We will discuss the generations of computer in terms of

  • The technology used by them (hardware and software),
  • computing characteristics (speed, i.e.,number of instructions executed per second),
  • physical appearance, and
  • their applications.

Third Generation (1964 to 1971): Using Integrated CircuitsIC-Chip

  • Hardware Technology The third generation computers used the Integrated Circuit (IC) chips. In an IC chip, multiple transistors are placed on a silicon chip. Silicon is a type of semiconductor. The use of IC chip increased the speed and the efficiency of computer, manifold. The keyboard and monitor were used to interact with the third generation computer, instead of the punched card and printouts.
  • Software Technology The keyboard and the monitor were interfaced through the operating system. Operating system allowed different applications to run at the same time. High-level languages were used extensively for programming, instead of machine language and assembly language.
  • Computing Characteristics The computation time was in nanoseconds.
  • Physical Appearance The size of these computers was quite small compared to the second generation computers.
  • Application Computers became accessible to mass audience. Computers were produced commercially, and were smaller and cheaper than their predecessors.
  • Examples IBM 370, PDP 11.

The third generation computers used less power and generated less heat than the second generation computers. The cost of the computer reduced significantly, as individual components of the computer were not required to be assembled manually. The maintenance cost of the computers was also less compared to their predecessors.