the evolution of computer

The evolution of computer technology is a fascinating journey to review and examine. This is because with a thorough understanding of their evolution you can not only look toward the future of computers, you can also recognize other developments across the world that may in fact lead back to anticipating their future application and in turn the future of computers.

THE FIRST GENERATION COMPUTER

• The first computers, and were extremely different from the computers we see today. 
• Because the first generation computers were extremely difficult to program,
• They were designed for a specific task, and they never made it to the general market. 
• These primitive computers relied on vacuum tubes and magnetic drums.
• Vacuum tubes process data by allowing the passage of electrons
• Magnetic drums use magnetic material to store data.
• The 1st generation computers were also extremely slow. 

THE SECOND GENERATION

• The computers built in the 1950s and 1960s are considered the 2nd generation computers. 
• These computers make use of the transistors invented by Bell Telephone laboratories and they had many of the same components as the modern-day computer. 
• For instance, 2nd generation computers typically had a printer, some sort of tape or disk storage, operating systems, stored programs, as well as some sort of memory. 
• These computers were also generally more reliable and were solid in design.

THE THIRD GENERATION 

• The 3rd Generation Computers were generally much smaller in size than the 2nd and 1st generation computers. 
• This is because these newer computers made us of integrated circuits and semiconductors (a type of material that had the properties of an insulator and a conductor). 
• 3rd generation computers also contained operating systems, which acted as overseers to the performance of a computer and which allowed computers to run different programs at once. 
• Another function of operating systems is to make sure everything is flowing smoothly inside the computer. 
• The 3rd generation computers made the transition from transistors to integrated circuits and from punch cards to electronic computer systems.

THE FORTH GENERATION

• Fourth Generation computers are the modern day computers. 
• The Size started to go down with the improvement in the integerated circuits. 
• Very Large Scale(VLSI) and Ultra Large scale(ULSI) ensured that millions of components could be fit into a small chip. 
• It reduced the size and price of the computers at the same time increasing power, efficiency and reliability. 
• "The Intel 4004 chip, developed in 1971, took the integrated circuit one step further by locating all the components of a computer (central processing unit, memory, and input and output controls) on a minuscule chip."

THE FIFTH GENERATION

• Fifth generations computers are only in the minds of advance research scientiets and being tested out in the laboratories. 
• These computers will be under Artifical Intelligence(AI), 
• They will be able to take commands in a audio visual way and carry out instructions. 
• Many of the operations which requires low human intelligence will be perfomed by these computers.