On Wednesday 05 March 2014 17:09:53 Grant Edwards did opine: > On 2014-03-05, Alister <alister.w...@ntlworld.com> wrote: > >>> Why are you creating an ABC? > >> > >> Because it was the first binary computer that did calculations with > >> electronic switching elements (gates), and it would be really cool to > >> have one! The ABC also pioneered the use of capciators as > >> regenerative storage elements (it's how DRAM still works today). > >> > >> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atanasoff%E2%80%93Berry_Computer > >> > >> It predated ENIAC, and it's clear that some of the features of ENIAC > >> were inspired by the ABC after John Mauchly visited Iowa State and > >> saw the ABC. > > > > But it was not programmable > > True. It had only one program that was hard-wired into it when it was > built as opposed to the external patch-cords and switches that were > used on machines like Colossus and ENIAC to alter the wiring. > > > the first programmable electronic computer was 'Colossus' which was > > developed during WWII but remained classified by the UK govt for many > > years afterwards > > > > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colossus_computer
What machine was it that had about 12,000 12AU7 vacuum tubes in it for logic? They had one of those, adapted to read the output of a bed of photocells installed in a Harris sheet fed press on the SUI campus in the later 1950's. I saw it running once, grading the test score sheets from the Iowa Tests that were being used in lieu of the high price per seat S-B IQ test in the Iowa schools. It was IIRC a somewhat difficult test when they threw it at me in the 7th grade a decade earlier, they claimed the test score were interchangeable with the S-B scores, but I somehow managed a 147 on it at the time. Cheers, Gene -- "There are four boxes to be used in defense of liberty: soap, ballot, jury, and ammo. Please use in that order." -Ed Howdershelt (Author) Genes Web page <http://geneslinuxbox.net:6309/gene> NOTICE: Will pay 100 USD for an HP-4815A defective but complete probe assembly. -- https://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list