History of computing hardware

Computing hardware has been an essential component of the process of calculation and data storage since it became useful for numerical values to be processed and shared. The earliest computing hardware was probably some form of tally stick; later recording devices include the Phoenician clay shapes which represented counts of items, probably livestock or grains, in containers. These seem to have been used by the merchants, accountants, and government officials of the time.

Related Topics:
Data storage - Tally stick - Phoenicia - Clay - Merchant - Accountant - Government official

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Devices to aid computation have evolved from simple recording and counting devices through the abacus, the slide rule, and more recent electronic computers. Even today, an experienced abacus user using a device designed hundreds of years ago can sometimes complete basic calculations more quickly than an unskilled person using an electronic calculator — though for more complex calculations, computers out-perform even the most skilled human.

Related Topics:
Abacus - Slide rule - Computers - Calculator

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

This article presents the major developments in the history of computing hardware and attempts to put them in context. For a detailed timeline of events, see the computing timeline article. The history of computing article is a related overview and treats methods intended for pen and paper, with or without the aid of tables.

Related Topics:
Computing timeline - History of computing

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~