Third
Generation Computers
(1964-1971)
(1964-1971)
The 3rd
Generation Computers were generally much smaller in size than the 2nd and 1st
generation computers. This is because these newer computers made us of
integrated circuits and semiconductors (a type of material that had the
properties of an insulator and a conductor). 3rd generation computers also
contained operating systems, which acted as overseers to the performance of a
computer and which allowed computers to run different programs at once. Another
function of operating systems is to make sure everything is flowing smoothly
inside the computer. The 3rd generation computers made the transition from
transistors to integrated circuits and from punch cards to electronic computer
systems.
1964-1965: IBM 360
The IBM 360 was introduced by IBM (duh!) in April
of 1964, and was finally delivered in 1965. It was not actually a single
computer, but was rather a family of six computers and their peripherals. These
computers were all mutually compatible and all worked together. The first
models of the IBM 360 used transistors, but later these computers made a
transition from transistors to integrated circuits.
1965:
PDP-8
The PDP-8 was a successor to the PDP-1. Because
it was the first computer to successfully make use of integrated circuits, it
was much smaller and cheaper compared to other computers available at the same
time. When it first entered the minicomputer market, it sold for about $20,000.
Five years later, this price was reduced to only $3,000. The PDP-8 was
relatively
simple in design-physically, logically, and
electronically. It only had 4,096 words of memory, and its word length was only
12 bits. This machine became the first commercially successful minicomputer
because of its reasonable cost, speed, and small size. Minicomputers are
medium-sized computers that were much cheaper than the larger and bulkier
mainframe computers.
1966: HP-2115
With the invention of the HP-2115, the company
Hewlett Packard enters the computer business.
1969: UNIX
At the AT & T Bell Laboratories, programmers
Kenneth Thompson and Dennis Ritchie developed a new type of operating system
known as UNIX. UNIX is a multi-user operating system able to perform multiple
tasks. In addition, UNIX is written in the C language, which allows it to be
less machine-specific than other available operating systems. C was
specifically designed for UNIX. Because UNIX used C, it was able to be used in
any computer system. This was a big achievement at the time!
1970s: GUI
GUI (graphical user interface, pronounced gooey)
was designed by the Xerox Corporation. GUI allowed users to be able to
"point and click." In other words, the computer screen was designed
to resemble a desktop. It had click-able folders, calculators, etc. which were
represented by images known as icons. Users could click on these icons to move
and manipulate the folders and other tools. GUI made using computers much
easier and is currently found in modern-day computers.
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