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How many generations of computer
Computer is developing from its birth till today. During this, the computer has come out of the vacuum tube and has reached Artificial Intelligence. And he is leaving the room and sitting in his hand. He has achieved this progress in the last 70-80 years.
This development period of computer is called Computer Generations. As the computer hardware and software changed. Accordingly, Computer Generations were determined. Till now 5 generations of computer – 5 Generations of Computer, have been determined.
In this article we will give you complete information about Computer Generations. And will also tell the characteristics of each generation of computers and the names of some computers.
First generation of computer
The beginning of the first generation of computers has been considered since 1946. Because at this time two great people J.P. Eckert and J.W. Mauchy created the first electronic device based on a vacuum tube. Vacuum Tube was invented in 1904 by John Ambrose Fleming. This vacuum tube was used in the first generation computers.
Punch Cards, Paper Tap and Magnetic Tap were used as input devices and output devices. Machine language was used as a programming language in the first generation computers. And Magnetic Drums were used for memory.
Features of first generation computer
- based on vacuum tube
- Use of magnetic drums for storage
- Used for punch cards input and output
- too big and heavy
- use of machine language
- AC needed
- very expensive and not reliable
- need constant maintenance
Names of some first generation computers
- ENIAC – Electronic Numeric Integrated and Calculator
- EDVAC
- UNIVAC
- IBM-701
- IBM-650
Second generation of computer
The time period of the second generation of computers is considered to be 1956-63. In this generation of computers, transistors were used in place of vacuum tubes. The transistor was invented in 1947 by William Shockely.
Now Primary and Secondary Memory started being used in computers. And they started supporting Assembly and High-Level Programming Language. And they started using Multi-Programming Operating Systems.
Features of second generation computers
- Based on Transistor
- Use of Magnetic Core and Tap for Memory
- FORTON, COBOL LANGUAGES USED
- still big and heavy
- AC needed for cooling
- specific use
- Increase in Processing Speed
- Requires less energy than first generation
Names of some computers of second generation
- Honeywell 400
- IBM 7094
- CDC 1604
- CDC 3000 Series
- UNIVAC 1108
- IBM 1400 Series
- MARK III
Third generation of computer
The period of the third generation of computers is considered to be 1964-71. The computers of this generation were based on IC – Integrated Circuit. IC was invented by an engineer Jack Kilby. A single IC contained many transistors, resistors, capacitors.
The invention of IC made the size of the computer very small. Now they could be easily transported from one place to another. And the use of Multi-Programming OS and High-Level Programming Languages improved further.
Features of third generation computer
- based on IC
- small in size and low in weight
- more reliable and expensive
- lack of maintenance
- Use of BASIC, COBOL, FORTON, PASCAL, ALGOL
- AC needed at low energy consumption
- Using Mouse and Keyboard
- Processing faster than other generations
- Made possible to use for General Purpose
- increase in efficiency
Names of some third generation computers
- PDP-8
- PDP-11
- ICL 2900
- IBM 360 Series
- Honeywell 6000 Series
- TDC-B16
Fourth generation of computer
The beginning of the fourth generation of computers is considered to be from 1971. And the time till 1980 is considered for the fourth generation. During this IC was further developed. At this time about 5000 transistors could come in ICs. And its efficiency was equal to 3,00,00 transistors.
These ICs were called VLSI – Very Large Scale Integrated Circuit. This technology read the foundation of Microcomputer, because Micro Processors were being used at this time. This time brought computer revolution and the computer reached the common man.
Fourth generation computers run on Microprocessor. And at this time GUI-Graphical User Interface was developed. And Windows, Mac OS was created. It was during this time that companies like Microsoft and Apple started. And today they are present.
Features of fourth generation computer
- Based on VLSI Based Microprocessors
- Use of GUI Based OS
- Faster, Reliable and Pure
- very small and light in size
- access to the Internet
- access to common man
- No need for AC, use of Fan
- Use of languages like C, C++, .net
- less expensive
Names of some fourth generation computers
- IBM 4341
- DEC 10
- STAR 1000
- PUP 11
- Macintosh
- PCs
Fifth Generation of Computer
The device you are reading this article on. It is the fifth generation computer. The time period of the fifth generation is considered to be from 1980 till today. During this period ULSI – Ultra Large Scale Integrated Circuit Based Microprocessors started being used in computers. Due to which they have become very fast and small. Because one crore electronic components can come in a ULSI Based Microprocessor.
Fifth generation computers are being made to think like us humans. For which technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things, Robotics etc. are being developed and used continuously.
Today’s computers are the size of a hand clock and are also less expensive. Which almost everyone can buy. Today computers have reached every person in the world in some form.
Features of fifth generation computer
- Based on ULSI Based Microprocessor
- Lightweight, cheap, reliable and fast
- more pure, easier to use
- Use of GUI based OS
- Using Multimedia, Touchscreen, Web, Voice Control
- negligible maintenance
- low energy use
- Using C, C++, Java, .net, ASP
- development of artificial intelligence
- Evolution of the Internet of Things
Names of some fifth generation computers
- Desktop PCs
- Macbooks
- Laptops
- Notebooks
- Ultrabooks
- Chromebooks
- iPhone
- iWatch
What have you learned
In this article, we have given you complete information about Computer Generations. You know how the computer developed from the first generation to the fifth generation. We hope that this article will prove useful to you and you will like it.