British Science Museum needs a lesson in history

From: Derek Peschel <dpeschel_at_u.washington.edu>
Date: Fri May 28 20:16:46 1999

> > > _At_ the musuem they advertise the machine as the first electronic
> > > computer with random-access memory. I have far less of a problem with
> > > that statement :-)
> >
> > Except that Zuse's Z3 also had random-access memory, just not for the
> > program. IIRC the Z3 had/has 64 data registers.
>
> It was implied (if not explicitly stated) that the _program_ was in
> random-access memory as well.

Well, yes, but I'm being pedantic. Partly I think that the Manchester
machine may get more attention than it deserves (at least I'm biased in
favor of the elegance of Zuse's and Wiles' designs).

> I would claim that was 'faking' a random access of a sequential access
> store (in much the same way that you can address a particular block on a
> TU58 cartridge, but tape is certainly a seqeuntial device).

You are right. But if one just wanted the effect, one could get it from the
Z3 -- well, get it after waiting a horribly long time for the program to
run, anyway. :)

-- Derek
Received on Fri May 28 1999 - 20:16:46 BST