Describe The History And Generations Of Computers. How Has Computer Hardware Evolved Over Time AIOU 1431 5403 9384

The first-generation computers used vacuum tube technology. Vacuum tubes were like fragile glass tubes, which consumed more electricity due to more glowing time. First-generation computers also used punched cards and magnetic tape as input devices. Magnetic tapes were able to access large amounts of data, but they processed it sequentially.

Sequential processing is called the Batch processing technique, where data is processed in the form of bundles or batches.

First-generation computers relied on machine language, which consisted of binary instructions of 0 or 1 codes. Later, Assembly languages were introduced, which used special names instead of codes called mnemonics. Vacuum tubes generated a lot of heat and covered a lot of space. Punched card technology consumed a large number of cards, even for small programs. Magnetic tapes were unable to retrieve large amounts of data quickly, being a sequential medium.

In the 2nd generation, transistors replaced vacuum tubes. The transistor is an electronic component used for amplification and switching of electric signals.

Punched cards were used as an input device to feed computer programs. Magnetic tapes were also used as input/output storage. Some high-level languages like FORTRAN, COBOL, and BASIC were introduced. Due to close resemblance with the English language, these are called high-level languages.

Transistors were much more reliable and had greater computational speed. They required no warm-up time and consumed less electricity.

In the 3rd generation, the Integrated Circuit (IC) replaced transistors. The integrated circuit consisted of thousands of transistors fabricated in a single silicon chip. ICs were smaller in size and had better performance than transistors.

Keyboards and monitors were used as input and output devices. PASCAL was used as a high-level language.

The fourth generation was based on two technologies: Large Scale Integration (LSI) and Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI). In LSI technology, about 30,000 electronic components were fabricated in a single chip, while in VLSI technology, about one million electronic components were fabricated in a single chip.

In the fifth generation, Voice recognition (also called speech recognition) was used as an additional special feature — a device can receive and interpret dictation.

Optical fiber technology was introduced for communication. Optical fiber is normally made of glass, through which light can be transmitted.

Artificial Intelligence technology was also introduced. Artificial Intelligence acts like a human being — for example, a Robot.