For those who really want to be perfect in computer operation and understanding, this article, which will come in ‘parts’, will gently guide you from computer basics to complex use of the software in the system. Before you start using system programs, you want to understand the system components and their use. And so I want to let you know the meaning of computer and probably computer generations.
Definition of a computer system
The computer is defined in many ways by many people based on their field of expertise. A computer is a set of interactive and interrelated devices, which uses electronic components to perform a predefined operation with precision. But in general, a computer system can be simply defined as an electronic device, which is capable of accepting data as input, processing it, storing it, and providing a result as output in human-readable form. The four basic parts of a computer are the monitor, keyboard, mouse, and system unit.
A brief history of the computer
The history and development of computers can always be traced back to Charles Babbage, the father of computers, and Lady Ada Lovelace, the mother of programming. The computer that we have come to use today perfectly without much stress and difficulty was not invented in the way we have seen, but went through a series of processes and stages. There are five generations of computers, as briefly explained below:
First-generation computer (vacuum tube technology)
This generation of computers is made up of computers developed between 1944 and 1959. ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Calculator), EDSAC (Electronic Delay Automatic Storage Computers) and UNIVAC 1 and 11 are first generation computers. This generation of computers were very bulky, they dissipated a lot of heat, some were very heavy, weighing up to 200 tons. Due to the heat, they needed a special cooling system. The characteristic technology of this generation was the use of vacuum tubes as basic building blocks for the logical parts of computers. In terms of speed, they were very slow compared to later generation computers.
Second generation computer (transistor technology)
The technology that gave the distinguishing characteristics of second-generation computers was transistor technology. Although this device was developed in 1948 at Bell Telephone Laboratories, and was used primarily in the electronic world, it was not until 1959 that it was introduced into computer manufacturing. These transistors replaced the bulky vacuum tubes. In addition to doing everything the vacuum tube could do, transistors would do it more reliably, with lower power requirements, generate less heat, less expensive to manufacture, and much smaller in size. Computers developed between 1959 and 1964 are called second-generation computers. Examples: IBM 7030, 7070, 7090, 7094, Boroughs 200 series, UNIVAC III, Honey-well 800, etc. The development of high-level programming languages such as FORTRAN and COBOL was another innovation brought by second-generation computers and was 10 times faster than the first.
Third-generation computers (integrated circuit technology)
Between 1964 and 1971, third-generation computers were developed. It was the technology of integrated circuits that opened the doors to third-generation computers. In fact, we can say that integrated circuit technology really revolutionized computer technology itself. Integrated circuits are connected to a small piece of silicon chip. This technology progressively went from Small Scale Integration (SSI), which contained around twenty interconnected transistors and diodes, through Medium Scale Integration (MSI) which had more than one hundred interconnected transistors on a single chip, to Integration Large Scale (LSI) of more than ten. of thousands of transistors and diodes on a single chip. The achievements of integrated circuit technology led to even faster, more reliable, cheaper and smaller computers, whose powers were multiple than those of previous generations. In fact, this generation of computers gave rise to mini computers, whose operating power was greater than the previous generation, greater reliability and speed, but was much smaller in size and cost. They could do a hundred times more calculations per second and a hundred times faster than their second-generation counterparts. Examples: IBM 31360 – 31370 series, CDC 6600, 7600, Boroughs B5000 and PDP II series.
Fourth generation computers (VLSIC Micro Technology
The Large Scale Integrated Circuit (VLSIC), made possible by the micro technology of the 1971-1982 period, ushered in the fourth generation of computers. VLSIC has between 5,000 and 50,000 gates (transistors), on which microprocessors were built. The effect of this technology was increasingly smaller but increasingly powerful computers, whose speed and reliability trivialized those of previous generations. This era also produced the microcomputers that could do the work of first-generation large computers with speed thousands of times faster and at prices affordable even by individuals. This generation also produced a wide variety of software packages such as word processing packages, graphics, games, spreadsheet packages, and database management systems. Networking capabilities were also improved in this era. Examples of fourth generation computers include IBM 3033, HP 3000 mini computers, Apple II, Boroughs B7700.
Fifth generation computers (era of artificial intelligence)
The technology of this generation of computers is characterized by large-scale integration (ULSI), large-scale integration (ULSI), parallel processing, artificial intelligence, speech processing, pattern recognition and expert system. The hallmarks of this generation of computers are their tremendous speed and power. The continuous miniaturization of computers is the order of the day, newer, smaller and more powerful computers are seen every day. Today, powerful microcomputers have overshadowed the capabilities of the mainstream computers of the old days. The Pentium II motherboard with clock speeds over 300 MHz and hard disk storage space of more than 20 Gigabytes with incredible capacities, are now affordable even for people of low income. Networks, ranging from the local and wide area to the Internet, are the common characteristics of this generation of computers and have reduced the entire world to a global village.