Generation of computer
M1-R5.1 & CCC · Chapter 1: Introduction to Computer · 1 min read
Generation of computers: Generation in computer talks a step in technically. Originally the term generation was used to differentiate between various hardware technologies.From the first electronic computer to the present computer, computer are divided into different generations for their classifications. The characteristics of these generation are given below:
| Generation | Period | Hardware | Software | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First | 1942–1955 | Vacuum tubes | Machine language | Mark-1, ENIAC, UNIVAC |
| Second | 1955–1964 | Transistors, magnetic tape | Assembly language, batch processing OS | Honeywell-400, IBM-7030 |
| Third | 1964–1975 | ICs, semiconductor memory, magnetic tape & disk | High-level languages (BASIC, COBOL, FORTRAN), parallel processing | IBM 360/370, PDP-8/11, CDC-6600 |
| Fourth | 1975–1989 | LSI, VLSI, microprocessors | High-level languages (C, C++), GUI OS (MS-DOS, Windows) | CRAY-1, Apple II |
| Fifth | 1989–Present | ULSI, AI technologies | High-level languages (Java, HTML, CSS, Python), internet-based applications | IBM notebooks, Pentium PCs, PARAM-1000, laptops, desktops |