The Generations of Computers

By Clareise Del Rosario

  • FIRST GENERATION: VACUUM TUBES (1940–1956)

    First-generation computers relied on machine language, the lowest-level programming language understood by computers, to perform operations, and they could only solve one problem at a time. It would take operators days or even weeks to set up a new problem. Input was based on punched cards and paper tape, and output was displayed on printouts.

  • SECOND GENERATION: TRANSISTORS (1956–1963)

    The transistor was far superior to the vacuum tube, allowing computers to become smaller, faster, cheaper, more energy-efficient, and more reliable than their first-generation predecessors. Though the transistor still generated a great deal of heat that subjected the computer to damage, it was a vast improvement over the vacuum tube. A second-generation computer still relied on punched cards for input and printouts for output.

  • THIRD GENERATION: INTEGRATED CIRCUITS (1964–1971)

    Instead of punched cards and printouts, users would interact with a third-generation computer through keyboards, monitors, and interfaces with an operating system, which allowed the device to run many different applications at one time with a central program that monitored the memory. Computers, for the first time, became accessible to a mass audience because they were smaller and cheaper than their predecessors.

  • FOURTH GENERATION: MICROPROCESSORS (1971–PRESENT)

    The microprocessor ushered in the fourth generation of computers, as thousands of integrated circuits were built onto a single silicon chip. The technology in the first generation that filled an entire room could now fit in the palm of the hand. The Intel 4004 chip, developed in 1971, integrated all the components of the computer, from the central processing unit and memory to input/output controls, on a single chip.

  • FIFTH GENERATION: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (PRESENT AND BEYOND)

    Fifth-generation computer technology, based on artificial intelligence, is still in development, though there are some applications, such as voice recognition, that are being used today. The use of parallel processing and superconductors is helping to make artificial intelligence a reality. This is also so far the prime generation for packing a large amount of storage into a compact and portable device.

  • Sixth generation (7th Gen Intel Core)

    Kaby Lake is Intel's codename for its seventh-generation Core microprocessor family. Under the Kaby Lake you will find lots of processor models but you did not mention your processor model.