Generations of computers 【history】?

The history of computer development is a topic that is often used to refer to different generations of computing devices. Each of the five generations of computers is characterized by significant technological development, which fundamentally changed the way these devices work. Most of the major developments from the 1940s to the present day have resulted in increasingly smaller, cheaper, more powerful and more efficient computing devices.

Index of contents

The five generations of computers, from 1940 to the present and beyond

Our journey of five generations of computers begins in 1940 with vacuum tube circuits, and continues to this day and beyond with artificial intelligence (AI) systems and devices.

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First generation: vacuum tubes (1940-1956)

Early computer systems used vacuum tubes for circuits and magnetic drums for memory, these computers were often huge, occupying entire rooms. They were also very expensive to operate. In addition to using a large amount of electricity, the first computers generated a lot of heat, which was often the cause of a malfunction.

First-generation computers relied on machine language, the lowest-level programming language, to perform operations, and could only solve one problem at a time. It would take operators or days or even weeks to establish a new problem. Data input was based on punched cards and paper tape, and output was shown on printouts.

UNIVAC and ENIAC are examples of first generation computing devices. UNIVAC was the first commercial computer delivered to a commercial client, the United States Census Bureau in 1951.

Second generation: transistors (1956-1963)

The world would see transistors replace vacuum tubes in the second generation of computers. The transistor was invented at Bell Labs in 1947, but was not seen in widespread use until the late 1950s. The transistor was far superior to the vacuum tube, allowing computers to become smaller, faster, more cheaper, more energy efficient and more reliable than its first generation predecessors. Although the transistor still generated a large amount of heat, it was a great improvement over the vacuum tube. Second-generation computers still relied on punch cards for input and hard copies for output.

These teams switched from cryptic binary machine language to symbolic or assembly languages, allowing programmers to specify instructions in words. High-level programming languages ​​were also being developed at this time, such as the first versions of COBOL and FORTRAN. These were also the first computers to store their instructions in their memory, which went from a magnetic drum to a magnetic core technology. The first computers of this generation were developed for the atomic energy industry.

Third Generation: Integrated Circuits (1964-1971)

The development of the integrated circuit was the hallmark of the third generation of computers. The transistors were miniaturized and placed on silicon chips, called semiconductors, which dramatically increased speed and efficiency.

Instead of punch cards and prints , users interacted through keyboards and monitors, and interacted with an operating system, allowing the device to run many different applications at once with a core program that monitored memory. For the first time they became accessible to a mass audience, because they were smaller and cheaper than their predecessors.

Fourth generation: microprocessors (1971-present)

The microprocessor brought the fourth generation of computers, since thousands of integrated circuits were built on a single silicon chip. What in the first generation filled an entire room, now fit in the palm of your hand. The Intel 4004 chip, developed in 1971, placed all the components, from the central processing unit and memory to the 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 they became more powerful, they were able to link together to form networks, which ultimately led to the development of the Internet. Fourth generation computers also saw the development of GUI, mouse, and handheld devices.

Fifth generation: artificial intelligence (present and beyond)

Fifth-generation computing devices based on artificial intelligence are still under development, although 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 computing and molecular nanotechnology will radically change the face of computers in the years to come. The objective of fifth generation computing is to develop devices that respond to the contribution of natural language and are capable of learning and self-organizing.

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This concludes our article on computer generations, we hope you found it useful in understanding the evolution of computing.