Computers have been around for about a hundred years, and many different types exist. The first computer was called the Z1. It was built in 1932 by Konrad Zuse and weighed about 1 ton. In 1946, the Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer (ENIAC) came out, which weighed 30 tons! And now, there is a lot of difference between the 1980’s supercomputer and smartphone comparison. Today’s computers are much smaller than the supercomputer!
The First Generation of Computers: Vacuum Tubes (1940-1956)
The vacuum tubes were the first electronic devices used in computers and were used to store data and perform calculations.
Vacuum tubes were difficult to maintain, so transistors in the 1950s replaced them.
The Second Generation of Computers: Transistors (1956-1963)
Transistors replaced vacuum tubes in computer circuits. They were smaller and more reliable than their predecessors, making building larger computers easier. Transistors also enabled the development of smaller and more reliable computers that could be used on a desk or in cars, planes and other vehicles. In addition, transistors made it possible for computers to be used in space were carrying large amounts of electricity was difficult.
The Third Generation of Computers: ICs (1964-1971)
The third generation of computers is known as the IC (Integrated Circuit) period. This term referred to the invention of transistors by John Bardeen, Walter Brattain and William Shockley at Bell Labs in 1948. Their work led to the development of MOSFETs (metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors), which reduced the number of components needed in each circuit and increased speed by several times.
Over time, these devices became smaller and more powerful; they were also cheaper since they required less power than vacuum tubes. Intel co-founder Gordon Moore predicted that this trend would continue—and it did: his law states that microchips double their transistors every two years while keeping their cost constant or even reducing it!
The Fourth Generation of Computers: Microprocessors (1971-Present)
- The first microprocessor was the Intel 4004, introduced in 1971. It contained 2,300 transistors and could execute 60.5 instructions per second at 0.8 MHz (megahertz).
- In 1974, Intel released its 8-bit serial-bus 8080 CPU that could be used as a general-purpose computer. This was followed by the 8085 (1975) and 8086 (1978) processors from Intel as well as AMD’s Am386 which competed with IBM’s 386 CPUs (1987).
EDA/PDM/PLM (1980-present)
In 1980, EDA/PDM/PLM (Electronic Design Automation/Product Data Management/Product Lifecycle Management) was introduced to manage the design of electronic products.
EDA is a tool that helps engineers design electronic products. It uses Computer-aided Design (CAD) software to help engineers design products like computers and cell phones.
PDM is used to create and manage product data throughout its lifecycle. This includes storing all data related to a particular product or design so that it can be accessed later on in the future if needed.
PLM helps companies stay organized by managing their entire supply chain from start to finish—everything from creating blueprints to shipping out completed products ready for sale!
According to Adobe Acrobat experts, “These days, your cellphones have more computing power than all the most significant supercomputers of the 21st century.”
They’ve covered a lot in this article, and they hope you found it interesting! They’re excited to see what the future holds for computers and other technologies, but one thing is certain: wherever you go from here, there will always be people who are working hard to make sure that technology keeps improving.