The Five Generations of

Computers
The history of computer development is often referred to
in reference to the different generations of computing
devices. Each generation of computer is characterized by a
major technological development that fundamentally
changed the way computers operate, resulting in
increasingly smaller, cheaper, and more powerful and more
efficient and reliable devices. Read about each generation
and the developments that led to the current devices that
we use today.
First Generation - 1940-1956: Vacuum Tubes
The first computers used vacuum tubes for circuitry and
magnetic drums [A direct-access, or random-access, storage device. A magnetic drum, also
referred to as drum, is a metal cylinder coated with magnetic iron-oxide material on which data and
programs can be stored. Magnetic drums were once used as a primary storage device but have since been
implemented as auxiliary storage devices. The tracks on a magnetic drum are assigned to channels located
around the circumference of the drum, forming adjacent circular bands that wind around the drum. A single
drum can have up to 200 tracks. As the drum rotates at a speed of up to 3,000 rpm, the device's read/write
heads deposit magnetized spots on the drum during the write operation and sense these spots during a read
operation. This action is similar to that of a magnetic tape or disk drive. Unlike some disk packs, the
magnetic drum cannot be physically removed. The drum is permanently mounted in the device. Magnetic
drums are able to retrieve data at a quicker rate than tape or disk devices but are not able to store as much
data as either of them.]
for memory, and were often enormous, taking up entire rooms.
They were very expensive to operate and in addition to using a
great deal of electricity, generated a lot of heat, which was
often the cause of malfunctions. First generation computers
relied on machine language to perform operations, and they
could only solve one problem at a time. Input was based on
punched cards and paper tape, and output was displayed on
printouts.

The UNIVAC and ENIAC computers are examples of first-

generation computing devices. The UNIVAC was the first
commercial computer delivered to a business client, the
U.S. Census Bureau in 1951.

Second Generation - 1956-

1956-1963: Transistors
Transistors
Transistors replaced vacuum tubes and ushered in the
second generation of computers. The transistor was
invented in 1947 but did not see widespread use in
computers until the late 50s. The transistor was far
superior to the vacuum tube, allowing computers to become
smaller, faster, cheaper, more energy-efficient and more
reliable than their first-generation predecessors. Though
the transistor still generated a great deal of heat that
subjected the computer to damage, it was a vast
improvement over the vacuum tube. Second-generation
computers still relied on punched cards for input and
printouts for output.

Second-generation computers moved from cryptic binary

machine language to symbolic, or assembly, languages,
which allowed programmers to specify instructions in
words. High-level programming languages were also being
developed at this time, such as early versions of COBOL
and FORTRAN. These were also the first computers that
stored their instructions in their memory, which moved from
a magnetic drum to magnetic core technology.

The first computers of this generation were developed for

the atomic energy industry.

Third Generation - 1964-

1964-1971: Integrated
Circuits
the development of the integrated circuit [Another name for a chip, an
integrated circuit (IC) is a small electronic device made out of a semiconductor material. The first
integrated circuit was developed in the 1950s by Jack Kilby of Texas Instruments and Robert Noyce of
Fairchild Semiconductor.

Integrated circuits are used for a variety of devices, including microprocessors, audio and video equipment,
and automobiles. Integrated circuits are often classified by the number of transistors and other electronic
components they contain:

• SSI (small-scale integration): Up to 100 electronic components per chip

• MSI (medium-scale integration): From 100 to 3,000 electronic components per chip
• LSI (large-scale integration): From 3,000 to 100,000 electronic components per chip
• VLSI (very large-scale integration): From 100,000 to 1,000,000 electronic components per
chip
• ULSI (ultra large-scale integration): More than 1 million electronic
components per chip ]
Was the hallmark of the third generation of computers.
Transistors were miniaturized and placed on silicon chips,
called semiconductors, which drastically increased the
speed and efficiency of computers.
Instead of punched cards and printouts, users interacted
with third generation computers through keyboards and
monitors and interfaced with an operating system [The most
important program that runs on a computer. Every general-purpose computer must have an operating
system to run other programs. Operating systems perform basic tasks, such as recognizing input from
the keyboard, sending output to the display screen, keeping track of files and directories on the disk, and
controlling peripheral devices such as disk drives and printers.
For large systems, the operating system has even greater responsibilities and powers. It is like a traffic cop -
- it makes sure that different programs and users running at the same time do not interfere with each other.
The operating system is also responsible for security, ensuring that unauthorized users do not access the
system.

Operating systems can be classified as follows:

• multi-user : Allows two or more users to run programs at the same time. Some operating
systems permit hundreds or even thousands of concurrent users.
• multiprocessing : Supports running a program on more than one CPU.
• multitasking : Allows more than one program to run concurrently.
• multithreading : Allows different parts of a single program to run concurrently.
• real time: Responds to input instantly. General-purpose operating systems, such as DOS and
UNIX, are not real-time.

Operating systems provide a software platform on top of which other programs, called application
programs, can run. The application programs must be written to run on top of a particular operating system.
Your choice of operating system, therefore, determines to a great extent the applications you can run. For
PCs, the most popular operating systems are DOS, OS/2, and Windows, but others are available, such as
Linux.

As a user, you normally interact with the operating system through a set of commands. For example, the
DOS operating system contains commands such as COPY and RENAME for copying files and changing
the names of files, respectively. The commands are accepted and executed by a part of the operating system
called the command processor or command line interpreter. Graphical user interfaces allow you to enter
commands by pointing and clicking at objects that appear on the screen. ],

Which allowed the device to run many different

applications at one time with a central program that
monitored the memory. Computers for the first time became
accessible to a mass audience because they were smaller
and cheaper than their predecessors.

FourthGeneration-
FourthGeneration-1971-
1971-Present:
Microprocessors
the microprocessor [A silicon chip that contains a CPU. In the world of personal
computers, the terms microprocessor and CPU are used interchangeably. At the heart of all personal
computers and most workstations sits a microprocessor. Microprocessors also control the logic of almost
all digital devices, from clock radios to fuel-injection systems for automobiles.

Three basic characteristics differentiate microprocessors:

• Instruction set: The set of instructions that the microprocessor can execute.
• bandwidth : The number of bits processed in a single instruction.
• clock speed : Given in megahertz (MHz), the clock speed determines how many instructions
per second the processor can execute.

In both cases, the higher the value, the more powerful the CPU. For example, a 32-bit microprocessor that
runs at 50MHz is more powerful than a 16-bit microprocessor that runs at 25MHz.
There are many microprocessors available to the public. Not knowing the differences can be quite
frustrating -- especially when it means saving or spending a couple hundred dollars.

Below is a chart that compares and contrasts important features found on some of the more popular chips in
the market today.

Transistors CPU Speed L2 Cache Front-Side Bus Speed

256 KB,
Celeron 7,500,000 1.06 GHz - 2 GHz 133 MHz and 400 MHz
full speed
512 KB,
Pentium II 7,500,000 233 MHz - 450 MHz 100 MHz
half speed

256 KB,
Pentium III 9,500,000 450 MHz - 1 GHz 133 MHz
full speed
256 KB - 2 MB,
Pentium III Xeon 28,100,000 500 MHz - 1 GHz 100 MHz
full speed

256 KB,
Pentium 4 55,000,000 1.4 GHz - 3.4 GHz 800 MHz
full speed

K6-II 9,300,000 500 MHz - 550 MHz N/A 100 MHz

256 KB,
K6-III 21,300,000 400 MHz - 450 MHz 100 MHz
full speed

256 KB,
Athlon (K7) 22,000,000 850 MHz - 1.2 GHz 200 MHz and 266 MHz
full speed

384 KB,
Athlon XP 37,500,000 1.67 GHz 266 MHz
full speed
64 KB,
Duron N/A 700-800 MHz 200 MHz
full speed

512 KB, 1 MB,

PowerPC G3 6,500,000 233 MHz - 333 MHz 100 MHz
half speed
1 MB,
PowerPC G4 10,500,000 400 MHz - 800 MHz 100 MHz
half speed

1 MB,
Athlon 64 105,900,000 800 MHz 1.6 GHz
half speed

G5 58,000,000 2.5GHz 512 KB 900MHz - 1.25GHz

brought the fourth generation of computers, as thousands

of integrated circuits were built onto a single silicon chip.
What in the first generation filled an entire room could
now fit in the palm of the hand. The Intel 4004 chip,
developed in 1971, located all the components of the
computer - from the central processing unit [Abbreviation for central
processing unit, and pronounced as separate letters. The CPU is the brains of the computer. Sometimes
referred to simply as the central processor,but more commonly called processor, the CPU is where most
calculations take place. In terms of computing power, the CPU is the most important element of a
computer system.

On large machines, CPUs require one or more printed circuit boards. On personal computers and small
workstations, the CPU is housed in a single chip called a microprocessor. Since the 1970's the
microprocessor class of CPUs has almost completely overtaken all other CPU implementations.

The CPU itself is an internal component of the computer. Modern CPUs are small and
square and contain multiple metallic connectors or pins on the underside. The CPU is
inserted directly into a CPU socket, pin side down, on the motherboard. Each motherboard
[The main circuit board of a microcomputer. The motherboard contains the connectors for attaching additional boards.
Typically, the motherboard contains the CPU, BIOS, memory, mass storage interfaces, serial and parallel ports,
expansion slots, and all the controllers required to control standard peripheral devices, such as the display screen,
keyboard, and disk drive. Collectively, all these chips that reside on the motherboard are known as the motherboard's
chipset. On most PCs, it is possible to add memory chips directly to the motherboard. You may also be able to upgrade
to a faster PC by replacing the CPU chip. To add additional core features, you may need to replace the motherboard
entirely. Motherboard is sometimes abbreviated as mobo. ] will support only a specific type or range of CPU so
you must check the motherboard manufacturer's specifications before attempting to replace or
upgrade a CPU. Modern CPUs also have an attached heat sink and small fan that go directly on top of the
CPU to help dissipate heat.

Two typical components of a CPU are the following:

• The arithmetic logic unit (ALU), which performs arithmetic and logical operations.
• The control unit (CU), which extracts instructions from memory and decodes and executes them,
calling on the ALU when necessary.

] and memory to input/output controls - on a single chip.

In 1981 IBM introduced its first computer for the home

user, and in 1984 Apple introduced the Macintosh.
Microprocessors also moved out of the realm of desktop
computers and into many areas of life as more and more
everyday products began to use microprocessors.

As these small computers became more powerful, they

could be linked together to form networks, which
eventually led to the development of the Internet. Fourth
generation computers also saw the development of GUIs,
the mouse and handheld devices.

Fifth Generation - Present and Beyond:

Artificial Intelligence
Fifth generation computing devices, based on artificial
intelligence [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
• games playing: programming computers to play games such as chess and checkers
 • expert systems : programming computers to make decisions in real-life situations (for example,
some expert systems help doctors diagnose diseases based on symptoms)
• natural language : programming computers to understand natural human languages
• neural networks : Systems that simulate intelligence by attempting to reproduce the types of
physical connections that occur in animal brains
• robotics : programming computers to see and hear and react to other sensory stimuli

Currently, no computers exhibit full artificial intelligence (that is, are able to simulate human behavior).
The greatest advances have occurred in the field of games playing. The best computer chess programs are
now capable of beating humans. In May, 1997, an IBM super-computer called Deep Blue defeated world
chess champion Gary Kasparov in a chess match.

In the area of robotics, computers are now widely used in assembly plants, but they are capable only of
very limited tasks. Robots have great difficulty identifying objects based on appearance or feel, and they
still move and handle objects clumsily.

Natural-language processing offers the greatest potential rewards because it would allow people to interact
with computers without needing any specialized knowledge. You could simply walk up to a computer and
talk to it. Unfortunately, programming computers to understand natural languages has proved to be more
difficult than originally thought. Some rudimentary translation systems that translate from one human
language to another are in existence, but they are not nearly as good as human translators. There are also
voice recognition systems that can convert spoken sounds into written words, but they do not understand
what they are writing; they simply take dictation. Even these systems are quite limited -- you must speak
slowly and distinctly.

In the early 1980s, expert systems were believed to represent the future of artificial intelligence and of
computers in general. To date, however, they have not lived up to expectations. Many expert systems help
human experts in such fields as medicine and engineering, but they are very expensive to produce and are
helpful only in special situations.

Today, the hottest area of artificial intelligence is neural networks, which are proving successful in a
number of disciplines such as voice recognition and natural-language processing.

There are several programming languages that are known as AI languages because they are used almost
exclusively for AI applications. The two most common are LISP and Prolog.

], are still in development, though there are some

applications, such as voice recognition, that are being used
today. The use of parallel processing and
superconductors is helping to make artificial intelligence a
reality. Quantum computation and molecular and
nanotechnology will radically change the face of
computers in years to come. The goal of fifth-generation
computing is to develop devices that respond to natural
language input and are capable of learning and self-
organization.