GENERATI

ONSOFCOMPUTERS:
Fi
rstGener
ati
on:Vacuum Tubes 
(1940-
1956)

Vacuum t
ubesf
orci
rcui
tr
yand 
magnet
icdr
ums 
formemor
yar
eusedi
nthi
sgener
ati
onComput
ersandwer
esuchahugei
nsi
ze,
whi
chmay

cov
erent
ir
eroom.Thesecomput
erswer
ever
yexpensi
vet
ooper
ateandi
naddi
ti
ont
ousi
ngagr
eatdeal
ofel
ect
ri
ci
ty,
thef
ir
stcomput
ers

gener
atedal
otofheat
,whi
chwasof
tent
hecauseofmal
funct
ions.
Progr
ammi
ngar
edonei
nMachi
neLanguage(
oft
encal
l
edBi
nar
y

Language)t
hel
owest
-l
evel
progr
ammi
ngl
anguagewhi
chcanonl
ybeunder
stoodbycomput
erst
oper
for
m Basi
coper
ati
onsoneatat
ime.

PunchCar
dsar
eusedt
otakei
nputandout
puti
sgi
veni
nPr
intf
orm.I
tsMemor
ySi
zei
sonl
y20By
teswhi
chi
stosmal
li
nsi
zeandi
ts

f
unct
ioni
ngspeedi
sabout5Mbpswhi
chshowsi
tssowPr
ocessi
ng.
Exampl
esofFi
rstGener
ati
onComput
ers:
 UNI
VAC(
Uni
ver
sal
Aut
omat
icComput
er)

 ENI
AC(
Elect
ri
cNumer
ical
Int
egr
ater&Cal
cul
ator
)

 EDVAC(
Elect
roni
cDi
scr
eteVar
iabl
eAut
omat
icComput
er)

SecondGener
ati
on:Tr
ansi
stor
s (
1956-
1963)

Thecr
eat
ionofTr
ansi
stor
sspar
kedt
hepr
oduct
ionofSecondGener
ati
on’
sinComput
ers.I
nSecondGener
ati
on 
Transi
stor
srepl
aces

Vacuum t
ubesusedi
nFi
rstGener
ati
on’
scomput
ers.TheTr
ansi
storwasi
nvent
edatBel
lLabsi
n1947i
sav
erysmal
ldev
iceusedt
otr
ansf
er

el
ect
roni
csi
gnal
sacr
ossar
esi
stor
. 
Thet
ransi
storwasf
arsuper
iort
othev
acuum t
ube,
all
owi
ngcomput
erst
obecomesmal
l
er,
fast
er,

cheaper
,mor
eener
gy-
eff
ici
entandmor
erel
i
abl
ethant
hei
rfi
rst
-gener
ati
onpr
edecessor
s.Thought
het
ransi
storst
il
lgener
atedagr
eatdeal

ofheatt
hatsubj
ect
edt
hecomput
ert
odamage,
itwasav
asti
mpr
ovementov
ert
hev
acuum t
ube.Second-
gener
ati
oncomput
ersst
il
lrel
i
ed
onpunchedcar
dsf
ori
nputandpr
int
out
sforout
put
.Pr
ogr
ammi
ngi
sdonei
nbot
hMachi
neLanguage&Assembl
yLanguage.
Memor
ysi
ze

andspeedoft
hisgener
ati
oni
sst
il
ll
owabout32by
tesand10Mbpsr
espect
ivel
y.
Exampl
esofSecondGener
ati
onComput
ers:
 ATLAS

 Cont
rol
Dat
a3600

Thi
rdGener
ati
on:I
ntegr
atedCi
rcui
ts 
(1964-
1971)

Thedev
elopmentofI
ntegr
atedCi
rcui
ts(
IC’
s)i
n1961 
wast
hehal
l
mar
koft
het
hir
dgener
ati
onofcomput
ers.I
C’swer
efor
medby

mi
niat
uri
zi
ngt
het
ransi
stor
sandpl
aci
ngt
hem onsi
l
iconchi
pscal
l
ed 
Semi
conduct
ors,
whi
chdr
ast
ical
l
yincr
easedt
hespeedandef
fi
ci
ency

ofcomput
ers.

I
nst
eadofpunchedcar
dsandpr
int
out
s,user
sint
eract
edwi
tht
hir
dgener
ati
oncomput
erst
hrough key
boar
ds,
moni
tor
s

and 
i
nter
facedwi
thOper
ati
ngSy
stem whi
chal
l
owedt
hedev
icet
orunmanydi
ff
erent
 appl
i
cat
ions 
atonet
imewi
thacent
ral
progr
am t
hat

moni
tor
edt
hememor
y.Comput
ersf
ort
hef
ir
stt
imebecameaccessi
blet
oamassaudi
encebecauset
heywer
esmal
l
erandcheapert
han

t
hei
rpr
edecessor
s.

St
orage-
Disksar
eusedf
orSt
ori
ngdat
a.
Exampl
esofThi
rdGener
ati
onComput
ers:
 I
BM 360Ser
ies
 I
CL-
1900ser
ious
 Honey
wel
lModel316

Four
thGener
ati
on:Mi
cropr
ocessor
s (
1971-
PresentDay
)
I
ntel
creat
edf
ir
stMi
cropr
ocessor(
4004chi
p)i
n1971whi
ch 
broughtt
hef
our
thgener
ati
onofcomput
ers,
ast
housandsofi
ntegr
atedci
rcui
ts

wer
ebui
l
tont
oasi
ngl
esi
l
iconchi
p.AMi
cropr
ocessori
saspeci
ali
zedchi
pwhi
chi
sdev
elopedf
orcomput
ermemor
yandl
ogi
c.As

compar
edt
ofi
rstgener
ati
oncomput
erswhi
chf
il
ledanent
ir
eroom coul
dnowf
iti
nthepal
m ofourhand.Thi
sgener
ati
onbr
ingsadr
ast
ic

changei
ntheGener
ati
onsofComput
ers.
Dif
fer
entt
ypesofSecondar
ymemor
ywi
thhi
ghst
oragecapaci
ty(
upt
oTer
aBy
tes)andf
astaccess

waspossi
ble.

Pr
ogr
ammi
ngi
sdonei
nHi
gh-
Lev
elLanguagesl
i
kePy
thon,
Jav
a,C,
C++et
c.Four
thGener
ati
oncomput
ersar
epor
tabl
e.Ast
hesesmal
l

comput
ersbecamemor
epower
ful
,theycoul
dbel
i
nkedt
oget
hert
ofor
m net
wor
ks,
whi
chev
ent
ual
l
yledt
othedev
elopmentoft
heI
nter
net
.

Four
thgener
ati
oncomput
ersal
sosawt
hedev
elopmentof
 GUI
’
s,Mouse,
Handl
edDev
iceset
c.
Exampl
esofFour
thGener
ati
onComput
ers:
 Pent
ium
 Del
lLapt
op
 Appl
eMaci
ntosh

Fi
ft
hGener
ati
on:Ar
ti
fi
cialI
ntel
li
gence 
(Pr
esentDay&Bey
ond)

TheFi
ft
h Gener
ati
on

Comput
ersar
etechnol
ogi
cal
l
yadv
anceandar
est
il
lbei
ngdev
elopedt
obecomemor
eef
fi
ci
ent
.BasedonAr
ti
fi
ci
alI
ntel
l
igencet
her
ear
e

someappl
i
cat
ions,
suchas 
voi
cer
ecogni
ti
ont
hatar
ebei
ngusedt
oday
.Theuseof
 par
all
elpr
ocessi
ngandsuper
conduct
orsi
shel
pingt
o

makear
ti
fi
cial
int
ell
i
gencear
eal
i
ty.Quant
um Comput
ati
on 
andmol
ecul
arand 
nanot
echnol
ogywi
l
lradi
cal
l
ychanget
hef
aceofcomput
ersi
n

comi
ngy
ear
s.Thegoal
ofFi
ft
h-Gener
ati
onComput
ersi
stodev
elopsuchdev
icest
hatr
espondt
onat
ural
languagesasi
nputandar
ecapabl
e

ofl
ear
ningandsel
f-
organi
zat
ion.
Exampl
esofFi
ft
hGener
ati
onComput
ers:
 Robot
s
 Robot
icDev
ices