jan 1, 1942 - 6. What is a stored program computer?

Description:

Who: John von Neumann introduced the idea of a stored-program computer; other engineers, such as J. W. Mauchly and J Presper Eckert contributed to this concept.

What: Stored-program computer refers to having its program instructions stored in memory. This lets the computer carry out a multitude of operations either in succession or intermittently. The important change that took place here was the capacity to store and revise instructions which were a function of intermediate computations as opposed to other computers where programming depended on physical wiring or punched tape.

When: The concept of stored-program computers came about in the late 1940s. The first operationalization of this concept was the Manchester Mark I, which started its activity slightly earlier than EDVAC American it also happened in 1949.

Why is this important in the history of CS?: Stored-program computers heralded the advent of a new era in computing. It gave rise to software and made computers enormously flexible, and powerful. Through this idea, we established the basis of modern computing whereby all computers used today are versatile and programmable.
Three Sources:

Wikipedia's "Stored-program computer" article provides a comprehensive overview of the concept and its historical development Wikipedia.
Britannica offers insights into the significance of the stored-program computer in the evolution of digital computers Britannica.
The Computer History Museum's article on "The Stored Program" discusses the transformation in computing brought about by this innovation Computer History Museum.

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