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First Generation Computers
It runs from 1940 to 1952. It begins with the invention of the first automatic computing machines that we can begin to call “computer” properly. They were based on the electronics of vacuum valves and tubes. One of the most famous models of this generation was the ENIAC of 1946, which weighed several tons and consumed a few Kwatts with each simple operation of up to five thousand sums per second. -
Second Generation Computers
The change from the first to this second generation was represented by the replacement of vacuum valves by transistors, making them much smaller and also reducing their electrical consumption. These were the first machines that had a specific language to program them, such as the famous FORTRAN. One of the best known models of this generation was the IBM 1401 Mainframe. It was a bulky and expensive machine that still read punch cards, but was so successful that 12,000 units were sold. -
Third Generation Computers
From 1964 to 1971 this third generation was extended, which was determined by the invention of integrated circuits. This revolutionary technology allowed to increase the processing capacity of the machines, while reducing their manufacturing costs. Some of the most popular models of this generation were the PDP-8 and PDP-11, which were exemplary in their electricity handling, multi-process capability, and reliability and flexibility. -
Fourth Generation Computers
The fourth generation was manufactured between 1971 and 1981. The integration of the electronic components soon allowed the invention of the microprocessor, an integrated circuit that brings together all the fundamental elements of the machine and that came to be called chip. This is how personal computers or PCs were born, a concept that still lasts today. The first microprocessor of this generation was the Intel 4004, manufactured in 1971, initially for an electronic calculator. -
Quinta Generación de Computadoras
This generation is the most recent, started in 1983 and is still in force today. Computing diversified enormously, became portable, lightweight and comfortable. Thanks to the Internet, it expanded its borders of use to limits never previously suspected. Laptop computers appeared, revolutionizing the market and imposing the idea that the computer no longer needs to be fixed in a room, but is an addition to our briefcases. -
Sixth Generation Computers
Technological research does not stop, and contemporary computers are being designed to employ neural learning circuits, artificial “brains”. In other words, it aims to create the first intelligent computers in history. This would be possible by using superconductor technology, to save enormously on electricity and heat, making highly efficient systems and enormous power, 30 times more than we have today using base metals.