Parallel processing is a form of information processing involving concurrency techniques to achieve more efficient computing systems.
The evolution of computer systems is most famously described in terms of computer generations. There are five generations till now, beginning from 1940s.
- First Generation (1939-1954): The first generation marks the development of computer systems utilizing a technology of vacuum tubes. This generation was marked with several developments because of the ongoing World War II. ENIAC, Mark III, UNIVAC, Clyde (tube computers) were built in this time.
- Second Generation (1954-1959): The second generation saw the development of transistor technology, and IBM introduced the first solid state computers. It was also the generation of SSI and MSI (Small and Medium Scale Integrated) circuits.
- Third Generation (1959-1971): Texas Instruments patented first integrated circuits. The first minicomputer, PDP-8 was introduced. Project ARPANET was introduced. Intel developed first Large Scale Integrated (LSI) circuits.
- Fourth Generation (1971-1991): VLSI (Very Large Scale Integrated) circuits were introduced. This helped reduce cost of computers greatly. Microprocessors were developed. This generation also marked the rise of Apple, Microsoft and Nintendo.
- Fifth Generation (1991-Present): World Wide Web (by Tim Berners Lee, CERN) and browsers (Mosaic, Netscape Navigator, Explorer) were introduced.
Trends in Parallel Processing
The first computers were essentially uniprocessor systems, meaning they operated on a single processor. For a long time, computers were built on the Von Neumann Architecture. Later on, the concept of multiprogramming and time sharing were introduced. Nowadays most computers are built on multiprocessor technologies.
Further Reading
