Friday, January 20, 2012

My first computers

In the 1960s I bought 2 Geniacs(which used switches only) and a Minivac 601 (which used relays!), all SMALL logic circuit machines.  I then learned a little FORTRAN (from a book) and bought a Heathkit EC-1 ANALOG computer like the one shown below (it used tubes!). (I still have it today!)  Low cost digital machines didn't exist at that time and we were still using slide rules. (I'm told that Korolyov stood in the russian mission control using his slide rule to calculate orbital parameters.)

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