L 2 Computer Generation

1. Computer Generations Dr Anita Choudhary Assistant Professor Department of Computer Science anitach312@gmail.com

2. 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, more powerful and more efficient and reliable devices.

3. First Generation (1940-1956) Vacuum Tubes • The first computers used vacuumtubesfor circuitry and magnetic drums for memory, and were often enormous, taking up entire rooms. • First generation computers relied on machinelanguage, thelowest-levelprogramminglanguageunderstood by computers, 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. • 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.

4. First Generation (1940-1956) : ENIAC • The ENIAC  (Electronic Numerical Integrator Computer) and UNIVAC (Universal Automatic Computer)  computers are examples of first-generation computing devices. • ENIAC was the first programmable general-purpose electronic digital computer. •  ENIAC contained 18,000 vacuum tubes, 7,200 crystal diodes, 1,500 relays, 70,000 resistors, 10,000 capacitors, and approximately 5,000,000 hand-soldered joints.

5. ENIAC • ENIAC used ten-positionring counters to store digits; each digit required 36 vacuumtubes, 10 of which were the dualtriodes making up the flip-flops of the ring counter. • Arithmetic was performed by "counting" pulses with the ring counters and generating carry pulses if the counter "wrapped around", the idea being to electronically emulate the operation of the digit wheels of a mechanical adding machine. ENIAC

6. First Generation (1940-1956) : UNIVAC • The UNIVAC was the first commercial computer delivered to a business client, the U.S. Census Bureau in 1951. • Other examples of first-generation computers include the EDSAC (Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Calculator), IBM 701, and Manchester Mark 1. UNIVAC

7. Second Generation (1956-1963) Transistors • The vacuum tubes was replaced by transistors  in the second generation of computers.  • The transistor was invented at BellLabsin 1947 • Second-generation computers moved from Cryptic binary machine language to symbolic, or assemblylanguages, which allowed programmers to specify instructions in words. • High-level programming languages were also being developed at this time, such as early versions of ALGOL, 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.

9. Third Generation (1964-1971) Integrated Circuits • The development of the integratedcircuit was the hallmark of the third generation of computers. • Transistors were miniaturized and placed on siliconchips, 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 operatingsystem, which allowed the device to run many different applications at onetime 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.

10. Third Generation • 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 IBM 360

11. Fourth Generation (1971-1990) Microprocessors • The microprocessor brought the fourth generation of computers, as thousands of integrated circuits were built onto a single silicon chip. • The Intel 4004 chip, developed in 1971, located all the components of the computer from the central processing unit 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. 

12. Fourth Generation • 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. • Examples are APPLE II, Alter 8800 APPLE II Alter 8800

13. Fifth Generation (1990 to present) Artificial Intelligence • Fifth generation computing devices, based on Artificial Intelligence, are still in development, though there are some applications, such as voice recognition, that are being used today. • The use of parallel processing and super conductors is helping to make artificial intelligence a reality. • It introduced innovative, highly sophisticated concepts like­ AI and machine learning (ML) and merged them with other digital technologies like paralle­l processing, natural language processing (NLP), etc.  • The goal of fifth-generation computing is to develop devices that respond to naturallanguageinput and are capable of learning and self-organization.

14. Fifth Generation • One of the more well-known examples of AI in computers is IBM's Watson, which was featured on the TV show Jeopardy as a contestant. Other more recent examples include ChatGPT and the introduction of and AI PCs.

15. Sixth generation (future generations) • As of 2024, most still consider us to be in the fifth generation as AI continues to develop. One possible contender for a future sixth generation is the quantumcomputer. However, until quantum computing becomes more developed and widely used, it is still only a promising idea. • Some people also consider nanotechnology to be part of the sixth generation. Like quantum computing, nanotechnology is largely still in its infancy and requires more development before becoming widely used. • With a new generation of computers it's also possible how we interact with a computer may also change. New ways of how we may interact with the next generation of computers include only using our voice, AR (AugmentedReality), VR (VirtualReality), or MR (MixedReality).

16. The main characteristics of first generation of computers • Main electronic component – vacuum tube      • Main memory – magnetic drums and magnetic tapes • Programming language – machine language • Power – consume a lot of electricity and generate a lot of heat.         • Speed and size – very slow and very large in size (often taking up entire room). • Input/output devices – punched cards and paper tape. • Examples – ENIAC, UNIVAC1, IBM 650, IBM 701, etc. • Quantity – there were about 100 different vacuum tube computers produced between 1942 and1963.

17. The main characteristics of second generation of computers • Main electronic component – transistor • Memory – magnetic core and magnetic tape / disk • Programming language – assembly language • Power and size – low power consumption, generated less heat, and smaller in size (in comparison with the first generation computers). • Speed – improvement of speed and reliability (in comparison with the first generation computers). • Input/output devices – punched cards and magnetic tape. • Examples– IBM 1401, IBM 7090 and 7094, UNIVAC 1107, etc.

18. The main characteristics of third generation of computers • Main electronic component – integrated circuits (ICs) • Memory – large magnetic core, magnetic tape / disk • Programming language – high level language (FORTRAN, BASIC, Pascal, COBOL, C, etc.)      • Size – smaller, cheaper, and more efficient than second generation computers (they were called minicomputers). • Speed – improvement of speed and reliability (in comparison with the second generation computers). • Input / output devices – magnetic tape, keyboard, monitor, printer, etc.         • Examples– IBM 360, IBM 370, PDP-11, UNIVAC 1108, etc.

19. The main characteristics of fourth generation of computers • Main electronic component – very large-scale integration (VLSI) and microprocessor. • VLSI– thousands of transistors on a single microchip. • Memory – semiconductor memory (such as RAM, ROM, etc.) • RAM (random-access memory) – a type of data storage (memory element) used in computers that temporary stores of programs and data (volatile: its contents are lost when the computer is turned off). • ROM (read-only memory) – a type of data storage used in computers that permanently stores data and programs (non-volatile: its contents are retained even when the computer is turned off).

20. The main characteristics of fourth generation of computers • Programming language – high level language (Python, C#, Java, JavaScript, Rust, Kotlin, etc.). A mix of both third- and fourth-generation languages • Size – smaller, cheaper and more efficient than third generation computers. • Speed – improvement of speed, accuracy, and reliability (in comparison with the third generation computers). • Input / output devices – keyboard, pointing devices, optical scanning, monitor, printer, etc. • Network – a group of two or more computer systems linked together. • Examples– IBM PC, STAR 1000, APPLE II, Apple Macintosh, etc.

21. The main characteristics of fifth generation of computers • Main electronic component: based on artificial intelligence, uses the Ultra Large-Scale Integration (ULSI) technology and parallel processing method. • ULSI – millions of transistors on a single microchip • Parallel processing method – use two or more microprocessors to run tasks simultaneously. • Language – understand natural language (human language). • Power – consume less power and generate less heat. • Speed – remarkable improvement of speed, accuracy and reliability (in comparison with the fourth generation computers).

22. The main characteristics of fifth generation of computers (Contd.) • Size – portable and small in size, and have a huge storage capacity. • Input / output device – keyboard, monitor, mouse, trackpad (or touchpad), touchscreen, pen, speech input (recognise voice / speech), light scanner, printer, etc. • Example– desktops, laptops, tablets, smartphones, etc.

23. Thank You