4 ms·

The entire point of computers is to be able to do work that would be too tedious for humans. Really? News to me. Like the entire point of cars is to take you

by sago 12y ago

The entire point of computers is to be able to do work that would be too tedious for humans. Really? News to me. Like the entire point of cars is to take you on journeys that would be too tedious to walk?

david-given 12y ago
No, that's absolutely true. The first computers were for calculating logarithm tables, which were incredibly tedious, slow and error prone for humans to do. If you're ever in Bletchley Park in the United Kingdom, go visit the National Museum of Computing. They'll show you (and you'll get to play with) the Harwell Witch, a decimal computer designed to compete with humans who are using mechanical hand-cranked calculators: http://www.tnmoc.org/special-projects/harwell-dekatron-witch http://www.tnmoc.org/special-projects/harwell-dekatron-witch A well-trained human can actually outperform the Witch; for twenty minutes. (They tried it.) But the Witch doesn't make mistakes and it doesn't get tired. It was only much later that they realised that computers could do things which humans weren't _able_ to do.
- sago 12y ago
  Not seeing where you're arguing that the entire-point of computers is to do tedious calculations. That the first computers were used that way, I don't doubt. But not the same thing, I'd say. The first cars were horseless carriages.
  - moron4hire 12y ago
    don't be pedantic
    - sago 12y ago
      I wasn't trying to be. I wasn't saying "yeah, but 'entire point' strictly means... fnar fnar". I was responding to a point above that seemed to imply that code like this can't be considered great (or at least, no greater than a Rails website), because its not what computers are for. They are for calculating things humans can't. I disagree with that. And not on a pedantic, language level. It is a genuine confusion, i think, between why something was made and what it can do. Though on re-reading, I may have misinterpreted the OP.
      - moron4hire 12y ago
        Sorry, I was really just calling out the "real programmers fart assembly in their sleep" sort of stuff. The chess game is certainly an accomplishment, but there are other ways to be accomplished at programming.
- sago 12y ago
  I do want to second the sentiment that a visit to Bletchley Park is a very good use of an afternoon!

by sago 12y ago

david-given 12y ago

No, that's absolutely true. The first computers were for calculating logarithm tables, which were incredibly tedious, slow and error prone for humans to do. If you're ever in Bletchley Park in the United Kingdom, go visit the National Museum of Computing. They'll show you (and you'll get to play with) the Harwell Witch, a decimal computer designed to compete with humans who are using mechanical hand-cranked calculators: http://www.tnmoc.org/special-projects/harwell-dekatron-witch http://www.tnmoc.org/special-projects/harwell-dekatron-witch A well-trained human can actually outperform the Witch; for twenty minutes. (They tried it.) But the Witch doesn't make mistakes and it doesn't get tired. It was only much later that they realised that computers could do things which humans weren't _able_ to do.

sago 12y ago
Not seeing where you're arguing that the entire-point of computers is to do tedious calculations. That the first computers were used that way, I don't doubt. But not the same thing, I'd say. The first cars were horseless carriages.
- moron4hire 12y ago
  don't be pedantic
  - sago 12y ago
    I wasn't trying to be. I wasn't saying "yeah, but 'entire point' strictly means... fnar fnar". I was responding to a point above that seemed to imply that code like this can't be considered great (or at least, no greater than a Rails website), because its not what computers are for. They are for calculating things humans can't. I disagree with that. And not on a pedantic, language level. It is a genuine confusion, i think, between why something was made and what it can do. Though on re-reading, I may have misinterpreted the OP.
    - moron4hire 12y ago
      Sorry, I was really just calling out the "real programmers fart assembly in their sleep" sort of stuff. The chess game is certainly an accomplishment, but there are other ways to be accomplished at programming.
sago 12y ago
I do want to second the sentiment that a visit to Bletchley Park is a very good use of an afternoon!