Computing and well , computers , have definitely moved on from 386/486 , thats when I started with my first computer , to tablets of today. Instead of asking where is it going , because I don’t know , I am going to write about where has this begun. Also , this is my side project so pls don’t flame me if this doesn’t go down too well and too fast If you see any error , pls do correct me. Thanks!

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OK , maybe we define what does this term ‘Computing‘ means before we even start its history. So here is what does ‘Compute’ means.

com·pute
   [kuhm-pyoot] Show IPA verb, -put·ed, -put·ing, noun
verb (used with object)
1.
to determine by calculation; reckon; calculate: to compute the period of Jupiter's revolution.
2.
to determine by using a computer  or calculator.
verb (used without object)
3.
to reckon; calculate.
4.
to use a computer  or calculator.
5.
Informal . to make sense; add up: His reasons for doing that just don't compute.

This is from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/compute

To make life easy , we are not here to learn English , I will stick to the term ‘Compute’ = ‘To Calculate’ here in this context. So when and how did it all started?

The very first computer invented is , our brain! It is still the most powerful computer known.

But the first Computing , man-made & artificial , instrument gotta be Mesopotamian Abacus. According to Wiki , abacus have been seen as early as 2700–2300 BC! Pretty ancient stuff. And yes , You can do pretty fast calculations if you are used to it. I remember going for a short course on it when I was in school but never really excite me.

But start of modern day computing age could said to be started with the man , who could fill and has filled many books , known as Charles Babbage. He was a funny guy , he did many things but never completed his projects. Very much like today’s easily-excited teenagers with attention disorder. You could read up about him on his wiki but we are interested in his invention called “Difference engine”.

“In 1812 he was sitting in his rooms in the Analytical Society looking at a table of logarithms, which he knew to be full of mistakes, when the idea occurred to him of computing all tabular functions by machinery. The French government had produced several tables by a new method. Three or four of their mathematicians decided how to compute the tables, half a dozen more broke down the operations into simple stages, and the work itself, which was restricted to addition and subtraction, was done by eighty computers who knew only these two arithmetical processes. Here, for the first time, mass production was applied to arithmetic, and Babbage was seized by the idea that the labors of the unskilled computers could be taken over completely by machinery which would be quicker and more reliable” – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Babbage

Something happened in late 1800. A company was founded , a company that will lead and dictate the direction of emerging technologies in the 20th century. It was founded by a man called Herman Hollerith , which most people would not be familiar with and I am sure none of us would every be able to identify the company he founded “Tabulating Machine Company”. What is important is that it becomes “International Business Machine” or IBM as it is known today. Later when we are talking about Microsoft , we will talk more about IBM and its ultimate role in making a small software company into one of the biggest companies in the world by carrying own its back for free.

Here , I would also like to recommend a book ” The Code Book” by Simon Singh. Excellent book on code breaking and also a very good view of the intertwining history of Politic and Computers. You can get it on Amazon . No , I am not paid by Amazon for the link , wish I am though . I have read the book myself so I am recommending personally.

Next , we take a short visit to Bletchley Park to meet a man whose name has been honored with the highest award in Computing , Turing Award.

Turing , there are many books on him if you are keen , is today most famous for the Artificial Intelligence (AI) test for the computers known as Turing Test.

“The Turing test is a test of a machine’s ability to exhibit intelligent behavior. A human judge engages in a natural language conversation with one human and one machine, each emulating human responses. All participants are separated from one another. If the judge cannot reliably tell the machine from the human, the machine is said to have passed the test. In order to test the machine’s intelligence rather than its ability to render words into audio, the conversation is limited to a text-only channel such as a computer keyboard and screen.” – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turing_test

Simply put , if you open up your msn/googletalk/yahoo/twitter/facebook and starts talking with someone on the other side and you could not tell whether if it is a person or a machine then it has passed the Turing Test. One program that has passed the test is called ELIZA , more information here.

Computing After End Of War

So now we are in the 50s right now , just after the WWII. A lot of interesting things happened and its not all in the west as it has been until now. Asians have been freed from their colonial masters and are starting to stand up for themselves. A shining example of one such Asian country is Japan.