[Recorded: 1996]
Part 2 of 2 The First Computers, 1946 - 1950
Computer pioneer Gordon Bell hosts this two-part program on the evolution of electronic computing from its pre-World War II origins through the development of the first commercial computers. His narration traces the development of the stored program computer architecture which remains the foundation of todays modern computers.
In Part 1 The builders of the first five computer machines: the Bell Labs Model 1, the Zuse Z1-3, the Atanasoff-Berry Computer, the Harvard Mark 1 and the IBM SSEC tell their stories.
In Part 2 Vintage films and first hand accounts enliven the stories of the ENIAC and the three lines of computing machines descended from it: the Eckert-Mauchly EDVAC, BINAC and UNIVAC; Maurice Wilkes EDSAC; and John Von Neumanns IAS machines and their clones, the ILLIAC, MANIAC, etc.
Catalog Number: 102645566
Lot Number: X3169.2005
Its pretty crazy that 72 years ago, a calculator was built using vacuum tubes and was a huge hot room of wires and switches, now we have voice activated smart phones that fit in our pocket.
@Paul Bearden Yes isn't it amazing , the miniaturization of technology with regard to transistors
Imagine the shock these pioneers of comp programming would get seeing what there work has created. Just the storage alone. Mechanical comp to electronics look at the Apollo comp worked with wire & rings of metal.
Gordon Bell was the main designer behind several of Digital Equipment Corporation's most important minicomputers, including some of the key ideas of the PDP-11, which changed how all computers are designed, and he was in charge of the development of the VAX, DEC's most successful machine. He's probably one of the most important and best known computer designers of the 1960s and 1970s.
Yeah, that circuit is an ENIAC "ring counter". It holds a single decimal digit, 0 through nine, with each tube in the ring becoming active in turn as the counter increments in value. It's basically an electronic version of a single-digit mechanical counter wheel. A single ENIAC register contained a whole set of these ring counters, and they allowed the register to also act as an adder.
The processing that Leo was doing for the Lyons company back in 1958 was amazing, especially given that there were apparently no tape drives or drums for file storage.
Gordon, Your series here is a wonderful explanation and illustration of the history of the Computer. Excellent job!
Timestamps 00:00 - Opening and Copyright 01:22 - Introduction with Gordon Bell 02:16 - Eckert, Mauchly, and ENIAC 13:59 - Moving on From ENIAC and the creation of EDVAC 25:39 - Maurice Wilkes and EDSAC 31:43 - Lyons Corporation, LEO, and the beginning of commercial computing 37:51 - Parallel computing, the IAS machine, and its offspring 50:35 - UNIVAC and the birth of popular computing 53:02 - Closing with Gordon Bell
So cool seeing this old documentary, crazy that Presper Eckert was born 1919 he has such youthful eyes
Amazing, thank you a lot! People who share freely documents of this kind should get some sort of medal
Truly eye opening.....
Nicely presented, Mr. Bell et al
32:05 Leo really shines in this video. The first automatic office in the world. Leo is fast and flexible. It can test the feasibility of the information that is fed into it and check the accuracy of its own results following orthodox accounting principles. It does not require air conditioning, having its own ventilation system.
My first thought as they described it's operations was, "Wow! The world's first ERP system!" :-)
I was trying to think of how to describe LEO. It appears to be the first hyper-scale computing platform. Just think of the wiring complexity to make the system work. We have modular, simplified, standardized interfaces today, mostly embedded in silicon. That was all hand crafted. Phew!!! Quite amazing.
When starting With British military digital computers in 1961 we had several lectures from 'computer people' one from LEO. After it had been running for a year or so the management asked for a survey of all the improvements made in profit and productivity and how computers could make more improvements. they fed the data into LEO and ran their program, the result from LEO was "Build more computers"
Amazing film. Wish it had part 3 and 4 and 5 and 6. Lol. Just keep adding parts. Always with bell hosting though. He was great.
Brilliant re Leo!
Fascinating
Thank you.
22:30 Well on enterprise storage, that statement holds true to this day, amazing.
What a story, fascinating stuff! Subscribed.
This videos are awsome! I love this. The computing domain really changed the world, under all aspects.
Well worth my time.
Great video.. thanks
I remember when IBM first put out their PC, with memory hard wired on the motherboard, they actually said that no one would ever need more than 64K of RAM... ;-)
@ComputerHistory Zuse is mentioned in part one.
All this and more on a chip ! I can’t wrap my mind around it.
Very good.
So cool
The processing power in today's handheld mobile devices is astonishing!! Imagine if you went back in time and shown a Samsung Galaxy or an Apple iPhone or any smartphone to the engineers who built these early computers...
It's not only on speed, today's computers are working almost exactly as the old ones, almost identical principles. In a rough approximation today, you can say that you have the elements that were occupying an entire room, now fit into a small, cheap silicon chip.
pretty sure they wouldn't know what to make of it and think it's some kind of slide viewer or something
Actually, computers/electronics don't really change all that much, there is a fantastic 1960's computer video and it is astonishing! you would think he was talking about modern technology! The problem is that even with all these amazing computers which people carry in their pockets the technology is just wasted! They don't do anything meaningful with it and then to make thing's worse they throw it away after a year to trade it in for another powerful device to look at facebook! :)
What would happen: - battery dies after a week at most, and you didn't take a charger - hardware becomes useless (no suitable technology to do something with it, research takes years) - you'd be useless at explaining how it works (unless you're engineer yourself) - software becomes useless (except maybe for the calculator) - no ability to reprogram - no ability to phone (absence of mobile phone networks)
@MichaelKingsfordGray Looking down on something amazing doesn't make you important. If you're not grateful for Linux, you don't understand it.
It's amazing how much space computers took up back then . We have come a long way .
LEO was why Arthur Dent was able to flummox the systems on the _Heart of Gold_ when all he wanted was a cup of tea. Computer: "Just dried leaves... boiled?"
It would be interesting to have a sequence of this nice TV show.
having to watch this part 1 and part 2 for an assignment. Hey Don Craft's class!! ^_^
It's pretty hard to tell what those tubes' specific purpose was, since you only get a corner view of the panel without context. But they're probably just normal vacuum tubes which look larger due to perspective. Most likely they are ordinary vacuum triodes, acting either as switching elements or as signal amplifiers, just like how transistors are used today. (Or they might be double triodes: two vacuum triode circuits in a single glass envelope.)
In an old BBS discussion years ago, I joked that real programmers used 9-track magnetic tape. Another responded that real programmers used punch cards. Another said that real programmers used paper tape. One topped us all by saying that real programmers used patch cords... ;-) The first CNC milling machine that I programmed in college used paper tape. I remember filling out the instructions (tool start, tool stop, tool down, tool up, tool travel x/y) on a pad by hand, then sitting down in front of the tape punch and typing in the commands to be punched on the tape. The tape was then loaded on the machine with the stock to be machined, and then run. Of course, we also had to learn how to use a manual milling machine so that we understood the process of milling itself. Ah... the good old days... ;-)
I remember working at Univac. My desk was Eckert and Mauchly #37.
Very useful and good movie. Does anyone knows How can I see clearer 2 of the diagrams here in 41:27 of memory size vs speed and in 41:37. I need it for a work I do on computer as a single page. thank you
@herbertsa You didn't see part 1, did you? It covered Zuse extensively, including a live lecture by Zuse himself.
Video sounds pretty good at 1.5x speed. Gotta bang through the homework, you know.
The issue in the 30's-60's was the price of memory. The phosphorescence cathode tube memory is genius. 4:30 I wonder why they did not use CO2 or even heated UF6 instead of Mercury. Mercury might have a low attenuation but it is fast. A dense gas is much slower. Using a graded solid it might be possible to create a mono mode sonic/acoustic delay rod.
Gues temp coeff and noise issues
Colossus was a set of computers developed by British code breakers in the years 1943-1945 to help in the cryptanalysis of the Lorenz cipher. Colossus used thermionic valves to perform Boolean and counting operations. Colossus is thus regarded as the world's first programmable, electronic, digital computer, although it was programmed by switches and plugs and not by a stored program. Wikipedia
Did he sneak in a The Shining reference at 41:09? "Heeeres JOHNNIAC!" I might be imagining things... Great documentary btw. Makes me want to make a calculation engine out of ICs.
Or Ed McMahon introducing Carson
Thought the same thing!
@@bodgertime Yes, _The Shining_ 's Jack Torrance was apparently referencing Carson's _Tonight Show_ intro, and I think that's probably what Gordon Bell was going for as well. Carson's _Tonight Show_ run had only ended a few years ago, and it had been going on for nearly half of Bell's life up to 1996. kzhead.info/sun/lL2nqbR5opmvqZs/bejne.html (For anyone looking for it, the moment is 41:08).
this guy is a MANIAC!!
28:30. Wow. Function inlining.
That is actually a Johnny Carson reference in "The Shining".
Amazing, computers used to work for reals back then, seems like they didn't freeze.
these guys didn't have means to run simulation before they touch physical object, they had to do it in much much harder way than we do it now. Because of them, we now have the luxury of running simulation...
Take everything that was learned in these early machines and then some, put it into tiny box, and there's the Apollo navigation computer.
Thank you for posting these videos, now please post videos of computers up to the appleI :-)
0 albani
: albano
@herbertsa it was in part 1
It took 20 seconds to calculate the trajectory but didn't I hear it took 2 days to program the computer? (And I'm assuming he meant load the program.) So where's the time savings?
Can anyone confirm or deny that "the Mathematician" in the video at 27:00 is Paul Dirac ? ... He strikes a remarking resemblance.
I believe it is. He was at Cambridge.
You mean the manuals? What are you looking for?
Not that I would have expected you to recognize his name, unless you were already knowledgable about the history of computer design. I just found it to be a particularly funny goof to make, because it's so ironic. Hope you don't mind. :)
Do any you know how important Gordon Bell is to how we got to where we are today in IT. Google his name and hold onto your mind because it will be blown.
Wow! You're right. He has a brilliant mind.
42:22 She's a manic! Maaaaaaniac!
First computer program was written by Ada Lovelace 1815-1852
What did it do???
@@desmonddwyer It was a program to run on the Difference Engine.
@@petermitchell6348 No, it wasn't. There were two "programs" presented in her annotated translation of Luigi Manabrea's _Sketch_ - one by Babbage, outlined in the presentation Manabrea was reporting upon, and the other was a more detailed and recursive "program" (really a state description, as the "language" for the machine was not then decided) for calculating the Bernoulli numbers, produced in consultation with Babbage. Both were for the Analytical Engine (the Difference Engines didn't use a program as such, just sequential addition to compute numerical results of polynomials). The idea that Babbage himself hadn't devised instruction sequences for his own machines, if for no other reason than to enumerate the instruction set needed, before Lovelace came along is ridiculous. Had Babbage's Analytical Engine gone anywhere, her contribution would have been _far_ greater and more important than a mere program: she was the first to realise that the machine could do more than calculate. Babbage thought he was building a fancy calculator; Lovelace understood what it could be as a computer.
27:00 priceless!
@herbertsa they did in part 1
When did they move to Mountain View? (I'm pretty sure it's the same 'museum' they use the same logo).
Bwahahaha. I take it you have no idea who Gordon Bell is. True, he isn't doing a stellar narration job here; it seems like he hadn't rehearsed the script, which would mean he would have no idea what he would be saying next until it showed up on the prompter. But I'm pretty sure he *understood* what he was saying.
i came here for science. i left knowing where dr. steve brule came from. obviously cool either way.
ENIAC: 500 thousand dollars divided by 90 hours of total production time.
War is extremely wasteful. What did three atomic bombs cost?
binac realy circuit protype univac stored memory each word data processing biosystem
At 37:54 the microphone drops into view.
with more than three faculty the departments are over staffed ...and with more than 50 000 information technology ......... cognizant is paying salary to these it professionals or Infosys is paying or . TCS paying salary ???
If you kept the graph at 17:00 going eventually thered be TERMINATOR!☠️☠️☠️
32:05 Here's a longer version of the LEO film on its own: kzhead.info/sun/YJyEXdyar2mgdYU/bejne.html (No relation! ;) )
smoking was permitted in offices back then ... and they used to call these shops as tea shops?
31:41 Mr Cholmondley Warner and Greyson
Cool You Tube, Bummer some big money wasn't thrown at these digital computers that computer with air, Patents 3057551 , 3190554 . Slow but cheaper. Maybe useful in the 1950's for smaller institutions and collages. If Babbage had this tech he could have had the pipe organ folks build his Engine for him and Lady Lovelace would have invented COBOL.
go tinker go tinker its your birthday seek and find .....good work
Except of course for Grace.
@buddhafollower Tubes are used as transistors.
thus parrel machine and the computer parrellism all together a dosen desendents the brl iowa state ......test transister logeic operational
😅😅😅😅😮😅well ingormeti0n.Good show more 😅😅
decimal-system calculating-machine. ZUSE anyone?
tremorist - He is mentioned in part one.
50:05 The Matrix
37:50
"...the clerks are free for more productive and rewarding work..." unemployment.
27:38 - Is that hair on his forehead?
packing notes trips to packers board t oseveral loading bays leo has printed at each each tea shop for the good at the front just inside the doors .....wide range of work skilled by desing automatic undertake the user is a machine does rountine like clocks the use of leo expands ....pareel machines ....the paper called eletronic vaccum report the series circualted as text books rado maccess each word the nseraill started up ibm 701 for runner domnit is desig n40 bit word in bank probits 7 bits the design address instructions
program diangle lines shifted one more postion mounted circuits called plug in unites ......reading numbers then ot switches resistence velocity ....most of the equipment meetrs directly display lights vaccum tubes neon lights seemed important man and machine all the eletronic counters acumalators computer projectly come up go back down conjectory 30 seconds to reach ...computerd the faster then the hsell eletronic computer were important oppreted until 1995 dramtic largder 40forty punds dozen engines working tow years memorys size operatio nrate for machines bep beep i have a one let me get thru ....find that car where its from and where its going wilkes stated contrcution progress potential much more computer muuch smaller as consulatiant to the groups where it go invented ...time consuming setting up porblems what we now cal lprogramming store contruction has bracnhing memory from punchcard sjohn von princeton he had learned about fro mengland permatent code van normen code eckart .....seltive instruction were held cards and boards zeus porr match speeds calucualtion at hig hspeed edvac discreet variable computer solve the control problem 44 bit word lenght in 1950 incidental to computting ...
@buddhafollower there used to hold a line of numbers. LIke an abucas.
published the first draft on the internet remianed for 50 year srport 5 elemtns for stored computer input output human anilogs aprts and process high spped mmeory for numbers ...before .....clear crytstalize wilkes further states inamicac ...by function 3 types of memory red only memorys the switch to the program sotred concept inporant feature stored in the smae sort of memory devie at los almos stored program heres motley ineac fast large digital computer advantage incon many problems done .......the other night after the machine moved well over 50 percent a lot of things long before .......turn it of turn it on .....constantly cycle ..heaters interfur sleeves in one of which .....less tubes decmal system the desmell system primary conpoent the whole machine was bianry desimell program ru naround plug wires tru nswitches consructions how cheap sotroage is different prices want it fast ...long ter mstorage infinte punch out cards ......the programming was vocablary the machine edvac ...simplicty bought us time ....in33 going ....eneac has a storage translation master programmer put on eletronic computer ....morse school wilkes and williams focus ..tom operational 32 word 31 bits ..memorys it ran 17 word program .....designed parrell ..cambridge ....stored program instructions stored optimum instrictuions one address stored memory
Collosus beat Eniac by years.
The ABC was the first machine to calculate with thermionic valves.
Guess you have never studied the Antikythera Mechanism...the world's FIRST known "computing device".....?
I have more computing power in my phone than was used to send men to the moon and build the atom bomb. The thing that modern computing lacks is a better programming paradigm. Why are we still editing text files?!
You needed a Woman to neatly hang up the punched tape like washing on a line as a Man could never of managed it.
***** Well my friend this was supposed tom have been a light hearted comment which was basically saying the men don't like hanging the washing out - but in reality NASA employed women to do the intricate programming wiring for their Apollo computers.
***** Well Women are very dexterous when it comes to fiddly jobs.
I thought it interesting that we were witnessing a human-powered version of an operating system.
documentary made by valve
Somehow, computers relieving a bunch of these pipe-smoking, smug, rump-pinching men of their overpaid jobs seems like divine justice, no?
These pipe-smoking, rump-pinching men conceived and built the world you live in. They have a right to feel smug. Have a little respect.
thieves ...
How can one create such movie (and i like it very much) without mention only one time Konrad Zuse? What a ignorance and arrogance!
He was mentioned in part 1...
stfu steve jobs is the best pioneer of all no one ever thought that there would be "Cloud Networking" until Steve came.... RIP Whitney Houston
make a list of what need one for to point out retoune a read retoune a print retune the programmer libary catalog here is the program hseet now checked and ready for punching the tape approit libray tapes go over to the tapes meachanically onto the tap e which its is prepareing punch twice then finish off the tape along as the tow tapes are identical the take the tapes on teh job que is running the oprator output ...she puts in the ract put into the photo eletric are being into the store the next tank now numbers are being read short number by half a word storage tanks ..panel some of the tubes ..back of panel wireing .....from above ...result now comeing out ........one of the othr programmer sprint the letter are porgrammer colelct results .....ed sachs notirey ...computer a valuable tool heres a film ...large numbers of clocks ....trade clocks are in demand and act accrodly ...first automatic leo office work .....accounting payroll leo fast felxable and test accracy leo can be installes its own ventaltion system leo mark 2 more output two couples one a puch reader printing devices ...leo is set console be montered decides payrool job done delivers hundred siteam ..wide variety for take home .....percise stocking over stocking ...each order depending stoc kweghs out up and down by telephone no written record what she here last minute would occur i nhweaher fed fisrt calculations .tea shop by tea shop ten shops at a time statics recorded ..provide for management only print the one for action decsios nto tradeing conidtions
are next introduction t odefine a computer basic compoents a little at time the input the control is identifed to make room for input until al lthe porblem is i nthe mmeroys a button is push to memorys so it can be worked on final answers sotred in the mmeory to the output can be told what to do submiited to information directions how to be handle interwoven a collection of symbols t oaccomplish the problem the decoder the path solution of the problem broker at aporit points various logical purely mathiamtical memeorys is nessary order and address in code two letters 30 such combiantions problems in a tape library tape result of saveing time .a tape problem phto computer the ned of the tape then switch flip loaded ...in the reader signals which the computer does it work a register 40 neon lamps vertical into each lamp with a flip flop circuit bynory one .......a register in the earth porblem the ntransfered to tubes modern cases 20 i nthe front designe dfor memory register parrel fashion one flip flop in memeory all amterial stored in address in memorys top to botto ma spot in tube same address the memorys binary cahrters these spots regenrated imporant information ..sotrage device magnectic increaes mememory operation to memory power conpoent this feature several hours of in the memorys withdrawn in sequnces stars when abuttton to a controled to a matrix to the memory the matrix is a sorting device for the order crystal on plugs the memorys circuits the address the order infromation perform isntruction carried out