THE COMPUTER and its GENERATIONS 

Computer

• All computer data is represented using binary notation - a number system that uses 0s and 1s. Binary digits can be grouped together into bytes.

• All software, music, documents, and any other information that is processed by a computer is stored using binary.

• Two standard character sets that students should become familiar with are ASCII and Unicode. In each standard a certain sequence of bits (1s and 0s) stands for a letter or other character.

• ASCII is only used for the English language. Unicode uses between 8 and 32 bits per character, so it can represent characters from languages from all around the world.

• Hexadecimal is way to write binary numbers more easily. An 8-bit binary number can be written using only two different hex digits.

• Computer process the binary instructions generated by its user.

Computer

Computers are fundamentally electronic devices capable of handling various types of information processing. This processing can encompass diverse tasks, such as performing arithmetic operations like addition or managing data through actions like grouping and ungrouping. In the present day, modern computers exhibit extraordinary computational capabilities, executing billions of calculations per second while delivering highly precise and dependable results. To understand the origins and evolution of this technology, we need to delve into its inception.

Generations of Computer

Today's computers can trace their origins back to the latter half of the 20th century, and as time advanced, significant strides in physics and electronics paved the way for transformative enhancements in computer hardware and software. Consequently, computers began a process of continuous evolution. Each of these technological leaps signifies a distinct generation of computers. Let us begin with the first one.

First Generation of Computers (1946-1959):

- Characteristics: Large, limited to basic calculations, used vacuum tubes.

- Input Method: Machine language (1GL or the first generation language), punch cards, paper tape, magnetic tape.

- Examples: ENIAC, EDVAC, UNIVAC, IBM-701, IBM-650.

- Reliability: Very unreliable, prone to heating up and frequent shutdowns.

Second Generation of Computers (1959-1965):

- Characteristics: More reliable, used transistors instead of vacuum tubes, compact.

- Input Method: Higher-level languages like COBOL, FORTRAN.

- Memory: Magnetic cores, magnetic tape, magnetic disks.

- Examples: IBM 1620, IBM 7094, CDC 1604, CDC 3600, UNIVAC 1108.

- Improved Speed: Worked on AC and were faster than first-generation computers.

Third Generation of Computers (1965-1971):

- Characteristics: Used Integrated Circuits (ICs), smaller in size, more reliable, consumed less power.

- Input Method: COBOL, FORTRAN-II to FORTRAN-IV, PASCAL, ALGOL-68, BASIC.

- Examples: IBM-360 series, Honeywell-6000 series, PDP, IBM-370/168.

- Complexity: Allowed more complex calculations and information representation.

Fourth Generation of Computers (1971-1980):

- Characteristics: Utilized Very Large Scale Integrated (VLSI) circuits, microprocessors.

- Input Method: Higher-level languages like C, C+, C++, DBASE.

- Examples: STAR 1000, CRAY-X-MP (Super Computer), DEC 10, PDP 11, CRAY-1.

- Supercomputing: Capable of performing many high-level tasks, compact, low power consumption.

Fifth Generation of Computers (1981-present):

- Characteristics: Utilize Ultra Large Scale Integration (ULSI) technology, modern high-level languages like Python, R, C#, Java.

- Cutting-Edge: Used in the development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) components.

- Examples: Intel P 4, i 3 - i 10, AMD Athlon, etc.

Each generation of computers has marked significant advancements in technology, leading to the highly advanced and capable computers we have today.