Generations of computers—a historical breakdown of how computers have evolved over time.
🖥️ First Generation (1940–1956)
Technology: Vacuum tubes
Key Features:
- Very large and bulky
- Used a lot of electricity and generated heat
- Programming done in machine language
Examples: ENIAC, UNIVAC
🖥️ Second Generation (1956–1963)
Technology: Transistors
Key Features:
- Smaller, faster, and more reliable than first-gen
- Used assembly language and early high-level languages (like COBOL, FORTRAN)
- Lower power consumption
Examples: IBM 1401, CDC 1604
🖥️ Third Generation (1964–1971)
Technology: Integrated Circuits (ICs)
Key Features:
- Even smaller and more powerful
- Faster processing
- Supported multiprogramming
- More reliable
Examples: IBM System/360, Honeywell 6000
🖥️ Fourth Generation (1971–Present)
Technology: Microprocessors (VLSI – Very Large Scale Integration)
Key Features:
- Rise of personal computers (PCs)
- Extremely compact and affordable
- GUIs (Graphical User Interfaces), mouse, and user-friendly software
Examples: Intel 4004, Apple Macintosh, IBM PCs
🧠 Fifth Generation (Present and Beyond)
Technology: Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning, Quantum Computing, ULSI (Ultra-Large Scale Integration)
Key Features:
- Focus on intelligent systems
- Natural language processing (like what I’m doing now!)
- Parallel processing and supercomputers
Examples: IBM Watson, modern AI assistants, quantum computers