First generation of the computer (1945-1956 AD)

First generation of the computer (1945-1956 AD)

The first generation of the computer operated on  the principle of thermionic emission. They used thermionic valves also known as vacuum tubes as CPU components, magnetic drum for data storage, and machine language was used for giving instructions. The first generation computers used stored program concept. The computers of generation were very large in size called mainframe or room sized computers. Their programing was difficult and the time consuming. The programing of first generation computer was dine in machine language (instruction were written in binary digits 0s and 1s).  Afterward assembly language (program were written in mnemonics) was developed and used in first generation computers.
John Von Neuumann designed a computer called EDVAC with architecture of CPU, which allowed all computer function to be coordinate through  a single source. Lee De Forest invented vacuum tubes in 1908.


Features of the first generation computers were;

• It was the large mainframes, built with thermionic valves or vacuum tubes technology.
• It occupy very large space, slow, inefficient, and unreliable due to low accuracy.
• The operating system was in terms of millisecond.
• The power consumption was very high and it generated much heat.
• Programming mainly at the hardware level. Low level programming language were used.
• It could only perform straight forward numerical calculation.
• The example of first generation computer are ENIAC, EDVAC,EDSAC, AND  UNIVAC.