First Generation of Computer
The first large electronic computer was completed in 1946 by a team led by Eckert Mauchly at the University of Pennsylvania in U.S.A. This computer called Electronic Numerical Integrator and Calculator (ENIAC) used high speed vacuum tube switching devices. It had2 very small memory and was designed primarily to calculate the trajectories of missiles ENIAC took about 200 microseconds to add two digits and about 2800 microseconds to multiply.
A major breakthrough occurred in the logical design of computers when the concept of program was proposed by John Von Neumann in 1946. His idea was to store chine instructions in the memory of the computer along with data. These instructions could be modified as required by other instructions. This allowed easy implementation of program loops. The first computer using this principle was designed and commissioned at Cambridge University, U.K., under the leadership of Professor Maurice Wilkes. This computer called EDSAC (Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Calculator) was completed in 1949 and used mercury delay lines for storage.
Commercial production of stored program electronic computers began in the early 50s. One of the early computers of this type was UNIVAC I built by Univac division of Remington Rand and delivered in 1951. This computer used vacuum tubes. As vacuum tubes used filaments as a source of electrons, they had a limited life. Each tube consumed about half a watt power. Computers typically used about ten thousand tubes. Power dissipation was very high. As a large number of tubes, each with limited life, was used in fabricating these computers, their mean time between failures was low—of the order of an hour.
During this period, computer programming was mainly done in machine language. Assembly language was invented in the early fifties. Initial applications of these computers were in science and engineering. With the advent of UNIVAC, the prospects of commercial applications were perceived. The concept of an operating system had not yet emerged. By and large during this period, one had to be a good electronics engineer, and understand the logical structure of a computer in great detail, and also know how to program an application in order to use a computer. It was somewhat like the early days of motorcars when one had to be a good mechanic to be able to drive a car!
Some example of first generation of computer.
ENIAC(Electronic Numeric Integrated and Calculator) and UNIVAC (Universal Automation Computer) are great examples of first - generation computes. The ENIAC was the first successful electronic computer, developed by J.Presper Eckert and J.W.Mauchly. On the other hand, UNIVAC was the first commercial computer invented by them. In 1951, UNIVAC was given to the US Census Bureau.
Some more example:
-EDSAC
-IBM 701
-IBM 650
-Manchester Mark1, Mark 2, Mark3 etc.
Characteristics of First Generation Computer
-Based on Machine Language only
-Use of Punch Cards as an Input Device
-Use of Magnetic Tapes as Memory Device
-Use of Paper Tape as on output device
Advantages of First Generation Computers
-Vacuum tube technology made it possible for the advent of electronic computers.
-The use of machine language made first-generation computers relatively faster in the beginning.
-First generation computers were faster and could complete calculations in milliseconds.
Disadvantages of First Generation of Computers
-The storage capacity of computers produced too much heat, which required a large cooling system.
-The functioning of input and output devices was slow.