BIT1010 - Historical and Social Aspects of ICT

Introduction

This is a shared study unit. I will be presenting the hours to be taught by the CCE department.

This study unit is given:

(i) during the second year of the evening diploma course.

(ii) over the academic year, Year 1 in the day course.

Assignment

Every student is free to choose one assignment from among those suggested by the various lecturers. I am here presenting my assignment.

You are given a historic paper, and its background, from the Proceedings IEEE, regarding the use of computer hardware and a computer system more than 40 years ago.

Within the constraints, (number of pages etc.) that are used for this study unit, you are asked to read carefully the paper to be able to

(i) understand the design of the original architecture and its operation

 (ii) compare this to a current (modern) processor design and operation

(iii) giving, with reasons, what has remained from the original computer architecture in today's processors.