Assignment#1

GENERATIONS OF COMPUTER

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Contents
Generations of Computers........................................................................................................................3

First Generation (1940-1956) ...................................................................................................................3

Second Generation (1956-1963) ...............................................................................................................4

Third Generation (1960-1970) ..................................................................................................................5

Fourth Generation (1971-1990) ................................................................................................................6

Fifth Generation (Present and Beyond).....................................................................................................7

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Generations of Computers
The history of computer development is often referred to in reference to the different generations of computing
devices. Each generation of computers is characterized by a major technological development that fundamentally
changed the way computers operate, resulting in increasingly smaller, cheaper, more powerful, more efficient, and
more reliable devices.

There are five generations of computers.

First Generation (1940-1956)

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. The input was based on punched cards and paper tape, and the output was
displayed on printouts.

The main features of First Generation are:

 Vacuum tube technology

 Unreliable
 Supported Machine language only.
 Very costly
 Huge size

Some examples are:

 ENIAC
 EDVAC
 UNIVAC

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 (1956-1963)
Transistors replaced 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. 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 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 main features are:

 Use of transistors
 Reliable as compared to First generation computers.
 Smaller size as compared to First generation computers.
 Generate less heat as compared to First generation computers.
 Consumed less electricity as compared to First generation computers Faster than first-generation
computers.

Some examples are:

 IBM 1620
 IBM 7094
 UNIVAC 1108

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Third Generation (1960s-1970)
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. keyboards and monitors
interfaced with an operating system, which allowed the device to run many different applications simultaneously
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.

High-level language (FORTRAN-II TO IV, COBOL, PASCAL PL/1, BASIC, ALGOL-68, etc.) was used during this
generation.

The main features of the Third Generation are:

 IC used.
 More reliable
 Smaller size
 Generate less heat.
 Faster
 Lesser maintenance
 Still costly
 A.C needed.
 Consumed lesser electricity.
 Support high-level language.

Some examples are:

 IBM-360 series
 Honeywell-6000 series
 PDP (Personal Data Processor)

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Fourth Generation (1971-1990)
The microprocessor brought the fourth generation of computers, as thousands of integrated circuits were built
onto a single silicon chip. 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. As these
small computers became more powerful, they could be linked together to form networks, eventually leading to the
Internet's development. Fourth-generation computers also saw the development of GUIs, the mouse, and
handheld devices.

All the Higher-level languages like C and C++, DBASE, etc. were used in this generation.

The main features of the Fourth Generation are:

 VLSI technology was used.

 Very cheap
 Portable and reliable
 Use of PCs
 Very small size
 No A.C. is needed.
 The concept of the internet was introduced.
 Great developments in the field of networks
 Computers became easily available.

Some examples are:

 CRAY-1(Supercomputer)
 CRAY-X-MP (Supercomputer)

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Fifth Generation (Present and Beyond)
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.

All the Higher-level languages like C and C++, Java, .Net, etc. are used in this generation.

The main features of the Fifth Generation are:

 ULSI technology
 Development of true artificial intelligence
 Development of Natural language processing
 Advancement in Parallel Processing
 Advancement in Superconductor technology
 More user-friendly interfaces with multimedia features
 Availability of very powerful and compact computers at cheaper rates

Some examples are:

 Desktop
 Laptop
 Notebook
 Ultrabook

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