Babbage, A Look Back

A reader writes "System Toolbox just started a new computer history section in an effort to get us geeks in touch with our "roots." The current article in the monthly column focuses on Charles Babbage. The editor and author hope to raise awareness of our past so that scenes like this won't continue to take place. A big hill to climb, but worth the effort."

Good Historical Overview

[mikey_boy]

I found Computer: A History of the Information Machine [fatbrain.com], by Martin Campbell-Kelly and William Aspray gave a good overview of the history of computing ... not too detailed but gives enough to lead you to know what you want to find out more about ...

Quote by Ken Thompson:

[Futurepower(tm)]

The quote by Ken Thompson at the bottom of the article referenced in the Slashdot story is from a very interesting speech, Reflections on Trusting Trust [acm.org].

Here is the quote:

"I have watched kids testifying before Congress. It is clear that they are completely unaware of the seriousness of their acts. There is obviously a cultural gap. The act of breaking into a computer system has to have the same social stigma as breaking into a neighbor's house. It should not matter that the neighbor's door is unlocked. The press must learn that misguided use of a computer is no more amazing than drunk driving of an automobile."


What should be the Response to Violence? [hevanet.com]

Re:wasn't it because of babbage...

[wfaulk]

In my OED, the first reference listed (which is supposed to be the earliest available printed example) for the usage of ``computer'' as a device rather than a person is from the January 22, 1898 issue of Engineering:

This was ... a computer made by Mr. W. Cox. He described it as of the nature of a circular slide rule.

Babbage had died 27 years prior.

Don't think so...

[HiQ]

In the sciencemuseum in Londen they built Difference engine no.2. See Babbage at the science museum [sciencemuseum.org.uk]

Re:Isaac Newton or Cave Man

[poemofatic]

I think the context of that quote was that Hooke objected to Newton not giving him proper credit for "Hooke's Law" --that the restoring force of a spring is proportional to its displacement from equilibrium. Newton then did some research and found about 20 other guys who also "discovered" this rather obvious observation, and cited all of them, placing Hooke's name last on the list. Then he fired off this quote. So the real message is more of a flame of Hooke, yet most people consider it some great admission of humility.

Reading List

[luckykaa]

I'd suggest "The Cogwheel Brain" By Doron Swade (ISBN: 0 316 64847 7 ) for a very good history of the Difference Engine, as well as an account of the the Science Museum (London) building a replica.

For some nice hacker (i.e. cracker and phreaker) history, I'd suggest Approaching Zero by Brian Clough and Paul Mungo.

Re:Isaac Newton or Cave Man

[pmc]

Newton said "If I have seen further it is because I stand on the shoulders of giants". Taken out of context it seems like a noble thing to say, but it was actually intended as an insult to Robert Hooke his contemporary and hated rival, who was very short and by all accounts sensitive about the fact.

Nope - this is (probably) a fallacy. See this [newton.org.uk] for the details.

Re:Isaac Newton or Cave Man

[dgroskind]

So the real message is more of a flame of Hooke, yet most people consider it some great admission of humility.

In case you missed it, I must refer you to another post [slashdot.org] by pmc in this thread that points to an very interesting article [newton.org.uk] that refutes your conclusion fairly decisively.

Re:It's a matter of size.

[Anonymous Coward]

The atom is larger. Physically. The electron will have a larger field size, though, unless the atom is not in a ground state. In reality, since electrons have to travel along a chain of atoms anyway, why not just move the chain, and not have to worry about those nasty interacting fields? It's cleaner to do it mechanically.