Computer is a machine which is being used in almost all walks of life of every human being. The revolution of web technology, internet and mobile phones has set new dimensions of knowledge and has given life to a new thought process. With the pace of continuous R&D on computer, we can say that it will keep us updated with new experiences in life.
Personal computers are used by students, engineers, creative writers for computation, design and publishing purposes, or can be read at home with a PC (personal computer). Internet technology has made it possible to bring all the information at the doorstep of every person. People are now using computers for enquiry, banking, shopping and many more applications. We are now passing through an era of information superhighway where all kinds of information can be accessed at just the click of a button on the computer.
Computer Generation
We can divide computer generations into five main periods. Each generation of computers is defined on the basis of the technology used by them. With the passage of time new technological innovations have taken place and with each increasing generation the efficiency of computer has increased and the cost of processing has come down.
First generation (1942–1956)
First generation computers used vacuum tubes as the main electronic components and magnetic drums for data storage. Their size was enormous; Even a full room was needed to keep them. They were very expensive , the heat emitted was excessive , Because of which it was very necessary to cool them and at the same time their maintenance was also very difficult. Machine language was used as its programming language to operate the first generation computers. Input to the first generation computers was given by punched cards and paper tapes. First generation computers were able to solve only one problem at a time.
Second generation (1956–1965)
Second generation computers used transistors as electronic components. Transistors were efficient, faster, consumed less power and were more cheap and reliable than first generation computers. Although they produced more heat, they were also more reliable. In this generation, magnetic cores were used as primary memory and magnetic tapes and magnetic disks were used as secondary storage devices. High level computer programming languages such as COBOL and FORTRAN were introduced in this generation.
third generation (1965–1975)
In the third generation integrated circuits (ICs) were used in place of transistors in third generation computers. A single IC can hold together a large number of transistors, resistors and capacitors, making the size of the computer much smaller. Keyboards and monitors were used for input/output by computers of this generation. The concept of operating system was also introduced around EC time. In this generation, the concepts of time sharing and multi programming operating systems were introduced. Many new high level programming languages were introduced in this generation, such as Fortran, IV, Pascal, BASIC, etc.
Fourth Generation (1975–1988)
This generation introduced the microprocessor in which thousands of ICs could be manufactured on a single silicon chip. Computers of this generation used very large scale integrated circuit (VLSI) technology. In year 1971 4 chip was developed, in which all the components of a computer were located on a single chip.
Because of this use, small size computers were born, which were named desktop computers or personal computers. In this generation, the concept of time-sharing, real-time processing, distributed operating systems were used, as well as new high-level programming languages such as C, C++ databases were introduced in this generation. was used.
Fifth Generation ( 1988 to present )
As the fifth generation , a new technology emerged called ULSI ( Ultra Large Scale Integration ) , which allows up to 1 million electronic components to be included in a microprocessor chip. was . In this generation the concept of artificial intelligence, voice recognition, mobile communication, satellite communication, signal data processing were started. Introduction of high level programming languages like JAVA, VB and NET In this generation due to advancement in the development of computer machines, computers have become widespread and useful and are being used in all walks of our life. With regular ongoing research and development, it is certain that we will continue to experience new innovations with the passage of time.
