Unit 1: Introduction to Computer System

Evolution of computers
Each generation of computer is characterized by a major technological development that
fundamentally changed the way computers operate, resulting in increasingly smaller, cheaper,
more powerful and more efficient and reliable devices. The various generations of computers an
listed below :
(i) First Generation (1946-1954) : The digital computes using electronic valves (Vacuum tubes)
are known as first generation computers. The vacuum tube consumes a lot of power. Some of the
computers of this generation were:
• Mark I : The IBM Automatic Sequence Controlled Calculator (ASCC), called the Mark I
by Harvard University, was an electro-mechanical computer. Mark I is the first machine
to successfully perform a long services of arithmetic and logical operation automatically.
But it was not a purely electronic computer.

• ENIAC: It was the first general-purpose electronic computer built in 1946 at University
of Pennsylvania, USA . It was named Electronic Numerical Integrator And Calculator
(ENIAC). Input was possible from an IBM card reader, and an IBM card punch was used
for output. These cards could be used to produce printed output offline using an IBM
accounting machine.

• EDSAC and EDVAC: Two groups of individuals were working at the same time to develop
the first stored-program computer. In the United States, at the University of Pennsylvania the
EDVAC (Electronic Discrete Variable Automatic Computer) was being worked on. In
England at Cambridge, the EDSAC (Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Computer) was also
being developed. EDSAC stands for Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Computer and
was developed by Cambridge University in 1949 and EDVAC stands for Electronic
Discrete Variable Automatic Computer and was developed in 1950. They were to be a vast
improvement upon ENIAC, it was binary rather than decimal, and was a stored program
 computer. The concept of storing data and instructions inside the computer was
introduced here. This allowed much faster operation since the computer had rapid access to
both data and instructions. The EDSAC won the race as the first stored-program
computer . EDSAC is the first computer is used to store a program.

• UNIVAC-1: The full form of UNIVAC is UNIVersal Automatic Computer. It was the first
commercial computer produced in the United States. The UNIVAC was used for general
purpose computing with large amounts of input and output. The UNIVAC was also the first
computer to come equipped with a magnetic tape unit and was the first computer to use
buffer memory.

Advantages of First Generation Computer

1. Made use of vacuum tubes which are the only electronic component available those days.
2. Use of vacuum tube technology made possible to make an electronic digital computer.
3. These computers could calculate in milliseconds.

Disadvantages of First Generation Computer

Followings are the major drawbacks of First generation computers.
1. They used valves or vacuum tubes as their main electronic component.
2. They were large in size, slow in processing and had less storage capacity.
3. They consumed lots of electricity and produced lots of heat.
4. Their computing capabilities were limited.
5. They were not so accurate and reliable.
6. They used machine level language for programming.
7. They were very expensive.
 Unit 1: Introduction to Computer System
Evolution of computers (Cont…)
(ii) Second Generation (1955-1964): The second-generation computer used transistors for
CPU components & ferrite cores for main memory & magnetic disks for secondary memory.
They used high-level languages such as FORTRAN (1956), & COBOL (1960 - 1961). I/O
processor was included to control I/O operations.
Around 1955 a device called Transistor replaced the bulky Vacuum tubes in the first generation
computer. Transistors are smaller than Vacuum tubes and have higher operating speed. They
have no filament and require no heating. Manufacturing cost was also very low. Thus the size of
the computer got reduced considerably.
It is in the second generation that the concept of Central Processing Unit (CPU), memory,
programming language and input and output units were developed. Some of the computers of the
Second Generation were
1. IBM 1620: It was mostly used for scientific purpose.

2. IBM 1401: Its size was small to medium and used for business applications.

Features:
1. Transistors were used instead of Vacuum Tube.
2. Processing speed is faster than First Generation Computers (Micro Second)
3. Smaller in Size (51 square feet)
4. The input and output devices were faster.
 Advantages

1. Smaller in size as compared to the first generation computer.

2. The second-generation computers were more reliable.
3. Used less energy and were not heated as much as first-generation computer.
4. Wider commercial use.
5. Better portability as compared to the first generation computers.
6. Better speed and could calculate data in microseconds.
7. Used faster peripherals like tape drives, magnetic disk etc.
8. Used assembly language as well as machine language.
9. Accuracy was improved.

Disadvantages

1. The cooling system was still required.

2. Constant maintenance required.
3. Commercial production was somehow difficult.
4. Only used for specific purposes.
5. Costly and not versatile.

(iii) Third Generation (1964-1977) : The third generation started with the development of a
small single IC having many transistors and capacitors built on a single thin slice of silicon. So
it is quite obvious that the size of the computer got further reduced. Some of the computers
developed during this period were IBM-360 and IBM-370. High level language such as BASIC
(Beginners All purpose Symbolic Instruction Code) was developed during this
period. Computers of this generation were small in size, low cost, large memory and processing
speed is very high.

Features:
1. They used Integrated Circuit (IC) chips in place of the transistors.
2. Semi conductor memory devices were used.
3. The size was greatly reduced, the speed of processing was high, and they were more accurate
and reliable.
4. They used high level language for programming.
 Advantages of Third Generation of Computer

1. Smaller in size as compared to previous generations.

2. More reliable.
3. Used less energy.
4. Produced less heat as compared to the previous two generations of computers.
5. Better speed and could calculate data in nanoseconds.
6. Used fan for head discharge to prevent damage.
7. Maintenance cost was low because hardware failure is rare.
8. Totally general purpose.
9. Could be used for high-level language.
10. High storage capacity than the previous generation’s computer.
11. Versatile.
12. Less expensive.
13. More accurate than previous.
14. Used mouse and keyboard for input.

Disadvantages of Third Generation Computer

1. The highly sophisticated technology required for the manufacturing of IC chips.

 Unit 1: Introduction to Computer System
Evolution of computers (Cont…)

(iv) Fourth Generation (1978-1990): An IC containing about 100 components is called LSI
(Large Scale Integration) and the one, which has more than 1000 such components, is called
as VLSI (Very Large Scale Integration). For example, in LSI a chip has 1000 transistors in 1
sq cm , whereas in VLSI it will have more than 1 million transistors in the same space. They
use large scale Integrated Circuits (LSIC) built on a single silicon chip called microprocessors.
Due to the development of microprocessor it is possible to place computer’s central processing
unit (CPU) on single chip. These computers are called microcomputers. The personal
computer (PC) is a Fourth Generation Computer where Main memory used fast semiconductors
chips. Hard disks were used as secondary memory. Keyboards, dot matrix printers etc. were also
developed. OS-such as MS-DOS, UNIX, Apple’s Macintosh were available. Object oriented
language like C++ etc were developed.
Advantages Fourth Generation of Computer

1. They were developed for totally general purpose use (general-purpose computers).
2. Smaller in size and much reliable than other generations of computer.
3. The heat generation was negligible and hence cooling system required in many cases of
the fourth-generation computer.
4. Portable and cheaper than the older versions.
5. Fourth generations computer were much faster than the older generations.
6. Graphics User Interface (GUI) technology was exploited to offer more comfort to users.
PCs became more affordable and widespread during this period.
7. Less repairing time and maintenance cost.
8. They were developed for commercial production as well.
9. All types of High-level languages can be used in this type of computers

Disadvantages of the Fourth Generation of Computer

1. The very advanced technology was required to fabricate to the ICs (Integrated Circuits).
2. High quality and reliable system or technology can only make the ICs.
3. Cooler is required (Fan)
4. The latest technology is required for the manufacturing of Microprocessors.
Features:
1. They used Microprocessor (VLSI) as their main switching element.
2. They are also called as micro computers or personal computers.
3. Their size varies from desktop to laptop or palmtop.
4. They have very high speed of processing; they are 100% accurate, reliable, diligent and
versatile.
5. They have very large storage capacity.
Example: IBM PC, Apple-Macintosh etc.
(v) Fifth Generation (1991- continued) : The period of fifth generation is 1980-till date. In
the fifth generation, VLSI technology became ULSI (Ultra Large Scale Integration) technology,
resulting in the production of microprocessor chips having ten million electronic components.
This generation is based on parallel processing hardware and AI (Artificial Intelligence)
software. AI is an emerging branch in computer science, which interprets the means and method
of making computers think like human beings. All the high-level languages like C and C++,
Java, .Net, Python etc., are used in this generation.
AI includes – Robotics, Game Playing, Development of expert systems to make decisions in
real-life situations, Natural language understanding and generation

Features and Advantages of Fifth Generation Computers

• ULSI technology
• Development of artificial intelligence
• Development of Natural language processing
• Advancement in Parallel Processing
• More user-friendly interfaces with multimedia features
• Availability of very powerful and compact computers at cheaper rates
Disadvantages of Fifth Generation of Computer:

• They tend to be sophisticated and complex tools.

• They can give more power to companies to watch what you are doing and even allow them to
infect your computer.