One for the computing history buffs

[Tony]

Found on stack exchange:
https://arstechnica.com/features/202...-origins-of-c/
It is an interesting article that also has an old c1950 film about EDSAC. The introduction sounds like it should be on Monty Python, but is still interesting.

[Roscoe]

When you talk about computing history, perhaps it is worth mentioning that the first programmable computer was made in the early years of WW2 and was housed in ten rooms in a mansion in Bletchly Park near London and was used for decoding the German Enigma codes. It was that fast that it was said that it would be quicker for the German generals to call Bletchly Park for their daily orders.

[Tony]

When you talk about computing history, perhaps it is worth mentioning that the first programmable computer was made in the early years of WW2 and was housed in ten rooms in a mansion in Bletchly Park near London and was used for decoding the German Enigma codes. It was that fast that it was said that it would be quicker for the German generals to call Bletchly Park for their daily orders.

You mean the "Bombe"? Been to Bletchley Park, seen that, and the rebuilt Colossus. Fascinating.

[Roscoe]

You mean the "Bombe"? Been to Bletchley Park, seen that, and the rebuilt Colossus. Fascinating.

I'd forgotten that's what it was called. I would have loved to have seen it. The history of decoding is really interesting. The Poles were very good at it without a computer.

[Tony]

I was there in 2010, so it would be interesting to see how it has developed. The museum of computing is there as well, with all sorts of old hardware, including the very first machine I learned to program on - the IBM 1130. That made me feel fairly antique just seeing that.
One of the interesting things about the rebuilt Colossus is that several of the valves were just no longer available, so they recreated their function in transistors and put tiny logic boards in the original glass bulbs to emulate the function.