1930-1958
The first generations of computers were large and expensive. They used vacuum tubes; an electronic device that controls the flow of electrons in a vacuum. One of the inventions of this generation is the first commercial digital computer. The computers used during this generation required lots of space and electrical power. They also tended to burn out quickly.
Colossus was the first electronic computer of this era. It was kept secret by British Government. In 1945, Von Neumann Architecture was introduced. Eckert and Mauchley began working on EDVAC (Electronic Discrete Variable Automatic Computer) but it never completed. Later Von Neumann developed his own EDVAC(IAS machine). In 1946, the development of ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer), which was started in 1943, was completed.
The first generations of computers were large and expensive. They used vacuum tubes; an electronic device that controls the flow of electrons in a vacuum. One of the inventions of this generation is the first commercial digital computer. The computers used during this generation required lots of space and electrical power. They also tended to burn out quickly.
Colossus was the first electronic computer of this era. It was kept secret by British Government. In 1945, Von Neumann Architecture was introduced. Eckert and Mauchley began working on EDVAC (Electronic Discrete Variable Automatic Computer) but it never completed. Later Von Neumann developed his own EDVAC(IAS machine). In 1946, the development of ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer), which was started in 1943, was completed.