Generations of Computers
"Generation" in computer talk is a step in technology.It provides a framework(structure)for the growth of computer industry.It was used to distinguish between various hardware and software technologies in the development of computer i.e. due to technological advancement;different changes have come in computer system.Till today,there are five computer generations.The following segment discuss about "generation of computer".
1.First Generation(1942-1955):
The first generation period was 1942-1955.This generation computers used vacuum tubes as the main electronic components responsible for processing of data.These computers were physically large in size and required large room for installation.
Magnetic Drums were used for memory.These computers produced large amount of heat due to large consumption of electricity.
Input was based on punched cards and paper tape.
Example: UNI-VAC and ENIAC computer.
2.Second Generation(1955-1964):
The period of second generation was 1955-1964.This generation computer used Transistors in place of vacuum tubes.They were much smaller in size and required lesser space for installation.
Magnetic tapes were used as secondary storage.They were about 10 times faster than the first generation computer.High level languages were used to instruct the computers for performing various tasks.
3.Third Generation(1964-1975):
The period of third generation was 1964-1975.Integrated Circuits (IC's) were used instead of vacuum tubes and transistors.The size of these computers was smaller than the earlier computers.
Magnetic disk used for external storage and storage space available in these computers was much more than earlier computers.
Development of standardized high level languages like PASCAL,BASIC etc.
4.Forth Generation(1975-1989):
The period of fourth generation was 1975-1989.In this generation, high speed Microprocessors were used.Millions of electronic components were integrated on a single microprocessor chip.They were much smaller and cheaper than third generation computers.
They had faster and larger primary and secondary storage as compared to third generation computer.Use of high-level languages allowed program to be transferred from one computer to another.
5.Fifth Generation(1989-Present):
Fifth generation computers are several times more powerful than fourth generation.This generation computers, based on Artificial Intelligence are still in development.They consume less power than earlier computers.
They have faster and larger primary and secondary storage as compared to previous generation computers.