====== TX-0 original demonstrator (64 kWords of RAM) (1956) ======
===== History and Trivia =====
The TX-0 was built in 1955-1956 at the MIT Lincoln Laboratory, to demonstrate transistor technology (the TX-0 is regarded as the first transistorized computer ever) and test a 64kw magnetic core memory array for the TX-2 computer that was on the drawing board. Once assembled, the TX-0 proved to be a reliable and interesting general purpose computer.
A CRT was installed in 1957, and a light-pen in 1958, which enabled interactive graphical operation, which was exceptional on computers of the time. The TX-0 was one of the first computers with a light pen; on the other hand, some computers (e.g. Whirlwind) had had CRTs for years, but such CRTs were seldom used for interactive operation.
In July 1958, the computer was taken out of Lincoln Laboratory and transferred to room 26-248 at the MIT Electrical Engineering Department.
Generated on Sun Jul 19 10:17:28 2009