I believe Konrad Zuse of Germany built a binary electronic computer before
Atanasoff, although it pleases me to hear you giving credit to Atanasoff
over Eckert and Mauchly. Poor Atanasoff was restrained for 25 years from
taking credit due to his work being an official secret of the US gov't.
For info about Zuse, see
http://irb.cs.tu-berlin.de/~zuse/Konrad_Zuse/en/index.html .
--
Ron Bandes, CCNA, MCSE, BA CS, Certified Technical Trainer
Cloud Nine Networks, LLC
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
remove Spam_me_not. to email me
""Jennifer Cribbs"" wrote in message
[EMAIL PROTECTED]">news:[EMAIL PROTECTED]...
> That's what I meant Howard. I think I left out a few words as I do that
most
> of the time. I think much quicker than I type.
>
> My understanding of this:
>
> All computer machines were decimal[base10] until the 40's. Atanasoff was
the
> original one who suggested binary to be used instead of base10 to correct
> the computational probems that existed in measuring current/voltage. In
> those days with base10, one was a little current, two was a little more,
> three a little more than that and so on and so on. It was not a very good
> way to be accurate and was met with many failures. With the induction of
> binary for current measureage, it became easy and computers were on their
> way to being a successful marketing venture. One was on, zero was off.
Very
> simple. But the original idea of the binary counting concept started with
> Ada. Not in the computer sense, but in a general sense of numbers.
>
> Or at least that what I have read.
>
> Jenn
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Howard C. Berkowitz [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
> Sent: Sunday, August 05, 2001 4:23 AM
> To: Jennifer Cribbs; [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Subject: RE: Friday Funnie #2, Couldn't let this one go by!! [7:14809]
>
>
> Not serious, but the intellectual credit here goes to George Boole--as in
> "boolean arithmetic." Babbage/Lovelace machines were decimal.
>
>
>
> At 02:01 PM 8/3/2001 -0400, Jennifer Cribbs wrote:
> >Is this serious?
> >
> >I was under the impression that Ada Lovelace invented the binary counting
> >system. I was also under the impression that John Atanasoff came up with
> >the brilliant coding system that expressed everything in terms of two
> >numbers for the methodology of measuring the current or lack of current
in
> >regards to computers way back in the 40's.
> >
> >Before that everyone kept trying to incorporate the base10 system in
> >computers, which was a major headache and unsuccessfull, but that was in
> the
> >vacuum tube days.
> >
> >hmmm. Surely Microsoft doesn't think they can do this..Maybe this is a
> joke
> >however and I am just too d*** serious.
> >
> >Jenn
> >
> >
> >-----Original Message-----
> >From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of
> >Natasha
> >Sent: Friday, August 03, 2001 10:19 AM
> >To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> >Subject: OT: Friday Funnie #2, Couldn't let this one go by!! [7:14809]
> >
> >
> >REDMOND, WA--In what CEO Bill Gates called "an unfortunate but
> >necessary step to protect our intellectual property from theft and
> >exploitation by
> >competitors," the Microsoft Corporation patented the numbers one and
> >zero Monday.
> >
> >With the patent, Microsoft's rivals are prohibited from manufacturing
> >or selling products containing zeroes and ones--the mathematical
> >building blocks of all
> >computer languages and programs--unless a royalty fee of 10 cents per
> >digit used is paid
> >to the software giant.
> >
> >
> >"Microsoft has been using the binary system of ones and zeroes ever
> >since its inception in 1975," Gates told reporters. "For years, in the
> >interest of the
> >overall health of the computer industry, we permitted the free and
> >unfettered use of our proprietary
> >numeric systems. However, changing marketplace conditions and the
> >increasingly
> >predatory practices of certain competitors now leave us with no choice
> >but to seek
> >compensation for the use of our numerals."
> >
> >A number of major Silicon Valley players, including Apple Computer,
> >Netscape and Sun Microsystems, said they will challenge the Microsoft
> >patent as
> >monopolistic and anti-competitive, claiming that the 10-cent-per-digit
> >licensing fee
> >would bankrupt them instantly.
> >
> >"While, technically, Java is a complex system of algorithms used to
> >create a platform-independent programming environment, it is, at its
> >core, just
> >a string of trillions of ones and zeroes," said Sun Microsystems CEO
> >Scott McNealy, whose
> >company created the Java programming environment used in many Internet
> >applications.
> >"The licensing fees we'd have to pay Microsoft every day would be
> >approximately
> >327,000 times the total net worth of this company."
> >
> >"If this patent holds up in federal court, Apple will have no choice
> >but to convert to analog," said Apple interim CEO Steve Jobs, "and I
> >have serious doubts whether
> >this company would be able to remain competitive selling pedal-operated
> >computers
> >running software off vinyl LPs."
> >
> >As a result of the Microsoft patent, many other companies have begun
> >radically revising their product lines: Database manufacturer Oracle has
> >embarked on a
> >crash program to develop "an abacus for the next millennium." Cisco,
> >whose
> >communications and networking systems are also subject to Microsoft
> >licensing fees, is
> >working with top animal trainers on a chimpanzee-based
> >message-transmission system.
> >Hewlett-Packard is developing a revolutionary new steam-powered printer.
> >
> >Despite the swarm of protest, Gates is standing his ground,
> >maintaining that ones and zeroes are the undisputed property of
> >Microsoft.
> >
> >
> >
> >Above: Gates explains the new patent to Apple Computer's board of
> >directors. "We will vigorously enforce our patents of these numbers, as
> >they are
> >legally ours," Gates said. "Among Microsoft's vast historical archives
> >are Sanskrit
> >cuneiform tablets from 1800 B.C. clearly showing ones and a symbol known
> >as 'sunya,' or nothing.
> >We also own: papyrus scrolls written by Pythagoras himself in which he
> >explains the
> >idea of singular notation, or 'one'; early tracts by Mohammed ibn Musa
> >al Kwarizimi
> >explaining the concept of al-sifr, or 'the cipher'; original
> >mathematical manuscripts by
> >Heisenberg, Einstein and Planck; and a signed first-edition copy of
> >Jean-Paul Sartre's Being
> >And Nothingness. Should the need arise, Microsoft will have no
> >difficulty proving to
> >the Justice Department or anyone else that we own the rights to these
> >numbers."
> >
> >Added Gates: "My salary also has lots of zeroes. I'm the richest man
> >in the world."
> >
> >According to experts, the full ramifications of Microsoft's patenting
> >of one and zero have yet to be realized.
> >
> >"Because all integers and natural numbers derive from one and zero,
> >Microsoft may, by extension, lay claim to ownership of all mathematics
> >and logic
> >systems, including Euclidean geometry, pulleys and levers, gravity, and
> >the basic
> >Newtonian principles of motion, as well as the concepts of existence and
> >nonexistence," Yale
> >University theoretical mathematics professor J. Edmund Lattimore said.
> >"In other words,
> >pretty much everything."
> >
> >Lattimore said that the only mathematical constructs of which
> >Microsoft may not be able to claim ownership are infinity and
> >transcendental numbers like pi.
> >Microsoft lawyers are expected to file liens on infinity and pi this
> >week.
> >
> >Microsoft has not yet announced whether it will charge a user fee to
> >individuals who wish to engage in such mathematically rooted motions as
> >walking, stretching
> >and smiling.
> >
> >In an address beamed live to billions of people around the globe
> >Monday, Gates expressed confidence that his company's latest move will,
> >ultimately,
> >benefit all humankind.
> >
> >"Think of this as a partnership," Gates said. "Like the ones and
> >zeroes of the binary code itself, we must all work together to make the
> >promise of the computer
> >revolution a reality.
> >
> >As the world's richest, most powerful software company, Microsoft is
> >number one. And you, the millions of consumers who use our products, are
> >the zeroes."
> >--
> >Natasha Flazynski
> >CCNA, MCSE
> >http://www.ciscobot.com
> >My Cisco information site.
> >http://www.botbuilders.com
> >Artificial Intelligence and Linux development
> >------------------------------------------------
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