GENERATION OF COMPUTER

                             GENERATION OF COMPUTER


["GENERATION "  In Computer Talk Provides A Frameworks For The Growth Of Computer   Industry Based On Key Technologies Developed.  Originally,  It Was Used To Distinguish Between  Hardware Technologies But Was Later Extended To Include Both Hardware And Software Technologies.]  

1. FIRST GENERATION(1940-1956)

     

• the time period of first generation is ( 1940  to  1956 ), roughly considered as the First generation of computer
• In First generation's computer using a( vacuum tubes )as electronic switching devise
• the first generation computer worked on binary-coded concept,  like 1 and 0

         [ Example -:  EDVAC, ENIAC ] 

• the input of this system was based on (punched cards) and (paper taps); however, the output was displayed on printout.

 [Vacuum Tube: A Vacuum Tube Was A Fragile Glass Device Using Filaments As A           Source Of Electronics And Could Control And Amplife Electronic Signals It Was The Only       High-Speed Electronic Switching Device  Available In Those Days.]

                                                           (Vacuum Tube)

2.SECOND GENERATION(1956-1964)

• The Period 1956 to 1964 Is Roughly Considered As The Period Of Second Generation Of Computers.
• They Were More Powerful, More Reliable , Less Expensive, Smaller , And Cooler To Operate Than The First-Generation Computers.
• Second - Generation Computer Were Manufactured Using Transistors . Comparison To Computers Of The First Generation , The Computing Time Taken By The Computers Of The Second Generation Was Lesser.
• In Addition To Scientific Computations, Business And Industry Users Used Second-Generation Computers Increasingly For Commercial Data Processing Applications Like Payroll, Inventory Control, Marketing, And Production Planning.
• They Had Faster And Larger Primary And Secondary Storage As Compared To First-Generation Computers.

                                                                 (Transistor)

3.THIRD GENERATION (1964-1975)

[In 1958, Jack St. Clair kilby And Robert Noyce Invented The First Integrated Circuit         Integrated Circuit (ICs) Are Circuits Consisting Of Several Electronic Components Like Transistors, Resistors, And Capacitors Grown On A Single Chip Of Silicon Eliminating

 Wired Interconnection Between Components. ]

• The Time Period Of Third Generation Is 1963 to 1975 
• Third Generation Computer Were Manufactured Using ICs.
• Third Generation Were More Powerful, More Reliable, Less Expensive, Smaller, And Cooler To Operate Than Second-Generation Computer
• The Third Generation Computer Consumed Less Power And Also Generated Less Heat
• Third Generation Computer Typically Had Few Megabytes (Less Than 5 Megabytes) Of Main Memory And Magnetic Disks Capable Of Storing Few Tens Of Megabytes Of Data Per Disk Drive.

4.FOURTH GENERATION(1975-1989)

• The Time Period Of Fourth Generation Is 1975 to 1989
• High-Speed Computer Networking Also Developed During Fourth Generation.
• During Fourth-Generation, The UNIX Operating System Also Became Very Popular For Use On Large-Scale Systems 
• During Fourth-Generation, Semiconductor Memories Replaced Magnetic Core Memories Resulting In Large Random Access Memories With Very Fast Access Time.
• It Is Much Faster And Accuracy Became More Reliable
• They Were General Purpose Machines. 
• They Consumed Less Power Than Third-Generation Computer.
• PCs Of Fourth Generation Made Computer Affordable Even By Individuals For Their Personal Use At Home

5.FIFTH GENERATION(1989-PRESENT)

• During Fifth Generation, The Internet Emerged With Associated Technologies And Application 
• IN The Area Of Operating Systems, Some New Concepts That Gained Popularity During Fifth Generation Include Microkernels,  Multithreading, And Multicore Operating Systems.
• Fifth Generation Saw The Emergence Of More Powerful Supercomputers Based On parallel Processing Technology.
• During Fifth Generation Are JAVA Programming Language, And Parallel Programming Libraries Like MPL [ Message Passing Interface ] And PVM [Parallel Virtual Machine].
• Working With Computers Of This Generation Was Fast And Multiple Tasks Could Be Performed Simultaneously. 
• They Have Faster And Larger Primary And Secondary Storage As Compared To Their Predecessors.
• They Consume Less Power Than Their Predecessors Do.
• Fifth Generation Desktop PCs And Workstation Are Several Times More Powerful Than PCs Of Fourth Generation.