SECOND GENERATION (1942 - 1955)
Transistors replaced vacuum tubes and
ushered in the second generation computer. 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 latest microprocessor contains tens of
millions of microscopic transistors.
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.
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 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.
IMPORTANT
MACHINES:
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