Generation of Computer// Computer का आविष्कार कब हुआ?

 THE GENERATION OF COMPUTER

" Generation" in a computer talk is a step in technology. It provides framework for the growth of the computer industry. Originally, the term 'generation' was used to distinguish between varying hardware technologies. But nowadays, it has been extended to include both the hardware and the software which together make up an entire computer system.

The development of computer passed through various phases which lead to the development of modern  computer. These phases can be divided into 5 generations.

First Generation Computers(1942-55)

The world's first successful computer was ENIAC(Electrical Numerical Integrator and Calculator) and it was developed by Eckert and J.W Mauchly. It was a huge computer and weighed around 30 tons. The characteristic of the first generation computer are---

• Large in size
• Consumption of huge amounts of electricity.
• Used vacuum tubes as its components.
• More heat production
• Limited features.

(ENIAC Computer) 1942-55

A UNIVAC computer at the Census Bureau.

Image Source: United States Census Bureau.

Recommended Reading: The first computer, Webopedia's ENIAC definition. The first computer, ENIAC, was developed by Army Ordnance to compute World War-II ballistic firing tables. It weighed 30 tons and used 200 kilowatts of electric power.

Second Generation of Computer(1956-63)

Transistors replace vacuum tubes and ushered in the second generation of computers. The transistor was invented in 1947 but did not see widespread use in computers until the late 1950s. The Transistor was far superior to the vacuum tube, allowing computers to become smaller, faster, cheaper, more energy-efficient and more reliable than their-generation predecessors.