— Malcolm Harrissemiconductors are theoretically much more stable than vacuum tubes. In vacuum-tube triodes, the electrons float as gas, pulled across the void by magnetism. They lose energy as heat. They are big and heavy and vulnerable to jostling and altitude shifts, and they break frequently. The warmth and light attracted moths, the original computer bugs.
Replicated under Fair Use from Palo Alto: A History of California, Capitalism, and the World by Malcolm Harris.