Todd Waymon,
Learning About Computers in the Information Age
(Takoma Park, MD: Montgomery College, 1993), page 16:
GENERATIONS OF COMPUTERS
GENERATION: FIRST SECOND THIRD FOURTH FIFTH
Years:1951-581959-641965-701971-?Soon-?
Typical
Machine:
UNIVACIBM 1400IBM 360MicrosSupermicros?
Size:RoomClosetDeskBreadbox"Tablet"?
Circuit
Device:
Vacuum
Tubes
TransistorsIntegrated
Circuits
LSI1VLSI2
Circuit
Density:
(#/unit)
One 100's1,000'sHundreds
of 1,000's
Millions?
Speed:
(Inst/Sec)
100's1,000'SMillionsTens of
Millions
Billions?
Reliability:
(Time to fail)
HoursDaysWeeksMonthsYears?
Main Memory
Device:
Magnetic
Drum
Magnetic
Core
Magnetic
Core
LSI1
Circuits
VLSI2, Super-
conductors
Memory
Size:
1,000'sTens of
1,000's
Hundreds
of 1,000's
MillionsBillions?
$/Million
Instructions:
$10$1$0.10$0.001$0.00001?
Input
Devices:
Cards &
Paper Tape
CardsKey to
Tape/Disk
Key, Direct,
Optical
Speech
Touch
Output
Devices:
Cards &
Print
Cards &
Print
Print &
Video
Print &
Audio/Video
Graphics
& Voice
Software: Machine
Language
Symbolic
Languages
Hi-level
Languages
DBMS, 4GLs
SW Packages
Natural Lang.
GP Packages
Some
Features:
Batch
Process
Realtime
DataComm
Overlaps
TimeShare
Multiprog
Multiproc
Virtual
Memory,
Distributed
Processing
Parallel
Process,
AI,
Robots
1LSI = Large Scale Integration of Chips with several thousand transitors.

2VLSI = Very Large Scale Integration produced a chip containing a microprocessor — this made the development of the microcomputer possible.

IN SHORT, THE GENERAL TREND IS:
Smaller, Faster, Lower Cost, More Reliable, More Complex
Larger Capacity Memories, Easier Inputs and Outputs
Easier to Use, More Flexible, Smarter, Easier Access

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Miriam Claude Meijer, Ph.D.
02/16/05