this is for education.

1. Categories of computers and computer
languages
NAME- SOURADEEP MAITY
CLASS-VI
VIDYASAGAR SHISHU NIKETAN
MIDNAPORE-721101

2. Generation of computers
 The first computer was a huge machine. It could only do simple calculations. Over the years, computers have
gone through many changes. Their size has become smaller and speed has increased. Their appearance has
changed. The technologies used to run them have also changed. All these changes are summed up and referred
to as generations.
 There are Five generations of computers:-
 1)First generation computers (1940-1958)
 2)Second generation computers (1959-1963)
 3)Third generation computers (1964-1970)
 4)Fourth generation computers (1971-till the present)
 5)Fifth generation computers (present-beyond)

3. First generation computers (1940-1958)
 Characteristics of first generation
computers are-
 Vacuum tube technology.
 Unreliable.
 Supported machine language only.
 Very costly.
 Generated a lot of heat.
 Slow input and output devices.
 Huge size.
 Need of AC.
 Example- ENIAC & UNIVAC
Fig:- ENIAC Fig:- UNIVAC

4. Second generation computers (1959-1963
Fig- IBM 1401 Fig- RCA 501

5. Third generation computers (1964-1970)
 Characteristics of third generation
computers are-
 Integrated circuits (ICs) were used.
 Keyboard for input and monitor for
output were used.
 Smaller, faster, cheaper and more
efficient than early computers.
 Example- IBM 360, Apple 1.
Fig- IBM 360 Fig- Apple 1
*Note*---An IC is also called a chip and may contain thousand of transistors.

6. Fourth generation computers (1971- till the present)
 Characteristics of fourth generation computers
are-
• Microprocessor technology used.
• Very cheap.
• Portable and reliable.
• Use of PCs.
• Very small size.
• Pipeline processing.
• No AC required.
• High storage capacity.
• Example- IBM PC, HP 9000 Fig- IBM PC Fig- HP 9000
*Note*--- A microprocessor is a very Large Scale Integrated (VLSI) Circuit that
contains many ICs on a single chip.

7. Fifth generation computers ( Present-beyond)
 Characteristics of fifth generation
computers are-
 Artificial Intelligence will be used.
 Touch screen, voice recognition used for
input and output.
 Super large-scale integrated chips will be
used.
 Will have ability to solve complex problems
including logical reasoning and decision-
making.
 Example- Robots, Google Siri. Fig- Robot Fig- Google Siri
*Note*--- Artificial Intelligence ( AI ) is the technology that enables a computer to think like humans and
perform human-like tasks such as voice recognition, decision-making and translation between languages.

8. Five generations of computers:-

9. COMPUTERS ARE DIVIDED
INTO VARIOUS
CATEGORIES ON THE BASIS
OF THEIR SIZE, SPEED,
PROCESSING POWER AND
PRICE.
THE VARIOUS CATEGORIES
OF COMPUTERS ARE-
1) MICROCOMPUTERS
2) MINICOMPUTERS
3) MAINFRAME COMPUTERS
4) SUPERCOMPUTERS
5) MOBILE COMPUTERS
6) GAME CONSOLES
7) EMBEDDED COMPUTERS

10. Microcomputers
 A microcomputer is a small, relatively
inexpensive computer with a
microprocessor as its central processing
unit (CPU). It includes a microprocessor,
memory and minimal input/output (I/O)
circuitry mounted on a single printed
circuit board (PCB).
 Modern desktop computers, laptops,
tablet, PCs are examples of
microcomputers.

11. Minicomputers
 A minicomputer is a type of computer
that possesses most of the features and
capabilities of a large computer but is
smaller in physical
size. Minicomputers are mainly used as
small or mid-range servers operating
business and scientific applications. ...
A minicomputer may also be called a
mid-range computer.
 Examples- CDC 1700, HP 3000
Fig- Minicomputer

12. Mainframe Computers
 A mainframe computer, informally called
a mainframe or big iron,[1] is
a computer used primarily by large
organizations for critical applications,
bulk data processing (such as
the census and industry and
consumer statistics, enterprise resource
planning, and large-scale transaction
processing). A mainframe computer is
larger and has more processing power
than some other classes of computers,
such
as minicomputers, servers, workstations,
and personal computers.
 Examples- IBM Z series.

13. Supercomputer
 A supercomputer is a computer with
great speed and memory. This kind of
computer can do jobs faster than any
other computer of its generation. They are
usually thousands of times faster than
ordinary personal computers made at that
time.
 Example- Cray-1, IBM’s Blue Gene/L
Fig- Supercomputer

14. Mobile computers
 Mobile computers are the smallest computers designed to be carried around by
their users. They can be taken from place to place. They all are user-friendly,
lightweight and very convenient.
 Some mobile computers are:-
 Netbook- A netbook is a low-power notebook computer that is smaller than a
laptop. It usually does not have a DVD drive. Example-ASUS Eee PC.
 E-book reader- An e-book reader is a small hand-held device. You can use it to
read e-books and other digital media. Example- Paperwhite Kindle.
 Tablets- Tablets are portable computers that use a touchscreen and come
without a keyboard and mouse. Example- Apple’s iPad, Microsoft Surface.

15. Mobile computers
 Smartphones- A smartphone is a combination of a mobile phone and a
computer system. You can use a smartphone to check your email, book
a ticket, locate places or shop online. Example-iPhone, Android,
Blackberry, Windows phone.
 PMP- A Portable media Player (PMP) is an electronic device that
stores and plays audio, images, videos and so on. Example-
Smartphones / cell phones, satellite navigation receivers, Digital
cameras, smart watches.

16. Different types of mobile computers
Fig- ASUS Eee PC
( Netbook ) Fig- Paperwhite Kindle
( E-book reader)
Fig- Apple’s
iPad ( Tablet)
Fig- Smartphone
To know more about mobile computers Click here

17. Game Consoles
 A game console is a device used for
playing computer games on a television
screen. The users play a game through a
controller, which is a hand-held device
with buttons.
 Example- Microsoft Xbox, Sony
Playstation, Nintendo GameCube,
Nintendo Wii.
Fig- Sony Playstation Fig- Nintendo
GameCube

18. Embedded Computers
 A computer that is integrated into another
device is called an embedded computer. It
performs a specific function of that device.
It is also referred to as microcontrollers.
Embedded computers have been used in
Modern TV sets, Motor Vehicles,
telephones, Digital cameras, washing
machine, microwaves and dishwashers.
 ATMs, Calculators, Digital Watches, printers
also use embedded computers.
Fig- Embedded computer

19. Types of computer languages
 In order to communicate with each other, you need to know all the languages such as –
English, Tamil, Hindi, Bengali, Sanskrit, German and so on.
 However a computer does not understand these languages. You need to communicate
with a computer in a language that computer understands.
 The languages that a computer can understand are divided into four categories-
 1)First and second generation languages ( these are Low-Level languages).
 2)Third generation languages ( these are High-Level languages).
 3)Fourth generation languages.
 4)Fifth generation languages (these are the artificial Intelligence based languages).

20. Low-Level languages

21. Low- Level languages
Machine language/First
generation language
 Some features of machine language are-
 It is machine dependent, which means that
a particular machine language can be used
on only one type of computer.
 It is the only language that is directly
understood by a computer.
 It is difficult to use, as the programmer has
to remember machine codes.
Assembly language/Second
generation language
 Some features of assembly language are-
 It is machine dependent.
 It is easier to understand as compared to
a machine language.
 It is easy to locate and correct errors.

22. High-level language/Third Generation languages
 These computer languages are called High-Level languages (HLL).High-level
languages are similar to human languages. They are easier to read and write.
 The First high-level language was designed in 1950s.
 Some popular high-level languages are- C, C++, FORTRAN, BASIC, COBOL.
 Some features of high-level language are-
 1) It is user-friendly.
 2) It uses English words and mathematical operations, which are easier to learn.
 3) It has to be converted into machine language, which is time consuming.

23. Fourth generation languages
 The fourth generation languages are modern high-level language. 4GLs are
designed to reduce the overall time, effort and cost of software development.
 Some popular fourth generation languages are PL/SQL, FoxPro, Stata, Oracle
and Visual Basic.
 Some features of forth generation languages are-
 1) It is machine independent.
 It is more user-friendly as compared to a third generation language.
 It has a very high speed of execution.
 It makes the programming easier.

24. Fifth generation languages
 Artificial Intelligence is the technique with which a machine is made to
think and take decisions like humans.
 Fifth generation computers are still at the experimental stage and are
being developed for the future.
 Some fifth generation languages are- Mercury, OPS5, Prolog, Robots.

25. A MACHINE LANGUAGE IS THE
ONLY LANGUAGE THAT IS
EASILY UNDERSTOOD BY A
COMPUTER. A PROGRAM
WRITTEN IN HIGH-LEVEL
LANGUAGE OR ASSEMBLY
LANGUAGE CAN NOT RUN
DIRECTLY ON A COMPUTER. IT
NEEDS TO BE CONVERTED
INTO COMPUTER
UNDERSTANDABLE LANGUAGE.
FOR THIS WE NEED A
TRANSISTORS.

26. What is a transistor??
 A transistor is used to convert one form of language to another so that
a computer understands the instructions it receives.
 A program written in a high-level language is called source code.
 Source code is sent to a translator that converts it into machine code.
 Machine code is the converted code that computer can easily
understand.
Source
Code
Translator
Machine
Code
Fig-Working of a translator

27. Types of Translators
ASSEMBLER
An assembler is a
translator that
translates a
program written in
an assembly
language into a
machine language.
COMPILER
A compiler is a translator
that is used to translate a
program written in high-level
language into a low-level
language.
It translates the entire
program in one go.
After the entire translation
is completed the errors are
detected and removed.
INTERPRETER
An interpreter is a
translator that translates
a program written in a
high-level language into a
machine language.
It translates one line of a
program at a time and
reports the error once it
is encountered.

29. THANKYOU FOR
WATCHING IT WITH
PATIENCE.