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Second Generation - 1956-1963: Transistors |
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| Transistors replaced vacuum tubes and ushered in the second generation of computers. Transistor is a device composed of semiconductor material that amplifies a signal or opens or closes a circuit. Invented in 1947 at Bell Labs, transistors have become the key ingredient of all digital circuits, including computers. Today's micro-processors contains tens of millions of micro-scopic transistors. |
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| Prior to the invention of transistors, digital circuits were composed of vacuum tubes, which had many disadvantages. They were much larger, required more energy, dissipated more heat, and were more prone to failures. It's safe to say that without the invention of transistors, computing as we know it today would not be possible. |
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The transistor was invented in 1947 but did not see widespread use in computers until the late 50s. The transistor was far superior to the vacuum tube,allowing computers to become smaller, faster, cheaper,more energy-efficient and more reliable than their first-generation predecessors. Though the transistor still generated a great deal of heat that subjected the computer to damage, it was a vast improvement overthe vacuum tube. Second-generation computers still relied on punched cards for input and printouts for output. |
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Second-generation computers moved from cryptic binary machine language to symbolic, or assembly, languages,which allowed programmers to specify instructions inwords. High-level programming languages were alsobeing developed at this time, such as early versionsof COBOL and FORTRAN. These were also the first computers that stored their instructions in their memory, which moved from a magnetic drum to magneticcore technology. |
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The first computers of this generation were developed for the atomic energy industry. |
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