23 Jun
2007
23 Jun
'07
9:43 a.m.
On 23 Jun 2007 at 8:15, Tim Shoppa wrote:
But... I feel that if collectors/museums concentrate
only on their
narrow definition of "computer", they will neglect all the stuff
that led to computers. Right now, because a lot of this stuff was
designed with 50 to 100 year lifespans (maybe not designed intentionally
but that's what it's working out to), much of it is still in service,
but I can see just a few years from now that a lot of it will be gone.
Some of the more interesting military special-purpose computers
are being preserved (e.g. Norden bombsights) along with historical
context, but almost nothing else is.
Tim, I understand what you're saying and completely agree. My first
paying job was with pre-computer industrial process control using not
only electronic, but pneumatic and hydraulic systems. While not a
result of stored-program digital computers, the computation performed
by mechanical systems is certainly worthy of study. I believe that
earlier issues of the IEEE Annals have given this aspect of
computation some coverage.
In a way, the old systems had a beautiful simplicity--no one tried to
add Windows or an MP3 player or a camera to them. They were made for
a purpose and performed their function very well and reliably for
many years.
Cheers,
Chuck