Second Generation Computers: The Transistors

Introducing The Transistors:

"First Silicon Transistors"
<"Les Transistors". Photo. Lethist.lautre.net
23 March. 2013. 4 Oct. 2013>

The introduction of Transistors was the very beginning of personal computers and an initiation to making everything small (miniaturization). Starting from 1956 - 1963, Transistors became to be known as the second generation of computers (The Five Generations of Computers). The Transistors were a major step towards the modern day computers we have today, because they began to focus on software development and multi-use programming techniques.

 

Features and Information about Transistors: 

The second generation of computers became much more smaller and faster, plus much more cheaper due to the fact it was made from solid materials such as silicon and germanium. They also produced a lot less heat and noise compared to the previous Vacuum Tubes making them more reliable and saving a significant amount of energy. Transistors were able to store instructions in to their memory unlike the Vacuum Tubes, which relied solely on magnetic drums, Transistors has moved on to magnetic core technology. The Transistors worked as an amplifier, taking in weak output signals and increasing them to the same level as their input signal (The Computer Chronicles - Computer Generations). The language was upgraded into a high-level language such as COBOL, FORTRAN, ALGOL, and more . During this time, we can assume that most of these computers were used mainly by large businesses.

Examples of the Transistors:

• UNIVAC II: Improved the core memory of 2000 to 10000 words
• IBM 1401: Cheaper than many others, the IBM 1401consisted within the business area. It was intended to replace all mathematical/accounting computers and calculators. Very popular (estimate of 10,000 sales).

"This video shows the people who have lived and worked through the IBM 1401."
<"A Century of Smart: The IBM 1401 (1959)". Youtube.com. 16 Nov. 2009. IBMSocialMedia. 4 Oct. 2013>
 

• CDC 3000: Two separated series of computers (Upper and Lower). Upper series were designed for scientific computing applications while Lower series were designed to aim at the business and commercial computing (CDC 3000).

Conclusion:

Transistors were definitely a start in something new, it was one of the core break-through that led to this computer era we have today. It large amounts of improvements made from the Vacuum Tubes to the Transistors were nothing compared to how immeasurably this one type of machine impacted out lives today. This trend of miniaturization led to our very laptops, netbooks, tablets, and smart phones that we use daily.

Sources:



"A Century of Smart: The IBM 1401 (1959)". Youtube.com. 16 Nov. 2009. IBMSocialMedia. 4 Oct. 2013

 

Bestofmedia Team. "From Tubes To Transistors." Tom's Hardware. Bestofmedia Group, 23 Aug. 2011. Web. 5 Oct. 2013.

 

"CDC 3000." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 10 May 2013. Web. 6 Oct. 2013.

 

Hames, Roderick. "The Computer Chronicles - Computer Generations." The Computer Chronicles - Computer Generations. Alton C. Crews Middle School: CD Dept. - Articles, 2011. Web. 4 Oct. 2013

 

The Five Generations of Computers. Webopedia. ITBusinessEdge, 2013.Web. 4 Oct. 2013.

 

"The History of the Transistor - The Little Invention That Made Big Changes." About.com Inventors. About.com, 2013. Web. 5 Oct. 2013.



Third Generation Computers: Integrated Circuits

Introducing the Integrated Circuits:

Starting from 1964 and ending in 1971, Integrated Circuits moved on to miniaturizing computers even more (The Five Generations of Computers)! The miniaturization of these specific computers however, made them look a lot like our modern computers today. This was the start of the third generation of computers.

Features and Information about the Integrated Circuits:

"Example of a 3rd Generation Computer"
<Khalil, Danish. "Computer Generation". Photo.
Blogspot.com 5 Oct. 2012. 5 Oct. 2013>

What made the Integrated Circuit Computers so new during this era was that instead of using just one transistor, they used multiple. This era added large amounts of transistors into one individual silicon, increasing the power of computers and decreasing the price for buyers. As the years went by, more and more transistors were added onto the integrated circuits (The Computer Chronicles - Computer Generations). These new computer's main memory was the integrated circuit (IC), RAM, and ROM User. The computers were also finally able to run different applications at once due to it's operating system. Their secondary storage were magnetic disks and magnetic tapes. The third generation computers used a high-level language as well such as LISP, PASCAL, BASIC, and more (Khalil, Danish). Also, the third generation computers moved away from push cards and printouts and finally moved on to the keyboards and mouse we know today (The Five Generations of Computers).

Examples of Integrated Circuits:

• IBM 360: First family computer introduce by IBM able to run multiple range of applications, large and small at the same time (IBM System/ 360).
• CDC 6000: Replaced the CDC 3000 Upper (Moore, Scott A.).
• PDP-8: First commercial minicomputer that was successful (PDP-8.).

Conclusion:

The third generation was the remarkable break-through that gave us our computers we so love to use. The changes made such as switching printouts to keyboards and mouse, gives us the idea of them using the exact same computers we are using right now in this era but it was very different. This is what we would think to be closest to our modern computers but there was more after, and even closer to our modern computers, the fourth generation.

Sources:

"IBM System/ 360." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 7 Oct. 2013. Web. 8 Oct. 2013.

 

Hames, Roderick. "The Computer Chronicles - Computer Generations." The Computer Chronicles - Computer Generations. Alton C. Crews Middle School: CD Dept. - Articles, 2011. Web. 4 Oct. 2013

 

Khalil, Danish. "Computer Generation." Web log post. Computer Generation History of Danish Khalil. Blogger, 5 Oct. 2012. Web. 5 Oct. 2013.

 

"PDP-8." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 30 Sept. 2013. Web. 8 Oct. 2013.

 

Moore, Scott A. "The CDC 6000 Series Computer." The CDC 6000 Series Computer. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Oct 2013.

 

The Five Generations of Computers. Webopedia. ITBusinessEdge, 2013.Web. 4 Oct. 2013.

 



Fourth Generation Computers: The Microprocessors

Introducing the Microprocessors:

Microprocessors, the "integrated circuit that contains all the functions of a central processing unit of a computer", began the fourth generation of computers. Fourth generation started from 1971 and used to this very day. Microprocessor computers were developed even smaller than the previous computers and still continuously decreasing in size, from desktops to laptops to tablets and smartphones (The Five Generations of Computers).

Features and Information about Microprocessors:

"Apple MacIntosh (1984)"
<"Apple MacIntosh (1984)". Photo.
BusinessWeek.com. 5 Oct. 2013>

The Microprocessor computers were made to be personal computers (PCs). In this era, the integrated circuit chips, containing millions of transistors and microprocessors, chips that are even smarter than some of us, rules. Due to the millions of transistors in an individual chip, computers are much, much faster than how it ever was in history (The Computer Chronicles - Computer Generations). The major component and the main memory of the Microprocessor computers are high-density integrated circuits (LSIs). Second storage are the magnetic disks and magnetic tapes much like our previous invention. The language is a high-level language such as the ADA (Khalil, Danish). At this time, taking home and making your own computers were available and the computers started to appear more like the PCs today. Networks such as internet were now available, connecting the entire world.

Examples of the Microprocessors:

• Altair 8800 computer kit: Able to take home and build your own personal computer (MITS Altair 8800 Computer).
• Apple II: Introduce in market by Apple in 1977 (Apple II Computer).
• MacIntosh: Introduced by Apple in 1984 (Apple MacIntosh (1984)).

Conclusion:

The microprocessor were meant for calculators, not computers, but somehow it became one of the biggest thing in our daily lives. From something used for just one specific task to something that we use to do everything, from waiting for our food to projects for work or college. The fourth generation computers really did take over our lives.

Sources: 

 

"Apple II Computer." Apple II Computer. N.p., 2013. Web. 5 Oct. 2013

 

"Apple MacIntosh (1984)". Photo. BusinessWeek.com. 5 Oct. 2013 

Hames, Roderick. "The Computer Chronicles - Computer Generations." The Computer Chronicles - Computer Generations. Alton C. Crews Middle School: CD Dept. - Articles, 2011. Web. 4 Oct. 2013
 

Khalil, Danish. "Computer Generation." Web log post. Computer Generation History of Danish Khalil. Blogger, 5 Oct. 2012. Web. 5 Oct. 2013.

 

"MITS Altair 8800 Computer." MITS Altair 8800 Computer. N.p., 2013. Web. 6 Oct. 2013.

 

The Five Generations of Computers. Webopedia. ITBusinessEdge, 2013.Web. 4 Oct. 2013.

First Generation Computers: The Vacuum Tubes

Introducing The Vacuum Tubes:

Starting from 1940 - 1956, Vacuum Tubes, also known as Electron Tubes are the first lists of computers ever made, creating the first generation of computers (The Five Generations of Computers). The first generation were "build during the World War II era" and mainly used for military actions (1st Generation Computers). Even though they weren't even compared to the technology of computers we have today, Vacuum tubes had a big role and one of the biggest things happening during that era.

 

Markiewicz, Pete.
"Plyojump - Computer history".
Photo. Plyojump.com 2013.
3 Oct. 2013

How Vacuum Tubes Worked:

Vacuum Tube were gigantic to the point they took up the whole room, very expensive, and had many problems, such as over heating, making them very unreliable sometimes (The Five Generations of Computers). As stated before, Vacuum Tubes were mainly used for military actions so we can guess that there were no Vacuum Tube computers available to the people. Memory (data) was stored by magnetic drums and mercury delay circuits while vacuum tubes were used to process all the data (and thus the name Vacuum Tube Computers) and create logic switches (The Five Generations of Computers). Thomas Edison, during this period, invented the light bulb and coincidently, the Vacuum Tube Computers were also invented during this period and worked very similar to the light bulb. This however made the Vacuum Tubes to overheat frequently (The Computer Chronicles - Computer Generations). The secondary storage for the Vacuum Tubes were punch cards and paper tapes, and the language of these computers were complete machine languages (machine-oriented machine language and assembly language).

Some Examples of Vacuum Tubes:

• Atanasoft - Barry Computer: Made by John Atanasoft and his assistant Clifford Barry, it was the very first electronic computer ever made.
• Z3: The first computer to use programs to control war materials such as airplanes and missiles. Created by Konrad Zuse.
• Colossus: Computer used to code breaking during the World War II against the Germans.
• Hardware Mark I: The first automatic computer using electromagnetic signals to move parts and it was also able to solve mathematical equations quickly, thus enabling the idea of automatic computers to the world.



The INIAC
"First Generation Computers (1940 - 1956)". 
Photo. Thinkquest.org. 3 Oct. 2013

• INIAC: "first general-purposed, all-electronic, programmable digital computer", but had a flaw of having to reprogram the entire computer after each task (1st Generation Computers).
  
  

Conclusion:

Vacuum Tubes may have been limited due to the era, time, resources, knowledge, and situations but it was definitely an important start that will lead to a bright future. The computers we so love have a war based, violent past but it was a giant flashing light just waiting to get in each one of our hands. 

 Sources:

 



Bestofmedia Team. "From Tubes To Transistors." Tom's Hardware. Bestofmedia Group, 23 Aug. 2011. Web. 5 Oct. 2013.

 

Hames, Roderick. "The Computer Chronicles - Computer Generations." The Computer Chronicles - Computer Generations. Alton C. Crews Middle School: CD Dept. - Articles, 2011. Web. 4 Oct. 2013

 

Markiewicz, Pete. "Plyojumo - Computer History." Plyojumo - Computer History. N.p., 2013. Web. 4 Oct. 2013.

 

Sheihk, Mohamed El, Nina Mann, Kareen El Mastry, and Khaled El Tanahey. 1st

Generation Computers (1940s - 1956) ThinkQuest. Oracle Foundation, 1995 - 2001. Web. 4 Oct. 2013

 

The Five Generations of Computers. Webopedia. ITBusinessEdge, 2013.Web. 4 Oct. 2013.