GENERATIONS OF COMPUTERS

• Generation in computer terminology is a change in technology a computer is/was being used. 
• There are FIVE generations of computer:

• FIRST GENERATION OF COMPUTERS:
• The period of first generation was 1946-1959.
• The computers of first generation used vacuum tubes as the basic components for memory and circuitry for CPU (Central Processing Unit).
• These tubes, like electric bulbs, produced a lot of heat and were prone to frequent fusing of the installations, therefore, were very expensive and could be afforded only by very large organizations. 
• In this generation mainly batch processing operating systems were used.
•  Punched cards, paper tape, and magnetic tape were used as input and output devices. 
• The computers in this generation used machine code as programming language.

Main Features of first generation of computers:

• Vacuum tube technology
• Unreliable
• Supported machine language only
• Very costly
• Generated lot of heat
• Slow input and output devices
• Huge size
• Need of A.C.
• Non-portable
• Consumed lot of electricity

Some computers of this generation are:

ENIAC

EDVAC

UNIVAC

IBM-701

IBM-650

SECOND GENERATION OF COMPUTERS

• The period of second generation was 1959-1965. 
• In this generation transistors were used that were cheaper, consumed less power, more compact in size, more reliable and faster than the first generation machines made of vacuum tubes. 
• In this generation, magnetic cores were used as primary memory and magnetic tape and magnetic disks as secondary storage devices. 
• In this generation assembly language and high-level programming languages like FORTRAN, COBOL were used. 
• The computers used batch processing and multiprogramming operating system.

MAIN FEATURES OF SECOND GENERATION ARE:

THIRD GENERATION OF COMPTERS

• The period of third generation was 1965-1971. 
• The computers of third generation used integrated circuits (IC's) in place of transistors. 
• A single IC has many transistors, resistors and capacitors along with the associated circuitry. 
• The IC was invented by Jack Kilby. 
• This development made computers smaller in size, reliable and efficient. 
• In this generation remote processing, time-sharing, multi-programming operating system were used. 
• High-level languages (FORTRAN-II TO IV, COBOL, PASCAL PL/1, BASIC, ALGOL-68 etc.) were used during this generation.

SOME MAIN FEATURES OF THIRD GENERATION:

FOURTH GENERATION OF COMPUTERS:

• The period of fourth generation was 1971-1980. 
• The computers of fourth generation used 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. 
• Fourth generation computers became more powerful, compact, reliable, and affordable. As a result, it gave rise to personal computer (PC) revolution. 
• In this generation time sharing, real time, networks, distributed operating system were used. 
• All the high-level languages like C, C++, DBASE etc., were used in this generation.

SOME MAIN FEATURES OF FOURTH GENERATION OF COMPUTERS

FIFTH GENERATION OF COMPUTERS

• The period of fifth generation is 1980-till date. 
• In the fifth generation, the VLSI technology became ULSI (Ultra Large Scale Integration) technology, resulting in the production of microprocessor chips having ten million electronic components. 
• This generation is based on parallel processing hardware and AI (Artificial Intelligence) software. 
• AI is an emerging branch in computer science, which interprets means and method of making computers think like human beings. 
• All the high-level languages like C and C++, Java, .Net etc., are used in this generation.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) includes:

• Robotics
• Neural Networks
• Game Playing
• Development of expert systems to make decisions in real life situations.
• Natural language understanding and generation.

FEATURES OF FIFTH GENERATION OF COMPUTERS

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