A

Project Report on

“Generation of Operating Systems”

Submitted By:
Lad Gauri (51)

Department of Computer Technology

Sanjivani K. B. P Polytechnic, Kopargoan
2022-23
Sanjivani K. B. P Polytechnic, Kopargoan

Certificate
Project entitled
“Generation of Operating Systems”

Submitted By:
Lad Gauri (51)

Approved for Diploma in Computer Technology.

Under Guidance Of:

Prof. G. N. Jorvekar

Prof. G. N. Jorvekar Mr. G. N. Jorvekar

Subject Teacher Head of Department
What is Operating System?

Operating System: An operating system is an integrated

set of programs that is used to manage the various
resources and overall operations of a computer system.
It is a program that acts as an interface between the user
and the computer hardware and control the execution of
all kinds of programs. It is a low-level software that
supports a computer’s basic functions, such as scheduling
tasks and controlling peripherals. The three most common
operating systems for personal computers are Microsoft
Windows, macOS, and Linux.
 Generation of Operating System

Operating Systems have evolved over the years. So, their

evolution through the years can be mapped using generations
of operating systems. There are four generations of operating
systems. These can be described as follows-

As we know, an operating system is a program that manages all

the interactions of hardware with a user and different external
components of a system. Its main objective is to provide an
interface where user can easily do their task without worrying
about what is going on inside the computer system and internal
levels. The generations of an operating system are described
according to the major changes that occur in them the
beginning until now.
The First Generation ( 1945 - 1955 ):
Vacuum Tubes and Plugboards

Digital computers were not constructed until the second world

war. Calculating engines with mechanical relays were built at
that time. However, the mechanical relays were very slow and
were later replaced with vacuum tubes. These machines were
enormous but were still very slow.
These early computers were designed, built and maintained by
a single group of people. Programming languages were
unknown and there were no operating systems so all the
programming was done in machine language. All the problems
were simple numerical calculations.
By the 1950’s punch cards were introduced and this improved
the computer system. Instead of using plugboards, programs
were written on cards and read into the system.
• Advantages of First Generation
a. These computes were fast and could calculate data in
millisecond.
b. Vacuum tubes were the only electronic component
available during those days.
 c. Easily available and inexpensive.
d. Tactile sensitivity is preserved.
e. Color-coded for easier and faster identification of
readings.
f. Vacuum tubes technology made possible to make
electronic digital computers.

• Disadvantages of First Generation

a. The computers were very large in size.
b. They consumed a large amount of energy.
c. They heated very soon due to thousands of vacuum
tubes.
d. They were not reliable and non-portable.
e. Air conditioning was required.
f. Constant maintenance was required.
g. Very slow speed and limited programming capabilities.

The Second Generation (1955 – 1965):

Transistors and Batch Systems

Transistors led to the development of the computer systems

that could be manufactured and sold to paying customers.
These machines were known as mainframes and were locked
in air-conditioned computer rooms with staff to operate them.
The Batch System was introduced to reduce the wasted time in
the computer. A tray full of jobs was collected in the input
room and read into the magnetic tape. After that, the tape was
rewound and mounted on a tape drive. Then the batch operating
system was loaded in which read the first job from the tape and
ran it. The output was written on the second tape. After the
whole batch was done, the input and output tapes were
removed and the output tape was printed.
• Advantages of Second Generation
a. They are smaller in size as compare to the first generation.
b. It is more reliable.
c. Uses less power and generates less heat.
d. The speed of the second generation is faster as compared
to the first generation.
e. Second generation computers have improved accuracy
and offer better portability.
• Disadvantages of Second Generation
a. As we know, that they generate less heat but still require
a cooling system.
b. They require frequent maintenance.
c. The commercial production of second generation
computers is difficult.
d. They are used only for some specific purpose.
e. They use punch cards for input.
The Third Generation (1965 – 1980):
Integrated Circuits and Multiprogramming

Until the 1960’s, there were two types of computer systems i.e
the scientific and the commercial computers. These were
combined by IBM in the System/360. The use of integrated
circuits increased the performance of systems many times as
compared to second generation systems.
Third generation operating systems also introduced
multiprogramming. This meant that the processor was not idle
while a job was completing its I/O operation. Another job was
scheduled on the processor so that its time would not be wasted.
• Advantages of Third Generation
a. The energy consumption was less.
b. Generation of heat was reduced.
c. The portability was more of these computers.
d. They have better speed and can calculate the data in
nanoseconds.
e. Maintenance cost was reduced.
f. Used both machine and assembly level languages.
g. The processing was faster.
 • Disadvantages of Third Generation
a. It required air conditioning for the cooling purposes in
the mainframes.
b. The technology used was highly sophisticated for the
manufacturing purpose of integrated circuits.
c. IC chips are difficult to maintain.
d. The integrated circuits were difficult to repair.
e. The computers were costly

The Fourth Generation(1980 – Present):

Personal Computer3
Personal Computers were easy to create with the development
of large-scale integrated circuits. These were chips containing
thousands of transistors on a square centimeter of silicon.
Because of these, microcomputers were much cheaper than
minicomputers and that made it possible for a single individual
to own one of them.
The advent of personal computers also led to the growth of
networks. This created network operating systems and
distributed operating systems. The users were aware of a
network while using a network operating system and could log
in to remote machines and copy files from one machine to
another.
• Advantages of Fourth Generation
a. They are more reliable and efficient compared to
other generations of computers.
b. The consumption of electricity is low compared to the
previous generation of computers.
c. They have fantastic processing powers.
d. They are multitasking and multiprogramming with the
time-sharing concept.
e. They are portable due to their compact size.
f. They used semi-conductor memory for better
performance.

• Disadvantages of Third Generation

a. The 4th gen’s computers used microprocessors which are
complex in manufacturing.
b. VLSI circuit needs more advanced technology.
c. Due to network connectivity spread, harmful viruses and
malware are found.
d. Heavily dependent on the internet.
e. Microprocessors are prone to get damaged.
f. More storage is needed.
 Conclusion
• The generation of an operating system is classified into
four major generations.
• The classification was done on the basis of major
changes and increased efficiency that an operating
system has gone through in time.
• In the first generation of the operating system Vacuum
tubes and Plugboards were introduced in the computer
system.
• In the second generation of an operating system,
transistors and Batch systems are introduced that perform
the task execution in a batch comprised of jobs. In this
operating system, only one task gets executed at a single
time.
• The third generation of the operating system leads to the
invention of integrated circuits. Now, the systems are
much faster than earlier operating systems. More than
two jobs can be scheduled for the processor at a single
time in these operating systems.
• The fourth generation of the operating system was
introduced by the use of large-scale integrated circuits on
a silicon plate. Personal computers become general use
by the public. The process of job execution is now much
faster