A generation refers to the state of improvement in the development of system. Computers are built of electromechanical, before generation. Each generation of computer is characterised by a major technological development that fundamentally changed the way, computers operate.
|
Generation |
Switching |
Storage Device/Speed |
Operating System |
Characteristics |
Applications |
|
First (1940-56) |
Vacuum tubes |
Magnetic drums (333 micro seconds) |
Batch operating system (Machine language (Binary number 0’s and 1’s) |
ü
Fastest computing device. ü
Generate large amount of
heat. ü
Non-portable. |
ü
Used for scientific purpose
e.g. ENIAC, UNIVAC, MARK-1, etc. |
|
Second (1956-63) |
Transistors (Made up of semiconductor) |
Magnetic core technology (10 micro seconds) |
Time sharing OS, Multitasking OS (Assembly language, high level language) |
ü More reliable and less prone to hardware failure. ü Portable and generate less amount of heat. |
ü Used for commercial production e.g. PDP-8, IBM-1401, etc. |
|
Third (1964-71) |
Third (1964-71) Integrated Circuits (ICs) (Made up of silicon) |
Magnetic core as primary storage medium (100 nano seconds) |
Real-time system (High level language (FORTRAN, COBOL, ALGOL)) |
ü
Consumed less power. ü
Highly sophisticated technology
required. |
ü
Database management system e.g.
NCR-395, B6500, etc. |
|
Fourth (1971-80) |
Large Scale Integrated (LSI) circuit microprocessor |
Semi conductor memory, Winchester disc (300 nano seconds) |
Time sharing, GUI interface (PASCAL, ADA, COBOL-74, FORTRAN IV) |
ü More reliable and portable. ü This generation leads to better communication and resource
sharing ü Distributed system, e.g. Intel 4004 chip, Macintosh. |
ü Distributed system, e.g. Intel 4004 chip, Macintosh. |
|
Fifth (Present and Beyond) |
Super Large Scale Integrated (SLSI) chips |
Optical disc |
Knowledge Information Processing System |
ü
Parallel processing. ü
Intel core microprocessor is
implemented. ü
Enables mega chips. |
ü
Artificial intelligence e.g.
Robotics |
Tit-Bits
■
Siddhartha was the first computer developed in India.
■
Alan Turing is known as the father of the modern computer.
■
John Von Neumann was introduced
first architecture of computer in the year 1948.
■
Transistors
were invented by Bell Laboratory.
■
In 1958, Jack St. Clair Kilby and Robert Noyce invented the first IC.
■
In latest generation computers,
the instructions are executed parallel as well as sequential.
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