Memoirs of a computer pioneer
A history of computing technology
A history of computing technology
IBM's early computers
IEEE Annals of the History of Computing
A Historical Overview of Computer Architecture
IEEE Annals of the History of Computing
From Gamma 2 to Gamma E.T.: The Birth of Electronic Computing at Bull
IEEE Annals of the History of Computing - Special issue on the history of computing in France—machines
ICL: a business and technical history
ICL: a business and technical history
The Los Alamos experience, 1943–1954
A history of scientific computing
The Computer Bulletin
John von Neumann and the origins of modern computing
John von Neumann and the origins of modern computing
Computing before computers
IEEE Annals of the History of Computing
Howard Aiken: portrait of a computer pioneer
Howard Aiken: portrait of a computer pioneer
Von Neumann's First Computer Program
ACM Computing Surveys (CSUR)
On the design of display processors
Communications of the ACM
Beyond the Limits: Flight Enters the Computer Age
Beyond the Limits: Flight Enters the Computer Age
Introduction to Computer Literacy
Introduction to Computer Literacy
From Dits to Bits: A Personal History of the Electronic Computer
From Dits to Bits: A Personal History of the Electronic Computer
The Computer from Pascal to Von Neumann
The Computer from Pascal to Von Neumann
The Origins of Digital Computers: Selected Papers
The Origins of Digital Computers: Selected Papers
Project Whirlwind; The History of a Pioneer Computer
Project Whirlwind; The History of a Pioneer Computer
The History of Computing in the History of Technology
IEEE Annals of the History of Computing
First Draft of a Report on the EDVAC
IEEE Annals of the History of Computing
Special Feature: Epigrams on programming
ACM SIGPLAN Notices
Planning a computer system: Project Stretch
Planning a computer system: Project Stretch
IEEE Annals of the History of Computing
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The rapid advance of computing technology since the 1940s has created an impression that all that happened in computing before then was somehow mere prologue to the real history. According to this popular notion, the computer age began with the invention of machines that computed at electronic speeds, that were capable of automatic sequence control with conditional branching, and that stored their programs internally. The classification of computing into “generations” with the “first” generation being those with vacuum tubes further reinforces this notion. The paper looks at some examples of machines built in the 1930s and 1940s that straddle both ages: machines that had some sort of sequence control, partially electronic counting circuits, or primitive branching capabilities. In particular, the author examines a few systems that reveal especially well the nature of this transition: the ensembles of punched card equipment used by L.J. Comrie (1932) and W. Eckert (1984) for scientific instead of business use; the “Aberdeen Relay Calculator” that IBM built for the US Army; and the “Card Programmed Calculator” that Northrop Aircraft invented for engineering applications that IBM later marketed