GENERATIONS OF COMPUTER__ 1. First Generation (1946-1959) : In first generation vaccum tubes were used for circuitry and magnetic drums for memory. They used the "Stored Program Concept" and they were very large in size taking up the entire rooms and generating a lot of heat. Machine languages were used for giving the instructions. Examples: ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator And Calculator) was the first electronic computer developed. EDVAC: Electronic Discrete Variable Automatic Computer EDSAC: Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Computer UNIVAC-I: The Universal Automatic Computer 2. Second Generation (1959-1965) : This generation using the transistor were cheaper, consumed less power, more compact in size, more reliable and faster than thefirst generation machines made of vaccum 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 language like FORTRAN, COBOL were used. There were Batch processing and Multiprogramming Operating system used. Examples: IBM 1620,IBM 7094, CDC 1604, CDC 3600, UNIVAC 1108 3. Third Generation (1965-1971) : The development of the integrated circuit(I.C) was the hallmark of the third generation of computers. A single I.C has many transistors, resistors and capacitors along with the associated circuitry. The I.C was invented by Jack Kilby. This development made computers smaller in size, reliable and efficient. In this generation Remote processing, Time- sharing, Real-time, Multi-programming Operating System were used. High level language (FORTRAN-II TO IV, COBOL, PASCAL PL/1, BASIC, ALGOL-68 etc.) were used during this generation. Examples: IBM-360 series, Honeywell-6000 series, PDP(Personal Data Processor) 4. Fourth Generation (1971-1980) : Medium scale integrated circuits yieldedto Large Scale Integration (LSI) and Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI) circuits. It led to the advent of microprocessor (CPU on a single chip) and marked the beginning of the fourth generation computers. Semi conductor memories replaced magnetic core memories. The cost of computer came down so rapidly. The accessing and processing speeds and increased memory capacity helped in development of much more powerful operating systems. Examples: DEC 10, STAR 1000, PDP 11, CRAY-1(Super Computer), CRAY-X-MP(Super Computer) 5. Fifth Generation (1980-Present) : 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 generationis 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 Higher level languages like C and C++, Java, .Net etc. are used in this generation. Examples: Desktop, Laptop, NoteBook, UltraBook, ChromeBook. L.M.
Posted on: Tue, 20 Aug 2013 05:04:10 +0000
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