FIRST, SECOND, THIRD, FOURTH AND FIFTH GENERATIONS OF COMPUTERS
CONTENT
- Generations of Computers
- First Generation – Vacuum Tubes (1940 – 1956)
- Second Generation – Transistors (1956 – 1963)
- Third Generation - Integrated Circuits (IC) (1964 – 1971)
- Fourth Generation - Very Large Integrated Circuits (1972 - 1984)
- Fifth Generation - Artificial Intelligence (AI) (1980s to Date)
Generations of Computers
Generation of computers is the developmental stages that the computer has gone through. There are 5 generations of computers and their accompanying innovations.
First Generation – Vacuum Tubes (1940 – 1956)
First generation computers were those manufactured between 1940s and 1950s. The computers used the stored program concept. First generation computers were associated with the vacuum tubes or valves technology as circuitry and magnetic drums for memory.
Characteristics of the First Generation of Computers
- They were very bulky and heavy.
- They measured between 50 – 100ft long and about 80ft high.
- The computers weighed up to 200 tons and occupied 3000 cubic ft.
- They used vacuum tubes to store and process data.
- Examples of first generation computers are ENIAC, EDSAC, and UNIVAC.
- It generates a lot of heat
- It relies on machine language
- These computers were limited to solving one problem at a time
Problems of First Generation of Computers
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