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Generation 5: Parallel Processing & Networking (1985-????)
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| Generation 5: Parallel Processing & Networking (1985-????) While generations 0 through 4 are reasonably well-defined, the scope of the fifth generation of computer technology is still an issue of debate. What is clear is that computing in the late sand beyond has been defined by advances in parallel processing and networking. Parallel processing refers to the integration of multiple (sometimes hundreds or thousands) processors in a computer. By sharing the computational load across multiple processors, a parallel computer is able to execute programs in only a fraction of the time required by a single processor computer. A striking example of this is IBM's Deep Blue, a parallel processing computer specifically designed for playing chess. Using processors, Deep Blue is able to evaluate millions of potential moves in a second and thus select the most promising move. In 1997, Deep Blue became the first computer to defeat the reigning world's chess champion in tournament play. Up until the s, most computers were standalone devices. Small-scale networks of computers were common in large businesses, but communication between networks was rare. The idea of a large-scale network, connecting computers from remote sites, traces back to the s. The ARPAnet, connecting four computers in California and Utah, was founded in 1969. However, its use was mainly limited to government and academic researchers. As such, the ARPAnet, or Internet as it would later be called, grew at a slow but steady pace. That changed in the s with the development of the World Wide Web. The Web, a multimedia environment in which documents can be seamlessly linked together, was introduced in 1989 by Tim Berners-Lee, but first became popular in the mid s with the development of graphical Web browsers. As of 2002, it is estimated that there are more than 160 million computers connected to the Internet, of which more than 33 million are Web servers storing up to 5 billion individual Web pages. For more details on the development of the Internet and Web, refer to Chapter 3. Download 451.15 Kb. Share with your friends:
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