devices to be smarter, more functional, and way more entertaining.

In the early 90s, extending the power of network computing to the activities of everyday life was a radical vision. In 1991, a small group of Sun engineers called the "Green Team" believed that the next wave in computing was the union of digital consumer devices and computers. Led by James Gosling, the team worked around the clock and created the programming language that would revolutionize our world – Java.

The Green Team demonstrated their new language with an interactive, handheld home-entertainment controller that was originally targeted at the digital cable television industry. Unfortunately, the concept was much too advanced for the them at the time. But it was just right for the Internet, which was just starting to take off. In 1995, the team announced that the Netscape Navigator Internet browser would incorporate Java technology.

Today, Java not only permeates the Internet, but also is the invisible force behind many of the applications and devices that power our day-to-day lives. From mobile phones to handheld devices, games and navigation systems to e-business solutions, Java is everywhere!

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