Page 17 - Viva ICSE Computer Studies 5 : E-book

Some examples of the fi rst generation computers were EDVAC, Mark 1, ENIAC, EDSAC
and UNIVAC I.

First Generation
Inventor Year Features
Computer
Electronic Discrete John Presper 1944 • Weighed approximately 8,000
Variable Automatic Eckert and John W. kilograms
Computer (EDVAC) Mauchly • Stored both programs and
data

• First electronic computer to
use binary system
Mark 1 Howard H. Aiken 1944 • First fully automatic calculator

• Slow in performing
calculations like addition,
subtraction, multiplication
and division
Electronic Numerical John Presper 1946 • Weighed more than 27,000
Integrator And Computer Eckert and John W. kilograms
(ENIAC) Mauchly • First programmable general-

purpose electronic digital
computer
• Capable of solving a wide
range of numerical problems
• Had no stored programs

Electronic Delay Storage Professor M. Wilkes 1949 • Weighed approximately 6,000
Automatic Calculator kilograms
(EDSAC) • First full-size stored program
computer

Universal Automatic John Presper 1951 • Weighed approximately 13,000
Computer I (UNIVAC I) Eckert and John W. kilograms
Mauchly • Second commercially available

electronic computer
• Handled both numbers and
alphabetic characters properly

Second Generation Computers (1956—1963)

In the second generation computers, transistors were used as processors instead of
vacuum tubes. Transistors were far superior to vacuum tubes allowing computers to
become smaller, faster and cheaper. These computers were smaller in size and were in

5