WHAT IS A

COMPUTER?
COMPUTER
 Anelectronic device that accepts data
(input), manipulates the data (process),
produces information based on the
manipulation (output) and stores the
results (storage).
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.
FIRST GENERATION
 Vacuum Tube(1940-1956)
 Uses vacuum tubes for circuitry
and magnetic drums for memory.
 Relied on Binary coded language
 Vacuum tubes were first invented
by a British scientist named John
A. Fleming in 1919, although
Edison had made some
discoveries while working on the
light bulb. The vacuum tube was
improved by Lee De Forest.
ADVANTAGES:
» It used vacuum tubes. These were the only
electronic components available in those
days.
» These computers had the ability to
calculate in milliseconds.
» Vacuum tube technology made possible to
make electronic digital computers.
DISADVANTAGES:
» The computers were very large in size.
» They consumed a large amount of energy.
» They heated very soon due to thousands of vacuum tubes.
» They were not very reliable.
» Air conditioning was required.
» Constant maintenance was required.
» Non-portable.
» Costly commercial production.
» Costly commercial production.
» Limited commercial use.
» Very slow speed.
» Limited programming capabilities.
» Used machine language only.
» Used magnetic drums which provide very less data storage.
COMPUTERS OF THIS
GENERATIONS INCLUDES:
ENIAC
-contained 17,468 vacuum tubes, along with 70,000 resistors , 10,000
capacitors, 1,500 relays, 6,000 manual switches and 5 million soldered
joints.
- It covered 1800 square feet (167 meters) of floor space, weighed 30 tons
and consumes 160 kilowatts of electrical power.
EDVAC
UNIVAC
IBM-701
SECOND GENERATION
 Transistors (1956-1963)
 Instead of vacuum tube, computer was
replaced by transistors
 In this generation, magnetic cores were used
as primary memory and magnetic tape and
magnetic disks as secondary storage devices.
 introduce particular language called the
Assembly language used for programming
 The scientists at Bell laboratories developed
transistor in 1947. These scientists include
John Barden, William Brattain and William
Shockley.
ADVANTAGES:
» Smaller in size compared to the first generation of
computer.
» The second generations computers were more reliable.
» Used less energy and were not heated as much as the first
one.
» Better speed and could calculate data in microseconds.
» Used faster peripherals.
» Better portability as compared to the first generation.
» Accuracy improved.
» Used assembly language as well
DISADVANTAGES:
» Cooling system was required.
» Only used for specific purposes
» Constant maintenance was required
» Commercial production was difficult
» Costly and not versatile
» Punch cards were used for input
COMPUTERS OF THIS
GENERATIONS INCLUDES:
Honeywell 400
IBM 7094
CDC 1604
THIRD GENERATION
 Integrated Circuits (1964-1971)
 replaced transistors with IC
(integrated Circuits)
 Magnetic Disk used for storage
 used RAM for primary memory
 high-level language used for
programming (C, C++)
 Jack Kilby developed the concept of
integrated circuit in 1958. It was an
important invention in the computer
field. The first IC was invented and
used in 1961. The size of an IC is
about ¼ square inch. A single IC chip
may contain thousands of transistors.
ADVANTAGES:
» Smaller in size as compared to previous generations.
» More reliable as compared to previous generations.
» Used less energy as compared to previous generations.
» Produced less heat as compared to the previous two generations
of computers.
» Maintenance cost was low because hardware failure is rare.
» Better speed and could calculate data in nanoseconds.
» Totally general purpose
» Good storage
» Could be used for high-level languages.
» Less expensive and Better accuracy
» Commercial production increased.
» Used mouse and keyboard for input
DISADVANTAGES:
» IC chips are difficult to maintain.
» The highly sophisticated technology required for the
manufacturing of IC chips.
» Air conditioning is required.
COMPUTERS OF THIS
GENERATIONS INCLUDES:
PDP-8
ICL 2900
IBM 370
FOURTH GENERATION
 Microprocessors (1971-Present)
 The fourth generation computers started with
the invention of Microprocessor.
 The Microprocessor contains thousands of
ICs. Ted Hoff produced the first microprocessor
in 1971 for Intel. It was known as Intel 4004.
 The technology of integrated circuits improved
rapidly. The LSI (Large Scale Integration) circuit
and VLSI (Very Large Scale Integration) circuit
was designed. It greatly reduced the size of
computer.
 The size of modern Microprocessors is usually
one square inch. It can contain millions of
electronic circuits.
ADVANTAGES:
» More powerful and reliable than previous generations.
» Small in size
» Fan for heat discharging and thus to keep cold.
» Fast processing power with less power consumption
» No air conditioning required.
» Totally general purpose
» Less need of repair.
» Commercial production
» All types of High level languages can be used in this type of
computers
» Cheapest among all generations
DISADVANTAGES:
» The Microprocessor design and fabrication are very
complex.
» Air conditioning is required in many cases due to the
presence of ICs.
» Advance technology is required to make the ICs
COMPUTERS OF THIS
GENERATIONS INCLUDES:
Apple II
IBM PC
FIFTH GENERATION
 Artificial Intelligence (Present and
Beyond)
 The period of the fifth generation in 1980-
onwards.
 This generation is based on artificial
intelligence.
 The aim of the fifth generation is to make a
device which could respond to natural language
input and are capable of learning and self-
organization.
 This generation is based on ULSI(Ultra Large
Scale Integration) technology resulting in the
production of microprocessor chips having ten
million electronic component.
 Artificial Intelligence is the branch of computer
science concerned with making computers
behave like humans. The term was coined in
1956 by John McCarthy at the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE includes:
 Robotics
 Neural Networks
 Game Playing
 Development of expert systems to make decisions in real-
life situations
 Natural language understanding and generation
ADVANTAGES:
» It is more reliable and works faster.
» It is available in different sizes and unique features.
» They are portable and easy to handle.
» It provides computers with more user-friendly interfaces
with multimedia features.
» These computers are much faster than other generation
computers.
» It is easier to repair these computers.
» These computers are much smaller in size than other
generation computers
» Development of true artificial intelligence.
DISADVANTAGES:
» They tend to be sophisticated and complex
tools.

» They can give more power to companies to

watch what you are doing and even allow them
to infect your computer.
COMPUTERS OF THIS
GENERATIONS INCLUDES:
Laptop
Chromebook
Macbook
ASSIGNMENT:

1. List the down the differences that exist in the

five generations of computers according to its
physical characteristics, technology used, examples
and inventor(s)/ designer(s)/developer(s).