Re: Watching the Economy Crumble

Straydog wrote:
> On Wed, 10 Aug 2005, Russell.Martin@xxxxxxx wrote:
>
> > BMJ wrote:
> >> Russell.Martin@xxxxxxx wrote:
> >>> It somewhat depends on what one means by "fundamental".
> >>> Since "electronics" depends somewhat on "electrons", one
> >>> might argue that the "fundamental" discovery was that of
> >>> the electron. :-)
> >>
> >> Electronic devices existed before the transistor.
> >
> > Well, then, quantum theory, or Franklin's observations on the
> > nature of electricity, or the smelting of copper. :-)
>
> Vacuum tubes were around decades before xistors. :-)
>
> >> What was
> >> fundamentally different about the latter was how it was constructed and
> >> operated.
> >
> > Solid state devices (diodes) existed before transistors.
>
> Germanium diodes, and with wiskers.
>
> Three
> > connection amplifying devices existed before transistors.
>
> Triodes.

BMJ is just enough younger than me that he might never have
used a triode. I was fortunate enough to be at the perfect
time to have learned to use a slide rule before switching to
a digital calculator, learned to wire tubes, discrete solid
state devices, and IC circuits, learned to plot a graph by
hand, etc. I cut down trees with a stone ax to make my own
pencils, too. ;-)

> don't forget tetrodes, pentodes, and coverters.

Right, but triodes are the most analogous to transistors.

>
> It
> > can be argued that transistors were merely a logical extension
> > of those more "fundamental" devices.
>
> Maybe a parallel there.
>
> >> Developments in integrated circuits led to completely new
> >> manufacturing methods, which were quickly adopted by industry.
> >>
> >> Certainly the rather obvious commercial
> >>> potential (and in some cases war efforts) pushed
> >>> electronics faster than some other fields.
> >>
> >> More than anything, it was the space race that drove the electronic
> >> industry.
>
> You have not seen any of the popular magazines that existed well before
> the space race. Or, the big push for radio and TV, that also existed
> before the space race.
>
> The biggest problem in going to the moon is weight and
> >> anything which could reduce the size of the payload and boosters was
> >> worth considering.
>
> The Russians beat this problem by just making very big boosters.
>
> > I've read that, and I'd agree as far as miniturization per se, but
> > commercial, consumer uses drove the industry before that and even
> > after that as far as revenue goes.
>
> There were portable battery operated radios that did not use transistors.
> And, they were not very big, either. Many of them. I had one, once.
>
> So we have a question of
> > which came first, the revenue prospects or the cutting edge
> > technology. I claim they are synergistic as far as advancing
> > the industry as a whole goes. IOW the industry would not have
> > advanced as far if the only market for small devices was low
> > volume, high cost space applications, nor would it have advanced
> > as far if those devices had not been developed for space
> > applications.
>
> I'm picking on everyone, today.

As they say on Wall Street, that's been discounted. ;-)

snip

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Relevant Pages

  • Re: Watching the Economy Crumble
    ... Solid state devices existed before transistors. ... which were quickly adopted by industry. ... >> electronics faster than some other fields. ... I claim they are synergistic as far as advancing ...
    (sci.research.careers)
  • Re: Watching the Economy Crumble
    ... > BMJ wrote: ... > Well, then, quantum theory, or Franklin's observations on the ... > nature of electricity, ... > connection amplifying devices existed before transistors. ...
    (sci.research.careers)