The Mercury was an early commercial computer from the mid-1950s, built by Ferranti as the successor to the Ferranti Mark 1, adding a floating-point unit for improved performance and increasing reliability by replacing Williams tube memory with core memory and using more solid-state components. It used roughly 2,000 vacuum tubes and 2,000 germanium diodes, and nineteen Mercuries were sold before Ferranti moved on to newer designs.
Facts
SignificanceIt was the successor to the Ferranti Mark 1, adding a floating-point unit for improved performance, and increased reliability by replacing the Williams tube memory with core memory and using more solid-state components. 1 Sources
1. Wikipedia: Ferranti Mercury
Wikimedia FoundationCommercial version: Mercury section, first-delivery sentence
The first of an eventual 19 Mercury computers was delivered in August 1957.
Lead paragraph, sentence on succeeding the Mark 1 with a floating-point unit and core memory
It was the successor to the Ferranti Mark 1, adding a floating-point unit for improved performance, and increased reliability by replacing the Williams tube memory with core memory and using more solid-state components.
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