> I didn't think they were jokes (;) and he did have a child, I just don't
> remember what gender. But to bring this thread on topic, could someone
> tell me what the Zuse computers did, and what Zuse models there were.
> How big were they? Has anyone seen one? Do any exist now?
Big ? Hmm. The Z1 could be described as a desktop computer,
since Zuse (and his friends) bulid it on his parents kitchen
table - but it tool up the whole table.
Thru wartime tjhere have been 4 Models - Z1..Z4.
After the war I think somewhat like 40 or so designes,
and some of them had quite some success. The Zuse
company did some very unique computers some of them
even part analogue and part digital. They also did
the first computer generated graphics not only in
science lab, but also sold drawing/cartography equippment.
They also had the first plotter running. And sold
them. Also some early CNC installations are credited
to Zuse (Beside that he in fact designed the first
process controlling computer ever - for production
of V1 cruise missiles) Eventualy SIEMENS bought Zuse
in the 60s.
Some exist sill - i.e. a reproduction of the Z1 in
the Museum fur Verkehr und Technik in Berlin, or a
Z3 in the Deutsches Museum in Munich. I don't know if
any of the later (after Z11) 'usual' machines survived.
Gruss
H.
PS.: Zuse also aquired some patents in the 50s for his
ideas about the Feldrechenmaschiene (field calculating
engine) - early ideas for parallel processing and still
base for a lot of newer designs.
P.P.S.: Try
http://www.histech.rwth-aachen.de/www/quellen/Histcomp/Zuse.html
for a nice lifetime/development story.
--
Ich denke, also bin ich, also gut
HRK
Received on Tue Jun 30 1998 - 13:46:42 BST