Evolution of the Different Generations of Computers

Computers have seen so many changes since the '40s. Today we are living in the fifth generation of computers and seeing the sixth generation very soon. The unique developments for computer generations were seen by their speed, memory, size, and ease of use. Check the evolution of generations of computers.

First Generation of Computers (1946 - 1959)

The first generation used vacuum tube technology and was built between 1946 and 1959. Vacuum tubes were expensive and generated significant heat. These computers were very costly, so only large organisations could afford them. These computers used machine language for programming and could not multitask.
The first electronic general-purpose computer was ENIAC, which used 18,000 vacuum tubes and was built in 1943 for war-related calculations. Examples include EDVAC, IBM 650, IBM 701, Manchester Mark 1, Mark 2, etc.

Advantages

• Faster than mechanical computers
• Solved simple calculations electronically

Disadvantages

• Very large in size and occupied entire rooms
• Consumed a lot of electricity
• Produced massive heat
• Very expensive to build and maintain

Second Generation of Computers (1956 to 1963) 

The second generation of computers existed between 1956 and 1963 and was an improvement over the first generation. Vacuum tubes were replaced with transistors. These computers got smaller, faster, and more efficient. Magnetic Core Memory was also introduced in the second generation of computers. That provided rapid and reliable performance, based on which, the third generation got conceptualised. These came with integrated circuits.

Advantages

• Smaller and faster compared with vacuum tube computers
• More reliable and energy-efficient
• Easier to maintain and operate
• More commercially available to businesses

Disadvantages

• Generated heat
• Expensive for common users
• Used machine and assembly language
• Limited multitasking

Third Generation of Computers (1964 to 1971)

Here, microchips or integrated circuits were used to build smaller, less expensive, and much faster computers.

The 3rd-generation computers were faster than earlier generations. The time to compute reduced from micro- to nanoseconds. New input devices, such as the mouse and keyboard, replaced the older punch-card method. Some new features, such as multi-programming, time-sharing, and remote processing, got introduced. It enabled multiple people at different locations to share computer resources.

Advantages

• Smaller and powerful
• Cheaper than earlier generations with more efficiency
• Higher-level languages were supported

Disadvantages

• Required cooling systems

• Still expensive for individual use

• Their maintenance depended on qualified technicians

• Some hardware limitations were there

 

Fourth Generation of Computers (1971 to 1980)

Fourth-generation computers were developed in 1972. These computers used Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI) circuits that had about 5000 transistors to run complex computations.
Fourth-generation computers had more capacity to hold main memory. These were faster and became more dependable than the previous generations. Plus, they were more portable, smaller, and used less electricity. It was Intel that developed the first microprocessor and used in a 4th-generation one.

This gen. used LSI chip technology. The first supercomputers came during this generation. They used coding languages such as C, C++, and DBASE, and performed many high-accuracy calculations.

Advantages

• Very small, fast, and inexpensive
• Suitable for personal use 
• Highly reliable and efficient with energy

Disadvantages

• It can get outdated very quickly
• Overheating

Fifth Generation of Computers (1980 - Now)

The fifth generation of computers is what we are using today. These have AI technologies for most operations, where the input methods are languages like Python, R, C#, and Java. This generation uses ULSI technology, parallel processing, and AI for scientific computation and AI software development. They're quite capable of doing complex operations. Recognising images, interpreting speech, and understanding natural languages. These are laptops, desktops, notebooks, and Chromebooks.