What do you mean by the Generation of computers? Write down the features of all generations of computers.

Generation in computer terminology is a change in technology, a computer was being used. initial generation term was used to distinguish beth varying hardware technologies. Nowadays generation includes both hardware and software which together make up an entire computer system. The term computer generation is referred to as a major development in electronic data processing. The evolution of computers passed different stages. The development of computers from 1943 A.D. to today is classified into five periods. The development of computers that took place in each time period is the “Generation of Computer”. In each generation, there is always something new in technology, the computers became smaller, cheaper, more powerful, more efficient, and more reliable than the old generation of computers.

The features of the first-generation computers were:

1. The technology used: vacuum tube (1940-1956)
2.  operating speed was in the millisecond range
3. primary memory wed Magnetic core memory
4. computers used to be much more expensive.
5. Huge in size and poor in mobility.
6. Very slow and less reliable output.
7. Use of high electricity.

The features of the second-generation computers were:

1. The technology used: Transistor(1956-1964)
2. operating speed was in terms of microseconds range.
3. primary memory Wed: Magnetic core memory
4. The storage capacity and use of computers increased.
5. Two’s complement, floating-point arithmetic.
6. Reduced the computational time from milliseconds to microseconds.
7. High-level languages.

The features of the third-generation computers were:

1. The technology used; IC (integrated circuit)(1964-1976)
2. operating system speed was in terms of nanosecond range
3. primary memory used: RAM and ROM. Semiconductor memory
4. Database management was developed.
5. Integrated circuits instead of individual transistors.
6. Smaller, cheaper, more efficient, and faster than second-generation computers.
7. High-level programming languages

Features of the fourth generation computers are

1. The technology used: VLSI(Very Large Scale Integrated) circuits are introduced and used, Microprocessor based technology. (1976-1999)
2. The operating speed is in terms of the picoseconds range
3. problem-oriented fourth-generation language (901) is used to develop programs.
4. primary memory in Wei Semiconductor memory like RAM, ROM, and cache memory.
5. Further refinement of input/output devices was developed.
6. Networking between the systems was developed in fourth-generation computers.
7. They are the cheapest among all the computer generation.

Features of fifth-generation computers will be

1. Technology to be used: These machines will incorporate Bio-Chip and VLSI(Very Large Scale Integrated) and ULSI(Ultra Large Scale Integrated)(1999-present)
2. The computers will have AI.
3. The computers will have a parallel process in full fledge.
4. quantum computation, molecular, and nanotechnology will be used completely.
5. Advancement in Superconductor technology.
6. More user-friendly interfaces with multimedia features.
7. Availability of very powerful and compact computers at cheaper rates.