Homework #1

1. Many people and events have played a role in the history of computer science. Explain the contributions and effects of the following:
 
• Eckert and Mauchley

Founded 1st computer company, built first well-publicized electronic computer, sparked von Neumann's work in computers
• Konrad Zuse

Developed one of the earliest electronic computers and developed the use of binary
• Alan Turing

Developed much of CS theory including Turing Machines and the Turing Test.
• Charles Babbage and Agusta Ada

Babbage: Worked with the concept of a "multi-use" machine that could be "re-programmed"
Ada: World's first computer prorgammer
• John von Neumann

Developed the "stored program" concept - the program and data could both be stored within the computer
• Grace Hopper

Mother of COBOL - one of the most proliflc programming languages. Also strongly influenced compiler desing/theory.
• George Boole

Developed the concept of symbolic algebras and in particular the laws of boolean (binary) logic.
• Early Apple: Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak

Jobs: Apple Co-Founder - Helped Mainstream Computer through the Apple. Popularized windowing and ease of use with the Macintosh. Lead cutting edge entertainment developments at Pixar which developed some of the most popular purely computer generated movies to date.
Wozniak: Apple co-founder who helped lead computers into educational and home use
• Microsoft: Bill Gates, Paul Allen, Steve Ballmer

Gates: Microsoft Chairman and Richest man in the world. Developed early versions of BASIC for the first "personal" micro-computers. Also Developed the OS used by IBMs first personal computers. This provided the foundation of Microsoft which lead to Windows, NT, etc.
Allen: Microsoft Co-Founder who also helped popularize the PC
Ballmer: Microsoft President - Has been with MS since early days
• Kevin Mitnik: Hacker who has compromised security of countless computer networks. His crimes include illegal access of phone networks, stealing source code, etc.
• Richard Stallman: GNU Project founder and major proponent of free software.
• Sun: Scott McNealy and Bill Joy
  McNealy: Sun CEO and Co-Founder
  Joy: Sun Co-founder and BSD Unix developer. Also designed NFS file system and pipeline in the UltraSPARC processor.
• Nolan Bushnell
  Atari Founder, Pong Developer - Bushnell was one of the earliest people to apply coputer technology for entertainment pusposes and ecinomically bring the hi-tech industry to the masses. 
  
  
• Someone else who you feel made a significant contribution
2. Explain how military and government entities have had an impact on the development of computer science. Be sure to cite specific examples.

The govenment was responsible for most of the funding of the early computer efforts. These efforts included Babbage's difference engine (the U.K. Astronomical Society), Hollerith's punch card tabulators and Eckert/Mauchley's first commercial sale to the dept. of the Census. Eckert and Mauchley's (as well as von Neumann's) initial interest and funding was for the Dept. of the Army for trajectory table. Turing's involvement in Bletchley Park and the development of the computer was funded by the U.K.'s dept. of defense. The ICs development was fostered by NASA for the Colr War Space Race. Etc.
3. Gordon Moore is known for "Moore's Law."
• Explain Moore's law in your own words

The number of transistors that can be put in a given space double approximately every 1.5 years.
• Provide a graph that supports Moore's Law

 
• Explain the effect of Moore's law on the computer industry.

This doubling really means a few things:
            1. we get more capabilities in the same size: more memory, more complex CPUs, etc.
            2. we can get the same capacity as 1.5 years amount in about 1/2 the space.
            3. as things get smaller, they also tend to get faster and require less power
            4. we get more/better integration - single all purpose chips
4. Give at least two examples of each of the following "components" of computer systems
 
• Storage: Hard Drive, CD, Memory, etc.
• CPUs: Intel Pentium III, AMD Athalon, MIPS R4000, SPARC, etc.
• Input Devices: Mouse, Keyboad, gamepad, etc.
• Output Devices: Video Device, Sound card (possible input as well), blinky lights, etc.
• I/O Devices (A device used for both input and output): Network card, modem, etc.