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Wow, it's interesting that Ted says the use a computer "during the war" for for trajectory calculations. I wonder if he believes that, or if he's simply avoidin
by KirinDave 8y ago
Wow, it's interesting that Ted says the use a computer "during the war" for for trajectory calculations. I wonder if he believes that, or if he's simply avoiding a very complex conversation about information theory and cryptography that in the 70s was both less well-understood and less popular.
I wonder if instead he's referring to some other specific event that in the subsequent 50 years we've decided is insignificant to the formation of computers.
- ipsin 8y agoThey used computers during WW II for rangekeeping [1]. They were complicated and heavy electromechanical beasts. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_I_Fire_Control_Computer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_I_Fire_Control_Computer
- KirinDave 8y agoRight but this was NOT the most historically significant application of computers in WW2 by a long shot. That's why I'm wondering if this is a visible example of how history tends to redefine significance and refocus on different events over time.
- stan_rogers 8y agoCalculating trajectory tables for artillery was ENIAC's primary job as well.
- hchasestevens 8y agoOne consideration is that much of Bletchley Park's efforts were kept hidden from the public until 1974[1] - it's possible that in 1979 the computer's role in breaking German cyphers was still not widespread knowledge. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultra#Postwar_disclosures https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultra#Postwar_disclosures
- TheTedNelson 8y agoBletchley Park was publicly unknown at the time of the interview. Whereas Eckert and Mauchly, with Eniac, had been computing those tables. (That was a secret too, but it was no longer a secret when I knew him in his last years.)