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@ -262,7 +262,7 @@ cards and the output was via a front-panel display.
Its importance stems from the fact that it was the first to use vacuum-tubes for Its importance stems from the fact that it was the first to use vacuum-tubes for
the arithmetic calculations of the processor. the arithmetic calculations of the processor.
### Colossus (1943-1945) - Tommy Flowers/ Max Newman ### Colossus (1943-1945) - Tommy Flowers/Max Newman
Designed and built at the Post Office Research Station at Dollis Hill. Used for Designed and built at the Post Office Research Station at Dollis Hill. Used for
cracking the Lorenz messages of the German high command. cracking the Lorenz messages of the German high command.
@ -283,3 +283,52 @@ identify the key for the days transmissions.
It's actual influence is also hard to gauge because of the secrecy that remained It's actual influence is also hard to gauge because of the secrecy that remained
in place after the War. Apart from those who worked on it, its technical in place after the War. Apart from those who worked on it, its technical
advancements were not public knowledge until the late 1970s. advancements were not public knowledge until the late 1970s.
### ENIAC (1945) John Mauchly/J.P Eckert
The _Electronic Numerical Calculator and Integrator_
The main motivation for creating the ENIAC was military: the US Army needed
speed and accuracy when calculating artiliary firing tables and munition
trajectory so that shells could hit their intended targets. Accuracy depended on
myriad factors: gun elevation, shell shape and weight, explosive charge,
distance, wind, temperature etc. Previously this had been done by human
computers under the aegis of the Ballistic Research Laboratory.
![The main control panel of the ENIAC](../img/eniac.jpg)
It was not completed until after VE day but was used at Los Alamos after the War
and retired in 1955.
The BRL commissioned the Moore School of Engineering at the University of
Pennsylvania for the construction of an automatic electronic calculator.
It used vacuum-tubes, along with switches and realys. It used decimal rather
than binary and had punch card input and output. It was crudely programmable and
could be set up to work on different problems by rearranging the different
components using switches and plugboards. But this took roughly two days.
It's design was very influential because it was made public and not classified.
### EDVAC (1944-49) John Mauchly/J.P Eckert/ John von Neumann
Built at the Moore School for the BRL as a successor to ENIAC by Mauchly and
Eckert whilst ENIAC was still operational. It arose out of #vonNeumann
discussions with Mauchly and Eckert and was necessitated by the need to
calculate the behaviour of the fissile materials in the atomic bomb.
It resulted in the famous _First Draft of a Report on the Edvac_ by #vonNeumann
which is seen as the definitive statement of the modern **digital programmable
general-purpose computer**.
As a result of the paper, #vonNeumann effectively got the credit for the
invention even though it synthesised ideas from the ENIAC and the contributions
of others to the EDVAC.
There was lots of disputed provenance and claims of plagiarism generally.
Antanasoff won a legal claim against Eckert and Mauchly for stealing ideas from
the ABC to make ENIAC.
// Add more on the hardware.
## Machines