The history of creating computers of different generations

The first computers appeared after the Second World War, when the discoveries of mathematicians and other scientists made it possible to implement a new way of reading information. And although today these machines seem to be outlandish artifacts, they became the progenitors of modern, usual PC users.

Manchester "Mark I" and EDSAC

The first computer in the modern sense of the word was the device "Mark I", created in 1949. Its uniqueness consisted in the fact that it was completely electronic, and its program memory was stored in its RAM. This achievement of the British specialists was a big leap forward in the centuries-old history of the development of computers. Manchester's "Mark I" included Williams tubes and magnetic drums, which served as a repository for information.

Today, many years later, the history of the creation of the first computer causes discussion. The question remains what kind of machine can be called the first computer. Manchester's "Mark I" remains the most popular version, although there are other contenders. One of them is EDSAC. Without this machine, the history of the emergence of a computer as an invention would be completely different. If the "Mark" appeared in Manchester, then EDSAC was created by scientists from the University of Cambridge. This computer was commissioned in May 1949. Then the first program was executed on it, which squared the numbers from 0 to 99.

Z4

Manchester "Mark I" and EDSAC were intended for specific programs. The next step in the evolution of computers was the Z4. Last but not least, the device was distinguished by its dramatic history of creation. The computer was created by the German engineer Konrad Zuse. Work on the project began at the final stage of the Second World War. This circumstance strongly inhibited this development. The laboratory of Zuse was destroyed during a raid by enemy aviation. Together with it, all equipment and preliminary results of long-term work were lost.

Nevertheless, the talented engineer did not give up. Production was continued after the onset of peace. In 1950 the project was finally completed. Long and thorny was the story of his creation. The computer immediately interested in the Swiss Higher Technical School. She bought a car. Z4 interested the specialists with an ulterior motive. The computer had universal programming, that is, it was the first multifunctional device of this type.

The appearance of Soviet electronic computers

In the same 1950 the history of the creation of computers in the USSR was marked by no less important event. At the Kiev Institute of Electrical Engineering was created MESM - a small electronic calculating machine. A group of Soviet scientists, led by Academician Sergei Lebedev, worked on the project.

The device of this machine included six thousand electric lamps. A lot of power allowed us to take on tasks that had previously been unprecedented for Soviet technology. For a second, the device could perform about three thousand operations.

Commercial Models

At the first stage of computer development, they were developed by specialists from universities or other state structures. In 1951, the LEO I model appeared, created thanks to the investment of the British private company Lyons and Company, which owned restaurants and shops. With the advent of this device, the history of the creation of computers has reached yet another important milestone. LEO I was the first to use commercial data. Its design was similar to the construction of the ideological predecessor of EDSAC.

The first American commercial computer was UNIVAC I. It appeared in the same 1951 year. In all, forty-six such models were sold, each costing a million dollars. One of them was used in the US population census. The device consisted of more than five thousand electrovacuum lamps. As a data carrier, delay lines from mercury were used. One of them could hold up to a thousand words. In the development of UNIVAC I, it was decided to abandon punched cards and switch to metallized magnetic tape. With its help, the device could be connected to commercial storage systems.

"Arrow"

Meanwhile, Soviet electronic computers had their own creation history. The computer "Strela", which appeared in 1953, was the first such serial device in the USSR. The novelty was produced on the basis of the Moscow factory of counting and analytical machines. For three years of production, eight samples were produced. These unique machines were installed in the Academy of Sciences, Moscow State University and design bureaus located in closed cities.

"Arrow" could perform 2-3 thousand operations per second. For domestic equipment, these were record numbers. Data was stored on a magnetic tape, which could hold up to 200 thousand words. The developers of the device were awarded the Stalin Prize. Chief designer Yuri Bazilevsky also became the Hero of Socialist Labor.

The second generation of computers

Back in 1947, transistors were invented. In the late 50's. They replaced energy-consuming and fragile lamps. With the advent of transistors, the computing machine began a new history of creation. The computers that received these new parts were later recognized as models of the second generation. The main innovation was that PCBs and transistors allowed to significantly reduce the size of computers, which made them much more practical and convenient.

If before computers occupied whole rooms, now they have decreased to the proportions of office desks. Such, for example, was the IBM 650 model. But even the transistors did not solve yet another important problem. Computers were still extremely expensive, which was why they were made only to order for universities, large corporations or governments.

Further evolution of computers

In 1959, integrated circuits were invented . They laid the foundation for the third generation of computers. 1960's. Became a turning point for a computer. Their production and sales increased at times. Thanks to new details, the devices became cheaper and more affordable, although they were still not personal. Basically, these computers were bought by companies.

In 1971, Intel developers launched the first-ever Intel 4004 microprocessor on the market. Based on it, fourth-generation computers appeared. Microprocesses solved several important problems, before hiding in the device of any computer. One such detail performed all the logical and arithmetic operations that were written using machine code. Before this discovery, this function lay on a lot of small elements. The emergence of a single universal part has become a prelude to the development of small home computers.

Personal computers

In 1977, Apple, founded by Steve Jobs, introduced the world model Apple II. Its fundamental difference from any other previous computers was that the device of a young California company was intended for sale to ordinary citizens. It was a breakthrough, which just recently seemed simply unheard of. So the history of creation of personal computers of the computer generation began. The novelty was in demand until the 90's. During this period, about seven million devices were sold, which was an absolute record of that time.

The subsequent models of Apple received a unique graphical interface, familiar to modern users keyboard and many other innovations. All the same Steve Jobs almost made a popular computer mouse. In 1984, he presented his most successful Macintosh model, which laid the foundation for a whole line that still exists today. Many discoveries of engineers and developers of Apple have become the basis for today's personal computers created by other manufacturers.

Domestic developments

Due to the fact that all revolutionary discoveries connected with computers occurred in the West, the history of creating computers in Russia and the USSR remained in the shadow of foreign successes. This was also due to the fact that the development of such machines was controlled by the state, while in Europe and the US, the initiative was gradually transferred to private companies.

In 1964, the first Soviet semiconductor computers "Snow" and "Spring" appeared. In the 1970s. In the defense industry, Elbrus computers began to be used. They were used in the missile defense system and nuclear centers.