The invention of computers completely changed people's lives. With this invention, people's difficult tasks became easier, whether it was calculation, storing data or storing records digitally. The invention of computer has played an important role in advancing modern technology.
Generation of Computers
Computers have evolved through several generations. The generation of computers has witnessed remarkable advancements over the years. Each generation of computers has brought significant improvements in terms of computing power, storage capacity, and speed.
With every passing year, hardware and software advancements have allowed us to push the boundaries of what is possible in the world of computing. The main generations of computers are:
First generation of computer
First generation computers were made from 1946 to 1959. They were also known as Vacuum - tube computers, because vacuum tubes were mainly used in first generation of computers. Vacuum tubes are empty glass tubes from which air has been removed. Vacuum tubes are used to control the flow of electrons in air sealed vacuum.
These computers were very large in size but they worked very slowly. Magnetic drums were used as main memory in first generation of computers. Punched cards and punched tapes were used for the purpose of input - output devices. These type of computer used machine and assembly languages for programming. These computers used to produce a large amount of heat because they consumed more electricity. Therefore these computers required proper air conditioning and maintenance. They were very heavy in size and required large space for installation. Being powerful computers of their time, they were used for scientific purposes.
Second generation of computer
Second generation of computers were developed in late 1950s to 1960s .These computers were more advanced and fast as compared to first generation computers. In this generation, vacuum tubes were replaced with transistors, which brought many advantages. The use of transistors also helped in reducing the price of computers and saving power. In this generation, magnetic cores and magnetic tapes were used for memory. Input-output devices were magnetic tape and punched cards. Assembly language was still used as programming language
These computers were small in size, more power efficient, and generated less heat as compared to second generation computers but still air conditioning was used. These computers had less chances of hardware failure than the first generation computers.
IBM 1401, IBM 1920, UNIVAC 1108 are some examples of second generation computers.
Third generation of computer
The time period of third generation of computers was from 1965 to 1971. Due to change in technology, transistor was replaced by Integrated circuits or ICs in the third generation computers.
A single IC consists of many transistors, capacitors and resistors along with the associated electric circuits. MSI (medium-scale integration) and SSI (small-scale integration) were used in third generation computers.
Magnetic disks used for external storage. These computers were more powerful than second generation computers. Monitors and printers used for input - output devices. High-level languages such as BASIC, COBOL, PASCAL , BASIC etc. were used in these computers. These computers consumed lesser power and produced less heat but air - conditioning was still required . Third generation computers took less computational time.
Computational time is the time taken by algorithm of the computer to finish the task. The computational time reduced to nanosecond which was microsecond in second generation of computer. The storage capacity was increased in this generation computers.
Fourth generation computer
1971 to 1980 was the era of fourth generation computers. The fourth generation computers used microprocessors. Microprocessors consist integration of LSI circuits built on one chip. All chips are built in microprocessors which can perform arithmetic, logic and control functions in the computer. They were much smaller as compared to the previous generation computers. They had large primary and secondary storage .These generation computers supports more input and output devices.
It was first generation of computers which used (GUI) Graphical User Interface operating system. It allows the users to easily interact or learn how to use computer system. They were less vulnerable to hardware failures and therefore, their maintenance cost was negligible.
Some other examples of fourth generation computers are IBM 4341, DEC 10, STAR 1000 and PUP 11.
Fifth generation computers
Fifth generation computers are based on Artificial Intelligence or AI. It is the most advanced and powerful generation of computers. They are still in development. AI is a type of computer software which can mimic human intelligence and perform several kind of tasks that humans cannot do easily. These computers are more handy as compared to fourth generation computers.
Fifth generation computers are very powerful than fourth generation computers. They have large storage and high primary and secondary storage. These computers have more user friendly interfaces and multimedia features. High level programming languages like C#, Python, Java etc.are used in these generation computers. The purpose of these systems is to improve the field of AI and help in creating AI based advanced machines.
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