First generation
COMPUTER development shares for some periods. Generations of the COMPUTER of each period differ from each other element base and a software. A first generation (1945-1954) - the COMPUTER on electron tubes (like that were in old TVs).
These are prehistoric times, an epoch of formation of computer facilities. The majority of computers of a first generation were experimental devices and were under construction for the purpose of check of those or other theoretical positions. Weights and the sizes of these computer dinosaurs which quite often demanded for itself separate buildings, became for a long time a legend. Input of numbers in the first computers was made by means of punched cards, and programmed control by sequence of performance of operations was carried out, for example in ENIAC, as in accounting computers, with the help shteccers and dialup fields.
Though such way of programming also demanded a lot of time for computer preparation, that is for connection on a dialup floor (a commutative board) separate blocks of the computer, he allowed to realise countable "abilities" ENIAC and that favourably differed from a way of a program punched tape, characteristic for relay computers.
The soldiers assigned to this huge computer, permanently rushed around it, creaking carts, up to the top filled electron tubes. It was necessary to fuse at least to one lamp as ENIAC there and then rose, and turmoil started: all hastily searched for burnt down lamp. One of the reasons - it is possible, and not too authentic - so frequent replacement of lamps the such was considered: them warmly and a luminescence involved moths which flew in the computer and called short circuit. If it is the truth the term bugs by which mean errors in program and hardware of computers, gains new sense.
When all lamps worked, the engineering staff could customise ENIAC on any task, manually having changed connection of 6 000 wires. All these wires should be switched again when there was other task.
Computer UNIVAC (the Universal automatic computer) became the first serially released COMPUTER of 1st generation. Developers: John Mauchly and J. Prosper Eckert. It was the first electronic digital computer of a general purpose. UNIVAC, operation on which creation has started in 1946 and was completed in 1951, had an addition time 120 , multiplyings-1800 and divisions - 3600 . UNIVAC could save 1000 words, 12000 digits access to 400 are maximum in due course.
The magnetic tape carried 120000 words and 1440000 digits. Input/conclusion was carried out from the magnetic tape, punched cards and the punch. Its first copy has been transferred in Bureau of population census of the USA.
The software of computers of 1st generation consisted basically of standard subroutines.
Computers of this generation: "ENIAC", , "computer", «IBM-701», "Arrow", «Ì-2», «Ì-3», "Ural Mountains", "Ural Mountains-2", "Minsk-1", "Minsk-12", «Ì-20», etc. These computers occupied the big space, used a lot of electric power and consisted of very great number of electron tubes.
For example, computer "Arrow" consisted of 6400 electron tubes and 60 thousand pieces of crystal diodes. Their speed did not exceed 2-3 thousand operations a second, the RAM did not exceed 2 KB. Only for computer "1-2" (1958) RAM was 4 KB, and speed of 20 thousand operations a second.