Computer History Myths Debunked

1. Computer History Myths Debunked Dr. Wayne Summers TSYS Department of Computer Science Columbus State University

2. "History of Computing at Oxford" • Part of the CSU in Oxford Summer Program with field trips to sites around England (July 6-July 25, 2007). Columbus State University

3. COURSE • Book:   Jacquard's Web : How a Hand-Loom Led to the Birth of the Information Age by James Essinger • Wiki: http://computer-history.pbwiki.com/ • Blog: http://computer-history-csu.blogspot.com/ • Field Trips: • Videos: • The Machine That Changed the World(1-5) • To Dream Tomorrow Columbus State University

4. Field Trips • Oxford Museum of History of Science • London Museum of Science • Bletchley Park • Manchester Museum of Science and Industry Columbus State University

5. The Myths • Myth #1: Joseph-Marie Jacquard invented the punched card • Myth #2: Charles Babbage built the first computer • Myth #3: The Difference Engine was not completed because of inadequate tools in the 19th Century and/or lack of funds • Myth #4: Ada Lovelace was the first computer programmer • Myth #5: Herman Hollerith independently “invented” the punch cards • Myth #6: Howard Aiken and other computer designers of the “modern era” were not influenced by Babbage Columbus State University

6. Myth #1: Joseph-Marie Jacquard invented the punched card • On 23 Dec. 1800, he registered a patent for a machine “designed to replace the draw-boy in the manufacture of figured fabrics”. • Jacques de Vaucanson is credited with creating the world's first true robots, as well as creating the first completely automated loom (1740). • In 1728, Jean Falcon built a loom that used punched cards • In 1725, Basile Bouchon invented a way to control a loom with a perforated paper tape. The son of an organ maker, he adapted the concept of music automata controlled by pegged cylinders to the repetitive task of weaving. Columbus State University

7. Jacquard’s Loom London Museum of Science Columbus State University

8. Myth #2: Charles Babbage built the first computer • Charles Babbage did design the Difference Engine and the Analytical Engine (neither were completed by him) • “My God, Herschel! How I wish these calculations could be executed by steam.”[1821] • In 1824, Babbage won the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society "for his invention of an engine for calculating mathematical and astronomical tables". Columbus State University

9. London Museum of Science • Babbage’s Difference Engine (1822-1849) [original piece] • 2/3 of Babbage’s Brain Columbus State University

10. Myth #3: The Difference Engine was not completed because of inadequate tools in the 19th Century and/or lack of funds • Babbage had access to one of the best toolmakers of the day – Joseph Clement who did build a small prototype by 1822 • Per Georg Scheutz and son built a small difference engine machine in 1843 • Difference Engine in the London Science Museum was built to Babbage’s specs with 19th century tools (1985-1991) Columbus State University

11. London Museum of Science • Per Georg Scheutz’s Difference Engine • Recreation of Difference Engine for shipment to California (2007) Columbus State University

12. Myth #3: The Difference Engine was not completed because of inadequate tools in the 19th Century and/or lack of funds • By 1834, he had received £17,470 (enough to build two battleships) to build the Difference Engine, but starting to design the Analytical Engine • By 1834, he had started work on the Analytical Engine (using punched cards to store data and instructions was able to perform calculations automatically) • Told Sir Robert Peel that he had stopped work on the Difference Engine so that he could build the Analytical Engine Columbus State University

13. Charles Babbage – Father of Computing • 1791 - 1871 • formed the Analytical Society in 1812 • Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge (1828 to 1839) Columbus State University

14. Charles Babbage – Father of Computing • On two occasions I have been asked, – "Pray, Mr. Babbage," if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right "answers come out?" In one case a member of the Upper, and in the other a member of the Lower, House put this question. I am not able rightly to apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question. Columbus State University

15. Charles Babbage – Father of Computing • Counted all the broken panes of glass of a factory, publishing in 1857 a "Table of the Relative Frequency of the Causes of Breakage of Plate Glass Windows": 14 of 464 were caused by "drunken men, women or boys". • His distaste for commoners ("the Mob") included writing "Observations of Street Nuisances" in 1864, as well as tallying up 165 "nuisances" over a period of 80 days; he especially hated street music. • Obsessed with fire, once baking himself in an oven at 265°F (130°C) for four minutes "without any great discomfort" to "see what would happen." • Later, he arranged to be lowered into Mount Vesuvius in order to view molten lava for himself. Columbus State University

16. Myth #4: Ada Lovelace was the first computer programmer • Analytical Engine was never built • Published a translation of Menabrea’s paper describing the Analytical Engine along with her own seven Notes (A-G) (1842-1843) • [http://www.fourmilab.ch/babbage/sketch.html] Columbus State University

17. Myth #5: Herman Hollerith independently “invented” the punch cards • His brother-in-law was in the silk-weaving business and had discussed the Jacquard loom with him • “Hollerith never pretended to have invented punched cards himself” [Essinger] • “His basic patents always encompassed the use of punched cards in combination with his machines” [Essinger] Columbus State University

18. Myth #6: Howard Aiken and other computer designers of the “modern era” were not influenced by Babbage Columbus State University

19. Which was the first computer? • Difference Engine (1843) / Analytical Engine • Atanasoff–Berry Computer (1937-1941) • Zuse’s Z3 (1941) • Collusus (1943-1944) • Eniac (1943-1946) • IBM Harvard Mark I (1944) • Manchester Baby (1948) / Mark I Columbus State University

20. Babbage’s Difference Engine II with printer (built 1991) London Museum of Science Columbus State University

21. Analytical Engine piece(designed 1837-1871) London Museum of Science Columbus State University

22. Colossus Bletchley Park Columbus State University

23. Manchester “Baby” Replica • Manchester Museum of Science and Industry Columbus State University

24. Trick question: What was the average weight of a computer in the early 1940’s? Columbus State University

25. If the Analytical Engine had been built, it would have been in many ways more advanced than some of the first computers that emerged in the 1940s. It would have been digital, programmable and Turing complete. • However, it would have been very slow. Ada Lovelace reported in her notes on the Analytical engine: "Mr. Babbage believes he can, by his engine, form the product of two numbers, each containing twenty figures, in three minutes". • By comparison the Harvard Mark I could perform the same task in just six seconds. A modern PC can do the same thing in well under a billionth of a second. Columbus State University

26. Columbus State University

27. References • Jacquard's Web : How a Hand-Loom Led to the Birth of the Information Age by James Essinger • Sketch of The Analytical Engine With notes by the Translator Ada Augusta, Countess Of Lovelace • History of Modern Computing by Paul Ceruzzi • The Machine That Changed the World(1-5) – PBS Nova videos • To Dream Tomorrow – Flare Productions video • …. Columbus State University

28. “We may say most aptly that the Analytical Engine weaves algebraic patterns just as the Jacquard-loom weaves flowers and leaves.” Ada Augusta, Countess Of Lovelace (October 1842) Columbus State University