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Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer (ENIAC)

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The first generation is known as the vacuum tube era, because these machines relied on vacuum tubes to process and store data. These tubes replaced mechanical switches, making computation faster, but they had many limitations.

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This generation is often referred to as the transistor era, because vacuum tubes were replaced by transistors. This change marked a great leap forward in computer technology.

The University of Manchester's experimental Transistor Computer was first operational in November 1953 and it is widely believed to be the first transistor computer to come into operation anywhere in the world. There were two versions of the Transistor Computer, the prototype, operational in 1953, and the full-size version, commissioned in April 1955.

The 1953 machine had 92 point-contact transistors and 550 diodes, manufactured by STC. It had a 48-bit machine word. The 1955 machine had a total of 200 point-contact transistors and 1,300 point diodes, which resulted in a power consumption of 150 watts. There were considerable reliability problems with the early batches of transistors and the average error-free run in 1955 was only 1.5 hours. The Transistor Computer also used a small number of tubes in its clock generator, so it was not the first fully transistorized machine.

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This generation is also known as the integrated circuit era, because transistors were now combined into integrated circuits (ICs), also called microchips. This innovation marked another technological revolution in computing.

The third generation of computers represents the consolidation of modern computing. Integrated circuits drastically improved speed, reduced costs, and made computers widely available for scientific, commercial, and educational purposes. This generation laid the groundwork for the personal computers that would emerge in the future.

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1970s – Fourth Generation (Microprocessors and PCs)

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1970s – Fourth Generation (Microprocessors and PCs)

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Intel 4004 (1971): first microprocessor, small and affordable.

Gave birth to personal computers; example: Apple II (1977), very popular in schools.

Computers stopped being exclusive to governments and universities and started reaching individuals.

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IBM PC (1981): set the standard for personal computers.

• Microsoft grew with MS-DOS and Windows, while Apple Macintosh (1984) introduced the Graphical User Interface (GUI) and mouse.

• Businesses used PCs for documents, spreadsheets, and databases.

• At home, PCs became tools for education, typing, and video games.

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World Wide Web (1991): created by Tim Berners-Lee, allowing websites and online communication.

• First browsers like Mosaic (1993) and Netscape (1994) made the internet easy to use.

• Everyday tools: email, chat rooms, search engines (Google founded in 1998).

• E-commerce boom: Amazon (1994), eBay (1995).

• Computers transformed into global tools for communication, business, and entertainment.

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During this decade, laptops and notebooks began to replace desktop computers as the main option for students, professionals, and home users. Early advanced mobile devices, such as PDAs and cell phones with limited internet access, also became popular, laying the foundation for the era of mobile connectivity.

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This period saw a true revolution with the mass adoption of smartphones and tablets, which allowed users to remain permanently connected. At the same time, cloud computing services (such as Google Drive, Dropbox, iCloud, or OneDrive) transformed the way information was stored and shared, enabling collaborative work and remote access to data from any device.

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2020s – Artificial Intelligence and Quantum Computing

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2020s – Artificial Intelligence and Quantum Computing

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The current decade is marked by the rapid progress of Artificial Intelligence (AI), with systems capable of generating text, images, music, and assisting in complex tasks. Virtual assistants have become more sophisticated and are now used in fields such as education, healthcare, and customer service. At the same time, the first prototypes of quantum computers are being developed, promising to solve problems that are impossible for traditional computers, opening up a new horizon in scientific research and technology.

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The evolution of computers shows how technology has advanced from massive machines with limited functions to increasingly smaller, faster, and more accessible systems that now integrate artificial intelligence and explore quantum computing. This journey has not only transformed the way we work and communicate but also opened the door to new possibilities that continue to redefine our future.