The 2nd Generation
Second generation computers lasted from 1959 to 1965. The second generation computers are characterized by transistors. Transistors are portable radios using circuits containing transistors rather than vacuum tubes. The computers did not use vacuum tubes and was smaller in size and weight. They utilized magnetic tape, which made it faster to read and write. It also calculated data at a increased speed. Second generation computers used operating systems that contained instructions that any software could use. The computers of this generation were cheaper, smaller, more reliable , and they used less electrical power.