[.264 magnum]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technolog...-rebooted.html

[sappy13]

That would have been a site to see in person. Very Cool

[Hicksville Kid]

Back in the early '70s (when computers took up a large room) I worked with a guy that was at MIT, years before in the early days of computing. He told tales of walking INTO the computer to change a relay or a flip-flop (look it up, you youngsters). They would go in to get warm.

[HollowHead]

Nice find! I've devoured everything I can find on Alan Turing and Enigma and this is icing on the cake. Thanks. HH

[janice6]

I have programmed Navy Fire Control Computers in "Old School", Octal.

I gave my son (Physicist and Electrical Engineer) a digital watch last year, Readout in Octal.

(Some of his compatriots couldn't read it)

I also had the "Maintanence Readout Console" for the 1107 Univac computer in my basement for a while.

We still had, In the shop, Mercury column "Delay Lines" and Univac Mechanical rotary "Drum Memory". (couple of K memory)

[HollowHead]

Originally Posted by janice6

I have programmed Navy Fire Control Computers in "Old School", Octal.

I gave my son (Physicist and Electrical Engineer) a digital watch last year, Readout in Octal.

(Some of his compatriots couldn't read it)

I also had the "Maintanence Readout Console" for the 1107 Univac vacuum tube computer in my basement for a while.

I grew up where many of the fathers worked for Sperry. HH

[janice6]

Originally Posted by HollowHead

I grew up where many of the fathers worked for Sperry. HH

There used to be a lot of us.

[.264 magnum]

Originally Posted by HollowHead

Nice find! I've devoured everything I can find on Alan Turing and Enigma and this is icing on the cake. Thanks. HH

Turing was one seriously interesting cat.

It think old school monster computers help us understand the word de-bugging.

[RicoGordo]

Originally Posted by HollowHead

Nice find! I've devoured everything I can find on Alan Turing and Enigma and this is icing on the cake. Thanks. HH

If you are talking about the German Enigma encryption, I have read that there are portions of it that are still classified.

[Atlas]

Originally Posted by .264 magnum

..
It think old school monster computers help us understand the word de-bugging.

So before they booted that monster did they inspect all the relay contacts for moths?


Come to think of it, that thing predates the term "boot up"

[paynter2]

Originally Posted by Hicksville Kid

Back in the early '70s (when computers took up a large room) I worked with a guy that was at MIT, years before in the early days of computing. He told tales of walking INTO the computer to change a relay or a flip-flop (look it up, you youngsters). They would go in to get warm.

Back in the early '70s computers didn't take up a whole room. The IBM System 360 was available then. It was about the size of a side-by-side refrigerator/freezer laid on it's side.

The architecture of that computer (IBM/360) is pretty much the same today as it was then. Software/op sys has evolved some since then. But, this architecture/software is still in common use today. Much of it is used as servers for large DASD farms. I did a lot of systems programming and Assembly code for 360 architecture.

One day, when I was in college Grace Hooper came to speak. I was selected to chauffeur her around for the day. I picked her up and dropped her off at the airport. We went to lunch, etc. I though - wow, I have to spend the day with this old fossil. That woman, even at her age, was the most dynamic person I've ever had the pleasure to meet. I think she was in her early to mid-seventies at the time I met her - still active Navy.

She knew all the players of her time - including (IIRC) Einstein.

Edited to add - I think she coined the word 'de-bugging'.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grace_Hopper