Fundamental

What is The Computer?
Computer is an electronic device which accepts the data storage, processes it and gives out correct information with accuracy result at a high speed.

Computer Application:
To begin with, you must understand to impact of computers in the world today. Computers are affecting our lives in one way or the other. Airline and railway reservations, telephone and electricity bills, banking, medical diagnoses, weather forecast…the list of services using computers is almost endless.

Generation of Computers:
The five generation of Computers are:

First Generation -1940-1956: Vacuum Tubes
The first generation computers used valves leading to huge size and cost .the UNIVAC and ENIAC computer are examples of first-generation computing devices. The UNIVAC was the first commercial computer delivered to a business client, the U.S Census Bureau in 1951.

Figure 1 First Generation Computers

Second Generation – 1956-1963: Transistors
The second generation computer used transistors. In a span of ten years, transistors that were more efficient and cheaper replaced valves.

Figure 2 Second Generation Computers

Third Generation -1964-1971: Integrated Circuits
The third generation computers used Integrated Circuits (IC). In the early sixties, a major breakthrough was achieved when hundreds of transistors could be placed on a single silicon chip. This Integrated Chip (IC) became the basis of the Third Generation.

Figure 3 Third Generation Computers

Fourth Generation – 1971-Present: Microprocessors
The fourth generation computers used microprocessors. With the introductions of VLSI (Very Large Scale Integration), thousands of transistors could be placed on a single chip.In 1981 IBM introduced its first computer for the home user, and in 1984 Apple introduced the Macintosh. Fourth Generation computers also saw the development of Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs), the mouse and handheld devices.