GNU Project to speak at the previous entry in this blog, we today to discuss an issue that once I was rather curious: the fifth generation of computers.
But as always, to understand this history is necessary before a little soaking some concepts and history. A computer is just that, ultimately, an information processing machine, with the characteristic that is programmable, and therefore versatile and powerful, while certainly the parents of modern computing certainly not they went through your mind that something like Facebook could even exist.
However, computers have evolved over time and revolutionized every X time. While the first calculating machines date back centuries, and even Charles Babbage designed and conceptually similar to what is a computer, not until the 40's when they finally are built first electronic computers, with examples such as the ENIAC (U.S. made in the image) or the Mark I (UK). In any case, this is not a history of paleontology computer, so we focus a little on the subject. Basically, there are known and recognized four main generations of computers.
The first generation of computers based on the technology of vacuum tubes. They are the first electronic computers, large and giant monsters weighing many tons needed entire rooms chilled and exorbitant power consumption. In this generation we out machines like the UNIVAC (pictured) or the IBM 701. The second generation of computers is based on transistors. With this new technology using silicon semiconductor materials such as computers could be more powerful and economical, but also a smaller size and lower power consumption. In this second generation, we highlight IBM machines such as the Honeywell 7090 or 800.
The third generation makes use of integrated circuits as a major technological innovation over the previous generation. Again, thanks to this technology is getting cheaper the product, reduce its size (it had computers that could go into a closet) and consumption. The number of computer manufacturers has increased after the development of the minicomputer, PC much more limited than the large mainframes but allowed many companies and schools for themselves have a computer with which to work. Regarding examples of machines that can stand out of this generation are the IBM 360 computer family, the CDC 6600 (as already mentioned , the first supercomputer in history) or the DEC PDP-1 (pictured). 
The fourth generation is the generation of microprocessor and miniaturization. This is the generation that know the most about today's computers because basically we have are an evolution of those early 70's models. After the invention of Intel microprocessor with Intel 4004 in 1971 (pictured), over the years the computer world suffered an explosion of colossal proportions in which the computers were popularized and finally reached the public, first as curiosity, then as a toy, then as a working tool and finally as a life centered on microprocessor controlled machines. Machine that could highlight of this generation would be the MITS Altair 8800, Apple II, IBM PC or Apple Macintosh, to name some major milestones. However, if you look at all the computers and companies mentioned, they were all American. Of course there were more manufacturers in other countries, such Bull in France and Siemens in Germany, but the Anglo-Saxon dominated widely.
Japan was, until then, just a "replicant" English or American technology to the 70. However, following the huge success of the microelectronics industry and automobile consumption, the next target for the Japanese was clear: to lead the next revolution in computers. That is why it was created during the 80 draft fifth generation of computers.
This project was funded by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (MITI) and developed by the Centre for Development and Japanese Information Processing (JIPDEC) and the main idea behind these machines is based technologies and techniques used in artificial intelligence.
Looking at the wikipedia , the main fields for research of the project were:
- Technologies for knowledge process. Technologies for processing
- databases and massive knowledge bases. Workstations
- high performance. Distributed Computing
- functional.
- Supercomputer for scientific computing.
However, after a very large amount of money invested and 11 years of development, Japan takes for completion of the project in 1993. However, the results were not at all expected. We designed a series of technologies, such as operating system Simper (later rewritten and renamed PIMOS) KL1 programming language or development of five Parallel Inference Machine (PIM), which we can see an example of a the five computers in the photo. But the problem with these machines is that, although interesting from a purely academic standpoint, not so from a practical standpoint, as a machine with a microprocessor of a general can do the same things, with a lower price and even better performance even in the same field of artificial intelligence. Furthermore, possible improvements at the architectural level are generally very difficult to implement in other systems, because we are talking about machines that do not even follow the von Neumann architecture .
is why that, although Japan has not considered the project as a failure, not much talk about the success of it. However, as I said a friend of mine, who failed not achieved no goals but who does not even try, so that despite the apparent waste of resources and money by Japanese industry in a research project with so few positive results, it is always commendable and admirable for a country decides to engage in this kind of project.
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