Date: Thu, 21 Jun 2007 19:19:05 +0200 From: Thierry Thomas <thierry@FreeBSD.org> To: freebsd-chat@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: Where software meets hardware.. Message-ID: <20070621171905.GC19491@graf.pompo.net> In-Reply-To: <200706211233.l5LCXuYv082845@lurza.secnetix.de> References: <1182418101.6802.1196302545@webmail.messagingengine.com> <200706211233.l5LCXuYv082845@lurza.secnetix.de>
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Le Jeu 21 jui 07 à 14:33:56 +0200, Oliver Fromme <olli@lurza.secnetix.de> écrivait : > > I have a cousin who's taking up a programming course. He doesn't have > > background with programming nor an in depth understanding of how the > > computer works. I tried explaining him that it all started with > > abacus, and that people wanted to use something that could make their > > arithmetic life easier and that Charles Babbage tried automating this > > manual calculator with his steam engine or some sort... and that... > > Actually Charles Babbage designed a complex mechanical > computing machine (with lots of gearwheels etc.), but > it only ever existed on paper. Only small parts of it > have actually been built, but never the whole thing, > because it was too complex. It would work in theory, > though. :-) Pascal built such a machine: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pascal%27s_calculator>. -- Th. Thomas.
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