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A transistor computer, now often called a second-generation computer, [1] is a computer which uses discrete transistors instead of vacuum tubes. The first generation of electronic computers used vacuum tubes, which generated large amounts of heat, were bulky and unreliable.
Computers built after 1972 are often called fourth-generation computers, based on LSI (Large Scale Integration) of circuits (such as microprocessors) – typically 500 or more components on a chip. Later developments include VLSI (Very Large Scale Integration) of integrated circuits 5 years later – typically 10,000 components.
Third-generation computers were offered well into the 1990s; for example the IBM ES9000 9X2 announced April 1994 [30] used 5,960 ECL chips to make a 10-way processor. [31] Other third-generation computers offered in the 1990s included the DEC VAX 9000 (1989), built from ECL gate arrays and custom chips, [32] and the Cray T90 (1995).
Second generation computer, a computer constructed using discrete transistors; Second generation of video game consoles (1976–1984), sometimes referred to as the early 8-bit era; Second Generation Multiplex Plus, DNA profiling system; Second-generation programming language, a generational way to categorise assembly languages
Typically, second-generation computers were composed of large numbers of printed circuit boards such as the IBM Standard Modular System, [143] each carrying one to four logic gates or flip-flops. At the University of Manchester, a team under the leadership of Tom Kilburn designed and built a machine using the newly developed transistors instead ...
The Computer History in time and space, Graphing Project, an attempt to build a graphical image of computer history, in particular operating systems. The Computer Revolution/Timeline at Wikibooks "File:Timeline.pdf - Engineering and Technology History Wiki" (PDF). ethw.org. 2012. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2017-10-31
Beige, boring, and a bit too complicated — in the 1990s, personal computers had about as much charisma as an underwhelming date. Enter the iMac G3: the weird, egg-shaped desktop that became an ...
A mechanical computer is a computer built from mechanical components such as levers and gears rather than electronic components. The most common examples are adding machines and mechanical counters , which use the turning of gears to increment output displays.