Computers have changed drastically in short span of time. It wasn"t that long ago that a computer needed for a small amount of data would take up an entire room. There are basically 5 generations of computer evolution. The first generation is considered the vacuum tube from 1939-1954. It was in 1937 that John V. Atanasoff designed the first digital electronic computer. The first digital
. interlinking of remote machines was also done around this time, and many believe this is when the internet was invented (albeit in a very rudimentary form). And, technology keeps getting smaller and more complex each year. Since the advent of digital computing, technology has progressed according to Moore's Law. This states that the average number of transistors which can inexpensively be placed on a chip doubles roughly every two years. It was named in honor of Gordon Moore, the founder of Intel. Today, computers are starting to traverse the size limits of silicon-based motherboards and components. This market should transition to carbon nanotube-based transistors and circuit boards once the technology is readily available to the private sector. There is also the prospect of quantum computing. Unlike digital computers, which store information in bits that are either 1 or a 0, these computers can store information that is both a 1 and a 0. This is via a phenomenon known as quantum superposition. Since observation collapses the wavelength, these computers must also make use of another phenomenon known as entanglement. A quantum computer would have the capacity to perform an exponentially larger number of calculations per second compared to a mundane digital computer. It is for this reason the future of computers will most likely be ruled by the quantum computer. For more information about the evolution of computers and a timeline, please see: http://history.sandiego.edu/GEN/recording/computer1.htmlhttp://inventors.about.com/library/blcoindex.htm More reference links: http://www.reference.com/motif/Computers/computer+history+timeline
