HISTORY OF THE COMPUTER

CONTENT

• Generation of Computers

Generation of Computers

First Generation Computer

The first generation of computers, spanning from 1940 to 1956, utilized electronic valves (vacuum tubes) for their circuits. Notable examples include the Leo Mark III and Atlas Series, as well as pioneering machines like the Universal Automatic Computer (UNIVAC), Electronic Discrete Variable Automatic Computer (EDVAC), and Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Computer (EDSAC), which were developed by engineers Dr. John W. Mauchly and J. Prespert Eckert.

One standout from this era was the IBM 650 Magnetic Drum Calculator.

Key Features of First-Generation Computers:

1. Utilized punch cards for data input.
2. Operated in machine language.
3. Employed vacuum tubes for data storage and processing.
4. Had limited internal storage capacity.
5. Consumed significant electronic power, resulting in excessive heat generation.

Second Generation Computer

The second generation of computers, in existence from 1956 to 1963, replaced vacuum tubes with transistors. Although transistors were invented by William Shockley in 1947, their practical application didn’t take hold until the late 1950s.