Oldest operational computer was Re: cctalk Digest, Vol 54,

Whuch are not the same thing, of course. This is not my field at all, but I was under the impression that the likes of Turing proved that such a machine was impossible. Even if only consider those problems that can be solved on a Turing machine, then such a computer does not exist, since a Turing machine has unlimited storage. Remember that the origianal definition of 'computer' was a person who operated a calculating machine (and not the machine itself).... So if the power-on lamp has failed it's no longer an operational computer? Strange... I felt I'd got my HP9830 (by no maeans the oldest opeational computer, but an early personal computer none-the-less) operational when I got a prompt and when I could type in BASIC programs and it would execute them. Even though the power-on lamp has burnt out, and it took me serveral months to get round to ordering a replacement. -tony