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Abacus is a Latin word that has its origins in the Greek words abax or abakon (meaning "table" or "tablet") which in turn, possibly originated from the Semitic word abq, meaning "sand" 1. Why does the abacus exist? It is difficult to imagine counting without numbers, but there was a time when written numbers did not exist. The earliest counting device was the human hand and its fingers. Then, as larger quantities (larger than ten human-fingers could represent) were counted, various natural items like pebbles and twigs were used to help count. Merchants who traded goods not only needed a way to count goods they bought and sold, but also to calculate the cost of those goods. Until numbers were invented, counting devices were used to make everyday calculations. The abacus is one of many counting devices invented to help count large numbers.

Celebrating 65 years of computing: 1946 to 2011 Originally announced on February 14, 1946, the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer (ENIAC), was the first general-purpose electronic computer. Hailed by The New York Times as "an amazing machine which applies electronic speeds for the first time to mathematical tasks hitherto too difficult and cumbersome for solution," the ENIAC was a revolutionary piece of machinery in its day. It was constructed and operated here at The Moore School of Electrical Engineering, now part of the School of Engineering and Applied Science.

This is a list of people who have made major conceptual breakthroughs in computer science. • Backus, John (1924-2007) - inventor of FORTRAN • Babbage, Charles (1791-1871) - early theorist for how a computing machine could be programmed • Boole, George (1815-1864) - inventor of Boolean algebra • Bricklin, Dan - invention of the first spreadsheet

Writing about the history of computing is challenging because of the complexity of any one computer, the speed with which computer technology has evolved, and the many different types of computers that have been built. Further, since computing reaches into so many different industries (such as telephony, automotives, or cameras) and has spawned a huge industry for the making of hardware and software for computers, it is difficult to know where such a history should stop.

The Antikythera mechanism ( /ˌæntɨkɨˈθɪərə/ ant-i-ki-theer-ə or /ˌæntɨˈkɪθərə/ ant-i-kith-ə-rə) is an ancient mechanical computer[1][2] designed to calculate astronomical positions. It was recovered in 1900–1901 from the Antikythera wreck.[3] Its significance and complexity were not understood until decades later. Its time of construction is now estimated between 150 and 100 BC.[4] Technological artifacts of similar complexity and workmanship did not reappear until the 14th century, when mechanical astronomical clocks were built in Europe.[

MUMPS (Massachusetts General Hospital Utility Multi-Programming System), or alternatively M, is a programming language created in the late 1960s, originally for use in the healthcare industry. It was designed for the production of multi-user database-driven applications. It predates C and most other popular languages in current usage, and has very different syntax and terminology. It was largely adopted during the 1970s and early 1980s in healthcare and financial information systems/databases, and continues to be used by many of the same clients today. It is currently used in electronic health record systems as well as by multiple banking networks and online trading/investment services.

Many Mechanical Machines Back again with another roundup of websites promoting some history. This weeks focus is on the computers and other machines. Technologizer has come through in the past year or so...

On this site you can expect lots of information on Digital's old VAX machines and their operating systems, at first concentrating on NetBSD.

The Computer History Simulation Project is a loose Internet-based collective of people interested in restoring historically significant computer hardware and software systems by simulation. The goal of the project is to create highly portable system simulators and to publish them as freeware on the Internet, with freely available copies of significant or representative software.

In early spring of 1967, Dr. Dan Olds and Professor Aubrey Hartman of the Wofford Physics Department began their efforts to bring some type of computer time-sharing service to Wofford College. Dr. Olds prepared a proposal outlining his ideas on why it would be a good thing to bring Wofford into the computer age.