GENERATIONS

GENERATIONS
Vacuum Tubes ** Era of machines built around vacuum tubes – light-bulb-sized glass tubes that housed switching circuitry (4), and uses magnetic drums for memory. This machines were very big machines, often taking up entire rooms. And expensive as they used a lot of electricity, which made a lot of heat and cause many failures. Only the massive institutions, companies, could afford one of these computers. But even though, with all the faults the computers of first generation became indispensable for scientists and engineers. Computers were functioned by the machine language, that is the “lowest-level programming language understood by computers.“ Only one problem could be solved at a time. “Input was based on punched cards and paper tape, and output was displayed on printouts.” source //The IBM 650 was a first-generation computer. “The UNIVAC and ENIAC computers are examples of first-generation computing devices. The UNIVAC was the first commercial computer delivered to a business client, the U.S. Census Bureau in 1951.” // Second Generation (1959-1963) Transistors **,  In 1948, the Transistor was invented. It has the same use as the Vacuum Tubes. Computers using the transistors were smaller, cheaper and more reliable. As the software on this computer advanced, they were much more faster and easier to program and use. Therefore, used in business as well as the scientists and engineers used it. “Though the transistor still generated a great deal of heat that subjected the computer to damage, it was a vast improvement over the vacuum tube. Second-generation computers still relied on punched cards for input and printouts for output.”  source “Second-generation computers moved from cryptic binarty machine language to symbolic, or assembly languages, which allowed programmers to specify instructions in words. These were also the first computers that stored their instructions in their memory, which moved from a magnetic drum to magnetic core technology.” source The first computers of this generation were developed for the atomic energy industry.   //The IBM 7090 was a second-generation computer. // Third Generation (1964-1979) Integrated Circuits ** <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Transistors were replaced by Integrated Circuits (“a pack of hundreds of transistors on a tiny silicon chip”(4)), which significantly increased the speed and efficiency of computers. Now, computers were more; reliable (“chips could be rigorously tested before installation”), smaller (chips instead of a lot of transistors), quicker (“electricity had shorter distances to travel”), efficient (small chips created less heat, because they used less power) and cheaper (produced in masses). “Instead of punched cards and printouts, users interacted with third generation computers through keyboards and monitors <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">and interfaced with an operating system, which allowed the device to run many different applications at one time with a central program that monitored the memory. Computers for the first time became accessible to a mass audience because they were smaller and cheaper than their predecessors.” source //<span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">The IBM 360 was a hybrid third-generation computer. //<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> <span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;"> Microprocessors** <span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">“The microprocessor brought the fourth generation of computers, as thousands of integrated circuits were built onto a single silicon chip. What in the first generation filled an entire room could now fit in the palm of the hand. The Intel 4004 chip, developed in 1971, located all the components of the computer - from the central processing unit and memory to input/output controls - on a single chip.” The microprocessors made a drastic change in computers, such in appearance, capability and availability. “As these small computers became more powerful, they could be linked together to form networks, which eventually led to the development of the Internet. Fourth generation computers also saw the development of GUIs, the mouse and handheld devices.” source “In 1981 IBM introduced its first computer for the home user, and in 1984 Apple introduced the Macintosh. Microprocessors also moved out of the realm of desktop computers and into many areas of life as more and more everyday products began to use microprocessors.” source <span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">The research and development of the microprocessor was very expensive, but when it was finish, watches, pocket calculators and computers were made with this. <span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;"> Artificial Intelligence** <span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">“Fifth generation computing devices, based on artificial intelligence, are still in development, though there are some applications, such as voice recognicion, that are being used today. The use of pararell processors and superconductors is helping to make artificial intelligence a reality. Quamtun computation and molecular and nanotechnology will radically change the face of computers in years to come. The goal of fifth-generation computing is to develop devices that respond to <span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-ansi-language: ES-PE; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">natural language <span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">input and are capable of learning and self-organization.” source Many of the operations which requires low human intelligence will be perfomed by these computers.
 * <span style="font-size: 16pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">First Generation (1951-1958)
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 * Fourth Generation (1979-Present)
 * Fifth Generation (Present and Beyond)

There are a lot of quotations that don´t have the source written anywhere. Be careful with that. <span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> (6)http://library.thinkquest.org/C0125787/fifthgen.htm (5)http://www.webopedia.com/DidYouKnow/Hardware_Software/2002/FiveGenerations.asp