The 2nd generation was from 1959 to 1964. The second generation of computers was characterized by transistors instead of vacuum tubes and was smaller in size and weight. The devices utilized magnetic tape, which resulted in a faster read and write operation, and calculated data at an increased speed. This generation of computers used operating systems containing instructions that any software could use which allowed programmers to write instructions using English-like command languages such as Fortran and COBOL. These computers were smaller, cheaper, more reliable, and used less power. The first computers were used for the atomic energy industry.
FORTRAN was introduced in this generation. FORTRAN stands for Formula Translator. John Backus designed this program for IBM in the 1950s. This is the oldest high-level language; FORTRAN is still used today, mainly for scientific applications. There was two versions of FORTRAN: FORTRAN IV and FORTRAN 77. FORTRAN IV was approved by USASI, whereas FORTRAN 77 was approved by ANSI. COBOL was introduced in this generation. COBOL stands for Common Business Oriented Language. It is the second oldest computer language, but still widely used (even though the language is outdated). COBOL is a wordy language, but its wordiness makes it easy to understand. COBOL is popular for business appications. The IBM 1401 was invented in this generation in 1959 by the company, IBM. This was a data processing system that was intended to replace accouting machines and calculators. This computer was the first in IBM's 1400 series of computers. More information on the IBM 1401 can be found in this link: http://www.columbia.edu/cu/computinghistory/1401.html |