Generation of Computer

History of Computers Generation

The word ‘computer’ derived from Latin word means compute or calculation. It was first used in the 16th century for a person who used to compute, i.e. do calculations. In 19th century machines were started to do these calculation. One of the earliest and most well-known devices was an abacus. Then the father of computers, Charles Babbage began developing first mechanical computer and in 1832 designed an Analytical Engine which was a general-purpose computer able to perform calculations and made of punch cards. ENIAC which stands for Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer was the first electronic computer for general purpose developed by John W. Mauchly and J.Presper Eckert. 

The initial computer faced many changes. It continuously improved itself its speed, accuracy, size, and its reduces the cost of computer.

In Computer system many changes occurred in development of computer from starting to developed computers which we are using today. One of the earliest and most well-known devices to used for calculation was an abacus. Charles Babbage the father of Computer invented a Analytical Engine in 1832. It was the general purpose automatic mechanical digital computer able to perform any calculation and made up of punched cards. Development of computers started from use of Vacuum tube and now a days using chip and AI technology. This development from earlier calculating device to modern computers can be categorized into different generations.

First Generation (1940 to 1955)

First Generation of Computers used vacuum tube. Vacuum tubes were expensive and produced a lot of heat, which made these computers very expensive and only affordable to large organizations. Machine language was the programming language used in first generation computers, and they could not multitask. The ENIAC was the first electronic general-purpose computer.

Characteristics of First-Generation Computers

• Main characteristics is used Vacuum tubes.
• Programming language used was Machine language.
• Perform calculations quickly than using before.
• Big in size and weight so they were not portable.
• Used more power to run. 
• Used magnetic drums for storage.
• Consumed high amounts of energy/electricity and produced lots of heat. 
• Large number of AC required for cooling.
• Example - ENIAC, EDVAC, UNIVAC, IBM 650, IBM 701, Mark-1, Mark-2 etc.

Second Generation (1956 to 1963)

Second Generation of Computers replaced vacuum tubes with transistors makes them smaller, faster and more efficient. Transistors were more reliable and required less maintenance. Concept of programming language introduced which made programming comparatively a simple task for programmers. Magnetic core memory was also introduced in this generation, which was faster and more reliable.

Characteristics of Second-Generation Computers

• Instead of Vacuum tubes used transistors.
• Magnetic core memory introduced.
• Smaller in size, more reliable, and capable of using less power.
• Used less power, faster and reliable.
• Better speed and improved accuracy.
• Introduced the concept of programming language COBOL, FORTRAN.
• Can handle large amount of data.
• Required frequent maintenance.
• Example - PDP-8, IBM 1401, ATLAS, CDC 1604, ICL 1901 etc.

Third Generation (1964 to 1971)

Third Generation of Computers used microchips or integrated circuits, making it possible to create smaller, cheaper, and much faster computers. The third generation of computers was much faster and computational times reduced from microseconds to nanoseconds. New functionalities, like multiprogramming and time-sharing, and remote processing, were introduced. High level languages used as a programming language.

Characteristics of Third-Generation Computers

• Used IC (Integrated Circuit).
• Decrease in size and weight.
• Required less space.
• Cheaper and reliable.
• Magnetic tape, Disk used for storage.
• Manufacture IC chips is challenging needed advance technology.
• Example - IBM 360, IBM 370, UNIVAC 1108, HP2100 etc.

Fourth Generation (1971 to 1980)

Fourth Generation of Computers used Very Large Scale Integrated (VLSI) circuits to perform complex activities and computations. VLSI technology is thousands transistors on a single chip. These computers had more primary storage capacity, were faster and more reliable than previous generations, and were also portable, small, and required less electricity. These computers used complex programming languages for input.

Characteristics of Fourth-Generation  Computers

• Used microchip.
• VLSI (Very Large Scale Integration) Technology. 
• Smaller in size and more dependable.
• GUI (Graphics User Interface) technology was used.
• Low cost and great speed.
• Memory capacity increased.
• Computer network concept introduced.
• Example - ICL 2900, HP 9845A, VAX11/7880, IBM PC etc.

Fifth Generation (1980 to onward)

Fifth Generation of Computers use artificial intelligence (AI) to perform various tasks. It allows computers to behave like humans. These computers use programming languages for input. Fifth generation computers can perform tasks such as image recognition, voice recognition, human speech interpretation, natural language understanding, etc. 

Characteristics of Fifth-Generation Computers

• Based on Artificial Intelligence.
• Uses Ultra Large Scale Integration technology.
• Parallel processing.
• Able to accept instruction in voice.
• Speed too fast.
• Lightweight, size is small so easy to move.
• Word processor to speech recognition.
• Reduced instruction set computing.
• Example - Desktops, Laptops, Notebooks, Smartphones etc.