Lesson 3: The Second Generation of Computers (2G)
What is a transistor?
The introduction of transistors to replace vacuum tubes marked the start of the second generation of computers.
A transistor is a miniature electronic component that can do two different jobs--it can work as an amplifier or as a switch.
The solid-state transistor was invented over many years at Bell Labs in New Jersey, USA by John Bardeen, Walter Brattain, and William Shockley. Bardeen, Brattain, and Shockley developed the revolutionary semiconductor device, which can act as an amplifier boosting electric currents or as a switch that turns tiny electric currents on or off.
The second-generation computers were based on transistors instead of vacuum tubes. The vacuum tube was bulky and used a lot of electrical power that ended up as heat, shortening the life of the tube itself. Transistors performed the same tasks as vacuum tubes, but were much smaller, more reliable, more energy-efficient, cheaper, and easier to manufacture in mass quantities. The replacement of vacuum tubes with transistors revolutionised the electronics industry.
IBM 608 was the first computer to be fully transistorised. It cost a whopping 500,000 euros but was capable of performing thousands of calculations per second. Transistors paved the way for supercomputers.