2. The second generation transistor computer (1956- 1963) is different from the first generation in that the basic elements are changed from electron tubes to transistors, and the storage elements are changed from magnetic drums to magnetic core memories. In this way, the size of the computer is obviously reduced, while the operation speed is greatly improved and the energy consumption is reduced.
3. The third generation integrated circuit computer (1964- 197 1), with the invention of integrated circuits in 1958 (combining three electronic components on a small silicon chip), was successfully developed by 1964.
It is announced that the computer has entered the era of the third generation integrated circuit computer. Of course, computers have become smaller, consume less power and are faster. At the same time, the development of this period also includes the use of operating systems, so that computers can run many different programs at the same time under the control and coordination of central programs.
4. The fourth generation large-scale integrated circuit computer (197 1- now), that is, the computer used now, is small in size, relatively low in energy consumption, and its operation speed has made a qualitative leap.
Extended data
With the progress of science and technology and the rapid development of various computer technologies and network technologies, the development of computers has entered a fast and brand-new era. Computers have developed from single function and large volume to complex function, small volume and networked resources. The future of computer is full of variables, and there is no doubt that the performance will be greatly improved, but there are many ways to realize the leap of performance. However, the dramatic improvement of performance is not the only way for computer development. The development of computers should be more and more humanized, and at the same time, we should pay attention to environmental protection and so on.
From its appearance to the present, computers have experienced four generations of machine languages, programming languages, simple operating systems and modern operating systems such as Linux, Macos, BSD and Windows, and their running speed has also been greatly improved. The operation speed of the fourth generation computer has reached billions of times per second. Computers have also developed from being used only for military scientific research to being owned by everyone. The powerful application function of computer has created a huge market demand. In the future, computer performance should develop in the direction of miniaturization, networking, intelligence and giant.
References:
Baidu encyclopedia-computer