Generation Ofcomputers

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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, 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)


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Vacuum Tubes
The first computers used vacuum tubes for circuitry andmagnetic
memory errors that cause crashes and lockups. drums for memory, and were often enormous, taking up entire rooms.
Key Terms: They were very expensive to operate and in addition to using a great deal
computer  of electricity, generated a lot of heat, which was often the cause of
magnetic drums  malfunctions.
binary  First generation computers relied on machine language, the lowest-level
integrated circuitsemiconductornanotechnology programming language understood by computers, to perform operations,
Related Articles:  and they could only solve one problem at a time. Input was based on
Brief Timeline of the Internet punched cards and paper tape, and output was displayed on printouts.
Types of Internet Connections The UNIVAC and ENIAC computers are examples of first-generation
File Size Conversion Table computing devices. The UNIVAC was the first commercial computer
The 7 Layers of the OSI Model 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 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. 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 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, calledsemiconductors, 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 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 Appleintroduced 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 andhandheld 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 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.
 
DID YOU KNOW...?
An integrated circuit (IC) is a small electronic device made out of a semiconductor material. The first integrated circuit
was developed in the 1950s by Jack Kilby of Texas Instruments and Robert Noyce of Fairchild Semiconductor.

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