week 2 - introduction to computers and the internet

COMPUTER AND FIVE GENERATION OF COMPUTER

A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations.

Generations of computer

             First Generation (1940-1956) Vacuum Tubes

             second generations (1950-1964) transistors

                 features:

    first operating system: handled one program at a time

    on-off switches, controlled by electronically

    high level languages (COBOL and FORTRAN)

    Floating point arithmetic

    Third Generations (1964-1974) integrated circuits (IC)

       features:

        Microprocessor chips

        semiconductor memory

        multiple computer models

        the size of computers has been reduced drastically

    fourth generation (1974-Present) VLSI/ULSI

          features:

        Combines millions of transistors

        Single-chip processor

        creation of Personal Computer

        Use of data communications

        Massively parallel machine

    Fifth Generation (now and the future)

        based on artificial intelligence

        primary means of input - voice and touch