I recently found out that my uncle was the main troubleshooter for ENIAC
systems (military bases) in Europe in the late '50s/early '60s. Lots of
stories there.
nathan
>Durn, was supposed to go to the list.
>
>Here's "real" info on the ENIAC:
>http://www.library.upenn.edu/special/gallery/mauchly/jwmintro.html
>
>--PBr
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Brousseau, Paul E (Paul)
>Sent: Monday, March 18, 2002 12:17 PM
>To: 'J. Larry Hendry'
>Subject: RE: [motm] Vintec Audio: Random Thoughts
>
>
>IIRC (and I haven't read the other replies yet), it was (one of the) first
>computers, tube based, used by the government in WWII. Or was it
>post-WWII? At any rate, it was a huge, room-sized monstrocity with
>calculations power comparable to modern sophisticated (scientific)
>pocket-calculators. I think it had to be programmed by hand, by rewiring
>the guts.
>
>It was machine like this that spawned the term "bug", because often, an
>insect would fly into the room and short two wires, causing a glitch or
>malfunction. Hence, there's a bug in the program (remmeber, the program
>was hardwired!) / machine.
>
>Oh yea, and I'm a 26-year-old-computer-history-enthusiast. Who lost his
>2nd ed. copy of "The New Hacker's Dictionary". Damnit.
>
>--PBr
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: J. Larry Hendry [mailto:jlarryh@...]
>Sent: Friday, March 15, 2002 7:38 PM
>To: motm@yahoogroups.com
>Subject: Re: [motm] Vintec Audio: Random Thoughts
>
>
>Great thoughts Tom. So, how many MOTMers in their 20s know what the ENIAC
>was?(us old farts do).
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: mbedtom@...
>ENIAC marries Mackie and this is the progeny.