Name: Ryza Mae B.
Napone
BSTM-1
FIVE GENERATIONS OF COMPUTER
First Generation: Vacuum Tubes The first computer systems used vacuum tubes
for circuitry and magnetic drums for main memory, and they were often enormous,
taking up entire rooms. These computers were very expensive to operate, and in
addition to using a great deal of electricity, the first computers generated a lot of heat,
which was often the cause of malfunctions. The maximum internal storage capacity was
20,000 characters.
Second Generation: Transistors The world would see transistors replace
vacuum tubes in the second generation of computers. The transistor was invented at
Bell Labs in 1947 but did not see widespread use in computers until the late 1950s. This
generation of computers also included hardware advances like magnetic core memory,
magnetic tape, and the magnetic disk
Third Generation: Integrated Circuits The development of the integrated circuit
was the hallmark of the third generation of computers. Transistors were miniaturized
and placed on silicon chips, called semiconductors, which drastically increased the
speed and efficiency of computers.
Fourth Generation: Microprocessors The microprocessor ushered in the fourth
generation of computers, as thousands of integrated circuits were built onto a single
silicon chip. The technology in the first generation that filled an entire room could now fit
in the palm of the hand. The Intel 4004 chip, developed in 1971, integrated all the
components of the computer, from the central processing unit and memory to
input/output controls, on a single chip
Fifth Generation: Artificial Intelligence Fifth-generation computer technology,
based on artificial intelligence, is still in development, though there are some
applications, such as voice recognition, that are being used today. The use of parallel
processing and superconductors is helping to make artificial intelligence a reality. This is
also so far the prime generation for packing a large amount of storage into a compact
and portable device.
