Information and Communication Technology

Muhammad Abuzar Naeem

SP24-BAF-017

Generation of Computers:
There are five generation of computers simply named as:

1. First Generation
2. Second Generation
3. Third Generation
4. Fourth Generation
5. Fifth Generation

We will discuss all of them one by one.

1. First Generation of Computers:

The first generation was between 1946 and 1959. The main computer back then was called
ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Calculator). These computers were big and
heavy. They used vacuum tubes to do calculations, which made them bulky and hard to
handle. Programming them was tough, and they needed a lot of electricity to run. Overall,
first-generation computers had more problems than advantages. Some important ones from
that time were ENIAC and UNIVAC-1, which was the first commercial electronic computer
worldwide. Another popular one was the IBM 650. Other computers from the first generation
include ENIAC, EDVAC, IBM-701, and IBM-650.

What is a Vacuum Tube?

A device that controls the flow of the electrical current between the electrodes in a vacuu to
which electric potential has been applied.

Languages Used:

Machine Language known as 1GL, was used in the first generation computers.
Von Neumann encouraged the IAS to build a real computer instead of just doing theory. They
used meteorology calculations to test its usefulness. The cylinders at the bottom are called
Williams-Kilburn memory tubes.

Drawbacks of First Generation of Computers:

1. Power Consumption was high
2. Costly Business Production
3. Energy Release
4. Heat Production
5. Constant Maintenance required
6. Not very Liable

2. Second Generation of Computers:

This generation was from 1959 to 1965, used transistors instead of vacuum tubes. Transistors
were cheaper, used less power, and were smaller and faster. They were also more reliable. These
computers used magnetic cores for memory and magnetic tape and disks for storing data, making
them better than the first generation ones.

Languages Used:
 Assembly language and high-level programming languages were used including FORTRAN,
COBOL. Batch processing and multiprogramming operating system were used by computers.

Input and Output Devices:

Input/output devices –

Punched Cards and Magnetic Tapes

Examples – IBM 1401, IBM 7090 and 7094, UNIVAC 1107, etc.

Drawbacks of second generation of computers:

 Generate less heat.
 Require frequent maintenance.
 Difficult commercial production.
 Used only for some specific purpose.
 Use punch cards.
 3. Third Generation of Computers:

This spanned from 1965 to 1971. These computers used Integrated Circuits (ICs) instead of
transistors. An IC has lots of tiny components like transistors, resistors, and capacitors all packed
together. Jack Kilby invented the IC, and it made computers smaller, more reliable, and efficient.
During this time, remote processing, time-sharing, and multiprogramming operating systems
were introduced.

Languages Used:

High-level languages like (COBOL, FORTRAN-II TO IV, PASCAL PL/1, BASIC, ALGOL-68
etc.) were used.

Drawbacks of third Generation of Computers:

 Required air conditioning.
 Technology used was highly sophisticated.
 Integrated circuits were difficult to repair.
 Computers were costly.
Input and Output Devices:
  Magnetic Tape
 Keyboard
 Mouse

Examples – IBM 360, IBM 370, PDP-11, UNIVAC 1108, etc.

4. Fourth Generation of Computers:

This generation lasted from 1971 to 1980. These computers used Very Large Scale Integrated
(VLSI) circuits, which had around 5000 transistors and other components all on one chip. This
made it possible to have small microcomputers. Fourth generation computers were more
powerful, smaller, reliable, and cheaper. This led to the rise of the Personal Computer (PC)
revolution. During this time, features like time-sharing, real-time networks, and distributed
operating systems were introduced.

Languages Used:

High-level languages like C, C++, DBASE etc., were used.

Drawbacks of Fourth Generation of Computers:

 Needed a fan to cool them down.
 Used complex VLSI Chip chips, and VLSI Chip manufacturing requires advanced technology.

Input and Output Devices:

  Keyboards
 Mouse
 Microphones etc

Fifth Generation of Computers:

This generation started from 1980 and still it is used across the globe.. In this era, VLSI
technology advanced to ULSI (Ultra Large Scale Integration), allowing microprocessor chips to
contain up to ten million electronic components. This generation focuses on using parallel
processing hardware and AI (Artificial Intelligence) software. AI is a field in computer science
that explores how computers can think like humans.

Languages Used:

High-level languages like C and C++, Java, .Net etc., are used.

Input and Output Devices:

 Touch Screens
 Printers
 Keyboards
 Mouse
 Speech Sensors
 Pens
 Drawbacks of fifth Generation of Computers:

 Fear of unemployment due to AI.

 Used for spying on people.
 Creating AI with human-like intelligence. It can lead to terrorism.

Table of Comparison

Generations Timeline Hardware

First generation Computers 1940-1950 Vacuum tube based

Second generation Computers 1950-1960 Transistor based

Third generation Computers 1960-1970 Integrated circuit based

Fourth generation Computers 1970-present Microprocessor based

MS Word
Microsoft Word is a word processor made by Microsoft. It was first released on October 25,
1983, as Multi-Tool Word for Xenix systems. Later, it was made for other platforms like IBM
PCs running DOS (1983), Apple Macintosh (1985), and others. Versions for Windows, Mac OS,
web browsers, iOS, and Android followed. You can also run older versions on Linux using
WINE. You can buy Word on its own or as part of Microsoft 365.

Advantages of MS Word:

 Document Flexibility
 Table Writing
 Synonyms
 Auto Corrections
 Grammar
 Security
 Easiness
 Office Management
 Allows Collaboration
 Easy Typing
 Inserting Pictures and Objects
Computer Languages Used by MS Word:

The language used in developing of the Microsoft word is called Visual Basic for Applications or
VBA. VBA is used not only by Microsoft Word, but also by the other major components of the
Microsoft Office application suite: Examples include, Access, Excel, and PowerPoint. It is used
in Visual Basic (or VB).