The World's First Computer Has Finally Been Resurrected - http://www.wired.com/2014...
Nov 25, 2014
from
Eivind,
Steven Perez,
That's So CAJ!,
vicster.,
imabonehead,
April Russo (FForever!),
hoop,
Halil,
Brent Schaus,
Jenny H.,
Meg VMeg,
Joe,
Imabug,
bentley,
and
Todd Hoff
liked this
"Eccentric billionaires are tough to impress, so their minions must always think big when handed vague assignments. Ross Perot’s staffers did just that in 2006, when their boss declared that he wanted to decorate his Plano, Texas, headquarters with relics from computing history. Aware that a few measly Apple I’s and Altair 880’s wouldn’t be enough to satisfy a former presidential candidate, Perot’s people decided to acquire a more singular prize: a big chunk of ENIAC, the “Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer.” The ENIAC was a 27-ton, 1,800-square-foot bundle of vacuum tubes and diodes that was arguably the world’s first true computer. The hardware that Perot’s team diligently unearthed and lovingly refurbished is now accessible to the general public for the first time, back at the same Army base where it almost rotted into oblivion."
- Mark H
"The ENIAC panels went on display at Fort Sill in late October, though some more restoration work remains to be done. The museum is in the process of obtaining a few new vacuum tubes, for example, to give the unit an even more authentic appearance. The panels will never be able to run any bona fide calculations, of course, but that’s probably for the best. Even in its heyday, ENIAC required a whopping 30 milliseconds to figure out the square root of a complicated number. Who has the patience for such long waits nowadays?"
- Mark H