History of Computing exam question

From: Mark Tapley <mtapley_at_swri.edu>
Date: Thu Nov 29 15:43:26 2001

Hans asked:

>List the 20 to 30 systems you would display and briefly explain the
>reason for choosing each.

Fun question. Don't have time to really organize, but here's parts of my list:

Napier's Bones
        digital solution for one class of computing problem
Slide Rule (almost any)
        Analog computation, and portable computing power. Application of a
        fairly disjoint set of technologies to a very focussed solution that
        met a serious need in engineering
Abacus (almost any)
        As with the slide rule, but now a discrete digital technology.
Babbage's Engine
        ...or plans, if it couldn't be found or made a replica of. Large-scale
        compute power, digital technology with the greatest flexibility so far
Bowditch's "American Practical Navigator" and a sextant
        Illustration of the market drive for computing power, and the
        tabular approach to meeting heavy-duty geometrical calculation
problems.
        (Could just as well be the old Admiralty tables, I'm just biased in
        favor of Bowditch 'cause I'm American.)
Zuse-1
        (fill in the blank)
Enigma machine, and Bomb (a matched pair)
        *serious* market drive -> compute power response for a single
        application
Eniac
        (fill in the blank)
IBM 360
        (fill in the blank)
PDP-11/xx
        Pick a good one, first minicomputer/lab computer. Brought compute
        power into a lot of lower-cost applications.
Dec Rainbow
        typifies both MS-DOS and CP-M machines.
        somewhat breakthrough OS flexibility, (MS-DOS, CP/M, CCP/M, Venix,
        all of which were preexisting).
Mac 128k
        GUI OS for the masses, origin of "friendly" computers
        (first computer to *smile* at me).
VAX - any
        Illustration of successful extension of an existing architecture
        to more bits (twice as many)
Alpha - any
        As VAX, but to 64 bits/RISC
Cray 1
        Vector supercomputer, electromechanical design breakthrough
Newton
        PDA origin.
Perq
        microprogramming, early workstation, heck Tony likes it so it
        must be good...
F-14 flight computer
        integrated circuit microprocessor first application (?)
NeXT Cube (original)
        OO system, sizeable leap in developer environment quality
Sun Sparc-5
        Desktop workstation, power/price/size breakthrough
Sony Vaio or Mac Titanium
        Laptops get to practical size and retain serious power.
DVD player (any) or CD player
        market driver for serious compute power cheap
Sony PSX
        as above, including graphics
Jet engine FADEC unit (any)
        compute power seriously ruggedized and making a pilot's life
        easier (livable).


I'm sure I've left out a lot, apologies to all concerned.
                                                        - Mark
Received on Thu Nov 29 2001 - 15:43:26 GMT