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You've just described vacuum tube computers as well as all the early transistorized computers. Digital computing is a relatively late concept
by estimator7292 1y ago
You've just described vacuum tube computers as well as all the early transistorized computers. Digital computing is a relatively late concept
- mcnamaratw 1y agoOf course there were analog 'computers' but vacuum tubes were also used to realize digital computers in the early days. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vacuum-tube_computer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vacuum-tube_computer
- cluckindan 1y agoThe important difference is that all those early analog computers were either bespoke or suited for a very narrow subset of tasks, like fire control computers. They were very far from general purpose computers, and that is the reason the von Neumann architecture dominates today: we are free to change the operation of the computer without literally changing gears or re-wiring all logic paths. Before, the hardware was the software.