The third generation computers refers to computer technology that was based on integrated circuits, which was used during the period between 1963 and 1974. Integrated circuits combined various electronic components, such as transistors and capacitors, among others.
Very small transistors were produced, being able to be arranged in a single semiconductor, making the general performance of computer systems improve dramatically..
These circuits outperformed vacuum tubes and transistors, both in cost and performance. The cost of integrated circuits was very low. Therefore, the main characteristic feature of third-generation computers was that integrated circuits began to be used as computing devices, which have continued to be used until the current generation.
The third generation was basically the turning point in the life of computers. Punched cards and printers were exchanged for keyboards and monitors connected to an operating system.
At this time computers became more accessible to mass audiences, due to their smaller size and more appropriate cost..
The implementation of these computers was also aligned with Moore's Law, disclosed in 1965..
This law stated that because the size of the transistor was shrinking so rapidly, for the next ten years the number of transistors that would fit on the new microchips would double every two years. After ten years, in 1975 this exponential growth was readjusted to every five years.
During the third generation the processor was built using many integrated circuits. In the fourth generation it was that a complete processor could be located on a single silicon chip, the size of which was smaller than a postage stamp..
Today, almost all electronic devices use some type of integrated circuit placed on circuit boards..
The transistors were reduced in size to be placed in silicon semiconductors, also popularly called chips. In this way the transistors were replaced by the integrated circuit or chip. Scientists managed to put many components on a single chip.
As a result, the computer got smaller and smaller as more components were compressed onto a single chip. They were also able to increase the speed and efficiency of third-generation computers..
In the third generation, integrated circuit or microelectronics technology became the main flagship.
Jack Kilby of Texas Instruments and Robert Noyce of Fairchild Semiconductor were the first to develop the idea of the integrated circuit in 1959.
The integrated circuit is a unique device that contains internally a large number of transistors, registers and capacitors, which are built in a single thin portion of silicon.
The first integrated circuit only contained six transistors. It becomes difficult to compare with integrated circuits in use today, which contain up to hundreds of millions of transistors. An extraordinary development in less than half a century.
Therefore, it is undeniable that the size of the computer was getting smaller and smaller. Computers of this generation were small, inexpensive, large memory, and the processing speed was very high..
These computers were highly reliable, fast and accurate, with a lower cost, although they were still relatively expensive. Not only was its size reduced, but also the power requirement and heat generation.
Users could interact with the computer through keyboards and screen monitors for both data input and output, in addition to interacting with an operating system, achieving hardware and software integration..
The ability to communicate with other computers is achieved, advancing data communication.
Computers were used in census calculations, as well as in military, banking, and industrial applications.
The transistors were replaced by the integrated circuit in their electronic circuits. The integrated circuit was a single component that contained a large number of transistors.
Due to the use of integrated circuits, the performance of computers became faster and also more accurate.
Its speed was almost 10,000 times greater than that of the first generation of computers.
The memory capacity was greater and hundreds of thousands of characters could be stored, previously only tens of thousands. Semiconductor memory, such as RAM and ROM, was used as primary memory.
External disks were used as storage media, whose nature of access to data was random, with a large storage capacity of millions of characters.
- High-level programming languages continued to be developed. High-level languages such as FORTAN, BASIC and others are used to develop programs.
- Ability to do multiprocessing and multitasking. The ability to perform several operations simultaneously was developed, by installing multiprogramming.
This generation ushered in the concept of the “family of computers,” which challenged manufacturers to create computer components that were compatible with other systems..
Interaction with computers improved remarkably. Video terminals for data output were introduced, thus replacing printers.
Keyboards were used for data entry, rather than having to print punched cards. New operating systems were introduced for automatic processing, as was multiple programming.
Regarding storage, magnetic discs began to replace magnetic tapes for auxiliary terminals..
In this generation of computers, integrated circuits were used as the main electronic component. The development of integrated circuits gave rise to a new field of microelectronics.
The integrated circuit sought to solve the complex procedures used to design the transistor. Having to manually connect the capacitors and diodes to the transistors was time consuming and not totally reliable..
In addition to cost reduction, placing multiple transistors on a single chip greatly increased the speed and performance of any computer..
The components of the integrated circuit could be hybrid or monolithic. The hybrid integrated circuit is when the transistor and diode are placed separately, while the monolithic is when the transistor and diode are placed together on a single chip..
Computers began to use operating system software to manage computer hardware and resources. This allowed systems to run different applications at the same time. In addition, remote processing operating systems were used.
IBM created the OS / 360 operating system. Software growth improved greatly due to having been unbundled, with software being sold separately from hardware.
Although assembly languages had proven to be very helpful in programming, the search continued for better languages that were closer to conventional English..
This made the common user quite familiar with the computer, being the main reason for the immense growth of the computer industry. These languages were called high-level languages.
Third-generation languages were procedural in nature. Therefore, they are also known as procedural-oriented languages. Procedures require that you know how a problem will be solved.
Each high-level language was developed to meet some basic requirements for a particular type of problem..
The different high-level languages that a user could use were FORTRAN, COBOL, BASIC, PASCAL, PL-1 and many others..
Program written in a high-level language is called a source program. This is the element that the programmer introduces into the computer in order to obtain results.
The source program must be converted to an object program, which is the language of zeros and ones that the computer can understand. This is done by an intermediate program called a compiler. The compiler depends on both the language and the machine used.
It is a circuit that consists of a large number of electronic components placed on a single silicon chip through a photolithographic process.
It was first designed in 1959 by Jack Kilby at Texas Instrument and by Robert Noyce at Fairchild Corporation, independently. It was an important invention in the field of computer science.
Kilby built his integrated circuit on germanium, while Noyce built it on a silicon chip. The first integrated circuit was used in 1961.
IBM invented this computer in 1964. It was used for commercial and scientific purposes. IBM spent approximately $ 5 billion to develop System 360.
It was not simply a new computer, but a new approach to computer design. Introduced the same architecture for a family of devices.
In other words, a program designed to run on one machine of this family could also run on all the others..
This operating system was invented in 1969 by Kenneth Thompson and Dennis Ritchie. UNIX was one of the first operating systems for computers, written in a language called C. In the end, there were many different versions of UNIX..
UNIX has become the leading operating system for workstations, but has had low popularity in the PC market.
This language is named after Blaise Pascal, a 17th-century French mathematician who built one of the first mechanical adding machines. It was first developed as a teaching tool.
Niklaus Wirth developed this programming language in the late 1960s. Pascal is a highly structured language.
The third generation began with the introduction of the IBM 360 family of computers. This was arguably the most important machine built during this period..
The large models had up to 8MB of main memory. The smallest capacity model was model 20, with only 4Kbytes of memory.
IBM delivered fourteen models of this series of computers, including exceptional models for NASA.
One member of this family, the Model 50, could execute 500,000 sums per second. This computer was approximately 263 times faster than the ENIAC.
This was a fairly successful computer on the market, as it allowed you to choose between different types of settings. However, all IBM 360 series computers used the same set of instructions..
The different types of models in this series included an improved instruction set function, which added decimal arithmetic to operations.
The CPU of these computers worked with 32-bit words. The memory module contained 128k words. A system could support one or two memory modules for a maximum of 256k words. They used various operating systems, such as GCOS, Multics and CP-6.
It was developed in 1965 by DEC. It was a commercially successful minicomputer. At that time, these computers were the best-selling computers in history. They were available in desktop models and in chassis mounts.
It had a smaller set of instructions. I used 12 bits for the word size.
They had several characteristics, such as low cost, simplicity, and expandability. The design of these computers made programming easy for programmers.
- The main advantage of integrated circuits was not only their small size, but their performance and reliability, superior to previous circuits. Power consumption was much lower.
- This generation of computers had a higher computing speed. Thanks to their speed to compute they were very productive. They could calculate data in nanoseconds
- Computers were smaller in size compared to previous generations. Therefore, they were easy to transport from one place to another due to their smaller size. They could be installed very easily and required less space for their installation.
- They produced less heat compared to the previous two generations of computers. An internal fan was started to discharge heat to avoid damage.
- They were much more reliable and therefore required a less frequent maintenance schedule. Therefore, the maintenance cost was low.
- Less expensive. Commercial production increased considerably.
- They had a large storage capacity.
- Its use was for general purposes.
- Mouse and keyboard began to be used for command and data input.
- Could be used with high-level languages.
- It was required to still have an air conditioning.
- The technology required to manufacture the integrated circuit chips was highly sophisticated.
- IC chips weren't easy to maintain.
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