What Is Computer | History | Generations of Computer

What is Computer? What is the history of computer and what are the generations of computer? You are on the right spot to know the answer of this question.

Table of Contents

What is Computer

In basic terms, a computer is an electronic device that processes data, converting it into information that is useful to people.

Any computer – regardless of it style-is controlled by a program is instructions which give the machine a purpose and tell it what to do.

Digital computers are also work in very strict sequences of steps, processing each unit of information and individually, according to the highly organize instruction they must follow.

So question is that what is computer? A lesser-known type of Computer is the analog computers, which works in a very different way from digital computers.

The earliest computer where analog systems and today’s digital system owe a great deal to their analog ancestors

Analog and digital computers differ and many respects, but the most important distinction is the way they represent data. Digital system represents data is having one distinct value or another with no other possibilities.

Analog system, however, represents data as variable points. Analog a continues spectrum of values. This makes analog computers somewhat more flexible than digital once, but not necessarily more precise or reliable.

Early analog computers were mechanical devices, weighing several tune sand using motors and gears to perform calculations.

A more manageable type of an analog computer is the old-fashioned slide rule. Computers can be categorized in several ways.

For example, some computers are designed for use by one person. Some are meant to be used by groups of peoples, and some are not used by peoples at all.

Within a single category, computers may be subcategorized by price, the types of hardware they contain, the kinds of software they can run, and so on.

Let’s discuss in detail what is computer and history of computer as well as generation.

History of Computer

How did computers come into existence? The history of a computer is quite interesting. Imagine that you have a job where you to perform nothing but calculations every day at one point in time you will get bored. You might even because careless and start making mistakes.

This is the reason inventors came up with something that would automate the task of performing calculations.

Generations of Computers

Computers, at various stage of their evolution, have been divided into seven generations. Every new generation has certain grammatical improvements when compared to its previous generations.

This is importance where the result of the technology used for building the computers, programming languages, used and the computer system internal organization.

The seven-generation of computers are:

The Mechanical Era (1623 – 1900)
First Generation electronic computer (1937-1953)
Second Generation (1954-1962)
Third Generation(1963-1972)
Fourth Generation (1972-1984)
Fifth Generation (1984-1990)
Sixth Generation (1990-2008)
Seventh Generation (2008- till date)

THE MECHANICAL ERA (1623 – 1900)

Some of the important invention during this era where the telescope, the earliest human-powered submarine, steam turbine, micrometer, pendulum clock, barometer, pressure cooker, thermometer, power loom, electromagnet, typewriter and morse code

FIRST GENERATION ELECTRONIC COMPUTER (1937-1953)

Some of the popular inventions of this time where the electronic microscope, photocopier, jet engine, helicopter, automatic booms, microwave Owen, and optic fiber, to name a few.

SECOND GENERATION (1954-1962)

In this era, some of the popular invention where audio cassette, microchips, and halogen lamps and video disk

THIRD GENERATION (1963-1972)

Some of the popular invention of this time where calculator, and computer mouse, Ram, Airpanet, ATM, Barcode reader, the daisy-wheel printer, floppy disk, the dot matrix printer, liquid crystal display (LCD), microprocessor etc.

FOURTH GENERATION (1972-1984)

Some of the popular invention of this time where the word processor, video game, Ethernet, laser printer, inkjet printer, spreadsheet, cell phone, walkman, MSDOS etc.