Department of

Information Technology Studies

INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTING
Chapter 2
Evolution of Computers
Introduction
The computers of today are vastly different in appearance and performance as compared to
the computers of earlier days. But where did this technology come from and Where is it heading?
To fully understand the impact of computers on today’s world and the promises they hold for the
future, it is important to understand the evolution of computers.

Learning Outcomes
At the end of this lesson, you must
• Examine where computers come from
• Compare the computers before and the computers now in terms of computing power,
accuracy and speed.
• Explain how computers evolve.

Integration of Faith
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1).

Lessons
Generation of Computers
Generation in computer terminology is a change in technology a computer is/was being
used. Initially, the generation term was used to distinguish between varying hardware technologies.
Nowadays, generation includes both hardware and software, which together make up an entire
computer system.

1. The First Generation. The period of first generation was from 1946-1959.
The computers of first generation used vacuum tubes as the basic components
for memory and circuitry for CPU (Central Processing Unit). These tubes, like
electric bulbs, produced a lot of heat and the installations used to fuse frequently.
Therefore, they were very expensive and only large organizations were able to af-
ford it. The first generation computers made use of:
• Vacuum tube technology,
• Punched cards for data input,
• Punched cards and paper tape for output,
• Machine Language for writing programs,
• Magnetic tapes and drums for external storage

The computers of the first generation were very bulky and emitted large amount
of heat which required air conditioning. They were large in size and cumbersome to
handle. They had to be manually assembled and had limited commercial use. The
concept of operating systems was not known at that time. Each computer had a different
binary coded program called a machine language that told it how to operate.

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INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTING

The Abacus, which emerged about 5000 years ago in Asia Minor and is still in
use today, allows users to make computations using a system of sliding beads arranged
on a rack. Early merchants used Abacus to keep trading transactions.

Blaise Pascal, a French mathematician invented the first mechanical machine, a

rectangular brass box, called Pascaline which could perform addition and subtraction on
whole numbers. This was in the seventeenth century. Colmar, a Frenchman invented a
machine that could perform the four basic arithmetic functions of addition, subtraction,
multiplication and division. Colmar’s mechanical calculator, “Arithmometer”,
presented a more practical approach to computing. With its enhanced versatility, the
“Arithmometer” was widely used until the First World War, although later inventors
refined Colmar’s calculator, together with fellow inventors, Pascal and Leibniz, he
helped define the age of mechanical computation.

Charles Babbage a British mathematician at Cambridge University invented

the first analytical engine or difference engine. This machine could be programmed
by instructions coded on punch cards and had mechanical memory to store the results.
For his contributions in this field Charles Babbage is known as ‘the father of modern
digital computer.

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Information Technology Studies
INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTING

Some of the early computers included:

• Mark I. This was the first fully automatic calculating machine. It was
designed by Howard Aiken of Harvard University in collaboration with
IBM. This machine was an electronic relay computer. Electromagnetic
signals were used for the movement of mechanical parts. Mark I could
perform the basic arithmetic and complex equations. Although this
machine was extremely reliable, it was very slow (it took about 3-5
seconds per calculation) and was complex in design and large in size.

• Atanasoff-Berry Computer (ABC). This computer developed by

John Atanasoff and Clifford Berry was the world’s first general purpose
electronic digital computer. It made use of vacuum tubes for internal
logic and capacitors for storage.

• ENIAC (Electronic Numeric Integrator and Calculator). The first

all electronic computer was produced by a partnership between the
US Government and the University of Pennsylvania. It was built using
18,000 vacuum tubes, 70,000 resistors and 1,500 relays and consumed
160 kilowatts of electrical power. The ENIAC computed at speed
about thousand times faster than Mark I. However, it could store and
manipulate only a limited amount of data. Program modifications and
detecting errors were also difficult.

• EDVAC. In the mid 1940’s Dr. John von Neumann designed the
Electronic Discrete Variable Automatic Computer with a memory to
store both program and data. This was the first machine which used the
stored program concept. It had five distinct units - arithmetic, central
control, memory, input and output. The key element was the central

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INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTING
control. All the functions of the computer were co-ordinate through this
single source, the central control. The programming of the computers
was done in machine language,

• UNIVAC I. Remington Rand designed this computer specifically

for business data processing applications. The Universal Automatic
Computer was the first general purpose commercially available
computer.

2. Second Generation Computers. The period of second generation was from

1959-1965. In this generation, transistors were used that were cheaper, consumed
less power, more compact in size, more reliable and faster than the first generation
machines made of vacuum tubes. In this generation, magnetic cores were used as
the primary memory and magnetic tape and magnetic disks as secondary storage
devices. In the second generation computers:
• Vacuum tube technology was replaced by transistorized technology,
• Size of the computers started reducing,
• Assembly language started being used in place of machine language,
• Concept of stored program emerged,
• High level languages were invented.

This was the generation of

Transistorized Computers. Vacuum
tubes were replaced by transistors.
As a result, the size of the
machines started shrinking. These
computers were smaller, faster,
more reliable and more energy
efficient. The first transistorized
computer was TX-0. The first large
scale machines that took advantage
of the transistor technology were
the early supercomputers, These
machines were mainly developed
for atomic energy laboratories.

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INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTING
IBM 1401 was universally accepted throughout the industry and most large
businesses routinely processed financial information using second generation computers.
The machine language was replaced by assembly language. Thus the long and difficult
binary code was replaced with abbreviated programming code which was relatively easy
to understand.
The stored program concept and programming languages gave the computers
flexibility to finally be cost effective and productive for business use. The stored
program concept implied that the instructions to run a computer for a specific task were
held inside the computer’s memory and could quickly be modified or replaced by a
different set of instructions for a different function. High level languages like COBOL,
FORTRAN and AL- GOL were dev eloped. Computers started finding vast and varied
applications. The entire software industry began with the second generation computers.

3. Third Generation Computers. The period of third generation was from 1965-
1971. The computers of third generation used Integrated Circuits (ICs) in place of
transistors. A single IC has many transistors, resistors, and capacitors along with
the associated circuitry. The third generation computers were characterized by:
• Use of Integrated circuits,
• Phenomenal increase in computation speed,
• Substantial reduction in size and power consumption of the machines,
• Use of magnetic tapes and drums for external storage,
• Design-of Operating systems and new higher level languages,
• Commercial production of computers.

This generation was characterized by the invention of Integrated Circuits (ICs).

The 1C combined electronic components onto a small chip which was made from quartz.

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INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTING
Later, even more components were fitted onto a single chip, called a
semiconductor. This reduced the size even further. The weight and power consumption
of computers decreased and the speed increased tremendously. Heavy emphasis was
given to the development of software. Operating systems were designed which allowed
the machine to run many different programs at once. A central program monitored and
co-ordinate the computer s memory. Multiprogramming was made possible, whereby
the machine could perform several jobs at the same time. Computers achieved speeds of
executing millions of instructions per second. Commercial production became easier and
cheaper. Higher level languages like Pascal and Report Program Generator (RPG) were
introduced and applications oriented languages like FORTRAN, COBOL, and PL/1
were developed.

4. Fourth Generation Computers. The period of fourth generation was from 1971-
1980. Computers of fourth generation used Very Large Scale Integrated (VLSI)
circuits. VLSI circuits having about 5000 transistors and other circuit elements
with their associated circuits on a single chip made it possible to have microcom-
puters of fourth generation. Fourth generation computers became more powerful,
compact, reliable, and affordable. As a result, it gave rise to Personal Computer
(PC) revolution. The general features of the fourth generation computers were:
• Use of Very Large Scale Integration,
• Invention of microcomputers,
• Introduction of Personal Computers,
• Networking,
• Fourth Generation Languages.

The third generation computers made use of ‘Integrated Circuits that had 10-20
components on each chip, this was Small Scale Integration (SSI).

The Fourth Generation realized

Large Scale Integration (LSI) which
could fit hundreds of components on one
chip and Very Large Scale integration
(VLSI) which squeezed thousand of
components on one chip. The Intel
4004 chip, located all the components
of a computer (central processing unit,
memory, input and output controls)
on a single chip and microcomputers
were introduced. Higher capacity
storage media like magnetic disks were
developed. Fourth generation languages
emerged and applications software’s
started becoming popular.

Computer production became

inexpensive and the era of Personal Computers (PCs) commenced. In 1981, IBM
introduced its personal computer for use in office, home and schools. In direct

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competition, the Macintosh was introduced by Apple in 1984. Shared interactive systems
and user friendly environments were the features of these computers.
As the computers started becoming more and more powerful, they could be linked
together or networked to share not only data but also memory space and software. The
networks could reach enormous proportions with local area networks. A global web of
computer circuitry, the Internet, links the computers worldwide into a single network of
information.

5. Fifth Generation Computers. The period of fifth generation is 1980-till date. In

the fifth generation, VLSI technology became ULSI (Ultra Large Scale Integra-
tion) technology, resulting in the production of microprocessor chips having ten
million electronic components. This generation is based on parallel processing
hardware and AI (Artificial Intelligence) software. AI is an emerging branch in
computer science, which interprets the means and method of making computers
think like human beings. An example of Al is Expert Systems. Computers could
be developed which could think and reason in much the same way as humans.
Computers would be able to accept spoken words as input (voice recognition).

Many advances in the science of computer design and technology are coming
together to enable the creation of fifth generation computers. Two such advances are
parallel processing where many CPUs work as one and advance in superconductor
technology which allows the flow of electricity with little or no resistance, greatly
improving the speed of information flow.

References:

Tutorials Point (I) Pvt. Ltd. Computer Fundamentals. 2017

P.K Sinha. Computer Fundamentals Concepts, Systems & Applications.

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