All language subtitles for 2_The Path to Modern Computers

Welcome back. In this video,

we'll be learning
how huge devices

like the analytical engine grew,

I mean shrunk into

the computing devices
that we use today.

The development of
computing has been

steadily growing since
the invention of

the analytical engine
but didn't make

a huge leap forward
until World War II.

Back then, research into
computing was super expensive.

Electronic components
were large and you

needed lots of them to
compute anything of value.

This also meant that computers
took up a ton of space and

many efforts were underfunded
and unable to make headway.

But when the war broke out,

governments started
pouring money and

resources into
computing research.

They wanted to help develop
technologies that would

give them advantages
over other countries.

Lots of efforts were spun up and

advancements were made in
fields like cryptography.

Cryptography is the art of
writing and solving codes.

During the war, computers
were used to process

secret messages from enemies

faster than a human
could ever hope to do.

Today the role
cryptography plays in

secure communication is

a critical part of
computer security,

which we'll learn more
about in a later course.

For now, let's look at
how computers started to

make a dramatic
impact on society.

After the war, companies
like IBM, Hewlett Packard,

and others were advancing

their technologies
into the academic,

business, and government realms.

Lots of technological
advancements

in computing were made
in the 20th century.

Thanks to direct interests
from governments,

scientists, and companies
leftover from World War II.

These organizations
invented new methods

to store data in computers,

which fuel the growth
of computational power.

Consider this, until

the 1950s punchcards were a
popular way to store data.

Operators would have decks of

ordered punch cards that were
used for data processing.

If they dropped the
deck by accident

and the cards get out of order,

it was almost impossible
to get them sorted again,

there were obviously some
limitations to punchcards.

But thanks to new
technological innovations

like magnetic tape
and its counterparts,

people began to store more
data on more reliable media.

A magnetic tape worked by
magnetizing data onto a tape.

This left stacks and stacks

of punchcards to collect dust,

while the new magnetic
tape counterparts

began to revolutionize
the industry.

I wasn't joking when I said

early computers took
up a lot of space.

They had huge machines
to read data and

racks of vacuum tubes
that help move that data.

Vacuum tubes controlled the
electricity voltages and

all electronic equipment
like televisions and radios.

But these specific vacuum tubes

were bulky and
broke all the time.

Imagine what the work of

an IT support specialist was

like in those early
days of computing.

The job description might
have included crawling around

inside huge machines filled

with dust and creepy
crawly things,

or replacing vacuum tubes

and swapping out
those punchcards.

In those days, doing

some debugging might've taken
on a more literal meaning.

Well-known computer scientist
Admiral Grace Hopper had

a favorite story involving

some engineers working on the
Harvard Mark II computer.

They were trying to figure out

the source of the
problems in a relay.

After doing some investigating,

they discovered the source
of their trouble was a moth,

a literal bug in the computer.

The ENIAC was one of

the earliest forms of
general-purpose computers.

It was a wall-to-wall
convolution

of massive electronic
components and wires.

17,000 vacuum tubes and took up

about 1,800 square
feet of floor space.

Imagine if you had to work with

that scale of equipment today,

I wouldn't want to
share an office

with 1,800 square
feet of machinery.

Eventually, the
industry started using

transistors to control
electricity voltages.

This is now a
fundamental component

of all electronic devices.

Transistors perform

almost the same functions
as vacuum tubes,

but they are more compact
and more efficient.

You can easily have billions of

transistors in a small
computer chip today.

Throughout the decades,

more and more
advancements were made.

The very first compiler was

invented by Admiral
Grace Hopper.

Compilers made it
possible to translate

human language via

a programming language
into machine code.

The big takeaway is that
this advancement was

a huge milestone in

computing that led to
where we are today.

Now, learning
programming languages is

accessible for almost
anyone anywhere.

We no longer have to
learn how to write

machine code in ones and zeros.

Eventually, the
industry gave way to

the first hard disk drives
and microprocessors.

Then programming language
started becoming

the predominant way for

engineers who develop
computer software.

Computers were getting
smaller and smaller,

thanks to advancements in
electronic components.

Instead of filling up
entire rooms like ENIAC,

they were getting small
enough to fit on tabletops.

The Xerox Alto was
the first computer

that resembled the computers
we're familiar with now.

There was also the first
computer to implement

a graphical user interface that

use icons, a mouse,
and a window.

Some of you may remember that
the sheer size and cost of

historical computers
made it almost

impossible for an average
family to own one.

Instead, they were
usually found in

military and university
research facilities.

When companies like Xerox
started building machines at

a relatively affordable price

and at a smaller form factor.

The consumer age of
computing began,

then in the 1970s,

a young engineer named

Steve Wozniak
invented the Apple 1,

a single-board computer
meant for hobbyists.

With his friend Steve Jobs,

they created a company
called Apple Computer.

Their follow-up to the Apple I.

The Apple II, was ready for
the average consumer to use.

The Apple II was a
phenomenal success,

selling for nearly two
decades and giving

a new generation of people
access the personal computers.

For the first time, computers

became affordable
for the middle-class

and help bring
computing technology

into both the home and office.

In the 1980s, IBM introduced
its personal computer.

It was released with
a primitive version

of an operating system called

MS DOS or Microsoft
Disk Operating System.

Side-note, modern
operating systems

don't just have text anymore,

they have beautiful
icons, words,

and images like what we
see on our smartphones.

It's incredible how
far we've come from

the first operating system to

the operating systems
we use today.

Back to IBM's PC;

it was widely adopted and made

more accessible to consumers,

it's thanks to a
partnership with Microsoft.

Microsoft founded by Bill Gates,

eventually created in
Microsoft Windows.

For decades, it
was the preferred

operating system in
the workplace and

dominated the computing
industry because

it can be run on any
compatible hardware.

With more computers
in the workplace,

the dependence on IT rose,

and so does the demand for

skilled workers who could
support that technology.

Not only were personal computers

entering the household
for the first time,

but a new type of computing
was emerging, video games.

During the 1970s and 80s,

Coin operated entertainment
machine called

arcades became more
and more popular.

A company called Atari
developed one of the first coin

operated arcade games
in 1972 called Pong.

Pong was such a sensation
that people were standing in

lines at bars and

rec centers for hours
at a time to play.

Entertainment
computers like Pong

launched the video game era.

Eventually Atari went on to

launch the video
computer system,

which helped bring personal
video consoles into the home.

Video games have contributed to

the evolution of computers
in a very real way,

tell that to the next person
who dismisses them as a toy.

Video game show people
that computers didn't

always have to be all
work and no play.

They were a great source
of entertainment too.

This was an important milestone

for the computing industry,

since at that time,

computers were primarily used

in the workplace or at
research institutions.

With huge players in
the market like Apple,

Macintosh and Microsoft Windows,

taking over the
operating system space,

a program whereby the name
of Richard Stallman start

developing a free Unix-like
operating system.

Unix was an operating
system developed

by Ken Thompson and
Dennis Ritchie,

but it wasn't cheap and it
wasn't available to everyone.

Stallman created an OS
that he called GNU.

It was meant to be
free to use with

similar functionality to Unix.

Unlike Windows or Macintosh,

GNU wasn't owned by
a single company,

it's code was open-source,

which meant that anyone
could modify and share it.

GNU didn't evolve into a
full operating system,

but it set a foundation
for the formation of one

of the largest open
source operating system,

Linux, which was created
by Linus Torvalds.

We get into the
technical details of

Linux later in this course,

but just know that
it's a major player

in today's operating systems.

As an IT support specialist,

it is very likely that you'll

work with an
open-source software.

You might already
be using one like

the internet browser
and Mozilla Firefox.

By the early 90s, computers
started getting even

smaller. Then a real game changer

made his way into the scene.

PDAs or personal
digital assistants,

which allows computing
to go mobile.

These mobile devices included

portable media players,
Word processors,

email clients,
Internet browsers,

and more all-in-one
handy handheld device.

In the late 1990s,

Nokia introduced the PDA with
mobile phone functionality.

This ignited and industry of

pocketable computers or as

we know them today, smartphones.

In mere decades, we went from

having computers that weigh tons

and took up entire
rooms to having

powerful computers that
fit in our pockets.

It's almost unbelievable,
and it's just the beginning.

If you're stepping
into the IT industry,

it's essential that
you understand how to

support the growing need

of this ever-changing
technology.

Computer support 50
years ago consisted of

changing vacuum tubes
and stacking punchcards,

things that no longer
exist in today's IT world.

While computers evolve in

both complexity and prevalence,

so did knowledge required to
support and maintain them.

In 10 years,

IT support could
require working through

virtual reality lenses,
you never know.

Who knows what the future holds,

but right now it is

an exciting time to be at the
forefront of this industry.

Now that we've run down
where computers came

from and how they've
evolved over the decades,

let's get a better grasp on
how computers actually work.