The 5 generations of computers

Generations of computers
The history of computer development is often
referred to in reference to the different
generations of computing devices.
Each generation of computer is characterized by
a major technological development that
fundamentally changed the way computers
operate, resulting in increasingly smaller,
cheaper, more powerful and more efficient and
reliable devices.
 ZEROETH GENERATION
• Man used his fingers, ropes, beads, bones,
pebbles and other objects for counting.
•Abacus, Pascaline, Difference & Anylitical
engines.
•Electricity was not yet invented.
First Generation (1940-1956) Vacuum
Tubes
• The first computers used vacuum tubes for
circuitry and magnetic drums for memory, and
were often enormous, taking up entire rooms.
• They were very expensive to operate and in
addition to using a great deal of electricity,
generated a lot of heat, which was often the
cause of malfunctions.
 FIRST GENERATION-(1940-1956)
• First generation computers relied on machine
language, the lowest-level programming
language understood by computers, to
perform operations, and they could only solve
one problem at a time.
• Input was based on punched cards and paper
tape, and output was displayed on printouts.
 FIRST GENERATION,
1940 – 1956: The Vacuum Tube
• The first generation of computers, characterized by
vacuum tubes, started in 1951 with the creation of -
UNIVAC (Universal Automatic Computer) – a tabulating
machine which won the contest for the fastest
machine which could count the US 1890 census.

VACUUM TUBES – electronic tubes about the size of light

bulbs.
• The UNIVAC and ENIAC computers are
examples of first-generation computing
devices.
• The UNIVAC was the first commercial
computer delivered to a business client, the
U.S. Census Bureau in 1951.
DISADVANTAGES:

• They generate more heat causing

many problems in temperature
regulation and climate control.
• Tubes were subject to frequent burn-
out.
 SECOND GENERATION,
1959 – 1964: The Transistor
The year 1959 marked the invention of transistors,
which characterized the second generation of
computers.
TRANSISTOR – was a three-legged component
which shrunk the size of the first generation
computers. Occupied only 1/100th of the space
occupied by a vacuum tube
More reliable, had greater computational speed,
required no warm-up time and consumed far less
electricity.
 Second Generation (1959-1964) Transistors
•Transistors replaced vacuum tubes and ushered in the
second generation of computers.
•The transistor was invented in 1947 but did not see
widespread use in computers until the late 1950s.
• The transistor was far superior to the vacuum tube,
allowing computers to become smaller, faster, cheaper,
more energy-efficient and more reliable than their first-
generation predecessors.
•Though the transistor still generated a great deal of heat
that subjected the computer to damage, it was a vast
improvement over the vacuum tube.
•Second-generation computers still relied on punched
cards for input and printouts for output.
• Second-generation computers moved from cryptic
binary machine language to symbolic, or assembly,
languages, which allowed programmers to specify
instructions in words.
• High-level programming languages were also being
developed at this time, such as early versions of
COBOL and FORTRAN. These were also the first
computers that stored their instructions in their
memory, which moved from a magnetic drum to
magnetic core technology.
• The first computers of this generation were
developed for the atomic energy industry.
 THIRD GENERATION,
1965 – 1970: The Integrated Circuit
Third generation computers arose in 1965 with
the invention of smaller electronic circuits
called integrated circuits (IC’S)
INTEGRATED CIRCUITS – are square silicon chips
containing circuitry that can perform the
functions of hundreds of transistors.
 Third Generation (1965-1970)
Integrated Circuits
• The development of the integrated circuit was
the hallmark of the third generation of
computers. Transistors were miniaturized and
placed on silicon chips, called semiconductors,
which drastically increased the speed and
efficiency of computers.
• Instead of punched cards and printouts, users
interacted with third generation computers
through keyboards and monitors and interfaced
with an operating system, which allowed the
device to run many different applications at one
time with a central program that monitored the
memory. Computers for the first time became
accessible to a mass audience because they were
smaller and cheaper than their predecessors.
ADVANTAGES:

• RELIABILITY – Unlike vacuum tubes,

silicon will not break down easily. It is
very seldom that you will have to replace
it.
• LOW COST – Silicon chips are relatively
cheap because of their small size and
availability in the market. It also
consumes less electricity.
 FOURTH GENERATION,
1971 – present: The Microprocessor
• Marked by the use of microprocessor
• MICROPROCESSOR – is a silicon chip that
contains the CPU – part of the computer where
all processing takes place.
4004 chip – was the first microprocessor
introduced by Intel Corporation.
 Fourth Generation (1971-Present)
Microprocessors
• The microprocessor brought the fourth
generation of computers, as thousands of
integrated circuits were built onto a single
silicon chip. What in the first generation
filled an entire room could now fit in the
palm of the hand. The Intel 4004 chip,
developed in 1971, located all the
components of the computer—from the
central processing unit and memory to
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.
• Microprocessors also moved out of the realm
of desktop computers and into many areas of
life as more and more everyday products
began to use microprocessors.
• As these small computers became more
powerful, they could be linked together to
form networks, which eventually led to the
development of the Internet.
• Fourth generation computers also saw the
development of GUIs, the mouse and
handheld devices.
 TODAY’S COMPUTER
• is classified as fourth generation computers.
• faster, more powerful, tremendous data
storage and processing capacity
• new brands and models would come out the
market almost every other month.
• many clones or imitations of the IBM have
become even more powerful and a lot
cheaper.
• computers became more affordable
• computers can now be found in homes, schools,
offices etc.
• there has been a tremendous improvement in
software technology
• different software applications to choose from:
word processing, spreadsheets, database
management, games and entertainment.
• computer subjects are now being offered not just to
college students but even to high school and
elementary.
• computers are now used as an aid in teaching math,
science etc.
 Fifth Generation (Present and
Beyond) Artificial Intelligence
• Fifth generation computing devices, based on
artificial intelligence, are still in development, though
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.
• The goal of fifth-generation computing is to develop
devices that respond to natural language input and
are capable of learning and self-organization.
Thanks