CLASSICCMP digest 211

"First" is always difficult, especially in computers. Here are some examples of early machines, draw your own conclusions. The Harvard Mark I was electromechanical. It was fully capable of running a complex calculation, with the program on punched card stock separate from the data. This is where the term "Harvard machine" comes from, referring to a machine where the program and data are in separate memory. The ABC (1939) was mostly electronic, including electronic storage with mechanical access. But its program was, I believe, on a plugboard. It was not as general purpose as, for instance, the Mark I. The Colossus (1944?) was all electronic. It was very special purpose and barely if at all programmable. The Eniac (1946) was all electronic and general purpose. It was programmed by plugging. It and the Harvard Mark I were decimal and a lot like a bunch of adding machines cobbled together. The SSEM (1948) was all electronic and general purpose (but extremely small.) It was a true stored program machine. It was also binary. The Univac I (1950) was all electronic, general purpose and generally useful (and also decimal.) It was a commercially available computer, unlike all the previous ones. Paul Pierce