The Thing That Changed Everything

Who on earth does not know about computers? From a pre-schooler who thinks that computers games are way much better than street games where you get dirty and all to an elder who takes a picture of her medicine before taking it, uploads it in facebook with a caption, "Time to take my medicine (sigh)". Almost everyone uses it!

The rise of computers had make our lives completely different. The current developments in each areas of the society (like health, politics, education, etc) are due to computers. It is the one who made our society modern. Before we discussed more about it, let us take a look on its history first.

This essay would not be enough to tell the complete history of computers. So as to make it short, I will focus on the five most significant generations on the timeline of computers.

First generation began in 1946 when the ENIAC system became operational. ENIAC stands for Electronic Numerical Integrator and Calculator and was built by the University of Pennsylvania. ENIAC is the significance because it is the first general purpose electronic computer system and also it was used for research, not commercial applications. It operated using 18,000 vacuum tubes and could perform 500 basic arithmetic functions per second. Then, UNIVAC followed, the first machine purpose-built for commercial electronic data processing.Like ENIAC, it still operates using vacuum tubes but it is better because it is capable of handling numeric and alphabetic information equally well.

Second generation would involve transistors. They were available commercially in 1959. They are much smaller than vacuum tubes, have greater reliability and use less power. The third generation came and transistors were replaced by silicon ships.Time came when the number of circuits that can be packed into a single chip (several hundred thousand on each). This was the fourth generation.

Lastly, the fifth generation involves computers that process data with light pulses instead of electrical pulses.

The second purpose of this entry is also to mention other types of computers we encounter in our daily lives. Many had thought that the word computer only refers to the laptops and personal computers used in offices, homes and school. However, it is just one type of computers. From the latest alarm clock that wakes you every day to the automated shower that you used before going to sleep. Most people might not realize that those products have microcomputers inside. They are operated by wires and chips same to the wires and chips also used in computers. 

Thirdly, I would like to state the roles of computers in our society. Because of them, many inventions on the newest machines that diagnosed people of their sickness has arise in the medicine section. We had the famous CCTVs which are used at homes, offices and even in schools that are very useful for solving crimes. Communicate overseas is now possible because of them and many more.

In conclusion, those examples, which I mentioned above, shows that computers play significant roles in our society. It can be said that our modern lives cannot exist without computers. Even though computers participate actively and play more and more important roles in our world, they are still one of the useful tools for human beings so far. And seeing of how they are developing everyday, it is difficult to imagine how these computers would be hundred of years from now.