A computer system (IS) is a system that allows storing and processing information. It is the set of interrelated parts: hardware, software and computer personnel. Hardware includes computers or any type of electronic device, consisting of processors, memory (Computing Memory), external storage systems, etc. The software includes the operating system, firmware and applications, with database management systems being especially important. Finally, the human component includes the technical staff that supports and maintains the system (analysts, programmers, operators, etc.) and the users who use it.

The origins of the computer date back to the first attempts to mechanize arithmetic calculations. Among the most notable antecedents is the analytical engine, designed by Charles Babbage in the 19th century, considered a theoretical precursor of modern computers due to its ability to execute instructions using punched cards.

However, the development of computers in the strict sense began in 1936, when the German engineer Konrad Zuse built the Z1, recognized as the first programmable computer in history. This advance marked the beginning of the so-called first generation of computers, which lasted until approximately 1946.

During this period, computers used vacuum tubes for processing and storing information, and their use was mainly aimed at scientific and military purposes. In these years the foundations of modern computing were also laid"), both in the theoretical field - with the work of Alan Turing on universal computing models - and in the technological field, with the appearance of the first communication systems between computers.

At the end of the 1960s, the development of new communication protocols led to the creation of ARPANET, an experimental network funded by ARPA") that laid the foundations for the current Internet.

Computer systems are usually structured into subsystems:

Computer systems can be classified based on numerous criteria. The classifications are not watertight and it is common to find hybrid systems that do not fit into a single category.

It is the year 1983 that is usually marked as the year the Internet was born. It was then that the United States Department of Defense decided to use the TCP/IP protocol in its Arpanet network, thus creating the Arpa Internet network. As the years went by, it was left with the name "Internet".

The ENIAC has historically been considered the first general purpose computer, although the title actually belongs to the German computer Z1.