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.