Generation of computers
First-generation of computers
The period of the first generation was 1946 - 1954. Computers of the first-generation used vacuum tubes as the basic components for memory and circuitry for the Central Processing Unit. The first electronic computer, ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Calculator) was developed in 1947 at the University of Pennsylvania, USA. This machine had vacuum tubes as switching devices. Von Neumann introduced the concept of the stored program by around the same time and the first digital computer using a program, EDSAC (Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Calculator), was announced in 1949.
They were very large in size, consumed a lot of power, and emitted too much heat. They are required to be housed in large air-conditioned rooms.
During this period, computer programming was mainly done in machine language. The user had to be both an electronics expert and a programmer to use the computer for any task.
The second generation of computers
The period of the second generation was 1959-1965. In the second generation of computer, transistors were used. The transistors were highly reliable and easier to handle and maintain than the vacuum tubes. They required much less power. These transistors replaced vacuum tubes in computers during this period. The magnetic cores were used to construct large random access memories. Magnetic disk storage was also developed during this period.
Commercial applications rapidly developed during this period and dominated computer use by the mid-1960s. This period also witnessed the development of high-level languages (like FORTRAN, COBOL, ALGOL, and SNOWBOL) and operating systems. The computers used multiprogramming and batch processing operating systems.
The third generation of computers
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 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 of computers
The microprocessor brought the fourth generation of computers, as thousands of integrated circuits were built onto a single silicon chip. What is 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 of GUIs, the mouse, and handheld devices.
Fifth-generation of computers
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.
