Computer Generation and Its Explanation.

First generation (1940 - 1956)- Vacuum tube

The first generation of computers used vacuum tubes as a major piece of technology. Vacuum tubes were widely used in computers from 1940 through 1956. Vacuum tubes were larger components and resulted in first-generation computers being quite large in size, taking up a lot of space in a room. Some of the first-generation computers took up an entire room.

The ENIAC is a great example of a first-generation computer. It consisted of nearly 20,000 vacuum tubes, 10,000 capacitors, and 70,000 resistors. It weighed over 30 tons and took up a lot of space, requiring a large room to house it. Other examples of first-generation computers include the EDSAC, IBM 701, and Manchester Mark 1.

Second generation (1956 - 1963) - Transistors

The second generation of computers saw the use of transistors instead of vacuum tubes. Transistors were widely used in computers from 1956 to 1963. Transistors were smaller than vacuum tubes and allowed computers to be smaller in size, faster in speed, and cheaper to build.

The first computer to use transistors was the TX-0 and was introduced in 1956. Other computers that used transistors include the IBM 7070, Philco Transac S-1000, and RCA 501.

                                                   Modern Computer

Third generation (1964 - 1971)- Integrated Circuit or IC.

The mass increase in the use of computers accelerated with 'Third Generation' computers starting around 1966 in the commercial market. These generally relied on early (sub-1000 transistor) integrated circuit technology. The third generation ends with the microprocessor-based 4th generation.

Fourth generation (1972 - 2010){ microprocessor}

Third generation minicomputers were essentially scaled-down versions of mainframe computers, whereas the fourth generation's origins are fundamentally different. The basis of the fourth generation is the microprocessor, a computer processor contained on a single large-scale integration (LSI) MOS integrated circuit chip.[29]

Microprocessor-based computers were originally very limited in their computational ability and speed and were in no way an attempt to downsize the minicomputer. They were addressing an entirely different market.

Processing power and storage capacities have grown beyond all recognition since the 1970s, but the underlying technology has remained basically the same of large-scale integration (LSI) or very-large-scale integration (VLSI) microchips, so it is widely regarded that most of today's computers still belong to the fourth generation.

Fifth generation (2010 to present)- Hopebot and AI.

The fifth generation of computers is beginning to use AI (artificial intelligence), an exciting technology with many potential applications around the world. Leaps have been made in AI technology and computers, but there is still room for much improvement.

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 better-known examples include Apple's Siri on the iPhone and Microsoft's Cortana on Windows 8 and Windows 10 computers. The Google search engine also utilizes AI to process user searches.

 

Article Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/

https://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch001921.htm