By Suzana Evolution of Desktop Computers
The first debut of the modern computer today was during the World War II the ENIAC or the Electronic Numerical Integrator and calculator. It was made in order to hasten the computation of raw data and use it for military purposes. It was proposed to be used in the ballistic operations as well. The Americans have already prepared for the worst case scenario that the war won’t end soon.
The bright minds of their generations then conceived the idea of making a machine that can quickly modify data and use it for the war effort. The ENIAC however was done after the war. Nevertheless, it was a working contraption. It was the greatest discovery of humankind during that time. Complex equations and time consuming charts were done in a few minutes rather than hours. Moreover some problems and operations can be solved within a few seconds only.
The problem with the ENIAC however was that of its size. It was too big and it consumes too much power. It was also too hassle to repair it from any problem because of its size. Possible damages might take weeks to repair. It was too expensive to operate regularly. Although the ENIAC was a very powerful machine during that time, it was also an impractical device which costs more to operate.
Scientist and engineers back then dreamed of making another ENIAC. A computer that is powerful enough to exceed the performance of the old ENIAC but at the same time it is has lesser operating cost. A better, faster and cheaper computer was what they wanted.
Years later, scientist discovered the potential of other materials in creating complicated circuits. These materials were far cheaper than the ones that were used in creating the gigantic and power hungry ENIAC. It was easier to fabricate and manufacture the components of the new computer using these materials. Using these resources they created a new breed of computer which uses circuits instead of switches and punched cards to do calculations and processing. However its size was still large in today’s standard although during at that time it was already considered as the smallest computer ever created.
After further research, they found out that they can do more with the materials they used in computers. In fact, circuits can be packed tightly into small chips. At that time only a hundred or few circuits were possible to put into computer chips. This means smaller computers and less power requirements. Chips only needed a maximum of 5 volts in order to work while switches and vacuum tubes used a maximum of 20 volts each to operate. Now, billions of circuits can be put into small microchip.
After years of research and the collaboration of brilliant minds the desktop personal computer was then created. It is a hundred times smaller than the ancient ENIAC and a million times more powerful than its previous designs. Today, computer desk at home is much cheaper and far better than it was years ago.
