Lecture-2a-History of Computer

Introduction to computing
Lecture No. 2a
• Computers Then and Now (Generations of Computer)
Shahzad Ali
Lecturer Dept. of computer Science
City University of Peshawar
Lecture Content
 History of Computer
 Pre-computers and Early Computers (before approximately 1946)
 First-Generation Computers (approximately 1946–1957)
 Second-Generation Computers (approximately 1958–1963)
 Third-Generation Computers (approximately 1964–1970)
 Fourth-Generation Computers (approximately 1971–present
 Fifth-Generation Computers (now and the future)
 Data vs Information
History of Computer
 The basic ideas of computing and calculating are very old, going back thousands
of years.
 However, the computer in the form in which it is recognized today is a fairly
recent invention.
 In fact, personal computers have only been around since the late 1970s.
 The history of computers is often referred to in terms of generations, with each
new generation characterized by a major technological development.
Pre-computers and Early Computers (before approximately 1946)
 Based on archeological finds, such as notched bones, knotted twine, and

hieroglyphics, experts have concluded that ancient civilizations had the ability to
count and compute.
 The abacus is considered by many to be the earliest recorded calculating device;

 It was used primarily as an aid for basic arithmetic calculations.
 Other early computing devices include the slide rule, the mechanical calculator,
and Dr. Herman Hollerith’s Punch Card Tabulating Machine and Sorter.
 This latter device (Dr. Herman Hollerith’s Punch Card Tabulating Machine and
Sorter) was the first electromechanical machine that could read punch cards—
special cards with holes punched in them to represent data.
Hollerith’s machine was used to process the 1890 U.S.

Census data and it was able to complete the task in two and
one half years, instead of the decade it usually took to process
the data manually.
Hollerith’s company eventually became International Business

Machines (IBM).
First-Generation Computers (approximately 1946–1957)
 The first computers were enormous, often taking up entire rooms. They were
powered by thousands of vacuum tubes—glass tubes that look similar to large
light bulbs—which needed replacing constantly, required a great deal of
electricity, and generated a lot of heat.
 Usually paper punch cards and paper tape were used for
input, and output was printed on paper.
 Two of the most significant examples of first-generation computers were ENIAC

and UNIVAC.
 ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer)
 UNIVAC (UNIVersal Automatic Computer)
UNIVAC
 ENIAC, was the world’s first large-scale, general purpose computer.

 Although it was not completed until 1946, ENIAC was developed
during World War II to compute artillery firing tables for the U.S. Army.
 Instead of the 40 hours required for a person to compute the optimal settings for a
single weapon under a single set of conditions using manual calculations, ENIAC
could complete the
same calculations in less than two minutes.
 UNIVAC, released in 1951, was initially built for the U.S. Census Bureau and
was used to analyze votes in the 1952 U.S. presidential election.
 Interestingly, its correct prediction of an Eisenhower victory only 45 minutes after
the polls closed was not publicly aired because the results were not
trusted.
 However, UNIVAC became the first computer to be mass produced for general
commercial use.
Second-Generation Computers (approximately 1958–1963)
 The second generation of computers began when the transistor—a small device
made of semiconductor material that acts like a switch to open or close electronic
circuits—started to replace the vacuum tube.
Second-Generation Computers (approximately 1958–1963)
 Transistors allowed second-generation computers to be smaller, less expensive, more

powerful, more energy-efficient, and more reliable than first-generation computers.
 Typically, programs and data were input on punch cards and magnetic tape, output was
on punch cards and paper printouts, and magnetic tape was used for storage.
Hard drives and programming languages (such as FORTRAN

and COBOL) were developed and implemented during this
generation.
Third-Generation Computers (approximately 1964–1970)
 The replacement of the transistor with integrated circuits (ICs) marked the
beginning of the third generation of computers.
 Integrated circuits incorporate many transistors and electronic circuits on a single
tiny silicon chip, allowing third-generation computers to be even smaller and
more reliable than computers in the earlier computer generations.
Third-Generation Computers (approximately 1964–1970)
 Instead of punch cards and paper printouts, keyboards and monitors were
introduced for input and output; hard drives were typically used for storage. An
example of a widely used third generation computer.
Fourth-Generation Computers (approximately 1971–present)
 A technological breakthrough in the early 1970s made it possible to place an

increasing number of transistors on a single chip.
 This led to the invention of the microprocessor in 1971, which ushered in the
fourth generation of computers.
 In essence, a microprocessor contains the core processing capabilities of an entire
computer on one
single chip.
Fourth-Generation Computers (approximately 1971–present)
 The original IBM PC and Apple Macintosh computers, and most of today’s
traditional computers, fall into this category.
 Fourth-generation computers typically use a keyboard and mouse for input, a
monitor and printer for output, and hard drives, flash memory media, and optical
discs for storage.
 This generation also witnessed the

development of computer networks, wireless
technologies, and the Internet.
Fifth-Generation Computers (now and the future)
 Fifth-generation computers are most commonly defined as those that are based
on artificial intelligence, allowing them to think, reason, and learn.
 Some aspects of fifth-generation computers—such as voice and touch input and
speech recognition—are being used today.
Fifth-Generation Computers (now and the future)
 In the future, fifth-generation computers are expected to be constructed

differently than they are today, such as in the form of optical computers that
process data using light instead of electrons, tiny computers that utilize
nanotechnology, or as entire general-purpose computers built into desks, home
appliances, and other
everyday devices.

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Introduction to computing

 Based on archeological finds, such as notched bones, knotted twine, and

 The abacus is considered by many to be the earliest recorded calculating device;

Hollerith’s machine was used to process the 1890 U.S.

Hollerith’s company eventually became International Business

 Two of the most significant examples of first-generation computers were ENIAC

 ENIAC, was the world’s first large-scale, general purpose computer.

 Transistors allowed second-generation computers to be smaller, less expensive, more

Hard drives and programming languages (such as FORTRAN

 A technological breakthrough in the early 1970s made it possible to place an

 This generation also witnessed the

 In the future, fifth-generation computers are expected to be constructed

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