ADDIS ABABA SCIENCE & TCHNOLOGY

UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF ELECTRICAL AND MECHANICAL
ENGINEERING
INTRODUCTION TO SOFTWARE ENGINEERING AND
COMPUTING
(SWEG 2101)

EVOLUTION OF COMPUTERS & GENERATIONS

OF COMPUTERS
WRITTEN BY:
YOHANNES TESHOME – ETS 0702/12

SECTION: G

Submitted To:

Ms. Tarikwa
 Due Date: 11.08.2013 E.C

Evolution of Computers
The computer was born not for entertainment or email but out of a need to solve a serious number-crunching
crisis. Although computers seem like a relatively modern invention, computing dates back to the early 1600s.
Today, we carry more computing power on our smartphones than was available in these early models.
Throughout computing history, there has not been a lone inventor or a single first computer. The invention of
the computer was incremental, with dozens of scientists and mathematicians building on their predecessors. The
modern computer, however, can be traced back to the 1930s. The following brief history of computing is a
timeline of how computers evolved from their humble beginnings to the machines of today that surf the
Internet, play games and stream multimedia in addition to crunching numbers.

- The earliest known tool for use in computation is the Sumerian abacus, and it was thought to have been
invented in Babylon c. 2700–2300 BC. Its original style of usage was by lines drawn in sand with
pebbles. Abaci, of a more modern design, are still used as calculation tools today. This was the first
known calculator and most advanced system of calculation known to date - preceding Archimedes by
2,000 years.

The Abacus

- PASCAL’s - First Adding Machine. The French mathematician, physicist, and religious philosopher
Blaise Pascal developed the first adding machine between 1642 and 1644 to help his father, a civil
servant, in tax calculations.
- VON LEIBUIZ - First Calculator for Multiplication. Later in 1971, Barson Gottfried Wilhelm von
Leibuiz of Germany invented the first calculator for multiplication.
- HOLLERITH-Introduced Punched Cards. Herman Hollerith, a government statistician, came up with the
concept of punched-card system of collecting and tabulating the data. Tabulating equipment was
extremely successful and allowed the 1890 census of U S A to be completed in less than two years.
Hollerith continued to develop his card methods for railroad accounting and founded the Tabulating
Machine Company at the turn of the century. Upon Hollerith’s retirement in 1904, Thomas Watson,
became president and later changed the name of the company to International Business Machines
Corporation (I B M).
 Hollerith’s Punched Card – Census Tabulator

- BABBAGE-Difference Engine. Charles Babbage, a professor at Cambridge University is considered to

be the father of modern digital computers. During his period, mathematical & statistical tables were
prepared by a group of clerks. Babbage had to spend several hours to check these tables. Soon he
became dissatisfied and exasperated with that type of monotonous job. The result was that he started
thinking to build a machine which could compute tables guaranteed to be error-free. In this process,
Babbage designed a “Difference Engine” in the year 1822.
- In 1842, Babbage came out with new idea of Analytical Engine that was intended to be completely
automatic. It was to be capable of performing the basic arithmetic problem at an average speed of 60
additions per minute.

Babbage’s Analytical Engine

- None of the early computational devices were really computers in the modern sense, and it took
considerable advancement in mathematics and theory before the first modern computers could be
designed. And in the 1930s, it marked the beginning of calculating machines, which were considered the
first programmable computers. Konrad Zuse created what became known as the first programmable
computer, the Z1. He assembled metal plates, pins, and old film, creating a machine that could easily
add and subtract. The Z3 computer, built by Zuse himself in 1941, was the first programmable, fully
automatic computing machine, but it was not electronic.
- The ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer) was the first electronic general-purpose
computer, announced to the public in 1946. It was Turing-complete, digital, and capable of being
reprogrammed to solve a full range of computing problems. The machine could calculate thousands of
problems each second. The large-scale ENIAC weighed 30 tons and needed a 1,500-square-foot room to
 house the 40 cabinets, 6,000 switches, and 18,000 vacuum tubes that comprise the machine. Some call
this invention the beginning of the computer age.

ENIAC
- In the 1950s, computers were strictly used for scientific and engineering research, like the JOHNNIAC,
which was once described as a "helpful assistant" for mathematicians.
- The MOS integrated circuit, first proposed by Mohamed Atalla in 1960, led to the invention of the
microprocessor. The silicon-gate MOS integrated circuit was developed by Federico Faggin at Fairchild
Semiconductor in 1968. This led to the development of the first single-chip microprocessor, the Intel
4004. The microprocessor led to the microcomputer revolution, with the development of the
microcomputer, which would later be called the personal computer (PC).

Intel 4004 - the first commercially produced microprocessor, and the first in a long line of Intel CPUs.

- In the 1960s, everything changed when the Programma 101 became the first desktop computer sold to
the average consumer. Up until 1965, computers were reserved for mathematicians and engineers in a
lab setting. The Programma 101 changed everything, by offering the general public a desktop computer
that anyone could use. The 65-pound machine was the size of a typewriter and had 37 keys and a printer
built-in. The Italian invention ushered in the idea of the personal computer that would last to this day.

Programma 101
- As personal computers became popular in the 1970s, the Xerox Alto helped pave the way for Steve Jobs'
Apple. The Xerox Alto was created in the '70s as a personal computer that could print documents and
send emails. What was most notable about the computer was its design, which included a mouse,
keyboard, and screen. This state-of-the-art design would later influence Apple designs in the following
decade. The Alto computers were also designed to be kid-friendly so that everyone — no matter the age
— could operate a personal computer.

Xerox Alto Computer

- In the '80s, Apple's Macintosh was described as a game-changer for the computer industry. When Steve
Jobs introduced the first Macintosh computer in 1984. Like the Xerox Alto, the Macintosh had a
keyboard, a mouse, and a small 9-inch screen. The computer — which weighed in at 22 pounds — was
applauded for its interface of windows and icons.
- In the early 2000s, laptops became increasingly popular, especially after Apple launched its MacBook
Air. In 2008, Steve Jobs slid the first MacBook Air from a manila envelope and shocked the audience at
Apple's Macworld with how thin the laptop was. Measuring only 0.76-inch thick, the expertly designed
laptop changed the industry forever. Apple got rid of the CD drive and only included a USB port and a
headphone jack. At the time, the minimalistic device cost $1,799.
- Today, computers come in all shapes and sizes, including tablets. Today's most innovative computers
are tablets, which are simple touchscreens without a keyboard or a mouse.

Computers in many size and shapes

 Generations of Computer
Generation in computer terminology is a change in technology a computer is/was being used. Initially, the
generation term was used to distinguish between varying hardware technologies. But nowadays, generation
includes both hardware and software, which together make up an entire computer system.
There are totally five computer generations known till date. Each generation has been discussed in detail along
with their time period and characteristics. Here approximate dates against each generations have been
mentioned which are normally accepted.
Following are the main five generations of computers:
1. First Generation - 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 organisations. In
this generation mainly batch processing operating system 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. Some computers of this generation were: ENIAC, EDVAC, UNIVAC,
IBM-701, IBM-650
2. Second Generation - 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. Some computers of this
generation were: IBM 1620, IBM 7094, CDC 1604, CDC 3600, UNIVAC 1108
3. Third Generation - 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 computers
of this generation were: IBM-360 series, Honeywell-6000 series, PDP(Personal Data Processor), IBM-
370/168, TDC-316
4. Fourth Generation - 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 computers of this generation
were: DEC 10, STAR 1000, PDP 11, CRAY-1(Super Computer), CRAY-X-MP(Super Computer)
5. Fifth Generation - 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. Some computer types of this
generation are: Desktop, Laptop, NoteBook, UltraBook, ChromeBook

Some of the features and the technology and programming language used in each generation is summarized in
this table.

Computer Technology Storage Programming Size

Speed
Generation Used Capacity Language
Machine and Huge Size
First Vacuum tubes Slow Limited
Assembly language
High Level Relatively Small
Increased
Relatively Languages (e.g. compared to 1st
Second Transistors storage
faster COBOL, generations
capacity
FORTRAN)
Better Relatively small
performance, compared to 1st
Extensive use of
Integrated Remote Increased and 2nd
Third High Level
Circuits (ICs) processing storage generations
Languages
and time
sharing
Large scale and Sophisticated Smaller size
very large scale programs and
Considerably Increased
Fourth integrated languages for
faster storage
circuits special
(LSI, VLSI) applications
Larger Very small size
Use of ICs with
capacity
ultra large scale
storage Based on Artificial
Fifth integration Extremely fast
(RAID, Intelligence
technology
optical
(ULSI)
disks)
References:

1. https://www.insider.com/how-computers-evolved-history-2019-9#today-computers-come-in-all-
shapes-and-sizes-including-tablets-9
2. https://www.computerhistory.org/timeline/computers/
3. https://www.livescience.com/20718-computer-history.html
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_4004
5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_computing
6. https://www.google.com/imghp?hl=en – Google Images
7. https://www.tutorialspoint.com/computer_fundamentals/index.htm