Computer Overview
Computer is an electronic device used for storing and processing information this is the most common definition of a computer.Most computers follow the basic principle of Input,Process and Output.A computer consists of two components hardware and software.A computer has various types of files on a storage media i.e text storage,data storage,graphic storage, and audio storage media.
- Computer Applications
To begin with, you must understand the impact of computers in the world today.Computers are affecting our lives in one way or the other.Airline and railway reservations,telephone and electricity bills,banking,medical diagnoses,weather forecasts.......the list would be endless.
- Generations of Computer
While it would not be wrong to say that the evolution of the computer began with man's need to count, the actual growth of this field happened in a short span of thirty years.The rapid development was characterized by phases of growth,which have come to be called "generations of computers".Major technological changes in each "generation" led to smaller,cheaper,more powerful,more efficient and reliable computers.
Following are the five generations of computer
First generation---1940-1956: Vacuum Tubes
The 1st generation computers used valves leading to huge size and cost.The UNIVAC & 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--1956-1963:Transistors
The second generation computers used transistors.In a span of 10 years,transistors that were more efficient and cheaper replaced valves.
Third generation--1964-1971:Integrated Circuits (IC)
The third generation computers used Integrated Circuits.In the 60's a major breakthrough was achieved when hundred of transistors could be placed on a silicon chip.
Fourth generation--1971-present:Microprocessors
With the intro. of Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI),thousands of transistors could be placed on a single chip.In 1981 IBM introduced the 1st comp. for home users, and in 1984 Apple introduced the Macintosh.
Fifth generation--Present and Beyond:Artificial Intelligence
The 5th generation tries to infuse artificial intelligence into computers.Their development is still in infancy, but examples can be cited of various speech recognition systems and robots.
Following are the five generations of computer
First generation---1940-1956: Vacuum Tubes
The 1st generation computers used valves leading to huge size and cost.The UNIVAC & 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--1956-1963:Transistors
The second generation computers used transistors.In a span of 10 years,transistors that were more efficient and cheaper replaced valves.
Third generation--1964-1971:Integrated Circuits (IC)
The third generation computers used Integrated Circuits.In the 60's a major breakthrough was achieved when hundred of transistors could be placed on a silicon chip.
Fourth generation--1971-present:Microprocessors
With the intro. of Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI),thousands of transistors could be placed on a single chip.In 1981 IBM introduced the 1st comp. for home users, and in 1984 Apple introduced the Macintosh.
Fifth generation--Present and Beyond:Artificial Intelligence
The 5th generation tries to infuse artificial intelligence into computers.Their development is still in infancy, but examples can be cited of various speech recognition systems and robots.
No comments:
Post a Comment