Iron Age

n. In the history of computing, 1961-1971 the formative era of commercial
mainframe technology, when ferrite-core dinosaurs ruled the earth. The Iron
Age began, ironically enough, with the delivery of the first minicomputer
(the PDP-1) and ended with the introduction of the first commercial
microprocessor (the Intel 4004) in 1971. See also Stone Age ; compare elder
days.