language uses 0s and 1s for coding of the instructions. The first generation computers could solve one problem at a time.
• Computing Characteristics The computation time was in milliseconds.
• Physical Appearance These computers were enormous in size and required a large room
for installation.
• Application They were used for scientific applications as they were the fastest computing device of their time.
• Examples UNIVersal Automatic Computer (UNIVAC), Electronic Numerical Integrator And
Calculator (ENIAC), and Electronic Discrete Variable Automatic Computer (EDVAC).
2nd Generation: Transistors
The second generation computers used magnetic core technology for primary memory. They used magnetic tapes and magnetic disks for secondary storage. The input was still through punched cards and the output using printouts. They used the concept of a stored program, where instructions were stored in the memory of computer.
• (1956 to 1963)
• Software Technology The instructions were written using the assembly language
• Computing Characteristics The computation time was in microseconds.
• Physical Appearance Transistors are smaller in size compared to vacuum tubes, thus, the size of the computer was also reduced.
• Application The cost of commercial production of these computers was very high, though less than the first generation computers. The transistors had to be assembled manually in second generation computers.
• Examples PDP-8, IBM 1401 and CDC 1604
3rd Generation: Integrated Circuits
In an IC chip, multiple transistors are placed on a silicon chip. Silicon is a type of semiconductor. The use of IC chip increased the speed and the efficiency of computer, manifold. The keyboard and monitor were used to interact with the third generation computer, instead of the punched card and printouts
• (1964 to 1971)
• Software Technology The keyboard and the monitor were interfaced through the operating system. Operating system allowed different applications to run at the same time. High-level languages were used extensively for programming, instead of machine language and assembly language.
• Computing Characteristics The computation time was in nanoseconds.
• Physical Appearance The size of these computers was quite small compared to the second generation computers.
• Application Computers became accessible to mass audience. Computers were produced
commercially, and were smaller and cheaper than their predecessors.
• Examples IBM 370, PDP 11.
4th Generation: Microprocessors
They use the Large Scale Integration (LSI) and the Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI) technology. Thousands of transistors are integrated on a small silicon chip using LSI technology. VLSI allows hundreds of thousands of components to be integrated in a small chip.
• (1971 to present)
• Software Technology Several new operating systems like the MS-DOS and MS-Windows developed during this time. This generation of computers supported Graphical User Interface (GUI). GUI is a user-friendly interface that allows user to interact with the computer via menus and icons. High-level programming languages are used for the writing of programs.
• Computing Characteristics The computation time is in picoseconds.
• Physical Appearance They are smaller than the computers of the previous generation. Some can even fit into the palm of the hand.
• Application They became widely available for commercial purposes. Personal computers became available to the home user.
• Examples The Intel 4004 chip was the first microprocessor. The components of the computer like Central Processing Unit (CPU) and memory were located on a single chip. In 1981, IBM introduced the first computer for home use. In 1984, Apple introduced the Macintosh.
5th Generation: Artificial Intelligence (AI)
[AI? diba artista yun? Si AI de las alas?]
The fifth generation computers are based on Artificial Intelligence (AI). They try to simulate the human way of thinking and reasoning. Artificial Intelligence includes areas like Expert System (ES), Natural Language Processing (NLP), speech recognition, voice recognition, robotics, etc.
The goal of fifth generation computing is to develop computers that are capable of learning and self-organization. The fifth generation computers use Super Large Scale Integrated (SLSI) chips that are able to store millions of components on a single chip. These computers have large memory requirements.
This generation of computers uses parallel processing that allows several instructions to be executed in parallel, instead of serial execution. Parallel processing results in faster processing speed. The Intel dual-core microprocessor uses parallel processing.
[credits to Sir Tom's slides and to Google Images ^^^]
