Growth in the computer industry is determined by the development in technology. Each phase/generation of computer development is characterized by one or more hardware/software developments that distinctly improved the performance of the computers of that generation. Based on various stages of development, computers can be divided into different generations.
The First Generation (1942-1955) :
The first generation computers used the concept of ‘stored program’ and were characterized by vacuum tubes. UNIVAC 1 was the first electronic computer of this generation and was used for business applications.
The Second Generation (1955–1964) :
The second generation computers were characterized by transistors. A transistor is a solid state semiconductor device that revolutionized the electronic industry. IBM 1401 and IBM 1620 were popular computers of this generation.
The Third Generation (1964-1975) :
In 1964, the Integrated Circuits or ICs or chips revolutionized the electronic industry and started the third generation of computers. An IC is a small silicon chip or wafer made up of extremely purified silicon crystals. It has numerous transistors, capacitors, resistors and other elements of an electronic circuit.
Examples : IBM 360 series, Honeywell 6000 series.
The Fourth Generation (1975 onwards) :
In this generation Large Scale Integration (LSI) and Very Large scale integration (VLSI) technology was used by which up to 300,000 transistors were used on a single chip. Thus integration of complete CPU on a single chip was achieved in 1971 and was named microprocessor which marked the fourth generation of computers.
Fifth Generation Computers :
Fifth Generation computers are still under development. This generation is based on the concept of artificial intelligence. In simple terms the computers of this generation are supposed to behave like humans. The principles of parallel processing (many processors are grouped together) and superconductivity are being used to develop devices that respond to human languages and will have the ability to apply previously gained knowledge to execute a task. They will let them make decisions of their own to execute a task. Some applications like voice recognition, visual recognition are a step in this very direction.
