First Generation
With the onset of the Second World War, the countries involved in the war sought to develop computers to exploit their potential strategic computer. This increased funding for computer development projects hastened technical progress. In 1941, Konrad Zuse, a German engineer to build a computer, the Z3, to design airplanes and missiles.
Allies also made other progress in the development of computer power. In 1943, the British completed a secret code-breaking computer called Colossus to decode secret German messages. The Colossus's impact influenced the development of the computer industry because of two reasons. First, the Colossus is not a versatile computer (general-purpose computer), it was only designed to decode secret messages. Secondly, the existence of the machine was kept secret until decades after the war ended.
The work done by the Americans at that time produced a broader achievement. Howard H. Aiken (1900-1973), a Harvard engineer working with IBM, succeeded in producing electronic calculators for the U.S. Navy. The calculator is a length of half a football field away and has a range of 500 miles of cable. The Harvard-IBM Automatic Sequence Controlled Calculator, or Mark I, an electronic relay computer. He uses electromagnetic signals to move the mechanical components. The machine was slow (taking 3-5 seconds per calculation) and inflexible (in order of calculations can not be changed). The calculator can perform basic arithmetic and more complex equations.
The development of other computers on the present is the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer (ENIAC), which is made by the cooperation between the governments of the United States and the University of Pennsylvania. Consisting of 18,000 vacuum tubes, 70,000 resistors and 5 million soldered joints, the computer is a machine that consume enormous power of 160kW.
This computer was designed by John Presper Eckert (1919-1995) and John W. Mauchly (1907-1980), ENIAC is a versatile computer (general-purpose computers) that work 1000 times faster than Mark I.
In the mid-1940s, John von Neumann (1903-1957) joined the University of Pennsylvania team, initiating concepts in computer design is up to 40 years is still used in computer engineering. Von Neumann designed the Electronic Discrete Variable Automatic Computer (EDVAC) in 1945 with a good memory to hold data or programs. This technique allows the computer to stop at some point and then resume her job back. The key factor von Neumann architecture is the central processing unit (CPU), which allowed all computer functions to be coordinated through a single source. In 1951, UNIVAC I (Universal Automatic Computer I) made by Remington Rand, became the first commercial computer to use the Von Neumann architecture model.
Both the United States Census Bureau and General Electric have a UNIVAC. One of the impressive results achieved by the UNIVAC dalah success in predicting victory Dwilight D. Eisenhower in the 1952 presidential election.
First generation computers were characterized by the fact that operating instructions were made specifically for a particular task. Each computer has a different binary code of a program called "machine language" (machine language). This causes the computer is difficult to be programmed and the speed limit. Another feature is the use of first generation computer vacuum tube (which makes the computer at that time are very large) and magnetic cylinders for the storage of data.
Second Generation
In 1948, the invention of the transistor greatly influenced the development of computers. The transistor replaced the vacuum tube in televisions, radios, and computers. As a result, the size of electric machines is reduced drastically.
The transistor used in computers began in 1956. Other findings in the form of magnetic-core memory to help the development of second generation computers smaller, faster, more reliable, and more energy efficient than its predecessor. The first machine to utilize this new technology is a supercomputer. IBM makes supercomputers, Stretch and Sprery-Rand named LARC. These computers, which were developed for atomic energy laboratories, could handle large amounts of data, a capability that is needed by atomic scientists. The machine was very expensive and tend to be too complex for business computing needs, thereby limiting their attractiveness. There are only two LARC ever installed and used: one at the Lawrence Radiation Labs in Livermore, Calif., and the other in the U.S. Navy Research and Development Center in Washington DC Second-generation computers replaced machine language with assembly language. Assembly language is a language that uses abbreviations to replace the binary code.
In the early 1960s, began to appear successful second generation computers in business, in universities and in government. The second generation of computers is a fully computer using transistors. They also have components that can be associated with the computer at this time: a printer, storage disks, memory, operating system, and programs.
One important example is the computer during 1401 are widely accepted in the industry. In 1965, almost all large businesses use computers to process the second generation of financial information.
Program stored in the computer and programming language that is in it gives flexibility to the computer. Flexibility is increased performance at a reasonable price for business use. With this concept, the computer can print invoices and then run the consumer purchases the product design or calculate payroll. Some programming languages began to appear at that time. Programming language Common Business-Oriented Language (COBOL) and FORTRAN (Formula Translator) came into common use. These languages replaced cryptic binary machine code with words, sentences, and math formulas more easily understood by humans. This allows a person to program and set the computer. Wide range of emerging careers (programmer, systems analyst, and computer systems expert). Software industry also began to emerge and evolve during this second-generation computers.
Third Generation
Kilby, an engineer at Texas Instruments, developed the integrated circuit (IC: integrated circuit) in 1958. IC combined three electronic components in a small silicon disc made of quartz sand. Scientists later managed to fit more components into a single chip called a semiconductor. The result, computers became ever smaller as more components can be squeezed onto the chip. Other third-generation development is the use of the operating system (operating system) that allows the machine to run many different programs at once with a central program that monitored and coordinated the computer's memory.
Fourth Generation
After IC, the only place to go was down the size of circuits and electrical components. Large Scale Integration (LSI) could fit hundreds of components on a chip. In the 1980's, the Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI) contains thousands of components in a single chip.
Ultra-Large Scale Integration (ULSI) increased the number into the millions. Ability to install so many components in a chip that berukurang half coins encourage lower prices and the size of the computer. It also increased power, efficiency and reliability. Intel 4004 chip that was made in 1971membawa progress on the IC by putting all the components of a computer (central processing unit, memory, and control input / output) in a very small chip. Previously, the IC is made to do a certain task specific. Now, a microprocessor could be manufactured and then programmed to meet all the requirements. Soon, every household devices like microwave ovens, televisions, and automobiles with electronic fuel injection (EFI) is equipped with a microprocessor.
Such developments allow ordinary people to use a regular computer. Computers no longer be a dominant big companies or government agencies. In the mid-1970s, computer assemblers offer their computer products to the general public. These computers, called minicomputers, sold with software packages that are easy to use by the layman. The software is most popular at the time was word processing and spreadsheet programs. In the early 1980s, such as the Atari 2600 video game consumer interest for more sophisticated home computer and can be programmed.
In 1981, IBM introduced the use of Personal Computer (PC) for use in homes, offices, and schools. The number of PCs in use jumped from 2 million units in 1981 to 5.5 million units in 1982. Ten years later, 65 million PCs in use. Computers continued evolution towards smaller sizes, from computers that are on the table (desktop computer) into a computer that can be inserted into the bag (laptop), or even a computer that can be hand held (palmtop).
IBM PC to compete with the Apple Macintosh in the fight over the computer market. Apple Macintosh became famous for popularizing the computer graphics system, while his rival was still using a text-based computer. Macintosh also popularized the use of mouse devices.
At the present time, we know the journey with the use of IBM compatible CPU: IBM PC/486, Pentium, Pentium II, Pentium III, Pentium IV (series of CPUs made by Intel). Also we know AMD K6, Athlon, etc.. This is all included in the class of fourth-generation computers.
Along with the proliferation of computer usage in the workplace, new ways to explore the potential to be developed. Along with the increased strength of a small computer, these computers can be connected together in a network to share a memory, software, information, and also to be able to communicate with each other. The computer network allows a single computer to form electronic co-operation to complete an assignment process. By using direct cabling (also called a Local Area Network or LAN), or [telephone cable, the network can become very large.
Fifth Generation
Defining the fifth generation computer becomes quite difficult because this stage is still very young. Examples are the fifth generation computer imaginative fictional HAL9000 computer from the novel by Arthur C. Clarke titled 2001: Space Odyssey. HAL displays all the desired functions of a fifth-generation computer. With artificial intelligence (artificial intelligence or AI), the HAL may have enough reason to have conversations with humans, using visual feedback, and learn from his own experience.
Although it may be the realization of the HAL9000 is still far from reality, many of the functions that had been established. Some computers can receive verbal instructions and are able to mimic human reasoning. The ability to translate a foreign language also becomes possible. This facility is deceptively simple. However, such facilities become much more complicated than expected when programmers realized that human understanding relies heavily on context and meaning rather than just translate the words directly.
Many advances in the field of computer design and technology that increasingly allows the manufacture of fifth generation computers. Two engineering advances which are mainly parallel processing capabilities, which will replace the non-Neumann model. Non Neumann model will be replaced with a system that is able to coordinate many CPUs to work in unison. Another advancement is the superconducting technology that enables the flow of electrically without any obstacles, which in turn can accelerate the speed of information.
Japan is a country well known in the jargon of socialization and the fifth generation computer project. Institute ICOT (Institute for New Computer Technology) was also formed to make it happen. Many news stating that the project has failed, but some other information that the success of this fifth-generation computer project will bring new changes in the world of computerized paradigm.
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