5 significant inventions in computer history for the decade

  • The first generation - Vacuum tube based

    It was invented by J.P. Eckert and J.W. Mauchy.
    The main electronic component was the vacuum tube
    Main memory was magnetic drums and magnetic tapes
    The programming language was machine language
    Power consumed a lot of electricity and generates a lot of heat.
    Speed and size were very slow and huge which often took up the entire room.
    Early computers were meant to be used only for calculation.
  • The second generation - Transistor based

    It was invented by John Bardeen and William Shockley.
    Unlike the first-generation languages, we used some English words in them. This step provides much more easiness to reading, writing, and debugging programs.
    Memory was magnetic core and magnetic tape or disk.
    Power and size were low power consumption, generated less heat, and smaller in size.
    Speed was the improvement of speed and reliability.
    Input or output devices were punched cards and magnetic tape.
  • The third generation - Integrated circuit based

    It was invented by Robert Noyce and Jack Kilby
    It could be used both in businesses and in homes.
    The features were reliability, lesser production of heat, low maintenance, reduction in size, less consumption of power, high-level language was used, use of integrated circuits, and faster, more efficient multiprogramming OS was supported.
  • The fourth generation - Microprocessor based

    It was invented by Ted Hoff who was an employee of Intel Company.
    More memory available at reduced cost led to the development of more and better software and an attendant increase in the complexity of applications to which computers could be applied. There are programming language, Network, and more functions.
    It was more adaptable, had more primary storage capacity, were faster and more reliable than previous generations, and were also portable, small, and required less electricity.
  • The fifth generation - Artificial intelligence based

    Main electronic component: based on artificial intelligence, uses the Ultra Large-Scale Integration (ULSI) technology and parallel processing method.
    They're high-capacity storage units that run at a rapid speed. They can interact with people through sign language, pictures, graphs, and other ways thanks to AI (Artificial Intelligence). They are less expensive than computers from previous generations