🚀 go-pugleaf

From article <DAB.92Apr10121110@moxie.moxie.oswego.edu>, by dab@moxie.moxie.oswego.edu (David Alan Bozak):
> 
> I've read the positive reviews of the "Machine that changed the world"
> and I agree, almost.
> 
> I was appalled that there was NO mention of Atanasoff.  

Actually, there were a number of bugs in the show, among them:

1) Babbage's ideas didn't go nowhere.  He may have never finished a
   production model of his difference engine, but a publisher (of
   mathematical tables?) in Sweden built one that was used in production.
   This machine was copied by the British Government and exhibited in the
   Crystal Palace Exhibition.  The original ended up in Albany, according
   to Babbage.

   Furthermore, by 1910, printing difference engines were being used to
   produce mathematical tables for commercial publication.  I've seen
   a "Table of the Higher Mathematical Functions" from around that year
   that began with a lengthly preface on how they'd used a difference
   engine to compute their table.  The preface included a photo of the
   engine, a two crank model made in Germany.  The preface didn't cite
   Babbage!

   I've also seen a table of mathematical functions published in the late
   1930's that had a beautiful frontspiece photo titled "Babbage's
   Analytical Engine".  The dedication in the book was to Babbage's dream
   of automatic computation, in the hope that it will one day come true.
   The photo credit said that the machine was designed by Charles Babbage
   and built by his son.

2) The Harvard Mark family of machines weren't even mentioned.  These relay
   machines from World War II may not have been electronic, but many of the
   first generation of programmers were trained there, including the late
   Grace Hopper.

Despite these bugs, I still think the first episode was quite good, and I
look forward to watching the others!
						Doug Jones
						jones@cs.uiowa.edu