CS 100 (Learn) — CS 100 (Web) — Module 02
The history of computation is rich and centuries-old. The understanding of what a "computer" is has changed considerably over that time.
A computer from the 1960s looks a lot different than the computers available today. The internet is full of old black & white photos with people in outdated fashion standing beside large computers that fill up a room.
What you consider a "computer" may depend on your personal perspective and your age. Do you think a smart phone is a computer?
Today's smart phones are computers even in the traditional sense and they are more powerful than the Apollo mission computers that got the astronauts to the moon.
It may seem hard to believe, but 50 years from now someone will look at a photo with you and your smart phone and think your device looks comically outdated. They will also think the clothes you are wearing are ridiculous.
A popular buzzword these days is the "Internet of Things (IoT)" to conceptualize how trillions of devices will be connected together. In a few years, it might be hard for you to think of your toaster or your shoes as a "computer".
In this module we will explore how computers are organized and then revisit the definition of what a computer is.
Famed futurist and humourist Douglas Adams has two quotes that are particularly apt:
A computer terminal is not some clunky old television with a typewriter in front of it. It is an interface where the mind and body can connect with the universe and move bits of it about.
First we thought the personal computer was a calculator. Then we found out how to turn numbers into letters and we thought it was a typewriter. Then we discovered graphics, and we thought it was a television. With the World Wide Web, we've realized it's a brochure.
You are most likely familiar with the term hardware: the physical equipment and devices that a computer is made of. In this section we will explore the three primary categories of hardware components:
In the following section we will discuss software: the programs that run on the hardware.