Evolution of Computer

The evolution of computers was quite interesting.It can be discussed under six generations (Table below) With the progress in the fields of electronics, physics, material science the duration between each generation reduced and the efficiency and robustness of the computer increased. Before we look into the evolution of computer - we need to understand what is computer? Any definition of a computer encompasses the following characteristics:

∆ It is a programmable machine;

∆ It can manipulate data based on a list of instructions;

∆ It can store and retrieve data.

If we look at this now prevalent definition of a computer, some of the examples cited in the Evolution of computers may not satisfy all the three criteria - but we still credit them one or two of the characters that today define a computer.

Table : Evolution of Computers

Generation	Duration	Milestones	Examples
The Mechanical Era	Before 1940	* We characteristics this era as the time when it was thought that machines could be used to do calculations. * These machines were able to perform mathematical operations like addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. * Charles Babbage's contribution to the field made him the father of computer - He is credited for creating the two classes of engines, Difference Engine, and Analytics Engine. * Alan Turing - also known as the father of computer science, developed the Turing Machine that was capable of simulating any computer algorithm	* Abacus * Napier Bones * Wilhelm Schickard's Calculating Clock * Pascaline * Leibniz's Step Reckoner * Jacquard Loom * Charles Babbage difference engine * Turing Machine
First Generation	1940 to 1955	* These machines used vacuum tubes for its circuits and magnetic drums for its memory. * They relied on Machine Languages and took larger spaces. * These initial computers were able to solve only one problem at a time	ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer) UNIVAC (Universal Automatic Computer) - this was the first commercially delivered computer to the US Census Board.
Second Generation	Mid 1950s to Mid 1960s	* These machines used Transistors in their circuitry. * Bell Labs credited for the development of transistors also helped in reducing the size of the computers. *It was during this generation that computer programming languages like COBOL and FORTRAN existence. came into existence.	Honeywell 400 IBM 7000 Seri6
Third Generation	Mid 1960s to 1970s	* These computers used the Integrated Circuit Chips as a part of their circuitry. * The keyboard and mouse were now used as a part of the input devices as against the punched cards that were used in the earlier generation.	* IBM 370 series is a good example of this generation.
Fourth Generation	Mid 1970s to the late 1980s	* These computers started using microprocessors in their circuitry. * Using a microprocessor helped further reduce the size of the computer and increase its versatility and speed. * In 1981 IBM introduced the first home computer, while in 1984 Apple introduced its first home computer. * This generation also saw the development of GUI Graphic User Interface - i.e. Pictures/ icons were used as prompts to provide input to the computer. * Another milestone in this generation was these computers could be linked together via a network and this effectively paved the way for internet.	* Apple Computer - II IBM PC
Fifth Generation	1990s onwards	* Advancement in parallel processing capabilities, natural language processing capabilities, artificial intelligence paved the way for the fifth generation computers. * This generation of computers include the palm tops, laptops, tablets, smart phones and even the wearable devices that we see today	All the personal computer, super computer like PARAM, IBM Blue Gene etc belong to this generation.

Now that we are familiar with the evolution of computer, we will see some of the images we found while surfing about the evolution of the computer covered in the table below 👇