1956-1963
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| Computer transistor for a second generation computer |
Transistors offered the new ability to switch or amplify electronic signals, allowing precise control over the electronic current through a circuit board. This new electronic creation earned The Bell Telephone Laboratories a Nobel Prize in 1956.
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| Second generation computer |
Another important innovation in technology that can be attributed to the second generation of computers is the stored program and programming language, known today as "assembly language." Assembly languages have the same commands as machine languages (previously used in first generation computing), while allowing the programmer to use letters and names instead of long numeric codes. The stored program aspect of this generation allowed use of a program stored on the computer's memory immediately after the use of a different program, something previously not possible. Assembly language is still used by computer programmers today.
Fun Fact:
The first computer programmer was a woman named Ada Lovelace.
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| IBM 1401, 1959 |
A prime example of a second generation computer is the IBM 1401 (above). This stored-program computer included memory, disk storage, a printer and tape storage. The video below illustrates the story behind this historic computer.
The lessons learned from the 1401 and similar stored-program computers quickly led to a faster, cooler, more efficient system utilizing integrated circuits. For more on this, see 3rd Generation computers.