First Generation (1940-1956) Vacuum Tubes
- · 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.
- · 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.
Second Generation (1956-1963) Transistors
- · Transistors replaced vacuum tubes and ushered in the second generation of computers. The transistor was invented in 1947 but did not see widespread use in computers until the late 1950s. The transistor was far superior to the vacuum tube, allowing computers to become smaller, faster, cheaper, more energy-efficient and more reliable than their first-generation predecessors.
- · Second-generation computers moved from cryptic binary machine language to symbolic, or assembly, languages, which allowed programmers to specify instructions in words. High-level programming languages were also being developed at this time, such as early versions of COBOL and FORTRAN. These were also the first computers that stored their instructions in their memory, which moved from a magnetic drum to magnetic core technology.
The first computers of this generation were developed for
the atomic energy industry.
.jpg) |
| the second computer generation |
 |
| transistor |
Third Generation (1964-1971) Integrated
Circuits
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.
·
Instead of punched cards and
printouts, users interacted with third generation computers through keyboards and monitorsand 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.
 |
| integrated circuit |
 |
| third generation's computer |
Fourth
Generation (1971-Present) Microprocessors
- · The microprocessor brought the fourth generation of computers, as thousands of integrated circuits were built onto a single silicon chip. What in the first generation filled an entire room could now fit in the palm of the hand. The Intel 4004 chip, developed in 1971, located all the components of the computer—from the central processing unit and memory to input/output controls—on a single 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.
fourth generation's computer
.jpg)
microprocesser
Fifth Generation (Present and Beyond)
Artificial Intelligence
·
Fifth generation computing devices,
based on artificial
intelligence, are still in development, though there are some
applications, such as voice recognition, that are being used today.
·
The use of parallel processing and
superconductors is helping to make artificial intelligence a reality. Quantum computation and molecular and nanotechnology will radically change the face of
computers in years to come.
·
The goal of fifth-generation
computing is to develop devices that respond to natural language input and are capable of learning and
self-organization.
