Computer in 1900 - test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

15 Feb 2008

Where was all the technology in 1900?

Railways - Signaling systems, Switches(Points) control. 
Warships - Gun control and ranging. Navigation.
Telephone systems
Wireless

There must have been something computer like in that lot somewhere.

-----Original Message-----
From: cctech-bounces at classiccmp.org
[mailto:cctech-bounces at classiccmp.org] On Behalf Of woodelf
Sent: 15 February 2008 14:54
To: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts
Subject: Re: Computer in 1900

Brent Hilpert wrote:
...
  To be realisitic about what might have been
accomplished in 1900 the 
 whole issue of building a large system of hundreds/thousands of 
 components needs to be looked at more seriously. Will raised the issue 
...
  for tubes, but it applies to all the other components
as well, 
 regarding reliability, uniformity and stability of characteristics. 
 The idea of building such large systems was considered daunting or 
 simply implausible even in the 1940's, after decades of development of
components - even regarding something as seemingly simple as resistors.

I think at one time you could get resistors with a 50% range of
tolarance when they first came out, say around the 1900's.

...
  Or, for example, solid-state diodes: the discovery may
have been made 
 in 1874, but in the early 1900s the only thing actually available 
 (TMK) was the cat's whisker (a tad finicky) - forget about building 
 anything utilising more than a couple of them. 
And you piss off the cat making your diode.

...
  Then there's achieving a stable power supply.

Well you would have your own power plant -- coal, gas ( as in gas lamps)
or hydro-electric.

...
  ..so, depends on where you want to draw the line
between concept and practice.
...

 The principles/theory of digital systems implementation may be 
 straighforward, the practical reality when dealing with 
 unreliable/variable components isn't so (including tubes); in 
 particular if you don't have some heavily-non-linear device to base 
 your basic gate design around. In 1900 there was very little in the 
 electrical domain that was reliable or consistent for the purposes being
discussed.
...