What is a computer?

A computer is a programmable device that stores, retrieves, and processes data. The term
"computer" was originally given to humans (human computers) who performed numerical
calculations using mechanical calculators, such as the abacus and slide rule. The term was
later given to a mechanical device as they began replacing the human computers. Today's
computers are electronic devices that accept data (input), process that data, produce output,
and store (storage) the results
Different types of computer
.

History of the computer

The first digital computer and what most people think of as a computer was called the
ENIAC. It was built during World War II (1943-1946) and was designed to help automate the
calculations being done by human computers. By doing these calculations on a computer,
they could achieve results much faster and with fewer errors.

Early computers like the ENIAC used vacuum tubes and were large (sometimes room size)
and only found in businesses, universities, or governments. Later, computers began utilizing
transistors and smaller and cheaper parts that allowed the ordinary person to own a computer

Generation of the computer

There are five generations of computers.

1. FIRST GENERATION
 Introduction:
1. 1946-1959 is the period of first generation computer.
2. J.P.Eckert and J.W.Mauchy invented the first successful electronic
computer called ENIAC, ENIAC stands for “Electronic Numeric Integrated
And Calculator”.
  Few Examples are:
1. ENIAC
2. EDVAC
3. UNIVAC
4. IBM-701
5. IBM-650

2. SECOND GENERATION
 Introduction:
1. 1959-1965 is the period of second-generation computer.
2. 3.Second generation computers were based on Transistor instead of
vacuum tubes.
 Fe
 w Examples are :
1. Honeywell 400
2. IBM 7094
3. CDC 1604
4. CDC 3600
5. UNIVAC 1108

3.
THIRD GENERATION
 Introduction:
1. 1965-1971 is the period of third generation computer.
2. These computers were based on Integrated circuits.
3. IC was invented by Robert Noyce and Jack Kilby In 1958-1959.
4. IC was a single component containing number of transistors.
 Few Examples are:
1. PDP-8
2. PDP-11
3. ICL 2900
 4. IBM 360
5. IBM 370

4. FOURTH GENERATION
 Introduction:
1. 1971-1980 is the period of fourth generation computer.
2. This technology is based on Microprocessor.
3. A microprocessor is used in a computer for any logical and arithmetic
function to be performed in any program.
4. Graphics User Interface (GUI) technology was exploited to offer more
comfort to users.
 Few Examples are:
1. IBM 4341
2. DEC 10
3. STAR 1000
4. PUP 11

5. FIFTH GENERATION
 Introduction:
1. The period of the fifth generation in 1980-onwards.
2. This generation is based on artificial intelligence.
3. The aim of the fifth generation is to make a device which could
respond to natural language input and are capable of learning and self-
organization.
4. This generation is based on ULSI(Ultra Large Scale Integration)
technology resulting in the production of microprocessor chips having ten
million electronic component.
 Few Examples are:
1. Desktop
2. Laptop
3. NoteBook
4. UltraBook
5. Chromebook
 Uses of Computer
Computers are playing a vital role in almost every field and making our day-to-day tasks
more manageable. Computers were only used to perform complex numerical calculations
in a previous time, but they have reached too far and now perform many different roles.
They are now performing diverse set functions from complicated calculations to
generating business reports, bill generation to education, programming or development to
entertainment, etc.

Because of their characteristics and powerful functionalities, computers are used in various
fields, such as homes, businesses, government offices, research organizations, educational
institutions, medical, entertainment, etc. Computers have taken industries and businesses to a
whole new level. In this article, we have elaborated the most common uses of computers in
different fields:
 Advantage of using computer
 Disadvantages of using computer

search Engines
 What are searching engines? A search engine is software accessed on the Internet
that searches a database of information according to the user's query. The engine provides
a list of results that best match what the user is trying to find. Today, there are many
different search engines available on the Internet, each with its own abilities and features.
The first search engine ever developed is considered Archie, which was used to search for
FTP files, and the first text-based search engine is considered Veronica. Currently, the
most popular and well-known search engine is Google. Other popular search engines
include AOL, Ask.com, Baidu, Bing, DuckDuckGo, and Yahoo.

 Types of search engines

Crawlers

These types of search engines use a "spider" or a "crawler" to search the Internet.  The
crawler digs through individual web pages, pulls out keywords and then adds the pages to the
search engine's database.  Google and Yahoo are examples of crawler search engines.

The advantage of crawlers are:

 They contain a huge amount of pages. 

 
 Ease of use. 
 
 Familiarity.  Most people who search the Internet are familiar with Google.

There are several disadvantages to crawlers:

 Sometimes, it's just too much information.

 
 It is easy to trick the crawler.  Websites have hidden data that can be manipulated to
make the page appear like it's something it's not.  So, that search result for Descartes
might actually take you to a porn site. 
 

 Page rank can be manipulated.  While search engine companies frown on the practice,
there are ways to improve where your page appears on the list of results. 

Directories

Directories are human powered search engines.  A website is submitted to the directory and
must be approved for inclusion by editorial staff.  Open Directory Project and the Internet
Public Library are examples of directories.
Advantages:

 Each page is reviewed for relevance and content before being included.  This means
no more surprise porn sites.
 Less results sometimes means finding what you need quicker.

Disadvantages:

 Unfamiliar design and format. 

 
 Delay in creation of a website and it's inclusion in the directory.
 
 May have trouble with more obscure searches.

Hybrids

Hybrids are a mix of crawlers and directories.  Sometimes, you have a choice when you
search whether to search the Web or a directory.  Other times, you may receive both human
powered results and crawler results for the same search.  In this case, the human results are
usually listed first. 

Meta

Meta search engines are ones that search several other search engines at once and combines
the results into one list.  While you get more results with meta search engines, the relevancy
and quality of the results may sometimes suffer.  Dogpile and Clusty are examples of meta
search engines

Uses of search egines

 USING SEARCH ENGINES FOR RESEARCH

Most people who are using a search engine are doing it for research purposes. They are
generally looking for answers or at least to data with which to make a decision. They’re
looking to find a site to fulfill a specific purpose.

 USING SEARCH ENGINES TO SHOP

A smaller percentage of people, but still very many, use a search engine in order to shop.
After the research cycle is over, search queries change to terms that reflect a buying mindset.
Terms like “best price” and “free shipping” signal a searcher in need of a point of purchase.

List of Top 12 Best Search Engines in The World

1. Google 
Google Search
Engine is the best
search engine in
the world and it is
also one of most
popular products
from Google.
Almost 70 percent of
the Search Engine
market has been
acquired by Google. The tech giant is always evolving and looking to improve the search
engine algorithm to provide best results to the end-user. Although Google appears to be the
biggest search engine, as of 2015 YouTube is now more popular than Google (on desktop
computers).
GIVE IT A GO:  Google Search App

2. Bing  
Bing is Microsoft’s answer to Google and it was launched in 2009. Bing is the default search
engine in Microsoft’s web browser. At Bing, they are always striving to make it a better
search engine but it’s got a long way to go to give Google competition. Microsoft’s search
engine provides different services including image, web and video search along with maps.
Bing introduced Places (Google’s equivalent is Google My Business), this is a great platform
for business to submit their details to optimise their search results.
GIVE IT A GO:  Bing Search App

3. Yahoo 
Yahoo & Bing compete more with each other than with Google. A recent report on
netmarketshare.com tells us that Yahoo have a market share of 7.68 percent. Although a
leader as a free email provider, this is declining significantly though with their recent
acknowledgement that User Details & Passwords where hacked last year.
GIVE IT A GO:  Yahoo Search App

4.  Baidu  
Baidu is the most used search engine in China and was founded in Jan, 2000 by Chinese
Entrepreneur, Eric Xu. This web search is made to deliver results for website, audio files and
images. It provides some other services including maps, news, cloud storage and much more.
WATCH THEIR STORY: Baidu: The Chinese Google
5. AOL  
Aol.com is also among the top search engines. These are the guys that used to send out CD’s
which you’d load onto your PC to install their browser and modem software. Once the pre-
eminent player they now have a market share of 0.59 percent. Verizon Communication
bought AOL for $4.4 billion. It was started back in 1983 as Control Video Corporation. It
was named America Online in 1991 and in 2009 as AOL Inc. AOL is a global mass media
company which is based in New York. The company also provides advertising services as
AOL Advertising, AOL mail and AOL Platform.

6. Ask.com 
Founded in 1995, Ask.com, previously known as Ask Jeeves. Their key concept was to have
search results based on a simple question + answer web format. It is a question & answer
community where you can get the answers for your question and it integrates a large amount
of archive data to answer your question. Because of this dependency on archived and active
user contributions the results will not be as current as those you get in Google, Bing and
Yahoo. They’ve tried to counter where their resources don’t have the answer they take
help from a third-party search engine. Interestingly they don’t name who this is.

7. Excite 
Excite is not widely known but is one that still gets into the top 10. Excite is an online
service portal that provides internet services like email, search engine, news, instant
messaging and weather updates. This also provides us with the latest trends, topics
and search for phrases such as: What can President Trump actually do? 
8. DuckDuckGo
DuckDuckGo is a popular search engine known for protecting the privacy of the users.
Unlike Ask.com they are quite open about who they use to generate search
results; they’ve partnered with Yahoo, Bing and Yummly. It was founded back in
2008 by Gabriel Weinberg in California and its revenue come from Yahoo-Bing
search alliance network and Affiliates.

9. Wolfram Alpha
Wolfram Alpha is a computational knowledge search engine which does not give list
of documents or web pages as search results. Results are based on facts & data about
that query. Their mission statement is to make all systematic knowledge computable
and broadly accessible. Launched in 2009, they now have a Pro solution designed
with pricing for Students and Educators. Much as it’s targeted, it’s an awesome tool
for the right market.

10. Yandex 
Launched in 1997, Yandex is most used search engine in Russia. Yandex also has a
great presence in Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Belarus and Turkey. It provides services like
Yandex Maps, Yandex Music, online translator, Yandex Money and many other
services. 

11. Lycos
Lycos has a good reputation in search engine industry. Its key areas served are email,
web hosting, social networking, and entertainment websites.
12. Chacha.com - December 2016 UPDATE: ChaCha ceased trading due to
declining advertising revenues
Chacha.com is a human-guided search engine and was founded in 2006. You can ask
anything in its search box and you will be answered in real-time. It also provides
mobile search and marketing services. You can also install its mobile apps on iPhone,
iPad and Android.

 What is a browser?
browser is a software program to present and explore content on the World Wide Web.
These pieces of content, including pictures, videos, and web pages, are connected using
hyperlinks and classified with URIs (Uniform Resource Identifiers). T

 history of browser
There have been many different web browsers that have come and gone over
the years. The first, named WorldWideWeb (later changed to Nexus), was
invented by Tim Berners-Lee in 1990. However, the first graphical browser and
widely used browser that help bring popularity to the Internet was NCSA Mosaic.

 Types of browser
 Google Chrome
 Microsoft Edge
 Microsoft Internet Explorer
 Mozilla Firefox
 Opera
 Apple Safari
 Amazon Silk
 Uses of browser

Internet

The most typical use of an Internet browser is to load and view websites on the Internet.

Files

Internet browsers can also be used to view local files on a computer. For example, you can
open text documents or highly formatted documents such as XML (Extensible Markup
Language) or HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) documents.

Communication

Internet browsers are used to communicate in different forms. People can send email
(electronic mail) and video chat (e.g. Google Chat) within an Internet browser.

Media

People also use Internet browsers to listen to songs, watch movies or past television episodes,
and stream radio live.

Popular Internet Browsers

According to the World Wide Consortium (W3C), Firefox was the most commonly used
Internet browser in 2009.