On 2017-Nov-10, at 9:35 AM, Dave Wade via cctalk wrote:
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Brian L. Stuart [mailto:[email protected]]
>> Sent: 10 November 2017 15:45
>> To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts
>> <[email protected]>; Dave Wade <[email protected]>
>> Subject: Re: Computing Pioneer Dies
>> 
>> On Fri, 11/10/17, Dave Wade via cctalk <[email protected]> wrote:
>> 
>>> https://www.theguardian.com/global/2017/nov/08/geoff-tootill-obituary
>> 
> 
> I should point out there is a technical error in the Guardian. The Baby was 
> the first Electronically Stored Program in what today we would call RAM. 
> ENIAC had been configured in stored program mode earlier in the year and had 
> run a program stored in the function switches, e.g. ROM a couple of months 
> before baby. Despite the fact that when running stored programs ENIAC's 
> parallel processing features were not available, it was exclusively in this 
> mode from 1948 onwards. Note both machines are theoretically "Turing 
> Complete" but having only 32 words of 32 bits the Baby was not of any 
> practical use for a further 18 months whilst major surgery was carried out to 
> add extra store and instructions to the machine leading the emergence of the 
> Manchester MK1. 

Funny, I didn't see a "technical error" in the article.

The best that can be said for your position is that you (and the 
ENIAC/Mauchlyite crowd) have a particular opinion and definition regarding 
'stored-program computer'.

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