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2.1 / A BRIEF HISTORY OF COMPUTERS 31

Wafer

Chip

Gate

Packaged
chip
Figure 2.7 Relationship among Wafer, Chip, and Gate

2. Because logic and memory elements are placed closer together on more densely
packed chips, the electrical path length is shortened, increasing operating speed.
3. The computer becomes smaller, making it more convenient to place in a variety
of environments.
4. There is a reduction in power and cooling requirements.
5. The interconnections on the integrated circuit are much more reliable than
solder connections.With more circuitry on each chip, there are fewer interchip
connections.

IBM SYSTEM/360 By 1964, IBM had a firm grip on the computer market with its
7000 series of machines. In that year, IBM announced the System/360, a new family
of computer products. Although the announcement itself was no surprise, it con-
tained some unpleasant news for current IBM customers: the 360 product line was
incompatible with older IBM machines.Thus, the transition to the 360 would be dif-
ficult for the current customer base. This was a bold step by IBM, but one IBM felt