HISTORY OF COMPUTERS

Group Members:
• Nabsrina Basu
• Sushant Neupane
• Simon Thapa Magar
What is a computer?

• A computer is a digital electronic processing device designed to accept input data, process
them, produce meaningful output results and store results for future use.
• Computer operates under the control of instructions stored under its own memory unit.
• It can perform multiple tasks simultaneously.
• It can perform calculation with 100 percent accuracy.
• It is efficient and reliable.
• It works with an incredibly speed and process output in fractions of seconds.
• It has a tremendous data storage capacity for a long term use.
• It is a versatile machine which has practically replaced manual working and man power.
 Historical Background

• The history of computers can be traced back to the Scientific Revolution (which lasted from
1543 to 1678).
• The invention of the calculating machine by Blaise Pascal in 1642 and that of Gottfried
Liebniz in 1643 marked the beginning of the use of machines in industry.
• This progressed until the industrial revolution in Great Britain, which took place between
1760 and 1830, when the use of machinery for manufacturing became commonplace.
 Some Important Revolutionary Discoveries In the
History of Computers

There has been many important discoveries that led to the invention of new machines for
better and faster computation. Some of the important developments that led to the
development of modern computers are:
1. Abacus
2. Howard Aiken’s Mark-I
3. EDVAC
4. UNIVAC-I
 Generation of Computers

There is no technological development in history, to date, that has progressed as fast as computer
technology. The development of computers took place in five stages which are classified in terms of
speed, storage, size, reliability and components. The generation of computers are:
• First Generation Computers
• Second Generation Computers
• Third Generation Computers
• Fourth Generation Computers
• Fifth Generation Computers
 First Generation Computers

Fig: UNIVAC-I

The first generation computers were developed during 1946 to 1958. The vacuum tubes was an
important step in advancement of computers. The features of first generation computers were:
 Use of vacuum tubes
 Low level accuracy and reliability
 High electricity consumption
 Larger AC were needed
•Few examples of first generation computer are ENIAC, EDVAC, UNIVAC-I, IBM-650.
 Second Generation Computers
Fig: IBM 1620

The second generation computer were developed during 1959-1964. Transistor replaced vacuum tube in
second generation computers. The features of second generation computers are:
Transistors were used
Core memory were developed
Comparatively smaller in size than first generation computers
Faster than first generation computers
•Few examples of second generation computers are IBM 1620, IBM 1401 And IBM 7000 series.
• 
 Third Generation Computers
Fig: IBM 360

The third generation computers were developed during 1965-1971. Integrated circuit were
used in place of Transistors in third generation computers. It consists huge number of transistor
which made third generation computers much smaller, reliable and efficient.The features of
third generation computers are:
 Integrated circuits were used
 High level languages were used
 More reliable and better performance
 Magnetic disk were used for auxiliary memory
 Few examples of third generation computers are IBM system 360, ICL1900 series and IBM
370 series.
 Fourth Generation Computers
Fig: Altair 8800

The fourth generation computers were developed during 1971-1980.VLSI and LSI circuits were
used in fourth generation computers. The features of fourth generation of computers are:
 LSI and VLSI circuits were used
 Development of Portable Computers
 Comparatively, Computers were very small in size
 Cheap in price
•Few example of fourth generation computers are Altair 8800, Star 1000, PDP 11 etc.
 Fifth Generation Computer

The fifth generation computers are being developed from 1980-till present. The fifth
generation computers use SLSI chips that are able to store millions of components on a single
chip.The features of this generation of computers are:

• Parallel processing is used in this generation, which makes processing faster.

• Fifth generation of computers are based on AI.
• Fifth generation of computer will be based on concept of logic programming.
 Conclusion

• In conclusion, Computers have been developed in different phases and stages to be as

powerful as they are at present. Generations of computers transferred us from hug sized,
big computer to small portable devices. The computer technology developed from vacuum
tubes to transistors, integrated circuits to microprocessors and now to artificial intelligence.
Computers are showing a great progress and hopefully improve more in future.