Computers, COM-IBM

Have computers replaced dogs as man's best friend? They've certainly become an indispensable part of daily life for most people in our modern society. The first modern computers used analog systems, which were especially useful for solving problems and simulating dynamic systems in real time. By the 1960s, digital computers had largely replaced their analog counterparts. Later there was a similar transition from mainframe computers to personal computers. The advent of personal computers brought computers into the individual consumer's home for the first time. Rapid developments in computer and Internet technology powered an ever-expanding selection of handheld digital devices such as the Palm Pilot, BlackBerry, iPhone, and iPod. Computer chips were increasingly embedded in consumer devices of all sorts, including cars, cameras, kitchen appliances, toys, watches, and much more, reinforcing the interconnected nature of the world in which we now live.
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Computers Encyclopedia Articles By Title

computer vision
computer vision, field of artificial intelligence in which programs attempt to identify objects represented in......
computer worm
computer worm, computer program designed to furtively copy itself into other computers. Unlike a computer virus,......
computer-aided software engineering
computer-aided software engineering (CASE), use of computers in designing sophisticated tools to aid the software......
computer-integrated manufacturing
computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM), data-driven automation that affects all systems or subsystems within a......
concurrent programming
concurrent programming, computer programming in which, during a period of time, multiple processes are being executed.......
connectionism
connectionism, an approach to artificial intelligence (AI) that developed out of attempts to understand how the......
content filter
content filter, software that screens and blocks online content that includes particular words or images. Although......
content management system
content management system (CMS), collaborative software for creating, modifying, and managing digital content.......
control unit
control unit, subcomponent of a central processing unit (CPU) that manages a computer’s operations. The control......
Cook, Stephen Arthur
Stephen Arthur Cook is an American computer scientist and winner of the 1982 A.M. Turing Award, the highest honour......
coprocessor
coprocessor, additional processor used in some computers to perform specialized tasks such as extensive arithmetic......
Corbató, Fernando
Fernando Corbató was an American physicist and computer scientist and winner of the 1990 A.M. Turing Award, the......
Cray, Seymour
Seymour Cray was an American electronics engineer and computer designer who was the preeminent designer of the......
cross-validation
cross-validation, data resampling technique used in machine learning to evaluate the performance of predictive......
CSS
CSS, declarative-style computer programming language used to design website content. CSS is one of the three main......
CYC
CYC, a project begun in 1984 under the auspices of the Microelectronics and Computer Technology Corporation, a......
Dahl, Ole-Johan
Ole-Johan Dahl was a Norwegian computer scientist who created the first object-oriented programming languages,......
data compression
data compression, the process of reducing the amount of data needed for the storage or transmission of a given......
data encryption
data encryption, the process of disguising information as “ciphertext,” or data unintelligible to an unauthorized......
data mining
data mining, in computer science, the process of discovering interesting and useful patterns and relationships......
data processing
data processing, manipulation of data by a computer. It includes the conversion of raw data to machine-readable......
data structure
data structure, way in which data are stored for efficient search and retrieval. Different data structures are......
database
database, any collection of data, or information, that is specially organized for rapid search and retrieval by......
database management system
database management system (DBMS), system for quick search and retrieval of information from a database. The DBMS......
Davies, Donald
Donald Davies was a British computer scientist and inventor of packet switching, along with American electrical......
Deep Blue
Deep Blue, computer chess-playing system designed by IBM in the early 1990s. As the successor to Chiptest and Deep......
deepfake
deepfake, synthetic media, including images, videos, and audio, generated by artificial intelligence (AI) technology......
Dell
Dell, global company that designs, develops, and manufactures personal computers (PCs) and a variety of computer-related......
DENDRAL
DENDRAL, an early expert system, developed beginning in 1965 by the artificial intelligence (AI) researcher Edward......
Dennard, Robert H.
Robert H. Dennard was an American engineer credited with the invention of the one-transistor cell for dynamic random-access......
digital computer
digital computer, any of a class of devices capable of solving problems by processing information in discrete form.......
digital twin
digital twin, virtual representation of a physical object, structure, or system that incorporates real-time data......
digital-to-analog conversion
digital-to-analog conversion (DAC), Process by which digital signals (which have a binary state) are converted......
Dijkstra, Edsger
Edsger Dijkstra was a Dutch computer scientist who developed the paradigm of structured programming for writing......
DirectX
DirectX, a set of APIs (application programming interfaces) designed to handle multimedia tasks on Microsoft Corporation’s......
distributed computing
distributed computing, the coordinated use of many computers disbursed over a wide area to do complex tasks. Distributed......
DLL
DLL, file containing code for commonly used program functions on personal computers (PCs) that run the Microsoft......
DNA computing
DNA computing, the performing of computations using biological molecules, rather than traditional silicon chips.......
Dorsey, Jack
Jack Dorsey is an American Web developer and entrepreneur who, with Evan Williams and Christopher Stone, cofounded......
driver
driver, computer program that acts as an intermediary between the operating system and a device such as a disk......
Eckert, J. Presper
J. Presper Eckert was an American engineer and co-inventor of the first general-purpose electronic computer, a......
EDSAC
EDSAC, the first full-size stored-program computer, built at the University of Cambridge, Eng., by Maurice Wilkes......
Ellison, Larry
Larry Ellison is an American businessman and entrepreneur who was cofounder and chief executive officer (1977–2014)......
embedded processor
embedded processor, a class of computer, or computer chip, embedded in various machines. These are small computers......
Emerson, E. Allen
E. Allen Emerson is an American computer scientist who was cowinner of the 2007 A.M. Turing Award, the highest......
Engelbart, Douglas
Douglas Engelbart was an American inventor whose work beginning in the 1950s led to his patent for the computer......
ENIAC
ENIAC, the first programmable general-purpose electronic digital computer, built during World War II by the United......
EPROM
EPROM, form of computer memory that does not lose its content when the power supply is cut off and that can be......
expert system
expert system, a computer program that uses artificial-intelligence methods to solve problems within a specialized......
Feigenbaum, Edward Albert
Edward Albert Feigenbaum is an American systems analyst and the most important pioneer in the development of expert......
Firefox
Firefox, free open-source Web browser created by the American software company Mozilla Corporation. In 1998 the......
FireWire
FireWire, high-speed computer data-transfer interface that was used to connect personal computers, audio and video......
flash memory
flash memory, data-storage medium used with computers and other electronic devices. Unlike previous forms of data......
floppy disk
floppy disk, magnetic storage medium used with late 20th-century computers. Floppy disks were popular from the......
Floyd, Robert W
Robert W Floyd was an American computer scientist and winner of the 1978 A.M. Turing Award, the highest honour......
Forrester, Jay Wright
Jay Wright Forrester was an American electrical engineer and management expert who invented the random-access magnetic......
FORTRAN
FORTRAN, computer programming language created in 1957 by John Backus that shortened the process of programming......
fourth-generation language
fourth-generation language (4GL), computer programming language that is intended to be easier for users than machine......
free software
free software, principle supporting the freedom of users to fully control their software. Software is considered......
freeware
freeware, software that is typically proprietary and is offered at no cost to users. Its legal use is dictated......
Fujitsu Limited
Fujitsu Limited, Japanese electronics, computers, information technology, and telecommunications company, with......
Garriott, Richard
Richard Garriott is a British-born American computer-game developer who became the sixth space tourist and the......
Gates, Bill
Bill Gates is an American computer programmer and entrepreneur who cofounded Microsoft Corporation, the world’s......
genetic algorithm
genetic algorithm, in artificial intelligence, a type of evolutionary computer algorithm in which symbols (often......
Ghonim, Wael
Wael Ghonim is an Egyptian democracy activist and computer engineer who was one of the organizers of a social media......
GIF
GIF, digital file format devised in 1987 by the Internet service provider CompuServe as a means of reducing the......
GIS
GIS, computer system for performing geographical analysis. GIS has four interactive components: an input subsystem......
Git
Git, open-source distributed version control system (DVCS) created by Linux developer Linus Torvalds in 2005. As......
Go
Go, open-source programming language known for its simplicity and speed. Development of Go began in 2007 with the......
Google Gemini
Google Gemini, generative artificial intelligence (AI) model and chatbot created by the search engine company Google,......
Granville, Evelyn
Evelyn Granville was an American mathematician who was one of the first African American women to receive a doctoral......
graphical user interface
graphical user interface (GUI), a computer program that enables a person to communicate with a computer through......
graphics processing unit
graphics processing unit (GPU), electronic circuit board that can quickly perform many mathematical calculations.......
Gray, James Nicholas
James Nicholas Gray was an American computer scientist and winner of the 1998 A.M. Turing Award, the highest honour......
Hamilton, Margaret
Margaret Hamilton is an American computer scientist who was one of the first computer software programmers; she......
Hamming, Richard Wesley
Richard Wesley Hamming was an American mathematician. Hamming received a doctorate in mathematics from the University......
hard disk
hard disk, magnetic storage medium for a computer. Hard disks are flat circular plates made of aluminum or glass......
hardware
hardware, computer machinery and equipment, including memory, cabling, power supply, peripheral devices, and circuit......
Hartmanis, Juris
Juris Hartmanis is a Latvian-born American mathematician and computer scientist and cowinner, with American computer......
Hartree, Douglas R.
Douglas R. Hartree was an English physicist, mathematician, and computer pioneer. At Manchester University in the......
Harvard Mark I
Harvard Mark I, an early protocomputer, built during World War II in the United States. While Vannevar Bush was......
hash table
hash table, in computer science, a dictionary that maps keys to values using a hash function. A hash function is......
hashtag
What is a hashtag, and why is it used? A hashtag is a metadata label prefaced by the hash symbol (#) and followed......
Hassabis, Demis
Demis Hassabis is an English computer scientist who was awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work......
Hastings, Reed
Reed Hastings is an American entrepreneur who was cofounder (1997) of Netflix, a media-streaming and video-rental......
Hewlett, William
William Hewlett was an American engineer and businessman who cofounded the electronics and computer corporation......
Hewlett-Packard Company
Hewlett-Packard Company, American manufacturer of software and computer services and a major brand in the history......
Hillis, Danny
Danny Hillis is an American pioneer of parallel processing computers and founder of Thinking Machines Corporation.......
Hinton, Geoffrey
Geoffrey Hinton is a British-Canadian cognitive psychologist and computer scientist known as the “godfather of......
Hitachi, Ltd.
Hitachi, Ltd., highly diversified Japanese manufacturing corporation that comprises more than 1,000 subsidiaries,......
Hoare, Tony
Tony Hoare is a British computer scientist and winner of the 1980 A.M. Turing Award, the highest honour in computer......
Hopcroft, John
John Hopcroft is an American computer scientist and cowinner of the 1986 A.M. Turing Award, the highest honour......
Hopper, Grace
Grace Hopper was an American mathematician and rear admiral in the U.S. Navy who was a pioneer in developing computer......
HTML
HTML, a formatting system for displaying material retrieved over the Internet. Each retrieval unit is known as......
human-machine interface
human-machine interface, means by which humans and computers communicate with each other. The human-machine interface......
Hypertalk
Hypertalk, a computer programming language designed in 1985 as “programming for the rest of us” by American computer......
IBM
IBM, leading American computer manufacturer, with a major share of the market both in the United States and abroad.......
IBM OS/2
IBM OS/2, operating system introduced in 1987 by IBM and Microsoft to operate the second-generation line of IBM......
IBM OS/360
IBM OS/360, operating system introduced by IBM in 1964 to operate its 360 family of mainframe computer systems.......

Computers Encyclopedia Articles By Title