Generation 3 (1964 to 1970)
The third generation of computers began when the intergrated circuit chip started replacing transistors. At this time, transistors and other components were being put on a single small chip made of silicon. These IC chips made computers more small and compact. This led to another massive increase in the speed and efficiency of computers because components that used to be enormous and expensive can now be put on small chips.
These were the first computers to use keyboards, monitors, and operating systems which worked much better than punch cards and printouts. This allowed computers to run several applications at once. Memory capacity increased and DRAM was invented in 1966. By 1970, DIsk storage reached 100MB and the floppy disk was invented which was a portable disk that could store, transfer, and carry data. Programming languages like FORTRAN, COBOL and BASIC became easier to use and computer science courses started being offered all around the world.
As a result of these advances, machines became cheaper and smaller and a new market of users emerged during the 1960s. In 1964, IBM created the System/360, which was one of the first computers to use integrated circuit chips and ran on the OS/360 which was the first operating system ever made.
The System/360 supported many applications and was one of the most successful computers ever made. Computers were finally being mass produced and used comercially all around the world. In 1968, Robert Noyce and Gordon Moore founded Intel which was the company that will soon grow to dominate the 4th Generation.
