Generations of Computer

This is five generation of computer, if you want to read the article about history of computer you can click Here.

The first generation

With the onset of the Second World War, the countries involved in the war sought to develop computers. In 1941, Konrad Zuse, a German engineer to build a computer, the Z3, to design airplanes and missiles.

The allies also made other advances in the development of computer power. In 1943, the British completed a secret code-breaking computer called Colossus to decode secret German. 

Howard H. Aiken working with IBM from Americans , succeeded in producing electronic calculators for the US Navy. The calculator is a length of half a football field and has a range of 500 miles of wiring that is the Mark I, used electromagnetic signals to move mechanical components. The calculator can perform basic arithmetic and more complex equations.

Another is the development of the ENIAC computer, which was designed by John Presper Eckert and John W. Mauchly in cooperation with the United States government and the University of Pennsylvania. Consisting of 18,000 vacuum tubes, 70,000 resistors and 5 million soldered joints, the computer is a machine that consume enormous power of 160kW. ENIAC is a versatile computer that work 1000 times faster than Mark I.

In the mid-1940s, John von Neumann (1903-1957) joined the University of Pennsylvania team, initiating concepts in computer design that is up to 40 years is still used in computer engineering. Von Neumann EDVAC in 1945 with a memory to accommodate either program or data. This technique allows the computer to stop at some point and then resume her job back. The main key to the von Neumann architecture is the central processing unit (CPU), which allowed all computer functions to be coordinated through a single source. 1951, UNIVAC I, which was made by Remington Rand, became the first commercial computer that utilizes the Von Neumann architecture models.

The first generation computers have the following characteristics:
1. The operating instructions are made specifically for a particular task.
2. The computer difficult to program because it uses a machine language.
3. Speed or slow the process.
4. The use of vacuum tube / vacuum tube.
5. Measuring very large.
6. Cylinder magnetic data storage.
7. Requires a lot of Air Conditioning / cooling because a lot of heat.

The second generation

In 1948, the invention of the transistor greatly influenced the development of computers. The transistor replaced the vacuum tube in televisions, radios and computers. As a result, the size of the electrical machines is reduced drastically.

The transistor used in computers began in 1956. Another is the development of magnetic-core memory to help the development of second generation computers smaller, faster, more reliable, and more energy efficient than their predecessors. The first machine that utilizes this new technology is a supercomputer. IBM makes supercomputer named Stretch, and Sprery-Rand makes a computer named LARC. These computers, which were developed for atomic energy laboratories, could handle large amounts of data, a capability much in demand by atomic scientists. The machine is very expensive and tend to be too complex for business computing needs, thereby limiting. There are only two LARC has ever installed and used: The first at the Lawrence Radiation Labs in Livermore, California, and the other in the US Navy Research and Development Center in Washington DC. The second-generation computers replaced the machine language with assembly language. Assembly language is a language that uses abbreviations to replace the binary code.

In the early 1960s, began to appear successful second generation computers in business, in universities and in government. The second generation of computers is fully computer using transistor. They also have components that can be associated with the computer at this time: a printer, storage, disk, memory, operating system, and programs.

One important example of this period is 1401 which is widely accepted in the industry. In 1965, almost all large businesses use computers to process the second generation of financial information.

Program stored in the computer and programming language that is in it gives flexibility to the computer. Flexibility is increased performance at a reasonable price for business use. With this concept, the computer can print customer invoices and minutes later design products or calculate paychecks. Some programming languages began to appear at that time. Programming language Common Business-Oriented Language (COBOL) and FORTRAN (Formula Translator) came into common use. This programming language replaces complicated machine code with words, sentences, and mathematical formulas are more easily understood by humans. This allows a person to program a computer. A wide variety of emerging careers (programmer, systems analyst, and computer systems expert). Software industry also began to appear and grow during this second generation computers.

The third generation

Although the transistors in many respects the vacuum tube, but transistors generate considerable heat, which can potentially damage the internal parts of the computer. Quartz stone (quartz rock) eliminates this problem. Jack Kilby, an engineer at Texas Instruments, developed the integrated circuit (IC: integrated circuit) in 1958. The IC combined three electronic components onto a small silicon disc made of quartz sand. Scientists later managed to fit more components into a single chip, called a semiconductor. As a result, computers became ever smaller as more components were squeezed onto the chip. Other third-generation development is the use of the operating system (operating system) that allows the engine to run many different programs at once with a central program that monitored and coordinated the computer's memory.

The fourth generation

After IC, the development becomes more obvious: reduce the size of circuits and electrical components. Large Scale Integration (LSI) could fit hundreds of components onto one chip. In the 1980s, the Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI) contains thousands of components in a single chip.

Ultra-Large Scale Integration (ULSI) increased that number into the millions. It also increased their power, efficiency and reliability. Intel 4004 chip made in 1971, took the IC with all the components of a computer (central processing unit, memory, and control input / output) in a very small chip. Previously, the IC is made to do a certain task specific. Now, a microprocessor can be manufactured and then programmed to meet all the requirements. Not long after, every household devices such as microwave ovens, televisions, and automobiles with electronic fuel injection (EFI) equipped with a microprocessor.

Such developments allow ordinary people to use a regular computer. Computers are no longer a dominance of large corporations or government agencies. In the mid-1970s, computer assemblers offer their computer products to the general public. These computers, called minicomputers, sold with a software package that is easy to use by the layman. The software is most popular at the time was word processing and spreadsheet programs. In the early 1980s, video games such as the Atari 2600 in home computers.

In 1981, IBM introduced the Personal Computer (PC) for use in homes, offices, and schools. The number of PCs in use jumped from 2 million units in 1981 to 5.5 million units in 1982. Ten years later, 65 million PCs in use. Computers continued their trend toward a smaller size, of computers that are on the table (desktop computer) into a computer that can be inserted into the bag (laptop), or even a computer that can be grasped (palmtops).

IBM PC to compete with Apple Macintosh, introduced in the computer. Apple Macintosh became famous for popularizing the computer graphics system, while his rival was still using a text-based computer. Macintosh also popularized the use of mouse devices.

At the present time, we know the journey IBM compatible with CPU usage: IBM PC / 486, Pentium, Pentium II, Pentium III, Pentium IV (series of CPUs made by Intel). Also we know AMD k6, Athlon, etc. This is all included in the class of fourth-generation computers.

Along with the proliferation of computer usage in the workplace, new ways to explore the potential to be developed. Along with the increased strength of a small computer, these computers can be connected together in a network to share a memory, software, information, and also to be able to communicate with each other. The computer network allows a single computer to form electronic co-operation to complete an assignment process. By using direct cabling is a Local Area Network (LAN) or telephone cable.

The fifth generation

Defining the fifth generation computer becomes quite difficult because this stage is still very young. Until recently concluded fifth generation computers using the most recent electronic components that is CHIP CLSI. It is focused on the computer artificial intelligence (Artificial Intelligence), namely the use of computers to carry out tasks that are analogous to human behavior.

Characteristics of fifth generation computers, among others:
1. Can help draw up a program for himself.
2. It can translate from one language to another.
3. Can make logical considerations.
4. Can hear the words spoken by users and implement it.
5. Can choose the facts and use the necessary facts.
6. Can process images and graphics, for example, can see and understand a photograph.