Generations of Computers
Generation in computer terminology is a change in technology a computer is/was being used.
Initially, the generation term was used to distinguish between varying hardware technologies.
Nowadays, generation includes both hardware and software, which together make up an entire
computer system.
There are five computer generations known till date. Each generation has been discussed in
detail along with their time period and characteristics. In the following table, approximate dates
against each generation has been mentioned, which are normally accepted.
Classification of generations of computers
The evolution of computer technology is often divided into five generations.
Five Generations of Computers
First Generation of Computers
The main characteristics of first generation of computers (1940s-1950s)
Main electronic component – vacuum tube
Main memory – magnetic drums and magnetic tapes
Programming language – machine language
Power – consume a lot of electricity and generate a lot of heat.
Speed and size – very slow and very large in size (often taking up entire room).
Input/output devices – punched cards and paper tape.
Examples – ENIAC, UNIVAC1, IBM 650, IBM 701, etc.
Quantity – there were about 100 different vacuum tube computers produced between 1942
and1963.
Second Generation of Computers
The main characteristics of second generation of computers (1950s-1960s)
Main electronic component – transistor
Memory – magnetic core and magnetic tape / disk
Programming language – assembly language
Power and size – low power consumption, generated less heat, and smaller in size (in
comparison with the first generation computers).
Speed – improvement of speed and reliability (in comparison with the first generation
computers).
Input/output devices – punched cards and magnetic tape.
Examples – IBM 1401, IBM 7090 and 7094, UNIVAC 1107, etc.
Third Generation of Computers
The main characteristics of third generation of computers (1960s-1970s)
Main electronic component – integrated circuits (ICs)
Memory – large magnetic core, magnetic tape / disk
Programming language – high level language (FORTRAN, BASIC, Pascal, COBOL, C, etc.)
Size – smaller, cheaper, and more efficient than second generation computers (they were called
minicomputers).
Speed – improvement of speed and reliability (in comparison with the second generation
computers).
Input / output devices – magnetic tape, keyboard, monitor, printer, etc.
Examples – IBM 360, IBM 370, PDP-11, UNIVAC 1108, etc.
Fourth Generation of Computers
The main characteristics of fourth generation of computers (1970s-present)
Main electronic component – very large-scale integration (VLSI) and microprocessor.
VLSI– thousands of transistors on a single microchip.
Memory – semiconductor memory (such as RAM, ROM, etc.)
o RAM (random-access memory) – a type of data storage (memory element) used in
computers that temporary stores of programs and data (volatile: its contents are lost
when the computer is turned off).
o ROM (read-only memory) – a type of data storage used in computers that permanently
stores data and programs (non-volatile: its contents are retained even when the
computer is turned off).
Programming language – high level language (Python, C#, Java, JavaScript, Rust, Kotlin, etc.).
o A mix of both third- and fourth-generation languages
Size – smaller, cheaper and more efficient than third generation computers.
Speed – improvement of speed, accuracy, and reliability (in comparison with the third
generation computers).
Input / output devices – keyboard, pointing devices, optical scanning, monitor, printer, etc.
Network – a group of two or more computer systems linked together.
Examples – IBM PC, STAR 1000, APPLE II, Apple Macintosh, etc.
Fifth Generation of Computers
The main characteristics of fifth generation of computers (the present and the
future)
Main electronic component: based on artificial intelligence, uses the Ultra Large-Scale
Integration (ULSI) technology and parallel processing method.
o ULSI – millions of transistors on a single microchip
o Parallel processing method – use two or more microprocessors to run tasks
simultaneously.
Language – understand natural language (human language).
Power – consume less power and generate less heat.
Speed – remarkable improvement of speed, accuracy and reliability (in comparison with the
fourth generation computers).
Size – portable and small in size, and have a huge storage capacity.
Input / output device – keyboard, monitor, mouse, trackpad (or touchpad), touchscreen, pen,
speech input (recognise voice / speech), light scanner, printer, etc.
Example – desktops, laptops, tablets, smartphones, etc.
