ENVAC
(1946-1952):
In 1944, while working
as a research associate at the Moore School, Dr John Von Neumann worked on the EDVAC (Electronic Discrete Variable
Automatic Computer), greatly advancing the functions of its predecessor.
Completed in 1952, EDVAC had an internal memory for storing programs, used only
3,600 vacuum tubes, and took up a mere 490 square feet (45 sq. m).
He undertook a study of computation that
demonstrated that a computer could have a simple, fixed structure, yet be able
to execute any kind of computation given properly programmed control without
the need for hardware modification.
Von
Neumann contributed a new understanding of how practical fast computers should
be organized and built; these ideas, often referred to as the stored-program
technique, became fundamental for future generations of high-speed digital
computers and were universally adopted.
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