The Evolution of Computers

Brief history

The evolution of technology has changed the world over the years. The computers that we use today did not exist in the early 1900s. Now, we experience technology on desktop computers, laptops, mobile phones, virtual reality headsets, and so much more.

It all began in the 19th century with Charles Babbage, an English mechanical engineer widely considered the “father of the computer”. He designed the first general mechanical computer called the analytical engine. This computer consisted of an arithmetic logic unit (ALU), basic flow control, and integrated memory.

Generations of computers

The evolution of computers can be classified into five distinct generations:

First generation

These computers used vacuum tubes as the main components for the processing unit and memory. These vacuum tubes emitted a lot of heat and were very expensive. As a result, these computers weren’t accessible, and only large organizations were able to afford them. This era was approximately around the 1940s and 1950s.

Second generation

These computers were an improvement on the first generation. In this generation, they were smaller and used cheaper transistors instead of vacuum tubes. Assembly language and other programming languages like FORTRAN were extensively used in this generation. Regardless of the improvements made with respect to size and speed, these computers were still expensive.

Third generation

This generation replaced transistors with integrated circuits. As a result, the computers were a lot smaller and more reliable. Here, programming languages like BASIC, PASCAL, and FORTRAN II started gaining traction.

Fourth generation

These computers used very large-scale integrated (VLSI) circuits. The improvements gave rise to more powerful, reliable, and affordable computers. This initiated the personal computer (PC) revolution, and even today, many people still have personal computers in their homes.

Fifth generation

This generation is based on artificial intelligence and parallel processing hardware. We are currently in this era of computing, where we are exposed to robotics, augmented reality, gaming, the Internet of Things(IoT), and so on. Today’s programmers also use evolved programming languages such as Python, JavaScript, C#, C++, and more.

It took a while to get to this point from where we started. We have had new and incredible innovations, and made improvements on older inventions. As computers were improved upon, government researchers were creating ways of sharing information among themselves in the 1960s. This brought about what we know as the Internet today.