Have you ever heard of the “second generation of computers”? Have no idea what it is? You will be surprised to know that this stage in history was crucial for the development of the technological world and computers that we know today.
You want to know more? Well, keep reading this article, which is entitled: Second generation of computers: origin, history and evolution? – Basic guide.
A basic guide to the second generation of computers: origin and history
The “second generation of computers” is nothing more than a period of time between 1959 and 1964. Where a series of events and crucial events for the history of technology were unleashed.
Before that stage, the first generation of computers was based on vacuum tubes, but in the late 1950s something happened. This device was replaced by the famous transistors, giving way to a new generation of computers, corresponding to the second generation.
It was also in those years that the doors to technology were formally opened in the world. Well, there was more and more commercial interest in these technologies almost globally.
Returning to the subject of transistors, these were devices that almost immediately replaced vacuum tubes in the computer field, since they had a greater advantage than vacuum tubes.
These transistors were smaller, required less energy, and operated faster. They did not require long cooling processes and had no filaments.
That is why, when used as electronic processing components, transistors gave way to the second generation of smaller and more efficient computers.
Although, it should be noted that when these transistors were created in 1947, they were not as efficient as they were made of a germanium material and they failed very quickly. But this got better when, in later years, these became bipolar junction transistors.
By the late 1950s, these transistors had dethroned vacuum tubes in the field of computing, albeit with the same on-off mechanism, but with greater efficiency.
Computers of the second generation were a great success with these transistors. People were excited that computers were smaller and more reliable, so in the early 1960s they did not hesitate to implement computers to make brand and product designs, print invoices, do calculations and so on.
Another surprising fact about the second generation of computers is that in addition to using transistors as their “engine”, they had other components: network operating system, printer, programs, hardware, more storage, among others.
It was at the University of Manchester (United Kingdom), where the first computer with integrated transistors was “born” in 1953. Later, in mid-1955, this computer was reinvented, creating a second version of it and subsequent creations used up to more than 200 transistors.
These types of computers had a high cost, in such a way that they were only available to millionaire tycoons and their corporations.
New assembly languages were also created with these second-generation computers, allowing programmers to operate easily using simple code. In addition, other languages were created such as process control (controlling tasks independently) and high-level language (to program, configure and create computer software).
Second generation of computers: evolution
The evolution of the second generation of computers in relation to the first is very remarkable. The fact that this new generation used transistors instead of vacuum tubes, that it was of a much smaller size. That it had leading languages and command, software, hardware (these two are not the same, the software and hardware have differences between them). And gradually becoming more accessible to the general public makes a remarkable difference in history.
In addition, the second generation of computers impacted and even evolved the economy, as these were implemented in businesses to do paperwork and other tasks, making work easier and easier.
Although these computers would have their certain flaws, they provided valuable information in many fields of technology that would be very useful. So that later the third and fourth generation of computers and even the most recent generations were born.