A February 8th Computer History Happening
The following happening is crucial for the financial world, but not so much for content marketers.
Why do I say the financial world?This is the day, February 8, 1945 that a Patent is Filed for the Harvard Mark I. by C.D Lake, H.H. Aiken, F.E. Hamilton, and B.M. Durfee.
The Mark I was a large automatic digital computer that could perform the four basic arithmetic functions and handle 23 decimal places. Doing multiplication took about five seconds.
I remember working with Mark4 and it was filling in columns with codes and indicating the mathematical functions. Until today I never realized that Mark4 had its beginnings in 1945 with Mark1,
How Does This Apply To Us?As Affiliate marketers we don’t even think about the coding that happens behind the scenes to compute our commission fees.
What an interesting era in which we live!
Recent Comments
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I'm really enjoying these historical tidbits.
Thanks for sharing and I'm looking forward to the next one.
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When I got out of the service where I did Computer Maintenance on computers 1st at SAC and later for Ground Electronics Engineering Installation Agency. I took a (1968) as a computer programmer writing business applications such as A/P, A/R, Order Entry, Sales order writing, Payroll and others. A software magazine that would come in the office that had a challenge to provide the answer of 100 factorial. The computer that I used had 60 registers that I was able to chain them together using software. The Computer about the size of a normal desk had a platen about 2.5 feed wide which printed the answer of of every stepped operation. It took the machine about 2.5 hours to come up with the answer. I mailed it in and it was confirmed as correct. Most of the time it is not the machine that makes it successful, it is the Program. The machine I was working with was built for business applications, not scientific applications.
That's awesome sharing, Edward!
Computers and their history are filled with so many interesting and inspiring stories.
Thank you for sharing.
Cassi
Thanks for sharing your extensive experience. Your work made a big difference. Its memories like yours that make us appreciate the past and stand in awe of the changes today.
Thanks again for sharing.
Like me, you are obviously of a generation that grew up in a world of unimaginable electrotechnical evolution. I learned programming in the early 70-s when there were a few major programming-languages. Cobol for business applications and Fortran, Algol, and PL/1 for scientific/mathematical applications. I learned PL/1. All based on a common ancestor Assembler.
For my statistical program execution used a large IBM360 computer that took a whole office floor of the bank's HQ. Data input was done by containers with punchcards, My whole career after that I was involved in computer-use in large organizations and on a personal level. I feel honored that I live in an era that is so interesting, amazing, and rewarding. And look at me and my baby-boomer peers now, here at WA. Making use of this incredible comprehensive platform. I still understand how computer- (applications) programs work and I am impressed by the level of geniality that is put in those contemporary systems.
Thanks for reminding me @jghwebbrand and @EHozubin.
Jack
Thanks so much for sharing. What neat incredible background you have!. I forgot my says of PL/1 and Fortan. But could never forget using COBOL.
I'm really enjoying history from many WA members.
Enjoy your day.
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