Originally Posted by
nachouru
again False;
computer's evolve from electricity not mechanical force... this is just a curiosity, same as that ancient greek computer they found some years ago.
we could be running computers made from mechanical pieces, it wouldnt be so fast or small... but technology could've evolved to that concept. Actually the perfored card programming idea cames from the kneeting machines which used that to alter the patern of the fabric... so guess the programming concept was after all mechanical.
What?
No, a computer is really nothing more than an device that does math. If you want to get technichal you could say that ancient Chinese abacus' were computers.
The engines were not mere curiosity. These were huge, government funded projects, started to streamline buisnes and remove human error from the figuring of very complex mathematics (a function that makes up a bulk of all business computer application today). If I run my computer on a hand pump, it is still a computer. What makes these plans for builds so incredible is that they were dreamt up, in completely working blueprints years before any sort of modern computer came about. It was genius.
Im unclear on what you are arguing here man, are you saying that this isnt a precursor to modern day computers? If so, I am sorry but you're wrong. In fact it is safe to say that this very idea WAS in fact used as a concrete model for computer systems in recent times.
Which brings me back to when you said it was false that the analytical engine would have been capable of doing any math problem. How do you figure? While I don't know the fine inner workings of the machine, this does not seem like an impossible concept at all. Though the mode of delivery would be different, it sounds completely feasible to me.