CLASSIFICATION OF COMPUTER BASED ON GENERATION.

Computers are also classified based on their Generation, and there are the various Generation of computers that have been introduced between 1946 till date. The Generation of computers and some of their features.

                                              

FIRST GENERATION OF COMPUTER

The year 1946 to 1954 brought about the development of first Generation of computers, it was an attempt made by a man called Charles Babbage Known as the Father of Computer, and the First Generation of computer uses vacuum tubes that were developed by Lee DeForest. The Vacuum tube was used as a circuit and the magnetic drum as the memory.

 FEATURES OF FIRST GENERATION OF COMPUTER

v It was developed with an electronic valve called vacuum tube used for storing of information.

v It was slow in operation.

v It was too large in operation

v It generates a lot of heat.

v It consumes a lot of electricity.

v Machine language used for programming

v It was too difficult to use

EXAMPLES OF FIRST GENERATION OF COMPUTER

v ACE: Automatic Computer Engine.

v ENIAC: Electric Numeric Integrator and Calculator.

v UNIVAC.

v EDVAC.

v EDSAC.

SECOND GENERATION OF COMPUTER

A group of Scientist lead by William Shockley started the development of the second generation of the computer by replacing vacuum tube with another device called transistor at bell laboratories the transistor was invented in the year 1947. This brought a wonderful and significant change in the computer system by reducing the vacuum tube with a transistor. It was an improvement on the first generation of computer, the second generation of computer made use of the machine and assembly language which made it easy to use for programming. The second generation of computer was manufactured between 1955 to1964.

FEATURES OF the SECOND GENERATION OF COMPUTER

v It was developed with a component called transistor as its a memory for storing of information.

v It was small compare to the first generation of computer.

v It possesses high speed in operation.

v It makes use of a high level of language.

v It consumes less electricity and produces less heat.

            v It has faster input and output device.

v It was fast compared to the first generation.

EXAMPLES OF the SECOND GENERATION OF COMPUTER

v IBM 700 series .IBM means international business machine.

v IBM 7070.

v  Atlas.

THIRD GENERATION OF COMPUTER

This was an improvement to the second generation of computer. It made use of a component called Integrated circuit which consists of a series of inter-connected transistor (Resistor and Capacitor) all attached to a single chip. It was manufactured between 1964 to 1971.

FEATURES OF the THIRD GENERATION OF COMPUTER

v It was developed with an integrated circuit as it a memory for storage of information.

v It gives rise to more development technology.

FOURTH GENERATION OF COMPUTER

An Engineer called Dr. Hoff conceive the idea of converting the integrated circuit to a single central chip called Microprocessor. This brought a radical significant change in the technology system by converting the entire component to the one known as a microprocessor, it was manufactured between 1971 to 1990.

FEATURES OF the FOURTH GENERATION OF COMPUTER

v It made use of chips (Microprocessor) as it a memory for storage of information.

v It leads to the standard use of the software.

v It was more compact portable.

FIFTH GENERATION OF COMPUTER

This is the advance form of the computer system. This form of computer makes use of high manipulation. It is an advanced and sophisticated machine that reasons like a human being during operation (Artificial Intelligence) it was manufactured between 1989 till date.

FEATURES OF the FIFTH GENERATION OF COMPUTER

v It made use of logical inference and artificial intelligence.

v It possesses data/information in million cycles per seconds.