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I'm not claiming to be knowledgeable, but isn't it true, that analog computers are easy and fast to use for computations (sliding logarithmic ruler, self regula

I'm not claiming to be knowledgeable, but isn't it true, that analog computers are easy and fast to use for computations (sliding logarithmic ruler, self regulating hydraulic systems,...). But notoriously hard to construct IF you're looking for something multipurpose and programmable.

_delirium 17y ago
It's mostly the "you don’t program, but you let them learn" part that's a bit weird/inaccurate. You have to program analog computers, and don't get any automatic learning built in. It's just a different kind of programming. Some things, from a digital-programming perspective, are amazing freebies that would require difficult programming on a digital computer. Other things, that on a digital computer would be trivial, are frustratingly difficult to implement. But it's still programming of a sort either way. And it doesn't make a ton of difference these days anyway, because "continuous" vs. "discrete, but with trillions of gradations" are indistinguishable for a lot of problems, so you can simulate an analog computer on a digital one, or vice versa, with reasonable accuracy.