Brief History of computing

• 3000BC – abacus
• 1623 first mechanical calculator
• first adding machine
• 1890 US census uses punch cards
• 1900 – 1910 – mechanical calculators in common use
• 1906 triode developed
• 1928 IBM develops standard punch card – used until 1980’s
• 1942 – 1946 ENIAC built – first computer
• 1951 – CSIRAC – Oz’s first computer
• 1954 – first commercial silicon transistors
• 1957 – first disk drive, FORTRAN developed
• 1963 – BASIC developed
• 1968 – first microcomputer
• 1972 – first HP pocket calculator, 8088 chip developed, PONG ships.
• 1977 – Apple II released
• 1981 – IBM PC launched
• 1984 – Apple Macintosh launched

On the IBM/PC side of things (Wintel) –

• started in 1981
• Microsoft software (and OS)
• a series of processors ranging from the 8088 up to the new intel Core 2 and AMD X4s.
• currently run different versions of Windows:
  • Windows up to 3.1. Ran on top of DOS.
  • Windows 95, 98, ME: Also run on top of DOS, but DOS is hidden to the user. All are the same operating system, just different versions.
  • Windows NT, 2000 Pro, XP, and Vista: No DOS. The preferred environment for serious computing - including most GIS and remote sensing applications.. All are the same operating system, just different versions.