First Generation 1940-1956
The first generation of computers were in no way a small or easy task to make. Made primarily our of vacuum tubes and magnetic drums for memory. These computers were created for their strategic ability to help develop weapons as the second world war was going down. The Germans developed the Z3 computer to create/design missiles. The British created a computer called the Colossus to decode German coded messages. The United States created a calculator to create ballistics charts for the NAVY.
CHARACTERISTICS:
CHARACTERISTICS:
- Vacuum and tubes
- Very slow
- Very large in size
- Machine language used for programming
- Unreliable
- Difficult to operate