Computer generations

What is the Evolution of the computer?

The evolution of computers started around the 16th
century. The evolution of the computer is the process of
which transformation of the oldest vacuum tube-based
system to the current model system of today’s
computers. Long ago, the early primitive people were
trailblazers in the use of counting tools, making use of
objects like sticks, stones, and bones for their counting
needs. The computer we see today has faced many
changes, for the betterment. It has continuously
improved itself in terms of speed, accuracy, size, and
price to urge the form of the computer we have today.
Here we have discussed the 5 generations of computers
and their characteristics.... Read more at:
https://www.careerpower.in/school/computer/generati
on-of-computer
• In computers, we use the term “generation” to show the evolution of
technology. Earlier, the generation term was used to distinguish the
computers in terms of varying hardware but now it all together includes the
hardware and software which makes up a computer system. After centuries
of evolution that began in the 16th century, the contemporary computer has
taken its current form. There are 5 Generations of computers and all of them
have been discussed below along with their features.

• First Generation Computers (1940-1956)

• Second Generation Computers (1956-1963)
• Third Generation Computers (1964-1971)
• Fourth Generation Computers (1971-Present)
• Fifth Generation Computers (Present and Beyond)... Read more at:
https://www.careerpower.in/school/computer/generation-of-computer
5 Generations of 5 Generations of 5 Generations of
Computers Computers Computers
Generations Time- Generations Time- Generations Time-
Period Technology Used Period Technology Used Period Technology Used
1st Generation 1940s 1st Generation 1940s 1st Generation 1940s
– 1950s Vacuum Tube – 1950s Vacuum Tube – 1950s Vacuum Tube
Based Based Based
2nd Generation 1950s 2nd Generation 1950s 2nd Generation 1950s
– 1960s Transistor Based – 1960s Transistor Based – 1960s Transistor Based
3rd Generation 1960s 3rd Generation 1960s 3rd Generation 1960s
– 1970s Integrated – 1970s Integrated – 1970s Integrated
Circuit Based Circuit Based Circuit Based
4th Generation 1970s 4th Generation 1970s 4th Generation 1970s
– Present Microprocessor – Present Microprocessor – Present Microprocessor
Based Based Based
5th Generation 5th Generation 5th Generation
Present – Future Present – Future Present – Future
Artificial Intelligence Artificial Intelligence Artificial Intelligence
Based... Read more at: Based... Read more at: Based... Read more at:
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.in/school/computer/gene .in/school/computer/gene .in/school/computer/gene
ration-of-computer ration-of-computer ration-of-computer
First generation
• 1. First Generation Computers
• The 1st Generation Computers were introduced using the technology of vacuum tubes
which can control the flow of electronics in a vacuum. These tubes are usually used in
switches, amplifiers, radios, televisions, etc. The First Generation of Computer was very
heavy and large and were not ideal for programming. They used basic programming
and didn’t have an operating system, which made it tough for users to do programming
on them. The 1st Generation Computers required a big room dedicated to them and
also consumed a lot of electricity.

• Some examples of main first-generation computers are-

• ENIAC: Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer, built by J. Presper Eckert and
John V. Mauchly which contained 18,000 vacuum tubes.
• EDVAC: Electronic Discrete Variable Automatic Computer, designed by Von Neumann.
• UNIVAC: Universal Automatic Computer, developed by Eckert and Mauchly in 1952....
Read more at: https://www.careerpower.in/school/computer/generation-of-computer
• Characteristics of 1st Generation Computers
• These computers were designed using vacuum tubes.
• Programming in these computers was done using machine languages.
• The main memory of 1st Generation Computers consisted of magnetic
tapes and magnetic drums.
• Paper tapes and Punched cards were used as input/output devices in
these computers.
• These computers were very huge but worked very slowly.
• Examples of 1st Generation Computers are IBM 650, IBM 701, ENIAC,
UNIVAC1, etc.
• ... Read more at:
https://www.careerpower.in/school/computer/generation-of-
computer
Second generation
• The Second Generation of Computers revolutionized as it started using
the technology of transistors instead of bulky vacuum tubes. Transistors
are devices made of semiconductor materials that open or close a
circuit. These transistors were invented in the Bell Labs which made the
Second Generation Computer powerful and faster than the previous
ones. Transistors made these computers smaller and generated less
heat compared to the vacuum tubes they replaced. The Second
Generation of Computers also introduced the use of CPU, memory and
input/output units. The programming languages used for the second-
generation computers were FORTRAN (1956), ALGOL (1958), and
COBOL (1959).

• ... Read more at:

https://www.careerpower.in/school/computer/generation-of-computer
• The Second Generation computers used the technology of Transistors.
• Machine language and Assembly Languages were used for these
computers.
• Magnetic core and magnetic tape/disk were used for memory storage.
• The Second Generation Computers were smaller in size, consumed less
power and generated less heat.
• Magnetic tape and punched cards were used as input/output devices.
• Some of the examples are PDP-8, IBM1400 series, IBM 7090 and 7094,
UNIVAC 1107, CDC 3600, etc.
• ... Read more at:
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Third generation
• The evolution of Third Generation Computers took place with
a shift from transistors to integrated circuits also called IC.
The Third Generation of Computer was very fast and reliable.
The ICs used in these computers were made from silicons and
were called silicon chips. A single IC has many transistors,
registers, and capacitors built on one thin slice of silicon. This
generation of computers has increased memory space and
efficiency. Higher-level languages like BASIC (Beginners All-
purpose Symbolic Instruction Code) were used and the
Minicomputers were introduced in this era.... Read more at:
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computer
• These computers were built using Integrated Circuits (ICs).
• High-level programming languages were used for programming
on these computers.
• Large magnetic core and magnetic tape/disk were used for
memory storage.
• Magnetic tape, monitor, keyboard, printer, etc were used as
input/output devices.
• Some of the examples of Third Generation Computers are IBM
360, IBM 370, PDP-11, NCR 395, B6500, UNIVAC 1108, etc.
• ... Read more at:
https://www.careerpower.in/school/computer/generation-of-
computer
Fourth generation
• period from 1972 to 2010 is considered the period of the fourth
generation of computers. Microprocessor technology was used to
develop the Fourth Generation of Computers. The foremost advantage
of these computers is that the microprocessor can contain all the
circuits required to perform arithmetic, logic, and control functions on
one chip. In the Fourth Generation, computers became very small in
size and also became portable.

• Technologies like multiprocessing, multiprogramming, time-sharing,

operating speed, and virtual memory were also introduced by then.
During the fourth generation, private computers and computer
networks became a reality.... Read more at:
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computer
• The Fourth Generation Computers have been developed using the
technology of Very-large-scale integration (VLSI) and the
microprocessor (VLSI has thousands of transistors on a single
microchip).
• Semiconductor memory such as RAM, ROM, etc was used for
memory storage.
• Input/output devices such as pointing devices, optical scanning,
keyboard, monitor, printer, etc were introduced.
• Some examples of Fourth Generation Computers are IBM PC, STAR
1000, APPLE II, Apple Macintosh, Alter 8800, etc.
• ... Read more at:
https://www.careerpower.in/school/computer/generation-of-
computer
Fifth generation
• The Fifth Generation of Computers has been built using the
technology called Artificial Intelligence (AI). This technology
encourages computers to behave like humans. Some of the
applications of AI have been seen in features like voice
recognition, entertainment, etc. The speed of the Fifth
Generation of Computers is the highest while the sizes are
the smallest. A big improvement has been noticed so far
over the years in the various generations of computers in
the aspect of speed, accuracy dimensions, etc.... Read more
at:
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of-computer
• The 5th Generation Computers have been built based on artificial
intelligence, use the Ultra Large-Scale Integration (ULSI) technology and
parallel processing method (ULSI has millions of transistors on a single
microchip and the Parallel processing method uses two or more
microprocessors to run tasks simultaneously).
• These computers understand natural language (human language).
• The Fifth-generation computers are portable and smaller in size.
• Trackpad (or touchpad), touchscreen, pen, speech input (recognize
voice/speech), light scanner, printer, keyboard, monitor, mouse, etc are
used as Input/Output devices.
• Examples of 5th Generation Computers are Desktops, laptops, tablets,
smartphones, etc.
• ... Read more at:
https://www.careerpower.in/school/computer/generation-of-computer
History of Computer Generation
• The word ‘computer’ was first used in the 16th century for a person
who used to do calculations until the 20th century. Women were hired
as human computers to carry out all forms of calculations and
computations. By the end of the 19th century, the word ‘computer’ was
used for the machines that did calculations. Nowadays we use the word
for the programmable digital devices that run on electricity.

• Before computers were invented, sticks, stones, and bones were used
as counting tools. With the evolution of human intellect and the
advancement of technology, more computing devices were produced.
Here we have discussed the early-age computing devices used by
mankind.... Read more at:
https://www.careerpower.in/school/computer/generation-of-computer
Abacus
• The Chinese are said to have discovered the
Abacus some 4,000 years ago. The abacus was
built using a wooden rack having metal rods
with beads mounted on them. To perform the
arithmetic calculations, beads were moved by
the abacus operator according to some
rules.... Read more at:
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/generation-of-computer
Napier’s Bones
• John Napier invented Napier’s Bones which
was a manually operated calculating device.
John used 9 different ivory strips or bones
marked with numbers to multiply and divide
with the help of this calculating tool. The
Napier’s Bone was also the first calculating
tool to use decimal points.... Read more at:
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/generation-of-computer
Pascaline
• A French mathematician-philosopher Biaise
Pascal invented the Pascaline between 1642
and 1644. This tool was also called the
Arithmetic Machine or Adding Machine and is
believed to be the first mechanical and
automatic calculator.... Read more at:
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/generation-of-computer
Stepped Reckoner or Leibnitz wheel
• A German mathematician-philosopher Gottfried
Wilhelm Leibnitz developed the Stepped
Reckoner or Leibnitz wheel in 1673. This machine
was technically an upgrade of Pascal’s invention.
The Stepped Reckoner or Leibnitz wheel was a
digital mechanical calculator that was made of
fluted drums instead of gears.... Read more at:
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neration-of-computer
Difference Engine
• Charles Babbage, known as the “Father of
Modern Computer designed the Difference
engine in the early 1820s. The Difference Engine
was a mechanical computer that could perform
simple calculations. It was a steam-driven
calculating machine designed to solve tables of
numbers like logarithm tables.... Read more at:
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eneration-of-computer
Analytical Engine

• The Analytical Engine was also developed by Charles

Babbage in the 1830s. This calculating machine was
a mechanical computer that used punch cards as
input. These machines were capable of solving any
mathematical problem and storing information as a
permanent memory.... Read more at:
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ration-of-computer
Tabulating Machine
• Herman Hollerith, an American statistician
invented the Tabulating Machine in the 1890s
which was a mechanical tabulator based on
punch cards that was capable of tabulating
statistics and recording or sorting data or
information.... Read more at:
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/generation-of-computer
Differential Analyzer
• The Differential Analyzer was the first
electronic computer introduced in the United
States in 1930. It was an analog device
invented by Vannevar Bush. This machine
could perform 25 calculations in a few
minutes.... Read more at:
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/generation-of-computer
Mark I
• The major changes in the history of computers
began in 1937 when Howard Aiken aimed to
invent a machine that could perform calculations
of larger numbers. In 1944, IBM and Harvard
partnered to build the Mark I computer. The
Mark 1 was the first programmable digital
computer.... Read more at:
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eneration-of-computer