<Li> Non-Uniform Memory Access (NUMA) computers </Li> <Li> Register machine vs. Stack machine </Li> <Li> Harvard architecture vs. von Neumann architecture </Li> <P> Of all these abstract machines, a quantum computer holds the most promise for revolutionizing computing . Logic gates are a common abstraction which can apply to most of the above digital or analog paradigms . The ability to store and execute lists of instructions called programs makes computers extremely versatile, distinguishing them from calculators . The Church--Turing thesis is a mathematical statement of this versatility: any computer with a minimum capability (being Turing - complete) is, in principle, capable of performing the same tasks that any other computer can perform . Therefore, any type of computer (netbook, supercomputer, cellular automaton, etc .) is able to perform the same computational tasks, given enough time and storage capacity . </P>

When was the first computer invented and by who