Dear friends,
I love computers indeed, but behind calculators are almost 400 years of
history, so there is a lot of very interesting material to learn and
research.
Regards,
James Redin
http://www.dotpoint.com/xnumber
The X-Number World of Calculators
----------
> From: Doug Yowza <yowza_at_yowza.com>
> To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers
<classiccmp_at_u.washington.edu>
> Subject: Re: Delay lines
> Date: Friday, March 20, 1998 11:21 PM
>
> On Fri, 20 Mar 1998, Kip Crosby wrote:
>
> > >> But the calculator collectors have their own lists, don't they?
> > >
> > >True... I'd just not object to the odd thread on [calculators]
> > >particularly if they were historically significant (the HP9100...),
> > >technically interesting, or whatever.
> >
> > Hear, hear! Especially since many so-called calculators were built by
> > manufacturers not, for whatever reason, prepared to admit they were
> > building computers -- with IBM and HP springing to mind at once.
>
> I know people collect calculators, but I just can't imagine how it can
> bring the same kind of satisfaction as computer collecting. You can't
> really hack a calculator. They don't lend themselves very well to
> restoration efforts. They can't do many tricks. And few of them have
any
> sort of personality (OK, I'll admit that HP tries pretty hard in this
> area).
>
> Has anybody ventured a definition of computer that allows us to weed out
> mere calculators? How about:
>
> * must be programmable
> * must be general purpose
> * must have alphanumeric input capabilites
> * must have alphanumeric display capabilites
>
> Unfortunately, this would mean that an Altair isn't a computer until you
> add a terminal, but it keeps those pesky HP-65's out of the group.
>
> -- Doug
>
Received on Sat Mar 21 1998 - 02:17:58 GMT