calmkate

computing

On 15 February 1946, ENIAC, the first electronic general-purpose computer, was formally dedicated at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

Weight: About 30 tons.Footprint: About 1,500 square feet.

Storage: Twenty 10 digit numbers.

Computing capability: Originally designed for computing ballistic tables (ENIAC was not originally a general purpose computer but changes allowed for other computations, although programming was *very* difficult).

Programming time: Typically multiple days per program since you had to rewire a patch panel each time you wanted to change the program. The patch panel was the actual instruction store.

Logic elements: 17,500 vacuum tubes, 6,000 switches, 1,500 relays.

Computing rate: Up to 5,000 additions per second.

Power requirements: About 175,000W, (a smart phone usually requires 5W or less).

Cost: About $400,000 (in 1946 dollars – about $5.7million in today’s money).

Mine cost a bit less and is a tad more portable … grateful for progress!
PS used this net pic before but it seems appropriate!

24 comments

  6. My first computer took up the entire corner of the room and was heavy. Today I have a laptop and a smartphone, much lighter computers. Thank you for reminding me how technology is moving forward.
    Best wishes

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  9. It’s didn’t make it into the shop shelves I imagine. 😉
    The phone in our pockets are more powerful than the supercomuters of the 80’s used to predict weather. It’s incredible isn’t it?

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    • Not necessarily, there’s ethical and technical issues with that. Most of us have our own microchip in our hands anyways.
      I think that quantum computing is next with artificial intelligence as well. What that will bring I have no idea…

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      • Nope, that’s not going to happen for a while I don’t think and besides they can’t just put it in you and hope it works.
        I know and that’s the media, the reality is that there’s exciting possibilities to come from it.

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  11. This is so interesting and amazing!
    Back in the Dark Ages, when I was a little girl, we got to visit a city’s phone company and the computer system than ran the phone company/phones, etc. filled a HUGE room.
    And now we carry a computer in our pockets. 🙂
    HUGS!!! 🙂

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  12. It still astounds that we went from that behemoth to a device you can hold in your hand and slip into your pocket in about 60 years. Technology is wonderful and terrible at the same time!

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    • Well I am old though, not that old. When I studied there was no Internet, no email. That all happened a few years after. So I have been learning too. I don’t know much about the Internet. I know more about business systems. And my skill other than that are all self taught. Lol

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