Last generations

Fifth generation computer

Today use computers every day of the fifth generation of computers that have the capability for parallel operation. In the 21st century, multi-core processors has become commercially available. Content-addressable memory (CAM) has become cheap enough to be used in networking, although the computer system is not yet implemented hardware CAMs for use in programming languages​​.
Works and development sixth generation computers etc. neural computers, whose performance is similar to the work of the neurons in the human brain and Seventh Generation of quantium computers using the phenomens of quantum mechanics - the superposition or quantium interdependence / tangle - the manipulation of data.

Fourth generation

In the seventies there is a small thin layer of silicon called chip, which can be "printed" complete integrated circuit. The appearance of the chip will lead to the fourth generation computers, starting in 1970. In 1975 made ​​the first personal computer.Because this generation is called generation PCs. Received this name because it is designed for a person's work. Because of the small size, big opportunities, mass production and low prices, the use of personal computers experiencing unpredictable increase. They can communicate with any computer in the world, through special computer networks.

Third generation

First integrated circuits

Invention of integrated circuits has led to the emergence of third-generation computers, which lasted from 1964 to 1969. Integrated circuit contains the equivalent of a few hundred transistors miniature piece of material. This contributed to the dimensions of these computers a lot to reduce the so called mini computers. Their speed increased, the price fell and therefore their use has expanded in many areas of human activity. With the overall operation of computers of this generation managed specially written program called OS. In 1971, a team from IBM led by Alan Shugart produces the first floppy disk (memory disk or floppy disk), with the dimension of 8 inches (20 cm). Figure 13 shows the three generations of disks with the dimension of 8, 5 ¼ and 3 ½ inchi. Computers integrated circuits were short on the market. The crucial invention that has caused their withdrawal were integrated circuits that contain more transistors on a chip. The number of transistors grew under Moore's law, and for 10 years their number reached 1000.

Modern integrated circuits

Second generation

From 1959 to 1964 is known as the second generation of computers. Computers of this generation are built on the base of the transistor. It is an electronic element that can perform the same work as electronic lamp, only much smaller, consumes little energy and heat, and is much faster than it. Hence the resulting characteristics of computers of this generation: they had small size, the speed of calculation amounted to 100 000 operations per second, and data memory used magnetic tape. New computers used and new programming languages. In 1958, the market appear two very important and influential programming languages, LISP and ALGOL 58, and the following year appeared COBOL. LISP is the language of artificial intelligence, one of the key areas of computer science. Founders of this science that began in 1956 were Marvin Minsky and John McCarthy, her "godfather" and author of LISP. ALGOL 58 is the first imperative programming language, a language that contains operators that change the situation passes a process. In 1960 was launched the new version of ALGOL 60, which is the basis of many modern snippet languages.In his elaboration participated in a research team, led by the dean of science, Grace Hopper and Joe Wegstein.Se considered that as of 1980, most programs were written namely COBOL, a language widely used today in the UK and the U.S..His direct descendants are the different versions of Visual Basic, one of the most popular languages ​​today.

First generation

With ENIAC starts first generation computers which lasted until 1959. A lack of computers of this generation was heating electronic lamps, which requireadditional cooling. The speed of these computers was around 20 000 operations per second, they had limited memory and data memory used perforated paper card. At that time John von Neumann gave the idea to remember not only the data but also programs. This idea is realized in the EDSAC computer in 1949, which was made ​​at the University of Cambridge in England.