31–40 of 105 posts
I'm embarrassed to admit that this is the first time I hear of him.
Agreed, odd that the name just is not in the same group of people as Moore, Fairchild, Noyce, etc? This is the first I had heard the name.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
It is interesting to think about about alternative history here: If microchip technology had never been invented for some reason, what would we have developed instead? What is the next best computing technology?
This is something the Russians worked on, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_integrator I've been told analogue computers got pretty far too, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analog_computer
https://www.computerhistory.org/revolution/analog-computers/...
It's pretty fascinating, and a great example of working within the limitations of hardware at the time.
I'm embarrassed to admit that this is the first time I hear of him.
Agreed, odd that the name just is not in the same group of people as Moore, Fairchild, Noyce, etc? This is the first I had heard the name.
It's incredibly humbling to be reminded how young this field of our is: this site and everything its presence implies (about the Internet, global communication, computers) would not exist were it not for the work of a very-recently-deceased engineer. Very few other fields (aerospace and modern pharmacology, among them) can say the same thing.
It is interesting to think about about alternative history here: If microchip technology had never been invented for some reason, what would we have developed instead? What is the next best computing technology?
Morris Tanenbaum (American, physical chemist / transistor researcher) [1], not to be confused with Andrew Tanenbaum (American-Dutch, CS professor who was responsible for MINIX) [2]. Both had great significance in what we call "computers" today, in their respective fields. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morris_Tanenbaum [2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_S._Tanenbaum
Andrew Tanenbaum is in a no way Dutch. States as much in his Wikipedia article. There are plenty of Dutch scientists, including in CS, so no need to gekoloniseren another one.
"Despite Tanenbaum’s early work on silicon transistors, AT&T did not support further research or advancement of the technology. At the time, Bell Labs was the research arm of AT&T. Although Bell Labs had “a significant technological lead in silicon transistor technology, it stopped doing proper research in the field—partly because it just wasn’t immediately relevant to AT&T’s business—so silicon transistor technology…
"In spite of its secondary role as a semiconductor supplier, the course of semiconductor research was shaped by the scientific and engineering achievements at BTL during the 1950s. While most of the semiconductor industry concentrated on manufacturing germanium transistors and diodes during this decade, BTL spent most of its research dollars on silicon devices... Of the ten major events instrumental in the demise of germanium as the preeminent starting material, seven originated at BTL while the other three were derived from BTL research activities. "[0]
"Despite Tanenbaum’s early work on silicon transistors, AT&T did not support further research or advancement of the technology. At the time, Bell Labs was the research arm of AT&T. Although Bell Labs had “a significant technological lead in silicon transistor technology, it stopped doing proper research in the field—partly because it just wasn’t immediately relevant to AT&T’s business—so silicon transistor technology…
Here's another source that disagrees (BTL = Bell Telephone Laboratories): "In spite of its secondary role as a semiconductor supplier, the course of semiconductor research was shaped by the scientific and engineering achievements at BTL during the 1950s. While most of the semiconductor industry concentrated on manufacturing germanium transistors and diodes during this decade, BTL spent most of its research dollars on…
TI and Fairchild pulled firmly ahead in the 1960s; Intel became hugely relevant in the 70s and 80s. AT&T had mostly abandoned silicon research by this time.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Andrew Tanenbaum is in a no way Dutch. States as much in his Wikipedia article. There are plenty of Dutch scientists, including in CS, so no need to gekoloniseren another one.
Sorry: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Lamest_edit_wars#Eth...
Though, after checking, there apparently are no clear cut 'inventors' of the integrated circuit, which strikes me as a bit odd.