What is the history of the development of computers?

History: 1. The first generation from 1946 to 1958 used electron tubes as components; 2. The second generation from 1959 to 1964 used transistors as components; 3. The third generation from 1965 to 1970 , using small and medium-sized integrated circuits as components; 4. The fourth generation from 1971 to the present, using large-scale and ultra-large-scale integrated circuits as components.

The operating environment of this tutorial: Windows 7 system, Dell G3 computer.

Computer, commonly known as computer, is a modern electronic computing machine used for high-speed calculations. It can perform numerical calculations, logical calculations, and also has storage and memory functions. It is a modern intelligent electronic device that can run according to the program and process massive data automatically and at high speed.

Computer inventor John von Neumann. The computer is one of the most advanced scientific and technological inventions in the 20th century. It has had an extremely important impact on human production activities and social activities, and is developing rapidly with strong vitality. Its application fields have expanded from its initial application in military scientific research to various fields of society. It has formed a huge computer industry, driven technological progress on a global scale, and triggered profound social changes. Computers have been used in general schools and enterprises. Public institutions have entered the homes of ordinary people and become an indispensable tool in the information society.

The historical process of computer development

1. The first generation of computers (1946-1958)

The main feature of the first generation of computers is the use of Vacuum tubes serve as logic components, so people usually call the first generation of computers electron tube computers. Use mercury delay lines or cathode ray tubes as the main memory, use magnetic drums as auxiliary storage, use paper tapes, cards, magnetic tapes, etc. for input and output, and use machine language and assembly language to write programs. This generation of computers was mainly used for military purposes and scientific research. It is bulky, heavy, consumes a lot of power, has poor reliability, is slow, and difficult to maintain. Its mainstream machine is UNIVAC.

But it laid the foundation for future computer development.

2. The second generation of computers (1959-1964)

The hardware part of the second generation of computers uses transistors as logic components. The size is reduced, but the functions are enhanced. This generation of computers has Known as transistor computers. Auxiliary memory used ferrite cores, magnetic drums, and disks. Programs began to be written in high-level languages ​​(FORTRAN, COBOL, ALCOL, etc.), and management programs appeared. Computers at this stage enable input, output, and operations to be performed "simultaneously." The application of computers has expanded from military fields and scientific computing to data processing and transaction processing. Its size is reduced, its weight is reduced, its power consumption is reduced, its speed is increased, and its reliability is enhanced. Its mainstream models are IBMT00 series.

3. The third generation of computers (1965-1970)

The hardware part of the third generation of computers uses medium and small-scale integrated circuits instead of discrete component transistors, so it is also called the middle generation computer. , small-scale integrated circuit computers. The use of microprogramming technology and pipeline technology has improved the flexibility and running speed of computers; in terms of software, management programs have developed into operating systems, and diagnostic programs have emerged. Computers during this period were mainly used for scientific computing, data processing, and process control. Due to the reduced size and enhanced functions of components, the size and weight of computers have been further reduced, and the computing speed and reliability have been further improved. The mainstream product at this stage is IBM-svsteIn/360.

4. The fourth generation computer (1971 to present)

The hardware part of the fourth generation computer uses large-scale and ultra-large-scale integrated circuits as logic components, and semiconductor memory as the main memory , auxiliary storage uses large-capacity soft and hard disks, and optical disks begin to be introduced. External devices have also evolved significantly. Software has become more abundant, database management systems have emerged, and the software industry has developed into a modern new industrial sector. The size, capacity, and power consumption of computers have been further reduced, and the computing speed, storage capacity, and reliability have been greatly improved. The emergence of microcomputers began to form networks.

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