1. generation computers:
| ** | Component used | Access Time | Cost |
| 1949 - 1959 | Vacuum Tube | in Milli seconds | Very expensive |
1. The first computers used vacuum tubes for electronic circuitry and magnetic drums for memory. They were very expensive to operate and the power consumption was high, generated a lot of heat, which was often the cause of malfunctions.
2.First generation computers were communicated through machine language to perform operations, and they could only solve one problem at a time.
3. Input was based on punched cards and paper tape, and output was displayed on printouts.
2. Second-generation computers:
| ** | Component used | Access Time | Cost |
| 1959 - 1965 | Transistor | in Milli seconds | Less than I gen. computers |
1.In the second generation computers, symbolic or assembly languages were used. High-level programming languages were also in use at this time, such as early versions of COBOL and FORTRAN. Their memory consisted of magnetic core technology.
2. Second-generation computers still relied on punched cards for input and printouts for output.
