27 Mar
2005
27 Mar
'05
11:44 a.m.
Roger Merchberger wrote:
Jerome Fine replies:
I was told the following definition of a computer
about 45 years ago:
SPEEDY MORON!
I find that it still fits (GRIN)!! In fact, until
successful AI is developed, it will continue to fit -
with the emphasis being more on the SPEEDY as opposed
to the MORON.
Sincerely yours,
Jerome Fine
--
If you attempted to send a reply and the original e-mail
address has been discontinued due a high volume of junk
e-mail, then the semi-permanent e-mail address can be
obtained by replacing the four characters preceding the
'at' with the four digits of the current year.
Rumor has it
that Tony Duell may have mentioned these words:
OK (and this came up in some private e-mail when
discussing the major
off-topic threads here). What is a computer? Becasue I certainly
don't have an exact definition.
I always heard it defined (and seemed the most logical/sensible to me) as:
"A computer is a device which can perform arithmetic _and_ logical
functions without the aid of a human."
Several of my earlier computing textbooks put it in this manner,
explained why it was so (see below) and it's always worked for me.