EVOLUTION OF COMPUTER SYSTEMS


Since the development of the Electrical Numerical Integrator and Calculator (ENIAC), the first high-speed electronic digital computer developed in the mid 1940s, we have pursued an inexhaustible race to build faster and more powerful computer systems. In the realm of computer hardware we have seen significant developments over the last sixty years, including development of the first digital computer, the first transistor-based computers, and the first integrated microprocessor. Now, as we approach the physical limitations of the microprocessor, we are on the verge of new hardware paradigms that will perhaps use quantum theory to operate at the subatomic levels or even use DNA strands to process information. [1]

Along a similar path, computer programming languages have made considerable strides. Early computers such as ENIAC were custom programmed using machine code, the basic binary “1” and “0” language that all digital computers use at their core. Over the past two decades, we have seen a broad range of third- and fourth-generation programming languages (3GLs and 4GLs), including Java, Visual Basic, Smalltalk, and so on, emerge. In many respects, these 3GL and 4GL languages are closer to our natural language than the native language that computers understand. 3GLs and 4GLs have enabled the development of increasingly more complex software in ever more rapid timeframes.

Beyond the custom development of applications, the past decade has seen the emergence and near dominance of packaged software solutions such as Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Customer Relationship Management (CRM), and Supply-Chain Management (SCM) systems. The majority of mid- to large-sized organizations use enterprise applications from SAP, Oracle, Siebel, Peoplesoft, and others to support and manage significant aspects of their business. These enterprise systems are not allencompassing, one-stop solutions, and thus they must co-exist with homegrown custom systems and niche package applications that perform a multitude of ancillary functions across the enterprise.

The point of reviewing the evolution of computer hardware and software is to emphasize the tremendous pace of change that businesses have seen in how and where computer systems and business applications are deployed. These changes, combined with the ever more rapidly moving dynamics of the business landscape, create a unique set of challenges for effective IT management. The management of an organization’s IT infrastructure is a constant struggle to maintain and support aging legacy systems and implement new systems to meet emerging business needs, while also ensuring that the overall IT infrastructure is dynamic and flexible enough to enable rather than inhibit changes in business direction and strategy. In an effort to bring balance to these competing perspectives, many organizations define an enterprise architecture to map out their IT plans.

[1]www.arstechnica.com, Ars Technica, October 2002, “DNA Computing: A Primer” by Will Ryu.




Executive's Guide to Web Services
Executives Guide to Web Services (SOA, Service-Oriented Architecture)
ISBN: 0471266523
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2003
Pages: 90

flylib.com © 2008-2017.
If you may any questions please contact us: flylib@qtcs.net