Based on the period of development, the features incorporated and the technological advancement the computers have been classified into various generations. Technological advancement in computer hardware means the advances made in the technology of electronic devices used to implement the basic building blocks within the computer system.
Computers belonging to one particular level of technology are said to belong a certain computer generation.
The late forties and the early fifties have seen computer hardware using vacuum tubes as the basic building blocks. The first electronic digital computer developed in the late forties was based on vacuum tube circuitry. The concept of stored program was introduced around the same time. These computers were quite large and they used vacuum tube circuitry. They had a poor reliability and had only a limited functional capability. They approximately occupied 1500 sq. feet and required elaborate cooling arrangements. Machine level language or binary level language was used. It was written by using machine code which is made of a set of 0`s and 1`s. It is a difficult language and it required a lot of time to write programs. Operating systems were not used in this generation.
Transistors were smaller, faster, and more reliable and generated less heat than vacuum tubes. Computers replaced vacuum transistors with transistors. Storage capacity of these computers increased greatly than previous computers. They used assembly level programming languages and had a better processing, than first generation. These were the most popular computers of that age and captured a larger share of the market.
Computers based on integrated circuits became popular in mid sixties. The small and medium scale integrated circuits replaced the transistors in the hardware, while semiconductors memory elements replaced the magnetic core memory. Magnetic disks fully replaced the magnetic tapes as the storage medium. The ICs provided vast internal storage and increased the operational efficiency. Use of discs overcame many of the problems associated with previously used tapes, slow speed and sequential access of data.
Another concept developed during this period was an operating system and high level programming languages were used. This is very much better than the first and second generation computers as compared in all aspects.
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Development of Microprocessor in 1972 is a significant event of the 20th century. When integrated with storage and input/output units, a microprocessor produces a Microcomputer. Microcomputer is a compact stand-alone, easy to use device. Necessity paved way for innovation.
