GENERATION OF COMPUTERS in English :Five generation of computer
The development of electronic computers can be divided into tive generations depending upon the technologies used. Each generation has its individual characteristics.
First Generation (1940-1956) The first generation of computers used vacuum tubes as circuits and magnetie drums for memory. These tubes produced a lot of heat and were prone to frequent fusing of the installations and therefore, were very expensive and could be afforded only by large organisations. The input to the computer was through punched cards and paper tapes. The output was displayed as printouts. These computers relied on 'machine language' (which is in the form of '0' and 1). These computers were limited to solving one problem at a time.
Second Generation (1956-1963) Transistors replaced the vacuum tubes of the first generation of computers. Transistors allowed computers to become smaller, faster, cheaper, energy efficient and reliable. They were superior to the vacuum tubes. They still relied on punched card for input/ outputs. In this generation, assembly language and high level programming language like FORTRAN, COBOL were used.
Third Generation (1964 - 1971) The Third generation computers used the integrated circuits IC). In an IC chip, multiple transistors are placed on a silicon chip. Silicon is a type of semiconductor. These were the first computers where users interacted using keyboards and monitors which interfaced with an operating system. This development made computers much more smaller in size, reliable and efficient. High level languages (FORTRAN-II TO N. COBOL, PASCAL PL/1, BASIC, ALGOL-68, etc.) were used during this generation.
Fourth Generation (1972 – 1990) The fourth generation of computers is marked by the use of Very Large Scale Integrated (VLSI) circuits. VLSI circuits having about 5000 transistors and other circuit elements and their associated circuits on a single chip made it possible to have microcomputers of fourth generation. The increased power of these small computers meant they could be linked, creating networks which ultimately led to the development, birth and rapid evolution of the Internet. Other major advances during this period have been the emergence of Graphical user interface (GUI), the mouse-the latest advancement in hand-held devices.
Fifth Generation Computers (1990 onwards) Fifth generation computers are in developmental stage which is based on the artificial intelligence (AI). The goal of the fifth generation is to develop a device which could respond to natural language input and are capable of learning and self-organization. The fifth generation computers will use super large scale integrated chips. These computers aim to be able to solve highly complex problems including decision making and logical reasoning. Al includes:
First Generation (1940-1956) The first generation of computers used vacuum tubes as circuits and magnetie drums for memory. These tubes produced a lot of heat and were prone to frequent fusing of the installations and therefore, were very expensive and could be afforded only by large organisations. The input to the computer was through punched cards and paper tapes. The output was displayed as printouts. These computers relied on 'machine language' (which is in the form of '0' and 1). These computers were limited to solving one problem at a time.
Second Generation (1956-1963) Transistors replaced the vacuum tubes of the first generation of computers. Transistors allowed computers to become smaller, faster, cheaper, energy efficient and reliable. They were superior to the vacuum tubes. They still relied on punched card for input/ outputs. In this generation, assembly language and high level programming language like FORTRAN, COBOL were used.
Third Generation (1964 - 1971) The Third generation computers used the integrated circuits IC). In an IC chip, multiple transistors are placed on a silicon chip. Silicon is a type of semiconductor. These were the first computers where users interacted using keyboards and monitors which interfaced with an operating system. This development made computers much more smaller in size, reliable and efficient. High level languages (FORTRAN-II TO N. COBOL, PASCAL PL/1, BASIC, ALGOL-68, etc.) were used during this generation.
Fourth Generation (1972 – 1990) The fourth generation of computers is marked by the use of Very Large Scale Integrated (VLSI) circuits. VLSI circuits having about 5000 transistors and other circuit elements and their associated circuits on a single chip made it possible to have microcomputers of fourth generation. The increased power of these small computers meant they could be linked, creating networks which ultimately led to the development, birth and rapid evolution of the Internet. Other major advances during this period have been the emergence of Graphical user interface (GUI), the mouse-the latest advancement in hand-held devices.
Fifth Generation Computers (1990 onwards) Fifth generation computers are in developmental stage which is based on the artificial intelligence (AI). The goal of the fifth generation is to develop a device which could respond to natural language input and are capable of learning and self-organization. The fifth generation computers will use super large scale integrated chips. These computers aim to be able to solve highly complex problems including decision making and logical reasoning. Al includes:
- Robotics
- Neural networks
- Game playing
- Development of expert systems to make decisions in real-life situations
- Natural language understanding and generation
