>That's what I meant Howard. I think I left out a few words as I do that most
>of the time. I think much quicker than I type.
>
>My understanding of this:
>
>All computer machines were decimal[base10] until the 40's. Atanasoff was the
>original one who suggested binary to be used instead of base10 to correct
>the computational probems that existed in measuring current/voltage. In
>those days with base10, one was a little current, two was a little more,
>three a little more than that and so on and so on. It was not a very good
>way to be accurate and was met with many failures. With the induction of
>binary for current measureage, it became easy and computers were on their
>way to being a successful marketing venture. One was on, zero was off. Very
>simple. But the original idea of the binary counting concept started with
>Ada. Not in the computer sense, but in a general sense of numbers.
>
>Or at least that what I have read.
>
>Jenn
It could have been that Ada, Lady Lovelace, did invent binary as a
means of representation. There's no question that Boolean algebra,
and logical binary operations, come from George Boole.
I honestly don't know who made the suggestion of binary computer
electronics. It had to have taken place before the invention of
magnetic core memory, which is binary or, at best, ternary. Before
core, there were essentially analog storage devices like specialized
CRTs (storage as light) or mercury delay lines (storage as
vibrations).
Now I'm trying to remember what was the first fully core-based
machine. I want to say the ATLAS* in the UK, but I'm not sure.
UNIVAC I was commercial, but I don't think it was core based. The
first commercial core machine might have been a later UNIVAC or
possibly the IBM 701. The IBM 650 -- and I actually worked in the
same computer room as one still chugging away before it was
successfully emulated -- used a magnetic head-per-track disk (called
a drum) as main memory. (It was the first computer that produced the
Consumer Price Index, one of those applications that HAD to work).
*our UK list members expecially should learn something about the
history of the ATLAS, which was done at an English university and
pioneered a great number of computer innovations, such as interrupts.
It never gets the historical credit it should.
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Howard C. Berkowitz [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
>Sent: Sunday, August 05, 2001 4:23 AM
>To: Jennifer Cribbs; [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>Subject: RE: Friday Funnie #2, Couldn't let this one go by!! [7:14809]
>
>
>Not serious, but the intellectual credit here goes to George Boole--as in
>"boolean arithmetic." Babbage/Lovelace machines were decimal.
>
>
>
>At 02:01 PM 8/3/2001 -0400, Jennifer Cribbs wrote:
>>Is this serious?
>>
>>I was under the impression that Ada Lovelace invented the binary counting
>>system. I was also under the impression that John Atanasoff came up with
>>the brilliant coding system that expressed everything in terms of two
>>numbers for the methodology of measuring the current or lack of current in
>>regards to computers way back in the 40's.
>>
>>Before that everyone kept trying to incorporate the base10 system in
>>computers, which was a major headache and unsuccessfull, but that was in
>the
>>vacuum tube days.
>>
>>hmmm. Surely Microsoft doesn't think they can do this..Maybe this is a
>joke
> >however and I am just too d*** serious.
> >
> >Jenn
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