Реферат: Development Of Computers And Technology Essay Research

announcement in 1959 by Texas Instruments and Fairchild Semiconductor that they

had each independently produced chips containing several complete electronic

circuits. The chips were hailed as a generational breakthrough because they had

four desirable characteristics. ? Reliability – They could be used over and over

again without failure, whereas vacuum tubes failed ever fifteen minutes. Chips

rarely failed — perhaps one in 33 million hours of operation. This reliability

was due not only to the fact that they had no moving parts but also that

semiconductor firms gave them a rigid work/not work test. ? Compactness -

Circuitry packed into a small space reduces equipment size. The machine

speed is increased because circuits are closer together, thereby reducing the

travel time for the electricity. ? Low Cost – Mass-production techniques has

made possible the manufacture of inexpensive integrated circuits. That is,

miniaturization has allowed manufacturers to produce many chips inexpensively. ?

Low power use — Miniaturization of integrated circuits has meant that less

power is required for computer use than was required in previous generations.

In an energy-conscious time, this was important.

The Microprocessor

Throught the 1970’s, computers gained dramatically in speed, reliability,

and storage capacity, but entry into the fourth generation was evolutionary

rather than revolutionary. The fourth generation was, in fact, furthering the

progress of the third generation. Early in the first part of the third

generation, specialized chips were developed for memory and logic. Therefore,

all parts were in place for the next technological development, the

microprocessor, or a general purpose processor on a chip. Ted Hoff of Intel

developed the chip in 1969, and the microprocessor became commercially available

in 1971.

Nowadays microprocessors are everywhere. From watches, calculatores and

computers, processors can be found in virtually every machine in the home or

business. Environments for computers have changed, with no more need for