Technological advances are often quantified and identified with the terminology “generation”. Every year the product development process improves, this is considered a generation. With each new generation of computer, the motherboard and silicon footprint decreases and the speed, power, and memory power increases.

progress of computers

Computers have come a long way from the first generation of vacuum tubes to magnetic memory drums and circuits. The first generation computer used assembly language programming or high-level programming languages ​​to execute instructions for the user. These early computers required a lot of electricity to run and also generated a lot of heat that was difficult to displace.

The second generation replaced vacuum tubes with transistors, which were a main component of microprocessors today. Transistors were invented in 1947 at Bell Laboratories. These devices were preferable to vacuum tubes that gave off a significant amount of heat and slowed down processing times.

Transistors opened the door to faster processing. The latest microprocessors contain tens of millions of microscopic transistors. Without the transistor, we wouldn’t have the same level of computing power that we have today.

The transistor was invented in 1947, but did not come into widespread use in computers until the late 1950s. The transistor was far superior to the vacuum tube. This allowed computers to be smaller, faster, cheaper, more energy efficient, and more reliable than their first-generation predecessors.

The third generation computer involved integrated circuits. These circuits are often called semiconductors, due to the substrate used to design the circuit. Semiconductors dramatically increased the speed and efficiency of the computer. Semiconductors also reduced the overall footprint of the computer. As semiconductor packages get smaller, designers have produced smaller desktop and laptop computers. Minimalist designers and chiropractors rejoiced at the reduction in weight and size.

The fourth generation marked the production of computers as we know them today. Microprocessors were introduced in this generation of computers. Computer processing speeds increased exponentially, as the “brain” of the computer mastered complex calculations. This generation of computers allowed manufacturers to lower the price so that computers were available to the common home. However, computers were still not as profitable as they are today.

The fifth generation of computers added artificial intelligence to the computer to improve the speed and efficiency of advanced calculations and graphic displays. Games, expert systems, natural language, neural networks, and robotics were all capabilities of the fifth generation computer.

Neural networks were particularly important in this generation of computers. The computer could mimic real neural synapses in the human body. These complex mathematical models were easily handled by the fifth generation computer. However, scientists still needed more computing power to achieve advanced robotics and other language calculations.

The sixth generation of computers

Not only does the technology improve, but the price decreases as the technology improves. The sixth generation of computers gave consumers the opportunity to pack more power into a smaller space. The sixth generation also introduced voice recognition. Improved technology allows the computer to take dictation and recognize words. Computers have the ability to learn through a variety of advanced algorithms.

The use of nanotechnology is a feature of sixth generation computers. This significantly increases computer processing time and helps consumers. Computers with multiple CPUs can perform sophisticated calculations and perform multiple tasks. When a single CPU can perform multiple tasks at once, this is considered multitasking.

When qubits or quantum bits process calculations, they are often faster than conventional computers. This technology works in conjunction with the computer’s processor and memory. Complex languages ​​like English, Chinese, French and Spanish are easily processed with the use of qubits or quantum bits. Computers can now understand and interpret numerous languages ​​with the new advanced technology available.

This new advancement will allow students and the disabled to speak commands into the computer without touching the physical device. Voice recognition is also useful in laboratory clean rooms, surgical operating rooms, or even in customer service. Speech recognition will significantly improve the scientist’s ability to create new technology.

Voice controlled gaming and typing apps are easy with 6th generation apps. Avid gamers will see video games in incredible detail and realistic motion. Parallel processing allows for faster speeds for video games. As the footprint of semiconductors becomes smaller through the use of nanotechnology, the user has more flexibility in the use of the computer.

conclusion

The sixth generation took advanced computing to a new level with speech recognition. Consumers can only imagine what the seventh generation of computers will bring. Consumers will look forward to these new advancements as they are developed.