JargonFile/entries/Stone Age.txt

Stone Age

n.,adj. 1. In computer folklore, an ill-defined period from ENIAC (ca. 1943) to the mid-1950s; the great age of electromechanical dinosaur s. Sometimes used for the entire period up to 1960--61 (see Iron Age ); however, it is funnier and more descriptive to characterize the latter period in terms of a Bronze Age era of transistor-logic, pre-ferrite- core machines with drum or CRT mass storage (as opposed to just mercury delay lines and/or relays). See also Iron Age. How things weren't in the Stone Age. (The next cartoon in the Crunchly saga is 76-07-18. The previous cartoon was 76-03-14:5-8. ) 2. More generally, a pejorative for any crufty, ancient piece of hardware or software technology. Note that this is used even by people who were there for the Stone Age (sense 1).
	`Stone Age`

	n.,adj. 1. In computer folklore, an ill-defined period from ENIAC (ca. 1943) to the mid-1950s; the great age of electromechanical dinosaur s. Sometimes used for the entire period up to 1960--61 (see Iron Age ); however, it is funnier and more descriptive to characterize the latter period in terms of a Bronze Age era of transistor-logic, pre-ferrite- core machines with drum or CRT mass storage (as opposed to just mercury delay lines and/or relays). See also Iron Age. How things weren't in the Stone Age. (The next cartoon in the Crunchly saga is 76-07-18. The previous cartoon was 76-03-14:5-8. ) 2. More generally, a pejorative for any crufty, ancient piece of hardware or software technology. Note that this is used even by people who were there for the Stone Age (sense 1).