3 Sep
2009
3 Sep
'09
2:09 p.m.
[I've not been reading the list for a little while, so apologies if this has
been mentioned already]
The Harwell Dekatron Computer - aka. WITCH - has just arrived at TNMoC for
restoration. Once completed, it'll be (as far as we know) the oldest
functional, complete, stored-program electronic machine in the world (some
careful qualifying there, because of course it's one of a handful of
'pioneering' machines, all of which have their place in history).
Lots of links to news items on the machine at:
http://www.tnmoc.org/inthenews.aspx
Plans for the machine date from 1949, with it first running in 1951. Wikipedia
background info at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WITCH_(computer)
cheers
Jules