History AND IMPACT OF COMPUTING Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

History AND IMPACT OF COMPUTING - seek Example546). First Generation (1940-1955) Vacuum Tubes These beginning(a) computers utilized vacuum tubes in their circuitry and their memories comprised of magnetic drums. These starting time computers were often massive, taking a lot of space. They were expensive to run and, in addition to consuming grand amounts of electricity these computers generated immense heat, which often led to their malfunctions. The first generation computers depended on machine code linguistic process a low-level programming language only understood by computers, to execute their operations, and hence they were fit to solve a single problem at a time. The computers input used paper tapes and punched card while their output was presented on printouts. ENIAC and UNIVAC computers are some of the first generation computing gadgets. The UNIVAC was the earliest commercial message computer distributed to a business client, the United States Bureau of Census in 1951 . Second Generation (1955-1963) junction transistor Computers In the succeeding generation of computers, transistors replaced vacuum tubes in the computers circuitry. Transistors were initially invented in 1947 but received borderline use in computers until late 1950s. Transistors were far more superior compared to vacuum tubes, allowing the computers to be smaller, cheaper, faster, reliable, and with increased zip fastener efficiency as compared their former generation predecessors. Although the transistors also generated plenty of heat which exposes the computers to the damage, they were a significant procession in comparison to the vacuum tubes. The second generation computers also used the punched cards for their input and printouts as their outputs. The second generation computers shifted from obscure binary machine code language to symbolic, an assembly language that allows programmers to nail down instructions in the form of words. FORTRAN, COBOL, and other High-level Pr ogramming language were also under create during this period. These were the first computers which stored instructions in their memories, which had also moved from magnetic drums to magnetic core technology. The initial computers in this generation were meant for the atomic energy industries. Third Generation (1964-1970) Integrated Circuits Computers Integrated Circuits (ICs) development was the essential sign of the third generation computers. Miniaturized transistors were installed on silicon semiconductor chips, which increased efficiency and speed of computers. The third generation computers interacted with their users through monitors and keyboards interfaced through an operating system instead of the printouts and punch cards. These new features allowed the computers to run different applications at the same time with an inner program which monitored the memory. The third generation computers became handy to a mass of the earreach since they were cheaper and smaller than th eir predecessors. Fourth Generation (1970- Present) The fourth generation computers were brought by the development of microprocessors. Microprocessors allowed thousands of integrated circuits to be make on a single silicon chip. A device that consumed the whole room in the first generation computers could be now developed on the palm of a hand. Intel 4004 chip, created in 1971, allowed all the components in a