what influenced the development of the computer?

Question

what major evens before the 20th century influenced the development of the computer?pls help...

Answer 1

So many good answers - 'cept he asked "before the 20th century (that means 1800's). I think porn & NASA are out. Textiles & census are the correct responses.

Answer 2

The first real programable computer "Colossus" was built to break secret Radio Codes -

The Colossus machines were computing devices used by British codebreakers to read encrypted German messages during World War II.

Colossus was designed by engineer Tommy Flowers at the Post Office Research Station, Dollis Hill with input from mathematician Max Newman and group at Bletchley Park. The prototype, Colossus Mark I, was shown working in December 1943 and was operational at Bletchley Park by February 1944. An improved Colossus Mark II was first installed in June 1944, with input from Allen Coombs, and ten Colossi had been constructed by the end of the war.

The Colossus computers were used to help decipher teleprinter messages which had been encrypted using the Lorenz SZ40/42 machine. Colossus compared two data streams, counting each match based on a programmable boolean function. The encrypted message was read at high speed from a paper tape. The other stream was generated internally, and was an electronic simulation of the Lorenz machine at various trial settings. If the match count for a setting was above a certain threshold, it would be output on an electric typewriter.


So to answer your question - Military requirements was the biggest influence on the develpment of the computer. Next came NASA.

Answer 3

I believe convenience influenced the development of computers. Also convenience, people what things right now. Computers help a lot with the demand of product. Just think about it credit cards were not as abundant as they were in the past even debit cards. People didn't want to have to come in the bank why not just have money on hand. I think this was a major step toward advancement.

Answer 4

Actually, the alien space ship crash of july 1947 in Roswell New Mexico started the computer development. The US gov traded the alien bodies for the technology on how to create computers.

Answer 5

As in most modern inventions, it's man's desire to "have it easy" that inspired the conception and development of the computer. I remembered wishing as a child that I have something in my hand (short of a magic wand) so I can change tv channels without leaving the comforts of our couch. Someone must have thought about it too so we now have the remote control. Some brilliant minds out there may have gotten tired of "processing" tons of data by themselves so from crude data processors we now have supercomputers.

Answer 6

Believe it or not, but one of the main influences was Textiles.

The looms that created the patterned textiles were some of the very first machines ever "Programmed"

Also, IBM was made big because the analytical machines were needed for the early census in the US.

Answer 7

Many say the Abacus as the first computer. People like to make tasks easier and faster. The Abacus sure did that, as now the computer does for us.

Answer 8

Would you believe Roswell New Mexico 1947

Answer 9

What influences the design of _anything_?! This is less about computers and more about design - search the net for information on design fundamentals.

Answer 10

the same thing that developed the vhs industry. Porn!