Fundamentals of Information Technology

• Information Technology (IT) involves using digital technology to store, process, and transform data into useful information, making life easier and more efficient.

IT Support Specialist Responsibilities

• Managing IT systems and infrastructure
• Installing hardware and software
• Maintaining and updating systems
• Troubleshooting technical issues
• Configuring devices and networks

Computer Defined

• A computer processes and shares data by performing calculations.

Early Computing Devices and Concepts

• Abacus (500 BC) was used for basic arithmetic calculations.
• Mechanical Calculator (17th Century) was invented by Blaise Pascal to perform mathematical operations.
• Programmable Loom (Punch Card System) (1800) was developed by Joseph Jacquard to control looms, marking an early step toward programmable machines.
• Difference Engine was designed by Charles Babbage was an early mechanical computer for complex calculations.
• Algorithms are step-by-step procedures, developed by Ada Lovelace, used to solve specific problems and form the foundation of computer programming.
• Cryptography is the art of writing and solving codes, essential for secure communication and data protection.
• Admiral Grace Hopper invented the first compiler, which translates human-readable code into machine code.
• ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer) was developed in the 1940s, and was one of the first general-purpose electronic digital computers using vacuum tubes.
• Xerox Alto was developed in the 1970s and was one of the first computers to feature a graphical user interface (GUI), influencing modern personal computers.
• Steve Wozniak co-founded Apple Inc. and helped develop the Apple I, one of the first personal computers.

Early Computer Pioneers

• Ada Lovelace (1815-1852) developed the first computer algorithm for Babbage’s Analytical Engine (1843).
• Lovelace predicted that computers could be used beyond math, such as for music and art.
• Alan Turing (1912-1954) developed the Turing Machine, laying the foundation of modern computing.
• Turing created the Turing Test to evaluate artificial intelligence.
• During WWII, Turing helped break Nazi codes with the Turing-Welchman Bombe.
• Margaret Hamilton (Born 1936) led the development of software for NASA’s Apollo missions.
• Hamilton coined the term “software engineering”.
• Grace Hopper (1906-1992) developed FLOW-MATIC, the first programming language using English.
• Hopper also helped design COBOL, a widely used programming language.

NASA’s Human Computers

• Annie Easley developed energy analytics for rockets and early hybrid vehicles.
• Katherine Johnson calculated key flight trajectories for Apollo 11.
• Dorothy Vaughan was the first Black supervisor at NACA and an expert in FORTRAN.
• Mary Jackson was NASA’s first Black female engineer.
• Melba Roy Mouton led trajectory computations for satellites.
• Evelyn Boyd Granville worked on the Apollo and Mercury programs.

Modern Tech Innovators

• Hedy Lamarr (1914-2000) invented frequency-hopping technology, a foundation for WiFi, Bluetooth, and GPS.
• Guillermo Gonzalez Camarena (1917-1965) invented color TV technology, later used in NASA’s Voyager mission.
• Jerry Lawson (1940-2011) developed the video game cartridge system for Fairchild Channel F.
• Mark Dean (Born 1957) co-invented the IBM Personal Computer and ISA bus for expansion cards.
• Clarence “Skip” Ellis (1943-2021) pioneered groupware and early GUI-based collaboration tools at Xerox PARC.
• Gladys West (Born 1930) created mathematical models for Earth’s shape, forming the basis of GPS.