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First generation: vacuum tubes
They used vacuum tubes for circuits and magnetic drums for memory, these teams were often huge, occupying entire rooms. -
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Second generation: transistors.
The transistor was far superior to the vacuum tube, allowing computers to become smaller, faster, cheaper, more energy efficient, and more reliable. These teams went from cryptic binary machine language to assembly or symbolic languages, which involves programmers specifying instructions in words. -
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Third Generation: Integrated Circuits.
The development of the integrated circuit was the hallmark of the third generation of computers. The transistors were miniaturized and placed on silicon chips, called semiconductors, which dramatically increased speed and efficiency. -
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Fourth generation: microprocessors.
thousands of integrated circuits were built on a single silicon chip. The "Intel 4004" chip put all the components, from the central processing unit and memory to the input / output controls, on a single chip. GUI, mouse and handheld devices. -
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Fifth generation: artificial intelligence.
Fifth generation computing devices, based on artificial intelligence, are still in development. Quantum computing and molecular nanotechnology will radically change the face of computers in the years to come.