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The Five Generations of Computers

The document discusses the five generations of computers from the 1940s to present. The first generation used vacuum tubes, took up entire rooms, and were expensive to operate. The second generation used transistors, which made computers smaller, faster, and more efficient. The third generation saw the development of integrated circuits, which further increased speed and efficiency. The fourth generation used microprocessors, making computers portable and leading to the development of personal computers and networks. Current and future fifth generation devices are exploring artificial intelligence and new technologies.

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Rahul Reghunath
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358 views2 pages

The Five Generations of Computers

The document discusses the five generations of computers from the 1940s to present. The first generation used vacuum tubes, took up entire rooms, and were expensive to operate. The second generation used transistors, which made computers smaller, faster, and more efficient. The third generation saw the development of integrated circuits, which further increased speed and efficiency. The fourth generation used microprocessors, making computers portable and leading to the development of personal computers and networks. Current and future fifth generation devices are exploring artificial intelligence and new technologies.

Uploaded by

Rahul Reghunath
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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The Five Generations of Computers

The history of computer development is often referred to in reference to the


different generations of computing devices. Each generation of computer is
characterized by a major technological development that fundamentally changed
the way computers operate, resulting in increasingly smaller, cheaper, and more
powerful and more efficient and reliable devices. Read about each generation and
the developments that led to the current devices that we use today.

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 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 UNIVAC and ENIAC computers are examples of first-generation computing


devices. The UNIVAC was
the first commercial computer delivered to a business client, the U.S. Census
Bureau in 1951.

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 50s. 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. Though the transistor still
generated a great deal of heat that subjected the computer to damage, it was a
vast improvement over the vacuum tube. Second-generation computers still relied
on punched cards for input and printouts for output.

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 F O RT RA N. 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.
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 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.

Fourth Generation - 1971-Present: Microprocessors


The micro proc essor 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 of GUIs, the mouse and hand held
devices.

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
nano technology 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.

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