COMPUTER GENERATIONS
1.- First Generation (1951-1958) BULBOS
In this generation there was a great ignorance of the capabilities of computers, since a study was conducted at this time that determined that with twenty computers would saturate the market of the United States in the field of data processing. This generation spanned the fifties. And it is known as the first generation.
The most successful computer of the first generation was the IBM 650, of which several hundred were produced. This computer used a secondary memory scheme called magnetic drum, which is the predecessor of the current discs.
Main features:
* Systems consisting of vacuum tubes, they gave off a lot of heat and had a relatively short life.
* Large and heavy machines. the ENIAC computer of large dimensions (30 tons) is built.
* High energy consumption. the voltage of the tubes was 300v and the possibility of melting was great
*Storing information inside magnetic drum.
* Continuous failures or interruptions in the process
* N required special auxiliary air conditioning systems.
* Programming in machine language, consisted of long strings of bits, zeros and ones, so the programming was long and complex.
* They used punched cards to enter data and programs.
* It began to use the binary system to represent the data.
* In this generation the machines are large and expensive (at an approximate cost of $ 10,000).
* Representative computer UNIVAC and used in the presidential elections of the USA. in 1952
* Industrial manufacturing.
2. Second Generation (1958-1964)
In this generation, computers are reduced in size and are less expensive. Many companies appeared and computers were quite advanced for their time as the 5000 series of Burroughs and the ATLAS of the University of Manchester. Some computers were programmed with perforated tape and others by wiring on a board.
Characteristics of this generation:
* They used transistors to process information. The main component is a small piece of semiconductor, and is exposed in so-called transistor circuits.
* Decrease in size.
* Decrease in the amount of heat.
* Its reliability reaches unimaginable goals with the ephemeral vacuum tubes.
* Greater speed, the speed of operations is no longer measured in seconds but in ms.
* Internal memory of ferrite cores.
* Storage instruments: tapes and discs
* Improved input and output devices, for the best reading of punched cards, photoelectric cells were available.
* 200 transistors could be accommodated in the same amount of space as a vacuum tube.
* They used small magnetic rings to store information and instructions.
* Computer programs that were developed during the first generation were improved.
* New programming languages such as COBOL and FORTRAN were developed, which were commercially accessible.
* Used in airline reservation system applications, air traffic control and general purpose simulations.
* The Navy of the United States develops the first flight simulator, "Whirlwind I".
*They emerged minicomputers and remote terminals.
* The size of computers began to decrease.
3.- Third Generation (1964-1971)
The third generation of computers emerged with the development of integrated circuits (silicon wafers) in which thousands of electronic components are placed in a miniature integration. Computers again became smaller, faster, gave off less heat and were more energy efficient. The IBM-360 computer dominated the sales of the third generation of computers since its introduction in 1965. The PDP-8 of the Digital Equipment Corporation was the first mini-computer.
Characteristics of this generation:
*Integrated circuits were developed to process information. Developed in 1958 by Jack Kilbry.
* The "chips" were developed to store and process the information. A "chip" is a piece of silicon that contains miniature electronic components called semiconductors.
* Integrated circuits remember the data, since they store the information as electrical charges.
* Lower energy consumption
* Appreciable space reduction
* Increased reliability and flexibility
* Increase storage capacity and reduce response time.
* Compatibility to share the software between different equipment
* Teleprocessing: remote terminals are installed, which occur in the central computer to perform operations, extract or enter information in data banks, etc.
* The multiprogramming arises. Computer that can process several programs simultaneously.
* Timeshare: use of a computer by several timeshare clients, because the device can distinguish between several processes performed simultaneously.
* Computers can perform both mathematical processing or analysis tasks.
* The "software" industry emerges.
* The IBM 360 and DEC PDP-1 mini computers are developed.
* Computers again become smaller, lighter and more efficient.
*They consumed less electricity, therefore, less heat was generated.
* Renewal of peripherals
* System instructions.
* Expansion of applications: in industrial processes, in education, in the home, agriculture, administration, games, etc.
* The mini computer.
4.- Fourth Generation (1971-1988)
They appear the microprocessors that is a great advance of the microelectronics, they are integrated circuits of high density and with an impressive speed. Microcomputers based on these circuits are extremely small and inexpensive, so their use extends to the industrial market. Here are born the personal computers that have acquired enormous proportions and that have influenced the society in general on the so-called "computer revolution".
The microprocessor: the process of reducing the size of the components comes to operate at microscopic scales. The micro miniaturization allows the construction of the microprocessor, an integrated circuit that governs the fundamental functions of the computer. The applications of the microprocessor have been projected beyond the computer and are found in a multitude of devices, be they medical instruments, automobiles, toys, appliances, etc.
Electronic memories: the memories of ferrite magnetic cores are discarded and electronic memories are introduced, which are faster. At first they present the disadvantage of their greater cost, but this diminishes with the manufacture in series.
Characteristics of this generation:
* The microprocessor was developed.
* More circuits are placed inside a "chip".
* "LSI - Large Scale Integration circuit".
* "VLSI - Very Large Scale Integration circuit".
* Each "chip" can do different tasks.
* A simple "chip" currently contains the control unit and the arithmetic / logic unit.
* The third component, the primary memory, is operated by other "chips".
* The memory of magnetic rings is replaced by the memory of silicon "chips".
* The microcomputers are developed, that is, personal computers or PC.
* The supercomputers are developed.
5.- Fifth Generation (1983 to the present)
In view of the accelerated march of the microelectronics, the industrial society has given itself to the task of putting also to that height the development of the software and the systems with which the computers are handled. International competition arises for the dominance of the computer market, in which two leaders emerge who, however, have not been able to reach the desired level: the ability to communicate with the computer in a more everyday language and not to through specialized codes or control languages.
Japan launched in 1983 the so-called "program of the fifth generation of computers", with the explicit objectives of producing machines with real innovations in the mentioned criteria. And in the United States there is already a program in development that pursues similar objectives, which can be summarized as follows:
* The microcomputers are developed, that is, personal computers or PC.
* The supercomputers are developed.
* Higher speed
* Greater miniaturization of the elements.
*It increases memory capacity
* Multiprocessor (interconnected processors).
* Natural language
* Programming languages: PROGOL (Programming Logic) and LISP (List Processing).
* Voice activated machines that can respond to words spoken in different languages and dialects.
* Capacity of translation between languages that will allow the instantaneous translation of spoken and written languages.
*Intelligent development of knowledge and number of data processing.
* Processing characteristics similar to human processing sequences.
* Artificial intelligence includes the following fundamental aspects:
*Expert systems.
* An expert system is not a library (which provides information), but a counselor or specialist in a matera (hence providing knowledge, experienced advice). An expert system is a sophisticated computer program, has in its memory and its structure a large amount of knowledge and especially strategies to debug it and offer it according to requirements, making the system a specialist that is programmed.
* It consists of computers (and their applications in robotics) can communicate with people without any difficulty of understanding, either orally or in writing: talking with the machines and that they understand our language and also make themselves understood in our language .
* Natural Language.
* Science that deals with the study, development and applications of robots. Robots are devices composed of sensors that receive input data and are connected to the computer.
* Robotics
* Recognition of the voice.
* Voice recognition applications are aimed at capturing the human voice by a computer, either for the treatment of natural language or for any other type of function.
An operating system is the program that hides the truth from the hardware to the programmer and presents a simple and pleasant view of the nominated files that can be read and written. It is operating system protects the disk hardware programmer and presents a simple file-oriented interface, also disguises much of the work concerning interruptions, clocks or chronometers, memory management and other low-level features.
The function of the operating system is to present the user with the equivalent of an extended machine or virtual machine that is easier to program than the implicit hardware.
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