Generation of Computer
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GENERATION OF COMPUTER
- First Generation (1940-1956) Vacuum Tubes
- Second Generation (1956-1963) Transistors
- Third Generation (1964-1971) Integrated Circuits
- Fourth Generation (1971-Present) Microprocessors
- Fifth Generation (Present and Beyond) Artificial Intelligence
1.
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, the
first computers 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, and it
could take days or weeks to set-up a new problem. Input was based on punched
cards and paper tape, and output was displayed on printouts.
The UNIVAC and ENIAC computers are examples of first-generation computing
devices.
2.
Second Generation (1956-1963) Transistors
The Second Generation used Transistors replace vacuum tubes and ushered
in the second generation of computers. 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.
3.
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 andmonitors 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.
4.
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.
In 1981 IBM introduced its first computer for
the home user, and in 1984 Apple introduced the Macintosh. Microprocessors also
moved out of the realm of desktop computers and into many areas of life as more
and more everyday products began to use microprocessors.
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 ofGUIs, the mouse and handheld devices.
5.
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
andnanotechnology 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