Computer Generations
There are five generations of computer:
• First generation– 1946 - 1958
• Second generation– 1959 - 1964
• Third generation– 1965 - 1970
• Fourth generation– 1971 - today
• Fifth generation– Today to future
The First Generation:-
• The first computers used vacuum tubes for circuitry and magnetic drums for memory, and were often enormous, taking up entire rooms.
• They were very expensive to operate and in addition to using a great deal of electricity, generated a lot of heat, which was often the cause of malfunctions.
• First generation computers relied on machine language, the lowest-level programming language understood by computers, to perform operations, and they could only solve one problem at a time.
• Input was based on punched cards and paper tape, and output was displayed on printouts.
The Second Generation:-
• Transistors replaced vacuum tubes and ushered in the second generation of computers.
• One transistor replaced the equivalent of 40 vacuum tubes.
• Allowing computers to become smaller, faster, cheaper, more energy-efficient and more reliable.
• Still generated a great deal of heat that can damage the computer.
• Second-generation computers moved from cryptic binary machine language to symbolic, or assembly, languages, which allowed programmers to specify instructions in words.
• Second-generation computers still relied on punched cards for input and printouts for output.
• These were also the first computers that stored their instructions in their memory, which moved from a magnetic drum to magnetic core technology.
The Third Generation:-
• The development of the integrated circuit was the hallmark of the third generation of computers.
• Transistors were miniaturized and placed on silicon chips, called semiconductors, which drastically increased the speed and efficiency of computers.
• Much smaller and cheaper compare to the second generation computers.
• It could carry out instructions in billionths of a second.
• Users interacted with third generation computers through keyboards and monitors and interfaced with an operating system, which allowed the device to run many different applications at one time with a central program that monitored the memory.
• Computers for the first time became accessible to a mass audience because they were smaller and cheaper than their predecessors.
The Fourth Generation:-
• The microprocessor brought the fourth generation of computers, as thousands of integrated circuits were built onto a single silicon chip.
• As these small computers became more powerful, they could be linked together to form networks, which eventually led to the development of the Internet.
• Fourth generation computers also saw the development of GUIs, the mouse and handheld devices.
The Fifth Generation:-
• Based on Artificial Intelligence (AI).
• Still in development.
• The use of parallel processing and superconductors is helping to make artificial intelligence a reality.
• The goal is to develop devices that respond to natural language input and are capable of learning and self-organization.
• There are some applications, such as voice recognition, that are being used today.
|
Subject |
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
4th |
5th |
|
Period |
1940-1956 |
1956-1963 |
1964-1971 |
1971-present |
present & beyond |
|
Circuitry |
Vacuum tube |
Transistor |
Integrated chips (IC) |
Microprocessor (VLSI) (Very large scale integration) |
ULSI (Ultra Large Scale
Integration) technology |
|
Memory |
20 KB |
128KB |
1MB |
Magnetic core memory, LSI and
VLSI. High Capacity |
ULSI |
|
Processing |
300 IPS instructions Per sec. |
300 IPS |
1MIPS (1 million inst. Per
sec.) |
Faster than 3rd generation |
Very fast |
|
Programming |
Machine, |
Assembly language & early
high-level languages(FORTRAN, |
C,C++ |
Higher level
languages,C,C++,Java |
All the Higher level languages,
Neural |
|
Example |
ENIAC,UNIVAC, EDVAC |
IBM 1401, IBM 7094, CDC |
IBM 360 series, 1900 series |
Pentium series, Multimedia |
Artificial Intelligence,
Robotics |