Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 1. Prelude: Computing from Ancient
Times to the Modern Era
The human need to compute probably originated in prehistory when humans
began to accumulate physical possessions. It soon became desirable to keep track
of how many specific possessions (e.g., cattle) were owned by a family or tribe.
Once simple addition and subtraction became possible, a related need was to re-
cord the information so it could be kept for long time periods and could be shared
with others. Early recording devices were pebbles or physical objects, but it was
eventually found that these could be replaced with symbols.
As humans evolved and began to settle in communities, other calculating needs
arose, such as measuring the dimensions of bricks or marking off fields. With leis-
ure came curiosity and a need for more complex calculations of time, distance, and
the positions of the stars.
Fairly soon, the labor involved with calculations was seen as burdensome and
tedious, so mechanical devices that could speed up calculations (the abacus being
among the first) were developed.
Tools for assisting with logical decisions were the last to be developed. The
needs for rapid calculations, long-range data storage, and complex decision mak-
ing were the critical factors that eventually came together to inspire the design of
computers and software.
The Human Need to Compute
A topic on the history of software engineering and computers should not just start
abruptly at a specific date such as 1930. It is true that digital computers and the be-
ginnings of software were first articulated between 1930 and 1939, but many prior
inventions over thousands of years had set the stage.
From ancient times through today, there was a human need for various kinds of
calculations. There has also been a human need to keep the results of those calcu-
lations in some kind of a permanent format.
Another human need that is harder to articulate is the need for logical analysis
of alternative choices. An example of such a choice is whether to take a long flat
road or a short hilly road when moving products to a marketplace. Another choice
is what kind of crop is most suited to a particular piece of land.
