University of Sulaimani

College of Science
Computer Department
Stage 1
Group : A

Computer system history &

Generation

Prepared by
Zrng Najmadeen

Supervised
Ms.Solav

(11/25/2023)

2023-2024
Table of contents

Contents
History of computer........................................................................................................................................................... 2
Computer - Generations ............................................................................................................................................... 3

Computer - Generation ............................................... 3

Hardware and software............................................................................................................................................. 7

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History of computer

1. The history of computer systems dated back to the 17th century. Though the term computer was
not used then. The first mathematical or mechanical device that was used for the computation of
data was found among the Chinese before the Birth of Christ called Abacus. There were beads
stung on wires used for arithmetic calculation. Abacus is still been used in certain circles even to
this day in China.

2. However, the first time device capable of performing arithmetic computation was designed around
1840 by Charles Babbage. Though he called it an “analytical engine”, the concept that underlies
its design underscores what saw to the emergence of what is called the computer today.

3. These components were: A storage system for data, an arithmetic unit, a control unit, an input
device, and an output device. These same factors defined the use of computers today. Babbage
envisioned that this will solve a variety of problems which was then achieved as enumerated by
what the machine could perform.

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Computer - Generations

Computer - Generation

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.
Nowadays, generation includes both hardware and software, which together make up an entire
computer system.

There are five computer generations known till date. Each generation has been discussed in detail
along with their time period and characteristics.

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First generation Computers

These set of computers made their first appearance between 1940 and 1958. They were

very large in size perhaps the size of a room and very expensive to use and maintain.

The main memory of these computers was a vacuum tube. Punch cards and magnetic

tapes were used as the source of input and for the storage of data. The output was via

the printout. They were general-purpose computers and they can only perform one

function at a time. Examples of some first generations of computers are:

❖ Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer (ENIAC)

❖ Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Computer (EDSAC)

❖ Universal Automatic Computer (UNIVAC)

The second generation

history of the computer system is traceable between 1959 and 1966. The memory of
these computers uses transistors and magnetic tape to store data. Transistors provided
faster operations and generate lesser heat. An early version of high-level programming
languages such as COBOL and FORTRAN was developed at this time.

An example of a computer in this generation was the IBM 1401 developed in 1959. This
promoted commercialized computer data processing to a higher degree for the first
time. And this of course made IBM 1401 a very successful business computer.

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Third Generation Computers

The third generation set of computers' history dated back to 1964 and 1970. The
memories of these sets of computers were made from silicon chips transformed into tiny
miniaturized Integrated circuits.

This provided vast internal storage and operated in a billionth of a second. Secondary
storage magnetic disks were introduced. This solved the problem associated with
magnetic tapes in terms of slowness and sequential access to data. The integrated circuits
(ICs) made it possible for the computer to run more than one program at the same time.
The IBM 360 series is an example of a very successful third-generation computer.

Fourth Generation Computers

The fourth generation computers made their appearance between 1971 and 1990. These
were the first set of computers that use large-scale Integrated circuits (LSIC). The
memory of the computers' logic circuits that perform logical operations was constituted
by these large-scale Integrated circuits.

This was the era that birth the invention of the microprocessor which provided enormous
processing speed. An example of this type of processor was the Intel-4004 which performs
about 1 million multiplications per second. The Intel- 4004 was manufactured by the Intel
Corporation in the USA and it carried 2250 on a tiny silicon chip. Microprocessors when
integrated with the Input and Output system of a computer saw the era of the emergence
of Micro computers.

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Fifth Generation Computers

The fifth generation history of a computer system is an era of improvement on micro

computers which in itself was seen as one of the greatest breakthroughs in technology in
the 20th century. This started in 1991 in the future. This is popularly referred to as
advancement in artificial intelligence. This process will make computers imitate human
intelligence. This includes speech-activated computers that have the ability to respond to
natural language.

The world of Computers is in a state of flux and it will continue into the future. Computer
users and sellers most necessarily seek for latest updates to remain relevant and make
the utmost of these emerging breakthroughs in technology and most especially in
“artificial intelligence” as it is popularly called.

Do you have any latest findings with respect to the history of computer systems? Feel free
to give your contribution relative to how it has impacted Man's ways of life.

6
Hardware and software

Hardware and software are two terms you've probably heard of at some point or another.
The odds are high that you use both on a daily basis, whether it's with your smartphone
or personal computer. Let's take a deeper look at what these two things are and why
they're important.

Hardware is any element of a computer that's physical. This includes things like monitors,
keyboards, and also the insides of devices, like microchips and hard drives.

Software is anything that tells hardware what to do and how to do it, including computer
programs and apps on your phone. Video games, photo editors, and web browsers are
just a few examples.

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Hardware and software are different from each other, but they also need one another in
order to function. Let's look at an example of this using a smartphone. In this case, the
hardware would be the physical phone itself, and the software would be its operating
system and apps.

If we were to take away the software, we would just have a dead phone in our hands. It
wouldn't be able to make calls, text, or go online because it's not receiving any
instructions.

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On the other hand, let's say we have no hardware, meaning there's no actual phone. If all
we have are the programs, we just have a bunch of instructions but nothing to give these
instructions to.

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The big picture here is that hardware needs software to tell it what to do, but software
also needs hardware in order to act out its directions. When you combine the two, you
can do all sorts of things, whether you're using a smartphone, computer, or any other
type of device.

Technology will continue to evolve. We may not be sure how it will look in 100 years, but
hardware and software will be there serving as its foundation.

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Reference :
1. https://discover.hubpages.com/technology/History-of-
Computer-System

2. https://www.tutorialspoint.com/computer_fundamentals/co
mputer_generations.htm

3. https://edu.gcfglobal.org/en/computer-science/hardware-
and-software/1/

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