Comments by "Scott Franco" (@scottfranco1962) on "The Most Important Invention of the 20th Century: Transistors" video.

  1. Not particularly, although that prediction has been made several times over the years. Moore's law DID change, but it was more like the assumptions about Moore's law that changed. We assumed that both the size of transistors would shrink as well as their speed increase. The latter died an unfortunate death due to several factors, including leakage. Thus speeds of ICs have not dramatically increased for several years now, and the industry focuses more and more on parallelism. Is there actually such a thing as a barrier to further shrinkage? Its undoubtedly so. However, several people way smarter than me have studied this, and we are nowhere near the limit. Our working basis for the individual elements may change, but we will keep moving downwards. Moore's law has more room to run.
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  2. Although the transistor was a stunning achievement, its doubtful the world would have been that much different without it. Vacuum tube technology was the rule until the early 1960's, and the technology was well understood and getting better rapidly. Most of the problems with it were being solved, and integrated circuits using vacuum tube principles not only were possible, but this was in fact done later because of some of the advantages with the technology, for examples in early flat panel displays. My guess is lack of solid state would have set the electronics industry back some 5 to 10 years.
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  3.  @1pcfred  Didn't really read what I wrote, did you?
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  4. Small nit: the difference engine could not be programmed.
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  5. Deforrest takes a lot of heat for not being a scientist, but he set off a revolution that exists to this day. He was one man working alone, and expanded on an effect that Edison discovered... then promptly ignored. The AT&T group was a well backed group of scientists. Deforrest's memory deserves better.
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  6.  @MrWATCHthisWAY  "The Transistor company was located in Silicone Valley in Palo Alto" Silicon valley. Silicone valley is further south, in Hollywood.
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