Computer Generations Periods Based on
First-generation of
1940-1956 Vacuum tubes
computer
Second-generation of
1956-1963 Transistor
computer
Third generation of Integrated
1964-1971
computer Circuit (ICs)
Fourth-generation of
1971-present Microprocessor
computer
Fifth-generation of Present and AI (Artificial
computer Beyond Intelligence)
1. FIRST GENERATION COMPUTER:
Vacuum Tubes (1940-1956)
Vacuum Tubes
The first generation of computers is characterized by the use of “Vacuum tubes” It was developed in 1904 by
the British engineer “John Ambrose Fleming”. A vacuum tube is an electronic device used to control the
flow of electric current in a vacuum. It is used in CRT(Cathode Ray Tube) TV, Radio, etc.
The first general-purpose programmable electronic computer was the ENIAC (Electronic Numerical
Integrator and Computer) which was completed in 1945 and introduced on Feb 14, 1946, to the public. It
was built by two American engineers “J. Presper Eckert” and “John V Mauchly” at the University of
Pennsylvania.
The ENIAC was 30-50 feet long, 30 tons weighted, contained 18000 vacuum tubes,
70,000 registers, and 10,000 capacitors, and it required 150000 watts of electricity,
which makes it very expensive.
Later, Eckert and Mauchly developed the first commercially successful computer
named UNIVAC(Univeral Automatic Computer) in 1952.
Examples are ENIAC(Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer),
EDVAC(Electronic Discrete Variable Automatic Computer),
UNIVAC-1(Univeral Automatic Computer-1)
2. SECOND GENERATION COMPUTER:
Transistors (1956-1963)
Transistors
The second generation of computers is characterized by the use of “Transistors” and
it was developed in 1947 by three American physicists “John Bardeen, Walter
Brattain, and William Shockley”.
A transistor is a semiconductor device used to amplify or switch electronic signals or open or close a circuit. It
was invented in Bell labs, The transistors became the key ingredient of all digital circuits, including
computers.
The invention of transistors replaced the bulky electric tubes from the first generation of computers.
Transistors perform the same functions as a Vacuum tube, except that electrons move through instead of
through a vacuum. Transistors are made of semiconducting materials, and they control the flow of electricity.
It is smaller than the first generation of computers, it is faster and less expensive compared to the first
generation of computers. The second-generation computer has a high level of programming
languages, including FORTRAN (1956), ALGOL(1958), and COBOL(1959).
Examples are PDP-8(Programmed Data Processor-8),
IBM1400(International business machine 1400 series),
IBM 7090(International business machine 7090 series),
CDC 3600( Control Data Corporation 3600 series)
3. THIRD GENERATION
COMPUTER: Integrated Circuits (1964-
1971)
Integrated Circuit
The Third generation of computers is characterized by the use of “Integrated Circuits” It
was developed in 1958 by two American engineers “Robert Noyce” & “Jack Kilby”.
The integrated circuit is a set of electronic circuits on small flat pieces of semiconductor
that is normally known as silicon. The transistors were miniaturized and placed on
silicon chips which are called semiconductors, which drastically increased the efficiency
and speed of the computers.
These ICs (integrated circuits) are popularly known as chips. A single IC has many
transistors, resistors, and capacitors built on a single slice of silicon.
This development made computers smaller in size, low cost, large memory, and
processing. The speed of these computers is very high, and it is efficient and reliable
also.
These generations of computers have a higher level of languages such as Pascal PL/1,
FORTON-II to V, COBOL, ALGOL-68, and BASIC(Beginners All-purpose Symbolic
Instruction Code) was developed during these periods.
Examples are NCR 395(National Cash Register),
IBM 360,370 series, B6500.
4. FOURTH GENERATION OF COMPUTER:
Microprocessor (1971-Present)
Intel 4004 (MicroProcessor)
The fourth generation of computers is characterized by the use of “Microprocessor”. It
was invented in the 1970s and It was developed by four inventors named
are “Marcian Hoff, Masatoshi Shima, Federico Faggin, and Stanley Mazor“. The
first microprocessor named was the “Intel 4004” CPU, it was the first microprocessor
that was invented.
A microprocessor contains all the circuits required to perform arithmetic, logic, and
control functions on a single chip. Because of microprocessors, fourth-generation
includes more data processing capacity than equivalent-sized third-generation
computers. Due to the development of microprocessors, it is possible to place the
CPU(central processing unit) on a single chip. These computers are also known as
microcomputers. The personal computer is a fourth-generation computer. It is the
period when the evolution of computer networks takes place.
Examples are APPLE II, Alter 8800
5. FIFTH GENERATION OF COMPUTERS
(Present and beyond)
These generations of computers were based on AI(Artificial Intelligence) technology.
Artificial technology is the branch of computer science concerned with making
computers behave like humans and allowing the computer to make its own decisions
currently, no computers exhibit full artificial intelligence (that is, can simulate human
behaviour).
In the fifth generation of computers, VLSI technology and ULSI (Ultra Large Scale
Integration) technology are used and the speed of these computers is extremely high.
This generation introduced machines with hundreds of processors that could all be
working on different parts of a single program. The development of a more powerful
computer is still in progress. It has been predicted that such a computer will be able to
communicate in natural spoken languages with its user.
In this generation, computers are also required to use a high level of languages like C
language, c++, java, etc.
Examples are Desktop computers, laptops, notebooks, MacBooks, etc. These all are
the computers which we are using.
