The dimensions of the first generation of computers. The development of computer technology and the generation of computers

Computerization is a phenomenon that is observed now, probably, in all countries of the world. Its pace is impressive. It is interesting to trace the conditions under which it was carried out historically. Is it possible to say that computerization is the result of planned development of computer production technologies and software for them? What are the historical stages of technological improvement of computers?

What was before computers?

It is interesting to know what kind of device the computer historically preceded. Thus, it can be noted that in the 17th century the legendary French scientist Pascal invented, as it is believed, the first counting machine, which acted on a mechanical principle. In the early 19th century, the British researcher Babbage invented the first analytical machine. A few decades later American engineer Hollerith created a tabulator - an electric machine, with which it was possible to calculate statistical data. Subsequently, the development of leading laboratories in the world in the direction of creating devices close to computers in the modern sense, actively continued.

First computers

One of the first computers in the world was invented by another American researcher, Bush, in 1930. The history of computers, representing a full-fledged digital device, has been counted by many scientists since 1944, when the American professor Iknem designed the computer "Mark-1". In fact, it was a device belonging to a 1st generation computer. What are its features can be noted? First of all, probably, the dimensions of the structure. The dimensions of the first generation of computers were outstanding. Thus, the Mark-1 was about 15 meters long, about 2.5 meters high. The performance of the first digital computer was modest by modern standards, but its role in the history of the world computer industry industry can not be overemphasized. In 1946, the US military constructed the computer "Eniak". The dimensions of the first generation of computers on the example of this device may seem even more impressive. The computer "Eniac" had a length of about 30 m and weighed 30 tons.

We will be interested, of course, not only the dimensions of the first generation of computers, but also other characteristics of the corresponding type of machines. Consider them, as well as the subsequent history of computers in more detail.

Features of a 1st generation computer

The first-generation computer was built on the basis of electron tubes, a device that works by changing the flow of particles moving from the cathode to the anode. The main principle of the corresponding displacement is thermionic emission. From the very beginning, computers began to be constructed according to the principle of distribution of logical commands to 0 and 1. This scheme is still implemented. How did it function when lamps were used as the main component of the PC? Very simple. At the lamp inlet, a voltage was formed, for example 2 V. At the output, less, for example 1 V. The first state of the lamp was fixed as 1, the second as 0. The combination of these states on the basis of a set of tens of thousands of lamps formed machine code.

Lamp computers, that is, those that belong to the 1st generation, could perform about 20 thousand operations per second. Is this a lot or not? For comparison, the indicator for modern PCs is billions of operations per second. But the basic tasks of those years, including in the military sphere, characteristics of the first-generation computers were quite possible to perform.

Computers of this type are not characterized by high reliability. Simply because the lamps often burned out, they had to be changed. The giant sizes of computers we have already mentioned above. This predetermined very great difficulties with their transportation, with the optimization of their location in the building. The cost of a first-generation computer was very high - only large businesses and government structures with a large budget could afford to purchase them. Also, lamp computers were characterized by high operating costs - mainly in terms of energy consumption. Work on them required the attraction of highly qualified personnel, followed by the payment of a large salary. A person who knows at least the computer device, not to mention the ability to program a computer, was a popular and costly specialist.

The specificity of the first-generation computer is also that separate programming languages were used on these machines. In addition, the set of machine commands was quite simple. As such programs - in the usual sense - when working with a computer of the appropriate type were not used. This was due not only to the modest performance of computers, but also to the relatively low processing capacity of memory devices - most often these were punch cards and magnetic tapes, which are completely incompatible with the speed of working with the usual discs.

However, to the noted inconvenience, engineers began to adapt actively - mainly through the development of various algorithms for automating work with machine code. Despite the low performance of the first-generation computers, the efficiency of their operation was gradually growing.

2nd generation computers

The world computer industry after the noted inventions continued to develop actively. The invention of Mark-1, Eniaka and other machines was just the beginning. Two generation computers appeared in the early 1960s. Their main feature - they used transistors instead of lamps. As a result, the productivity of machines has grown. In addition, we remember that the dimensions of the first generation of computers were impressive. Machines on transistors, in turn, significantly decreased. How obvious was the advantage of using appropriate technological solutions in the structure of computers? Suffice it to say that 1 transistor was able to replace about 40 lamps. Information carriers also improved . The device of the second-generation computer could assume the use of magnetic disks close in structure and concept to those devices that are familiar to the modern user.

From the point of view of the use of software, the world computer industry has also taken a step forward, thanks to the capabilities of the corresponding type of machines. There were languages classified as high-level. Programmers developed translators - the means by which the corresponding algorithms were translated into the language used in computer commands of the computer. There were also implemented the principles of advanced execution of some scenarios of computer programs. Began to appear library applications, various monitor systems, which became the prototypes of modern OS.

At the same time, despite some attempts to unify the use of software algorithms in different machines, different computers were characterized by limited compatibility. To combine them, relatively speaking, into a single network and build on its basis a corporate information system was very difficult.

3rd generation computers

The history of the computer of the third generation begins with machines, in the design of which integrated circuits were used , each of which, as it turned out, could replace about 1000 transistors. The performance of computers has grown significantly. There was an opportunity to run on the computer several software algorithms at the same time. What is an integrated circuit? It is a silicon crystal, which has an area of about 10 square meters. Mm. According to the level of performance, as it was calculated, one IP was actually equal to the computer "Eniak". Among the most famous computers of the third generation are computers designed by IBM - the System 360 machines.

Computers of this type are characterized by a much greater degree of interoperability than the devices discussed above, including in the aspect of software. In computers of 3 generations, the first full-fledged operating systems were implemented, capable of performing several tasks simultaneously. Many of the hardware functions began to be transferred to the software layer.

4th Generation Computer

In the 1970s, the so-called large integrated circuits were launched into mass production. What is their special feature? First of all, that their performance corresponded to approximately 1000 conventional integrated circuits. As a result, the world's computer industry has been able to produce devices that are comparable in size and performance to those we are accustomed to using today.

Thanks to the increased productivity of factory lines for the production of large integrated circuits and other key components of computers, computers have gradually become cheaper. If the first and second (in the 50's and 60's) computer generations were available, as we noted above, mainly only to large businesses and state structures, then in the 1970s, ordinary citizens began to actively buy computers.

Factors of computerization

Computerization has become a mass phenomenon, especially with the advent of the Internet in the late 80's. Its rates were all the more dynamic, the lower the price of devices became and the smaller their size. Thus, the first PCs, in many features and technological structure similar to those that are familiar to us today, appeared in the mid-70s and early 80s. Among these devices - IBM PC, which became the prototype of the most common computer platform today. They became the closest competitor to PCs, which were already actively produced by Apple. The principal difference between them is the openness of the IBM concept and the closed platform from Apple. From the point of view of the software and hardware structure, the difference between the corresponding types of PCs is generally small. In the structure of IBM-platform there are such key components as processor, RAM, hard disk, video and sound card, motherboard. In this case, they can be replaced by others - as an option, more productive.

Modern generation of computers

The technological reserve, which was laid by engineers in the 1970s, turned out to be so significant that experts and analysts characterize the further development of the computer as passing within the same 4 generations. That is, modern high-performance PCs, in general, operate on the same principles as devices of 40 years ago. In some aspects, such as, for example, computer sizes, modern computers certainly are seen to be substantially more technologically advanced. In a device the size of a small notebook can fit computing power, far exceeding those that stood, for example, in the first PC from Apple in the 70s.

Continuity of concepts

But conceptually, the PCs we use today operate according to the schemes first implemented in a 4-generation computer. There are no clear criteria that would allow us to say that, relatively speaking, the first IBM PC and the modern iMac laptop are computers of different generations. Performance varies considerably, but the concept is generally the same.

Based on the platform offered by IBM, most modern desktops, laptops, monoblocks are implemented. According to many criteria, mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets, are in line with the IBM platform that appeared in the 1970s. So, in each of them, as in the PC, there is a processor, RAM, a device for data storage - an analog of a hard disk.

It is difficult to say even that the level of comfort of using computers has grown in principle, if we compare the first samples of the 4th generation PC and modern models. Basic hardware controls of the computer - keyboard, mouse - in principle, for many years did not change. Of course, there appeared all kinds of touchscreens, contactless displays and other exotic solutions. But not all users treat them sufficiently positively.

Software solutions, of course, were also improved, of course (OS (on the first 4 generations of computers there were samples managed from the command line, today operating systems include functional graphical interfaces), application types of software. The first types of corresponding programs in the 1970s were very simple in structure.

Today, these are powerful tools for implementing production tasks. If we talk about games, the difference is also noticeable. In the 70s, these were the simplest arcades, today they allow you to make fascinating dives into virtual space. However, games, OS and application software were created using the same algorithms as the corresponding solutions in the early years of the development of a 4th generation computer, often in the same programming languages.

Comparison of computer generations

Let's try to visually display the comparative characteristics of generations of computers. How can I do that? A very convenient option is a comparative table of computer generations. It can be presented in a structure that reflects the key characteristics of the computer - the performance, as well as the technological base on which the calculations are based.

These are the comparative characteristics of generations of computers. We can see how fast the computer technology developed. Computers of different generations are bright examples of the emergence and successful introduction into production of the most innovative and high-tech engineering concepts - both at the level of hardware components and in the field of software.

On the one hand, we can conclude that computerization is a phenomenon that has developed gradually, correlated with the growth of PC performance, their cheaper and easier use. But there is a point of view according to which the process in question is characterized by two periods when it was really galloping, namely, after the appearance of the 4th generation computer, and also after the transformation of the Internet into a global network. These two factors have become, according to a number of researchers, key drivers of computerization.