The Generation of Computers
- converge news and media
- Aug 16, 2020
- 2 min read
Updated: Jan 18, 2021
By Karen Linn
Over many decades since computers were initially created, they have also developed and evolved significantly. Years ago, computers did not perform the same way as they do now. As time progresses, innovations are being made, resulting in computers performing much faster than before. There are currently five generations of computers.
Dating back to the first generation computers from 1940 to 1956, computers had a relatively larger size compared to the sizes of computers we have in our current day. For memory in these computers, these computers used vacuum tubes as magnetic drums and circuitry. So, as many of us already know, there are very minimal resemblances in our computers today. In addition, the first generation of computers frequently overheated because of the immense amount of heat they produced. This was due to the fact that vacuum tubes were large in size and took up a lot of space, and the materials being used also resulted in heat being generated. Machine learning, also known as the basic programming language, was used in the first generation computers.
From 1956 to 1963, people were introduced to second-generation computers. This generation of computers replaced vacuum tubes with transistors. This enabled less heat being generated and the use of electricity was also reduced. Compared to the first generation of computers, the second generation computers were faster, and the size of the computers reduced to a smaller size. There was also core memory developed by transistor computers and was used alongside magnetic storage. Evolving from the first generation, the programming language used developed into symbolic languages, which allowed programmers to create instructions in words. Furthermore, other early versions of programming languages such as COBOL and FORTRAN were developed.
The third generation of computers from 1964 to 1971, had an increase in speed, resulting from now being put on silicon chips, also called semiconductors. Besides the fact that this increased the speed of computers, it also made them smaller than before and less expensive. In this generation of computers, people could now use keyboards and monitors, which was an upgrade from punch cards and printouts.
In the fourth generation from 1972 to 2010, there was a significant impact on computers. The Intel 4004 chip was developed, thus resulting in all computer components, such as memory and input/output controls, to be placed into a single chip. Additionally, transistors could also be placed on a single circuit chip. In 1981, the home-use computer (IBM) was invented. By 1984, Apple introduced Macintosh. Many other advancements were also made, such as Graphical user interface (GUI), the mouse, laptops, and devices that could be handheld.
In the fifth generation, artificial intelligence is in development but is also seen to emerge in technologies. In fact, there have already been technologies that have artificial intelligence. We may also expect even faster computers and technology in the near future, along with more advanced technology.
Computers and technology, in general, will continue to gradually evolve and develop efficiently in the fifth generation and beyond. Without a doubt, technology has advanced in an extremely significant way and allows users to have a faster experience with computers and other forms of technology.
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