14 Feb
2008
14 Feb
'08
4:36 p.m.
Richard wrote:
In article <47B4490B.7040809 at gmail.com>,
Jules Richardson <jules.richardson99 at gmail.com> writes:
Heh, sure. But the usual answers (Colossus / Harvard / Zuse etc.) are well
known about (and well referenced via Google) - including the endless arguments
about which is really a computer and which was first.
Now the 'other', earlier stuff I personally find really interesting (Jaquard
looms, the Antikythera mechanism etc.), but I get the impression you see those
as being 'smart ass' lines of discussion?
(Nothing confrontational intended in the above - it's just that the obvious
answers have probably been done to death, and the non-obvious ones do include
slide rules and human beings :-)
cheers
Jules
It's just one of those questions which crops
up every once in a while, thus
opening a whole can of worms :-)
Its just one of those questions which crops up every once in a while
that *could* be the beginning of an interesting discussion, if people
didn't immediately devolve into smart-ass mode responding about slide
rules and their grandmothers.