GENERATIONS OF COMPUTER

Introduction:
A computer is an electronic device that
manipulates information or data. It has the
ability to store, retrieve, and process data.
Nowadays, a computer can be used to type
documents, send email, play games, and
browse the Web. It can also be used to edit or
create spreadsheets, presentations, and even
videos. But the evolution of this complex
system started around 1946 with the first
Generation of Computer and evolving ever
since.
There are five generations of computers.
 FIRST GENERATION

During the period of 1940 to 1956 first generation of

computers were developed. The first generation computers
used vacuum tubes for circuitry and magnetic drums for
memory, and were often enormous, taking up entire rooms.
The vacuum tube was developed by Lee DeForest. A
vacuum tube is a device generally used to amplify a signal by
controlling the movement of electrons in an evacuated space.
First generation computers 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.
VACCUM TUBE
 A vacuum tube worked similarly to
a light bulb and was invented
around the same time as a bulb. It
made signals stronger; as an
amplifier. They acted as switches as
well by instigating and stopping the
flow of electricity. They also served
as magnetic drums for memory.
However, these components took up
very much space, making the
computer very big.
 THE MAIN FEATURES OF THE FIRST
GENERATION ARE −

 The main features of the first generation are −

 Vacuum tube technology
 Unreliable
 Supported machine language only
 Very costly
 Generated a lot of heat
 Slow input and output devices
 Huge size
 Need of AC
 Non-portable
 Consumed a lot of electricity
EXAMPLE:
 SECOND GENERATION

During the period of 1956 to 1963 second generation of

computers were developed. The second generation
computers emerged with development of Transistors. The
transistor was invented in 1947 by three scientists J.
Bardeen, H.W. Brattain and W. Shockley.

Second generation computers used the low level language

i.e. machine level language and assembly language which
made the programmers easier to specify the instructions.
Later on High level language programming were
introduced such as COBOL and FORTRAN. Magnetic
core was used as primary storage. Second generation
computer has faster input /output devices which thus
brought improvement in the computer.
TRANSISTER
 A transistor is a small device
made up of semiconductor
material like germanium and
silicon. Even though the
Transistor were developed in
1947 but was not widely used
until the end of 50s. The
transistor made the second
generation computers faster,
smaller, cheaper, more energy-
efficient and more reliable than
their first-generation computers.
THE MAIN FEATURES OF THE SECOND
GENERATION ARE:

 Use of transistors.
 Magnetic memory and magnetic storage disks.

 High speed I/O devices.

 Invention and use of high level languages such as

Fortran and Cobol.
 Reduced size.

 Solution to heat generation.

 Communication by using telephone line.

 Improvement of speed and reliability.

EXAMPLE:
 THIRD GENERATION
The period of third generation was from 1965-1971.
The computers of third generation used Integrated
Circuits (ICs) in place of transistors. A single IC has
many transistors, resistors, and capacitors along
with the associated circuitry.
The IC was invented by Jack Kilby. This development
made computers smaller in size, reliable, and
efficient. In this generation remote processing, time-
sharing, multiprogramming operating system were
used. High-level languages (FORTRAN-II TO IV,
COBOL, PASCAL PL/1, BASIC, ALGOL-68 etc.)
were used during this generation.
THE MAIN FEATURES OF THE THIRD
GENERATION:
 IC used
 More reliable in comparison to previous two
generations
 Smaller size

 Generated less heat

 Faster

 Lesser maintenance

 Costly

 AC required

 Consumed lesser electricity

 Supported high-level language

INTEGRATED CIRCUITS
 An integrated circuit,
or IC, is small chip that can
function as an amplifier,
oscillator, timer,
microprocessor, or even
computer memory. An IC is
a small wafer, usually made
of silicon, that can hold
anywhere from hundreds to
millions of transistors,
resistors, and capacitors.
EXAMPLE:
 FOURTH GENERATION
 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 mouseand handheld devices.
THE MAIN FEATURES OF THE FOURTH
GENERATION

 VLSI technology used

 Very cheap

 Portable and reliable

 Use of PCs

 Very small size

 Pipeline processing

 No AC required

 Concept of internet was introduced

 Great developments in the fields of networks

 Computers became easily available

 MICROPROCESSOR

 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 unitand memory to
input/output controls—on a
single chip.
FIFTH GENERATION
 The period of fifth generation is 1980-till date. In
the fifth generation, VLSI technology became
ULSI (Ultra Large Scale Integration) technology,
resulting in the production of microprocessor
chips having ten million electronic components.
 This generation is based on parallel processing
hardware and AI (Artificial Intelligence)
software. AI is an emerging branch in computer
science, which interprets the means and method
of making computers think like human beings.
All the high-level languages like C and C++,
Java, .Net etc., are used in this generation.
AI includes −
 Robotics

 Neural Networks

 Game Playing

 Development of expert systems to make decisions

in real-life situations
 Natural language understanding and generation
THE MAIN FEATURES OF 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
Made by: Riya and Ayushi