The proverb ‘Necessity is the mother of invention’ holds true for computers also because computers were invented as a result man’s search for a fast accurate calculating device.
The first calculating device was abacus invented by Egyptian around 450 B.C. This device allows the users to represent numbers by the position of beads on the rack. Then after mechanical adding machine was invented by Braise Pascal in 1642. Business machine and calculators made their appearance in Europe and America towards the end of 19th century. Charles Babbage, 19th century Professor at Cambridge University, is considered to be the father of modern, digital computer. In 1842, he came out with the idea of analytical engine, which was automatic and capable of performing the basic arithmetic functions.
There was a rapid change in the field of computers in 90’s slowly the advent of a new era came up with software industries. Software is the ideas and solution coded in computer in understandable form by suitable qualified personal.
Now there has come a new trend in all the government departments around the worlds. It has transformed not only the way public services are delivered but also the relation between the government and citizen.
In India, many villages have now internet booths where farmers can cheek the market rates of agricultural commodities along with data on agricultural schemes and technologies, when to spray and plant their crops; bus and railway time tables. They also find vocational guidance on jobs, applications for ration cards, kerosene, gas burner and land records extract with details of land ownership.
Computer education is not confined to all these but it has given a new boom to numerous engineering college and polytechnics. Besides offering 4 years/ B.Tech / B.sc.(Engg.) courses, many colleges and universities have started offering application-oriented courses, fast track courses.
The utilization of computers has started in head quarter of all nationalized banks throughout the country and now is being possible to control through computer. Computer has been found useful in controlling rail and road transport. The importance of computer for police and justice can hardly be overemphasized. It has been found possible to detect crimes with the help of computers. The computerization of military, post and telegraph, commerce and industry and education has revolutionized the working of these departments.
It is true that computer does not grow food, does not move the wheels of industry to turn out more and more finished goods. It adds efficiency, speed and accuracy, which help in not only producing more and more goods services but also improving their standard quality.
As of now, India is well on course in becoming an I T Superpower. Indian firms like Infosys, Tata Consultancy Service and Wipro are considered as the best in business. As the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh once put it: “Indians are capable, we can compete with any one in the world in knowledge, in performance and in vision. We have to create that opportunity. We have all the recourses-natural and human. If you have a vision things will automatically happen”.