I think it's helpful to say that a computer is any implement,
mechanical or otherwise, to aid in calculation. But this means rocks,
fingers, and calculators are all computers. I guess we can say, any
machine which is capable of performing something besides addition,
mulitplication, subtraction, division without further input from the
user. Thus, I guess a computer must either have stuff like that
hard-coded (like a slide-rule) or be programmable.
So, from this 1-min. train of thought, I say:
A computer is any implement capable of processing super-arithmetic
functions.
BTW, my New Bantam English Dictionary says: A machine capable of
performing highly complex mathematical calculations at very high
speed.
>calculator, reckoner. spec. a person employed to make calculations in
an
>observatory, in surveying, etc.
>1646 Sir T. Browne Pseud. Ep. vi vi 289 The Clenders of these
computers.
>1704 ....
>
>I've heard that some newer editions of the OED have added some of the
>more modern usages.
>
>
>> an industry that in my lifetime went from the early commercial vacuum
>> tube machines to the 64bit CPU chip running some thousands of times
>> faster.
>
>And with software that has grown to compensate for the speed of the
>hardware and keep the usefulness of the system where it was.
>
>
>Nevertheless, it WOULD help if we agreed on basic definitions of our
>fundamental terminology.
>
>
>--
>Fred Cisin cisin_at_xenosoft.com
>XenoSoft http://www.xenosoft.com
>2210 Sixth St. (510) 644-9366
>Berkeley, CA 94710-2219
>
>
>
>
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Received on Tue Oct 06 1998 - 18:32:49 BST