From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com (Lisa or Jeff) Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers Subject: Babbage's engine Date: 12 Sep 1998 02:39:42 GMT Organization: Net Access BBS Lines: 6 Message-ID: <6tcmte$son@netaxs.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: bbs.cpcn.com Originator: root@bbs.cpcn.com Path: ccw.ch!pfaff.ethz.ch!news-zh.switch.ch!news-ge.switch.ch!newscore.univie.ac.at!news-raspail.gip.net!news-peer.gip.net!news.gsl.net!gip.net!news-xfer.netaxs.com!netaxs.com!bbs.cpcn.com!root Every history of computers talks about the "Difference Engine" as an early computer. But wasn't this more of a fancy calculating machine, like a predecessor to adding machines? Was it programmable in any way? I got the impression it generated tables. ###### From: stevenss@freenet.msp.mn.us Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers Subject: Re: Babbage's engine Date: Sat, 12 Sep 1998 11:25:05 GMT Organization: Deja News - The Leader in Internet Discussion Lines: 23 Message-ID: <6tdlmh$74s$1@nnrp1.dejanews.com> References: <6tcmte$son@netaxs.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: 208.238.141.31 X-Article-Creation-Date: Sat Sep 12 11:25:05 1998 GMT X-Http-User-Agent: Mozilla/4.06 [en] (Win95; U) X-Http-Proxy: 1.0 x14.dejanews.com:80 (Squid/1.1.22) for client 208.238.141.31 Path: ccw.ch!pfaff.ethz.ch!news-zh.switch.ch!news-ge.switch.ch!news.maxwell.syr.edu!nntp2.dejanews.com!nnrp1.dejanews.com!not-for-mail In article <6tcmte$son@netaxs.com>, hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com (Lisa or Jeff) wrote: > Every history of computers talks about the "Difference Engine" as an > early computer. > > But wasn't this more of a fancy calculating machine, like a predecessor > to adding machines? Was it programmable in any way? I got the > impression it generated tables. > Generating tables is something that computers do. In the old days men with the job title "computer" would spend substancial portions of their entire lives generating tables of logarithms, for instance. This notion that the definition of a "computer" requires a stored program is newer. In fact, your calculator is "programmable" if you consider that it runs a separate program under user control with every keystroke. Granted, most calculators don't have the ability to custom-define functions, but then some programming languages are weak in that area as well. -----== Posted via Deja News, The Leader in Internet Discussion ==----- http://www.dejanews.com/rg_mkgrp.xp Create Your Own Free Member Forum ###### Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers Subject: Re: Babbage's engine From: riplin@kcbbs.gen.nz (Richard Plinston) Date: 12 Sep 98 22:08:53 GMT Message-ID: <3298254.79733.20145@kcbbs.gen.nz> References: <6tcmte$son@netaxs.com> Organization: Kappa Crucis Unix BBS, Auckland, New Zealand Lines: 50 Path: ccw.ch!pfaff.ethz.ch!news-zh.switch.ch!news-ge.switch.ch!news.maxwell.syr.edu!newsfeed.internetmci.com!202.14.100.1!status.gen.nz!kcbbs!riplin In message <<6tcmte$son@netaxs.com>> hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com writes: > early computer. > > But wasn't this more of a fancy calculating machine, like a predecessor > to adding machines? Was it programmable in any way? I got the > impression it generated tables. You can go to the Science Museum in London and see a working implementation of part of the difference engine. It was built to Babbage's plans and worked as specified. There is also very good discussion on how it works and why, and why it was not finished by Babbage. Yes, it generated tables,function tables. The function could be programmed in, by adjusting the hardware. As an extremely simple example the function may be x^2. A table of sqaures is: 2 4 3 9 4 16 By putting in the diferences we get: 2 4 3 9 5 4 16 7 5 25 9 By putting in the diferences of differences we get: 2 4 3 9 5 4 16 7 2 5 25 9 2 6 36 11 2 7 49 13 2 By understanding this and knowing that for any function involving x^n there is a constant additive at the n'th difference, it can be seen that building an n-stage adder can solve the function and print a table. Specifically the squre of 8 can be derived from calculating the next difference as 13+2 and then adding this to 49 to get 64, this can continue. It was designed to be able to print table for sun sights for the purposes of navigation at sea. ###### Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers Date: Mon, 14 Sep 1998 02:13:05 +0200 Message-ID: From: peterk@combo.ganesha.com (Dr. Peter Kittel) Subject: Re: Babbage's engine Reply-To: peterk @ combo.ganesha.com References: <6tcmte$son@netaxs.com> X-Newsreader: rn7.bas Lines: 17 Organization: Private Path: ccw.ch!pfaff.ethz.ch!news-zh.switch.ch!news-ge.switch.ch!news.maxwell.syr.edu!newsfeed.nacamar.de!blackbush.xlink.net!ganesha.ganesha.com!shorter!combo.ganesha.com!peterk In article <6tcmte$son@netaxs.com> hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com (Lisa or Jeff) writes: > >Every history of computers talks about the "Difference Engine" as an >early computer. > >But wasn't this more of a fancy calculating machine, like a predecessor >to adding machines? Was it programmable in any way? I got the >impression it generated tables. Yes, but it was a fairly complicated calculator. Second, this machine was only the predecessor for the planned "Analytical Engine", which directly qualifies for a programmable computer. Lady Ada Lovelace (sp?) already designed a programming language for it. -- Best Regards, Dr. Peter Kittel // E-Mail: Private Site in Frankfurt, Germany \X/ peterk @ combo.ganesha.com ###### From: p.kerr@auckland.ac.nz (Peter Kerr) Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers Subject: Re: Babbage's engine Date: Mon, 14 Sep 1998 12:52:18 +1200 Organization: University of Auckland Lines: 15 Message-ID: References: <6tcmte$son@netaxs.com> <3298254.79733.20145@kcbbs.gen.nz> NNTP-Posting-Host: p.kerr.mus.auckland.ac.nz X-Newsreader: Yet Another NewsWatcher 2.2.0b6 Path: ccw.ch!pfaff.ethz.ch!news-zh.switch.ch!news.belnet.be!news-raspail.gip.net!news-peer.gip.net!news-stock.gip.net!news.gsl.net!gip.net!news.iprolink.co.nz!auckland.ac.nz!p.kerr riplin@kcbbs.gen.nz (Richard Plinston) wrote: > >It was designed to be able to print table for sun sights >for the purposes of navigation at sea. Laudable as this intent may have been, the original version was used for more mundane actuarial tables for the insurance industry. What set Babbage's machine apart from previous calculators was the linking of the output registers to a movable type-slug reservoir to print the tables line by line as they were calculated. -- Peter Kerr bodger School of Music chandler University of Auckland New Zealand neo-Luddite ###### From: p.kerr@auckland.ac.nz (Peter Kerr) Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers Subject: Re: Babbage's engine Date: Mon, 14 Sep 1998 12:56:55 +1200 Organization: University of Auckland Lines: 17 Message-ID: References: <6tcmte$son@netaxs.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: p.kerr.mus.auckland.ac.nz X-Newsreader: Yet Another NewsWatcher 2.2.0b6 Path: ccw.ch!pfaff.ethz.ch!news-zh.switch.ch!news.belnet.be!news-raspail.gip.net!news-dc.gip.net!news-stock.gip.net!news.gsl.net!gip.net!news.iprolink.co.nz!auckland.ac.nz!p.kerr hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com (Lisa or Jeff) wrote: > >But wasn't this more of a fancy calculating machine, like a predecessor >to adding machines? Was it programmable in any way? I got the >impression it generated tables. Babbage's machine was a mechanical digital (base 10) n-stage adder. n and the difference value had to be entered by the operator before the start of each run. For something different take a look at Kelvin's analogue engine for calculating tide tables. -- Peter Kerr bodger School of Music chandler University of Auckland New Zealand neo-Luddite ###### From: jones@cs.uiowa.edu (Douglas W. Jones,201H MLH,3193350740,3193382879) Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers Subject: Re: Babbage's engine Date: 14 Sep 1998 14:19:36 GMT Organization: The University of Iowa Lines: 49 Message-ID: <6tj8lo$cnk$1@flood.weeg.uiowa.edu> References: <6tcmte$son@netaxs.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: pyrite.cs.uiowa.edu Path: ccw.ch!pfaff.ethz.ch!news-zh.switch.ch!news-ge.switch.ch!feed1.news.luth.se!luth.se!news-stkh.gip.net!news-peer.gip.net!news.gsl.net!gip.net!howland.erols.net!feed1.news.rcn.net!rcn!newsfeed.enteract.com!news-xfer.siscom.net!streamer1.cleveland.iagnet.net!NewsNG.Chicago.Qual.Net!news.uiowa.edu!not-for-mail From article <6tcmte$son@netaxs.com>, by hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com (Lisa or Jeff): > Every history of computers talks about the "Difference Engine" > as an early computer. But wasn't this more of a fancy > calculating machine, like a predecessor to adding machines? > Was it programmable in any way? Here is a bit of pseudocode that exactly outlines the function of a 3rd order difference engine. Babbage constructed machines that did exactly this: initialize variables x, dx, ddx, and dddx appripriately repeat if sign(x) not equal to sign(x + dx) ring bell x = x + dx dx = dx + ddx ddx = ddx + dddx until you get tired of turning the crank Difference engines are good for only one thing, computing successive equally spaced points along a polynomial. The above third order difference engine computes successive points on a cubic polynomial. Why compute successive points on a polynomial? Because the best way to compute tables of logarithms, sines, cosines or other mathematical functions is to compute the values of those functions at selected points and then compute the derivitives and use these to control an interpolating polynomial. So, Babbages difference engines, and later difference engines made by others were not computers, they were special purpose fixed program calculators. Difference engines remained in use into the first half of the 20th century for the purpose Babbage envisioned, computing tables of mathematical functions. Babbage's analytical engine was a vastly different thing. This machine was indeed a microprogrammed general purpose programmable calculator. As such, it was mechanically very similar to the programmable calculators of the World War II era (Aiken's machines at Harvard or ENIAC at the Moore School), but it was not quite a general purpose computer because programs could not dynamically generate other programs. Charles Babbage never built an analytical engine, but his son did build a prototype, complete with microprogram, and as I understand it, the machine was microprogrammed to compute a table of logarithms. You can see it if you visit London. Doug Jones jones@cs.uiowa.edu ###### From: huge@axalotl_nospam.demon_nospam.co.uk (Hugh Davies) Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers Subject: Re: Babbage's engine Date: 14 Sep 1998 15:34:06 GMT Organization: Piglet's Pickles and Preserves Message-ID: <6tjd1e$ak9@axalotl.demon.co.uk> References: <6tj8lo$cnk$1@flood.weeg.uiowa.edu> Reply-To: huge@axalotl_nospam.demon_nospam.co.uk NNTP-Posting-Host: axalotl.demon.co.uk X-NNTP-Posting-Host: axalotl.demon.co.uk:158.152.24.143 X-Trace: news.demon.co.uk 905798121 nnrp-06:23493 NO-IDENT axalotl.demon.co.uk:158.152.24.143 X-Complaints-To: abuse@demon.net x-no-archive: yes Lines: 20 Path: ccw.ch!pfaff.ethz.ch!news-zh.switch.ch!news-ge.switch.ch!newsfeed.uk.ibm.net!ibm.net!news-lond.gip.net!news.gsl.net!gip.net!dispose.news.demon.net!demon!news.demon.co.uk!demon!axalotl.demon.co.uk!axalotl!usenet In article <6tj8lo$cnk$1@flood.weeg.uiowa.edu>, jones@cs.uiowa.edu (Douglas W. Jones,201H MLH,3193350740,3193382879) writes: >Charles Babbage never built an analytical engine, but his son did build >a prototype, complete with microprogram, and as I understand it, the >machine was microprogrammed to compute a table of logarithms. You can >see it if you visit London. You can see a very small part of the replica built from Babbages drawings in the Computing Gallery of the Science Museum. I suspect that's what you're talkign about. It was mainly built to settle the question as to whether the technology of the day was capable of constructing the machine as designed. Although the replica was built using CNC machine tools, it was built to the tolerances available in Babbages day. It works fine. -- "The road to Paradise is through Intercourse." The uk.transport FAQ; http://www.axalotl.demon.co.uk/transport/FAQ.html [Substitute "axalotl" for "nospam" to email me] ###### From: huge@axalotl_nospam.demon_nospam.co.uk (Hugh Davies) Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers Subject: Re: Babbage's engine Date: 15 Sep 1998 08:04:34 GMT Organization: Piglet's Pickles and Preserves Message-ID: <6tl72i$b7g@axalotl.demon.co.uk> References: Reply-To: huge@axalotl_nospam.demon_nospam.co.uk NNTP-Posting-Host: axalotl.demon.co.uk X-NNTP-Posting-Host: axalotl.demon.co.uk:158.152.24.143 X-Trace: news.demon.co.uk 905858790 nnrp-02:5550 NO-IDENT axalotl.demon.co.uk:158.152.24.143 X-Complaints-To: abuse@demon.net x-no-archive: yes Lines: 21 Path: ccw.ch!pfaff.ethz.ch!news-zh.switch.ch!news-ge.switch.ch!newscore.univie.ac.at!news-raspail.gip.net!news-peer.gip.net!news.gsl.net!gip.net!newshub.northeast.verio.net!woodstock.news.demon.net!demon!news.demon.co.uk!demon!axalotl.demon.co.uk!axalotl!usenet In article , p.kerr@auckland.ac.nz (Peter Kerr) writes: >huge@axalotl_nospam.demon_nospam.co.uk wrote: >>You can see a very small part of the replica built from Babbages drawings >>in the Computing Gallery of the Science Museum. I suspect that's what you're >>talkign about. It was mainly built to settle the question as to whether the >>technology of the day was capable of constructing the machine as designed. >>Although the replica was built using CNC machine tools, it was built to >>the tolerances available in Babbages day. It works fine. > >Why didn't Babbage finish it? IIRC, money. He couldn't get anyone to fund it, since no-one could see the use for it. :o) -- "The road to Paradise is through Intercourse." The uk.transport FAQ; http://www.axalotl.demon.co.uk/transport/FAQ.html [Substitute "axalotl" for "nospam" to email me] ###### From: p.kerr@auckland.ac.nz (Peter Kerr) Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers Subject: Re: Babbage's engine Date: Tue, 15 Sep 1998 12:22:50 +1200 Organization: University of Auckland Lines: 17 Message-ID: References: <6tj8lo$cnk$1@flood.weeg.uiowa.edu> <6tjd1e$ak9@axalotl.demon.co.uk> NNTP-Posting-Host: p.kerr.mus.auckland.ac.nz X-Newsreader: Yet Another NewsWatcher 2.2.0b6 Path: ccw.ch!pfaff.ethz.ch!news-zh.switch.ch!news.iprolink.ch!news.iprolink.co.nz!auckland.ac.nz!p.kerr huge@axalotl_nospam.demon_nospam.co.uk wrote: >You can see a very small part of the replica built from Babbages drawings >in the Computing Gallery of the Science Museum. I suspect that's what you're >talkign about. It was mainly built to settle the question as to whether the >technology of the day was capable of constructing the machine as designed. >Although the replica was built using CNC machine tools, it was built to >the tolerances available in Babbages day. It works fine. Why didn't Babbage finish it? Evidence suggests that his subcontractors were ripping him off, knowing that it was government money. Whitworth, of screw thread fame, is alleged to have equipped his machine shop via Babbage... -- Peter Kerr bodger School of Music chandler University of Auckland New Zealand neo-Luddite ###### From: Rick Sala Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers Subject: Re: Babbage's engine Date: Tue, 15 Sep 1998 14:22:24 -0500 Organization: Design Automation Group, Fujitsu Lines: 43 Message-ID: <35FEBE70.378A812A@fnc.fujitsu.com> References: <6tcmte$son@netaxs.com> <6tdlmh$74s$1@nnrp1.dejanews.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: bay28115a.tddtx.fujitsu.com Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.05 [en] (X11; I; SunOS 5.5 sun4u) To: stevenss@freenet.msp.mn.us Path: ccw.ch!pfaff.ethz.ch!news-zh.switch.ch!news-ge.switch.ch!news.maxwell.syr.edu!newsfeed.berkeley.edu!fujitsu.com!not-for-mail stevenss@freenet.msp.mn.us wrote: > > In article <6tcmte$son@netaxs.com>, > hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com (Lisa or Jeff) wrote: > > Every history of computers talks about the "Difference Engine" as an > > early computer. > > > > But wasn't this more of a fancy calculating machine, like a predecessor > > to adding machines? Was it programmable in any way? I got the > > impression it generated tables. > > > > Generating tables is something that computers do. In the old days men with > the job title "computer" would spend substancial portions of their entire > lives generating tables of logarithms, for instance. This notion that the > definition of a "computer" requires a stored program is newer. In fact, your > calculator is "programmable" if you consider that it runs a separate program > under user control with every keystroke. Granted, most calculators don't > have the ability to custom-define functions, but then some programming > languages are weak in that area as well. > > -----== Posted via Deja News, The Leader in Internet Discussion ==----- > http://www.dejanews.com/rg_mkgrp.xp Create Your Own Free Member Forum Ehem. Men and women. Grace Hopper would be upset with you. The difference engine that Babbage never built, would have been programmable, as recorded in correspondence between him and Lady Ada. Rick -- _______________________________________________________ Rick Sala Design Automation Analyst Fujitsu Network Communications Richardson, Texas 972-479-2484 _______________________________________________________ ###### From: ab528@FreeNet.Carleton.CA (Heinz W. Wiggeshoff) Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers Subject: Re: Babbage's engine Date: 15 Sep 1998 15:06:40 GMT Organization: The National Capital FreeNet Lines: 6 Message-ID: <6tlvq0$6sd@freenet-news.carleton.ca> Reply-To: ab528@FreeNet.Carleton.CA (Heinz W. Wiggeshoff) NNTP-Posting-Host: freenet2.carleton.ca X-Given-Sender: ab528@freenet2.carleton.ca (Heinz W. Wiggeshoff) Path: ccw.ch!pfaff.ethz.ch!news-zh.switch.ch!news.belnet.be!newspump.monmouth.com!newspeer.monmouth.com!sunqbc.risq.qc.ca!torn!nott!cunews!freenet-news.carleton.ca!FreeNet.Carleton.CA!ab528 Scientific American, February 1993. Nice cover painting, story by Doron D. Swade. He's written two books: Charles Babbage and his Calculating Engines The Dream Machine: Exploring the Computer Age (with Jon Palfreman). ###### From: ab528@FreeNet.Carleton.CA (Heinz W. Wiggeshoff) Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers Subject: Re: Babbage's engine Date: 15 Sep 1998 19:27:18 GMT Organization: The National Capital FreeNet Lines: 14 Message-ID: <6tmf2m$cd2@freenet-news.carleton.ca> References: <6tlvq0$6sd@freenet-news.carleton.ca> Reply-To: ab528@FreeNet.Carleton.CA (Heinz W. Wiggeshoff) NNTP-Posting-Host: freenet5.carleton.ca X-Given-Sender: ab528@freenet5.carleton.ca (Heinz W. Wiggeshoff) Path: ccw.ch!pfaff.ethz.ch!news-zh.switch.ch!news-ge.switch.ch!news.maxwell.syr.edu!sunqbc.risq.qc.ca!torn!nott!cunews!freenet-news.carleton.ca!FreeNet.Carleton.CA!ab528 Heinz W. Wiggeshoff (ab528@FreeNet.Carleton.CA) writes: > Scientific American, February 1993. Nice cover painting, > story by Doron D. Swade. He's written two books: > Charles Babbage and his Calculating Engines > The Dream Machine: Exploring the Computer Age (with Jon Palfreman). After posting this, I reread the article and was struck by the similarity with the development of the Paige typesetter some decades later - a project which emptied Mark Twain's bank account. It seems that the development of bleeding edge technology of any era is fraught with financial, political and often social perils. Eg. the Avro Arrow. ###### From: spalding@iol.ie (Nick Spalding) Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers Subject: Re: Babbage's engine Date: Tue, 15 Sep 1998 21:35:47 +0100 Organization: Ireland On-Line Lines: 8 Message-ID: <35fecf6e.183179978@news.iol.ie> References: <6tcmte$son@netaxs.com> <6tdlmh$74s$1@nnrp1.dejanews.com> <35FEBE70.378A812A@fnc.fujitsu.com> Reply-To: spalding@iol.ie NNTP-Posting-Host: dialup-0595.dublin.iol.ie Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Newsreader: Forte Agent 1.5/32.451 Path: ccw.ch!pfaff.ethz.ch!news-zh.switch.ch!news-ge.switch.ch!iol!iol.ie!not-for-mail Rick Sala wrote: > The difference engine that Babbage never built, would have been > programmable, as recorded in correspondence between him and > Lady Ada. The difference engine, parts of which were built - no. The analytical engine, which was never built - yes. ###### From: sam@greenaum.demonARSE!ARSE!ARSE!.co.uk (Sam.) Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers Subject: Re: Babbage's engine Date: Tue, 15 Sep 1998 22:46:28 GMT Organization: Rossum's Universal Robots Message-ID: <360aee40.6157386@158.152.254.68> References: <6tcmte$son@netaxs.com> Reply-To: sam@greenaum.demonARSE!ARSE!ARSE!.co.uk NNTP-Posting-Host: greenaum.demon.co.uk X-NNTP-Posting-Host: greenaum.demon.co.uk:194.222.71.189 X-Trace: news.demon.co.uk 905899612 nnrp-04:20775 NO-IDENT greenaum.demon.co.uk:194.222.71.189 X-Complaints-To: abuse@demon.net X-Newsreader: Forte Agent 1.5/32.452 X-No-Archive: yes MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Lines: 17 Path: ccw.ch!pfaff.ethz.ch!news-zh.switch.ch!news.belnet.be!news-raspail.gip.net!news-lond.gip.net!news.gsl.net!gip.net!dispose.news.demon.net!demon!news.demon.co.uk!demon!greenaum.demon.co.uk!not-for-mail On Mon, 14 Sep 1998 02:13:05 +0200, peterk@combo.ganesha.com (Dr. Peter Kittel) sprachen: >directly qualifies for a programmable computer. Lady Ada Lovelace (sp?) >already designed a programming language for it. Are there any specs and details of this language? It would be fascinating to make an interpreter. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Have to agree there. The Chuckle Brothers in particular I find deeply sinister. They look like (and I understand this is probably a gross calumny) a couple of peadophiles - David Gillies expresses a differing view This posting copyright 1998 by the poster. All rights reserved. ###### Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers Subject: Re: Babbage's engine From: riplin@kcbbs.gen.nz (Richard Plinston) Date: 16 Sep 98 02:46:31 GMT Message-ID: <3298258.9991.20164@kcbbs.gen.nz> References: <35FEBE70.378A812A@fnc.fujitsu.com> Organization: Kappa Crucis Unix BBS, Auckland, New Zealand Lines: 10 Path: ccw.ch!pfaff.ethz.ch!news-zh.switch.ch!news-ge.switch.ch!news.maxwell.syr.edu!newsfeed.internetmci.com!202.14.100.1!status.gen.nz!kcbbs!riplin In message <<35FEBE70.378A812A@fnc.fujitsu.com>> Rick Sala writes: > > The difference engine that Babbage never built, would have been > programmable, as recorded in correspondence between him and > Lady Ada. You are confused, it was the 'Analytical Engine' that Babbage never built (only some parts). He did build a sample difference engine. The Analytical Engine would have been programmable. ###### Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers Subject: Re: Babbage's engine From: riplin@kcbbs.gen.nz (Richard Plinston) Date: 16 Sep 98 02:51:42 GMT Message-ID: <3298258.10302.20470@kcbbs.gen.nz> References: Organization: Kappa Crucis Unix BBS, Auckland, New Zealand Lines: 19 Path: ccw.ch!pfaff.ethz.ch!news-zh.switch.ch!news-ge.switch.ch!news.maxwell.syr.edu!newsfeed.internetmci.com!202.14.100.1!status.gen.nz!kcbbs!riplin In message <> p.kerr@auckland.ac.nz writes: > > > >It was designed to be able to print table for sun sights > >for the purposes of navigation at sea. > > Laudable as this intent may have been, the original version was used for > more mundane actuarial tables for the insurance industry. What set > Babbage's machine apart from previous calculators was the linking of the > output registers to a movable type-slug reservoir to print the tables line > by line as they were calculated. As I understand that is not quite correct. It was not one of Babbage's Difference Engines that was used but a copy of a rather similar machine designed by Speake (sp?). It also didn't do the actuarial tables, but did produce statistics on age of death at Somerset House (up to 1924?) on which acturaial tables could be based. ###### From: Nick Bradshaw Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers Subject: Re: Babbage's engine Date: Wed, 16 Sep 1998 14:36:26 +0200 Organization: IRIDIA Lines: 11 Message-ID: <35FFB0CA.316C@iridia.ulb.antispam_remove.ac.be> References: <6tl72i$b7g@axalotl.demon.co.uk> NNTP-Posting-Host: iridia5.ulb.ac.be Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Mailer: Mozilla 3.03C (X11; I; SunOS 5.6 sun4m) Path: ccw.ch!pfaff.ethz.ch!news-zh.switch.ch!news.belnet.be!news.vub.ac.be!not-for-mail Hugh Davies wrote: > > IIRC, money. He couldn't get anyone to fund it, since no-one could see > the use for it. :o) It's a shame no-one thought to write a word-processor or a web browser for it. -- Nick Bradshaw - Wessex Republican Brotherhood ###### From: swb@mercury.campbell-mithun.com (Shawn Barnhart) Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers Subject: Re: Babbage's engine Date: Thu, 17 Sep 1998 08:12:55 -0500 Organization: Chaos Lines: 18 Message-ID: <1dfg9g2.16n8zgj1p529smN@swbmac.campbell-mithun.com> References: <6tcmte$son@netaxs.com> <6tj8lo$cnk$1@flood.weeg.uiowa.edu> <6tjd1e$ak9@axalotl.demon.co.uk> <6tl72i$b7g@axalotl.demon.co.uk> <35FFB0CA.316C@iridia.ulb.antispam_remove.ac.be> NNTP-Posting-Host: 192.159.32.153 X-Newsreader: MacSOUP 2.3 (unregistered for 132 days) Path: ccw.ch!pfaff.ethz.ch!news-zh.switch.ch!news-ge.switch.ch!news.maxwell.syr.edu!mr.net!news.mr.net!swb Nick Bradshaw wrote: > Hugh Davies wrote: > > > > IIRC, money. He couldn't get anyone to fund it, since no-one could see > > the use for it. :o) > > It's a shame no-one thought to write a word-processor or a web browser > for it. I'm sure someone would have ported Linux to it, and then people could post to a.f.c. along the lines of "I don't see why you need a PDP-8, a Babbage Analytical Engine is more computer than most people need.." -- Shawn Barnhart swb@mecury.campbell-mithun.com ###### From: mycetes@my-dejanews.com Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers Subject: Re: Babbage's engine Date: Thu, 17 Sep 1998 13:42:41 GMT Organization: Deja News - The Leader in Internet Discussion Lines: 21 Message-ID: <6tr3ki$tm1$1@nnrp1.dejanews.com> References: <6tcmte$son@netaxs.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: 195.173.102.200 X-Article-Creation-Date: Thu Sep 17 12:50:57 1998 GMT X-Http-User-Agent: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 4.01; Windows 95) X-Http-Proxy: 1.0 x1.dejanews.com:80 (Squid/1.1.22) for client 195.173.102.200 Path: ccw.ch!pfaff.ethz.ch!news-zh.switch.ch!news-ge.switch.ch!feed1.news.luth.se!luth.se!news-stkh.gip.net!news-peer.gip.net!news.gsl.net!gip.net!newsfeed.internetmci.com!204.238.120.130!news-feeds.jump.net!nntp2.dejanews.com!nnrp1.dejanews.com!not-for-mail In article <6tcmte$son@netaxs.com>, hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com (Lisa or Jeff) wrote: > Every history of computers talks about the "Difference Engine" as an > early computer. > > But wasn't this more of a fancy calculating machine, like a predecessor > to adding machines? Was it programmable in any way? I got the > impression it generated tables. > It was partially "programmable" see Article: BABBAGE'S FIRST DIFFERENCE ENGINE: HOW IT WAS INTENDED TO WORK Date: 1997/12/23 Forums: soc.history.science Use http://www.dejanews.com to locate it in the complete archive past entries. -----== Posted via Deja News, The Leader in Internet Discussion ==----- http://www.dejanews.com/rg_mkgrp.xp Create Your Own Free Member Forum