Second
Generation (1956-1963) Transistors
Transistors replaced vacuum tubes and ushered in
the second generation of computers. The transistor was invented in 1947 but did
not see widespread use in computers until the late 1950s. 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 over the vacuum
tube. Second-generation computers still relied on punched cards for input and
printouts for output.
Second-generation computers
moved from cryptic binary
machine language to symbolic, or assembly, languages, which
allowed programmers to specify instructions in words. High-level
programming languages were also being developed at this time, such
as early versions of COBOL
and FORTRAN.
These were also the first computers that stored their instructions in their
memory, which moved from a magnetic drum to magnetic core technology.
The first computers of this
generation were developed for the atomic energy industry.
No comments:
Post a Comment