GENERATIONS OF COMPUTER

FIRST GENERATION (1940-56)

• Using vaccum tubes as switching device
• Storage device is Magnetic drums
• Batch operating system
• Machine Language (0s and 1s)
• Fastest computing device (333 microsecond)
• Used for scientific purposes

SECOND GENERATION (1956-63)

• Used Transistors as switching device
• Storage device is Magnetic core technology
• Multitasking operating system
• Speed -10 micro second
• Assembly language, high level language
• Used for commercial production
• Eg., PDP-8, IBM-1401, IBM 7094 series

THIRD GENERATION (1964-71)

• Used Integrated Circuits (ICs)
• Storage device is Magnetic core
• Real time operating system
• Speed test- 100 nano second
• High level language (FORTRAN, COBOL, ALGOL)
• Used for Database management system
• Eg., NCR-395, B6500, IBM 370, IBM system/360 and CDC 164 etc

FOURTH GENERATION (1971- present)

• Used Large Scale Integration (LSI) and It circuit microprocessor as switching device
• Storage device is Semiconductor memory, winchester disk
• Time sharing network, GUI Interface
• Speed- 10 pico second
• PASCAL, ADA, COBOL-74, FORTRAN IV
• Eg., Intel 4004 chip, Macintosh

FIFTH GENERATION (present and beyond)

• Using Super Large Scale Integrated Chip (SLSC)
• Parallel processing
• Intel core microprocessor is implemented
• Based on the technique of Artificial Intelligence
• Eg., Robotics