Monday, May 11, 2009

It all began with this? One tonne ‘Baby’ (computer) 60 years ago.

While surfing the net, I came across this article posted on Friday, June 20, 2008 on the BBC website about the “one tonne ‘Baby’ (computer).

According to the article: "Using just 128 bytes of memory, it successfully ran its first set of instructions - to determine the highest factor of a number - on 21 June 1948." ..."It was the earliest machine that was a computer, in the sense of what everyone today understands a computer to be," explained Chris Burton of the Computer Conservation Society."

My first computer was not ‘the Baby’ but it was close. It was a Radio Shack TRS 80 Color Computer and had only 16 K of memory !!! 16 K !!! But, amazingly, even with 16 K , I could do word processing, accounting type programs, and, of course, play simple games. I also used to write little programs in basic and saved them on a casette tape! And the monitor was a real TV set. Later, with the help of an ‘expert’ in electronics, we upgraded it to 32 K so I could play (gasp) Donkey Kong on it. And look at our computers now! WOW. We've come a long way !

But I digress, as 'old folks' do with their "I recollects..." So, back to the Baby Computer.

To read the BBC article CLICK HERE.
and
For more background and in depth info CLICK HERE