Basics of Computers
What is a Computer ?
In general, a computer is a machine which accepts data, processes it and returns new information as output.
Processing
Data
Information
A computer is an electronic device that manipulates information, or data. It has the ability to store, retrieve, and process data.
Brief History
First Generation (1946 – 1959)
Technology Used- Vacuum tube
Language Used-Supported machine language only
Size- Huge size
Example- ENIAC,EDVAC,UNIVAC,IBM-701,IBM-750
Second Generation (1959 – 1965
In this generation, magnetic cores were used as the primary memory and magnetic disc and tapes were used as the secondary storage.
Technology Used- Transistor
Programming Language Used- Supported machine and assembly languages
Size- Smaller size as compared to first generation computers
Example-IBM 1620, IBM 7094 ,CDC 1604,CDC 3600,UNIVAC 1108
Third Generation (1965 – 1971)
The third generation computers used integrated circuits (ICs) instead of transistors. A single IC can pack huge number of transistors which increased the power of a computer and reduced the cost.
Technology Used-Integrated Circuit
Programming Language Used-Supported high-level language
Size-Smaller size
Example-IBM-360 series,Honeywell-6000 series ,PDP (Personal Data Processor) ,IBM-370/168 ,TDC-316
Fourth Generation (1971 -1980 )
A chip containing millions of transistors and other circuit elements. These chips made this generation computers more compact, powerful, fast and affordable.
Technology Used -VLSI Microprocessor
Programming Language Used- All the high-level languages like C, C++, DBASE etc., were used in this generation
Size- Very small size
Example-DEC 10, STAR 1000, PDP 11 ,CRAY-1(Super Computer) ,CRAY-X-MP(Super Computer)
Fifth Generation(1980-onwards)
This generation computers used parallel processing hardware and AI (Artificial Intelligence) software.
Technology Used-ULSI Microprocessor
Programming Language Used-Development of Natural language processing
Size- Availability of very powerful and compact computers at cheaper rates
Example-Desktop, Laptop, Notebook, Ultrabook, Chromebook
Hardware
Software
User
Software
Software is set of programs (which are step by step instructions) telling the computer how to process data. Software needs to be installed on a computer, usually from a CD.
Software's can be divided into two groups:
a) System SW
b) Application SW
System Software:
It controls the overall operation of the system.
It is stored in the computer's memory and instructs the computer to load, store, and execute an application.
Examples: Operating System (OS), Translators
DOS, Windows, Unix etc.
Application Software:
They are Software's written to perform specific tasks.
The basic types of application software are:
word processing, database, spreadsheet, desktop publishing, and communication.
Examples: MSOffice, Tally, MSOutlook,
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