This led to a massive increase in speed and efficiency of these machines. The early versions of these machines were developed for the atomic energy industry.ġ964 – 1971: Third Generation – Integrated Circuitsīy this phase, transistors were now being miniaturised and put on silicon chips (called semiconductors). Transistor-driven machines were the first computers to store instructions into their memories – moving from magnetic drum to magnetic core ‘technology’.
About the same time high level programming languages were being developed (early versions of COBOL and FORTRAN). This meant programmers could create instructions in words. The language evolved from cryptic binary language to symbolic (‘assembly’) languages.
They still relied on punched card for input/printouts. However they were hugely superior to the vacuum tubes, making computers smaller, faster, cheaper and less heavy on electricity use. They were a big improvement over the vacuum tube, despite still subjecting computers to damaging levels of heat. Although first invented in 1947, transistors weren’t used significantly in computers until the end of the 1950s. The replacement of vacuum tubes by transistors saw the advent of the second generation of computing. The two notable machines of this era were the UNIVAC and ENIAC machines – the UNIVAC is the first every commercial computer which was purchased in 1951 by a business – the US Census Bureau.ġ956 – 1963: Second Generation – Transistors Input was based on punched cards and paper tape. These computers were limited to solving one problem at a time. These first generation computers relied on ‘machine language’ (which is the most basic programming language that can be understood by computers). These were inefficient materials which generated a lot of heat, sucked huge electricity and subsequently generated a lot of heat which caused ongoing breakdowns. As a result they were enormous, literally taking up entire rooms and costing a fortune to run. These early computers used vacuum tubes as circuitry and magnetic drums for memory. The history of the computer goes back several decades however and there are five definable generations of computers.Įach generation is defined by a significant technological development that changes fundamentally how computers operate – leading to more compact, less expensive, but more powerful, efficient and robust machines.ġ940 – 1956: First Generation – Vacuum Tubes Computers are such an integral part of our everyday life now most people take them and what they have added to life totally for granted.Įven more so the generation who have grown from infancy within the global desktop and laptop revolution since the 1980s.