News for hackers. Stuff that matters.

A comment on Intel Publishes Microcode Patches, No Benchmarking or Comparison Allowed. Parent comment

Re:Intel Publishes Microcode Patches, No Benchmarking or Com... by mywittyname on Thursday August 23, 2018 @04:35PM (#17830481)
Sure, but the transistor ushered in the long-distance era and helped AT&T establish their monopoly (and their eventual breakup). Regional telephone services were already beginning to drive down costs in local markets.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Intel Publishes Microcode Patches, No Benchmarking or Com... by tlb on Thursday August 23, 2018 @08:02PM (#17831668)
Maybe you're thinking of the triode, which AT&T did have a monopoly on around 1915, when they deployed the first transcontinental long-distance service using vacuum tubes to boost the signal. They bought deForest's patents and filed many more of their own on amplification circuits.

They had direct-dial long-distance by 1951, using relays and tubes.

The transistor started making a difference in telephony with the release of the 1ESS switch in 1965. But transistors were a commodity by then.

[ Parent | on HN ]