It is a power point presentation concerning generations of computers. Although it is a short one but some basics have been provided in that relevant to the topic.
5. The second generationcomputersbeganwith the advent of transistors, inventionof
magneticcore and developmentof magneticdiskstoragedevices.One transistorwas
equivalentto 40 vacuum tubes.Transistorswerefound to conduct electricityfasterand
betterthan vacuum tubes. They werealsomuch smallerin sizeand gaveoff virtuallyno
heat ascompared to vacuum tubes.The developmentof High Level Languages,such as
FORTRAN,COBOL,ALBOL, and SNOBALtook place.Commercialand businessapplications
developedapplicationsrapidly,such aspayroll,inventory control, production planning,etc.
Examplesof second generationcomputersare IBM1401, IBM1620, and UNIVAC1108.
6. In this period, the first integrated circuit was invented by Jack St Clair Kilby and
Robert Noyce. Integrated circuits are also referred semiconductor chip. Integrated
circuits incorporate many transistors and electronic circuits as a single wafer of chip
ofsilicon. Thefirst commercial minicomputer was introduced in 1965. It is known
as PDP – 8 (Programmed Data Processor). The third generation computers could
carryinstructions in billionths of a seconds. Thesize of these machines dropped to
the size of small file cabinets. Examples of third generation computers are IBM 360
series, ICI 1900 series, PDP 11/45.
7. Thefourth generation can be characterizedby monolithic integrated circuits (millions
oftransistors put onto one integrated circuit chip)and the invention ofmicroprocessor.
TheIntel Corporation engineerDr. Ted Hoff had invented the Intel 4004, the world first
microprocessor. Amicroprocessor chip holds on a single chip, the entire control unit
and arithmetic logic unit of a computer. This development has changed the world of
computers. The technology is known as VeryLarge Scale Integration (VLSI). An Intel's
Pentium pro-microprocessor contain 5.5 million transistors when a first Intel chip had
2,250 transistors.
