I define Den Computing as having a computing device of manageable physical size mounted on or tucked under a table in a small place. The title, Den Computing, was chosen to dramatize the evolution of computers from the early "Tally Sticks", which were dark brown length of bone with a series of tally marks carved in three columns running the length of the tool, to the modern digital computing machines with their stunning capabilities and speeds.
Den Computing would have been a Science fiction story few decades ago. Even back in the fifties and sixties, computers were stone-age machines by today's standards. They computed but with limited capabilities, occupied inordinate floor space, consumed massive amounts of power, had gigantic price tag, and were as reliable as New England's weather.
The Abacus, invented in Babylon around 2400 BC, is the earliest actual computation tool known. It was an arrangement of lines drawn in the sand, with a systematic set of pebbles that can be displaced. Many centuries later, namely in the 2nd century BC, ancient Chinese invented a more sophisticated "Abacus" device known as the "Chinese Abacus". That may have been the first computing device of a manageable size to fit in small space and be suitable for den computing.
Mechanical analog computing devices appeared several centuries later in the medieval Islamic world. The earliest known mechanical analog computer was the "Antikythera Mechanism" discovered in 1901. It is believed to have been designed to calculate astronomical positions.
The ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer)[was the first general-purpose electronic computer, announced in 1946. It was designed specifically to calculate artillery firing tables for the United states Army's Ballistic research Laboratory. It represented a significant technological leap, as it was more powerful and vastly faster than all earlier electromechanical devices.
The first commercial Digital computer produced in the United States was UNIVAC I (UNIVersal Automatic Computer I), It was designed by J. Presper Eckert and John Mauchly, the same team who in 1946 had developed the Analog computer ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer) for calculating artillery firing tables for the United states Army's Ballistic research Laboratory. The power of the new Digital computer was highlighted, when in 1952 CBS used a UNIVAC I machine to predict the results of the presidential elections. It correctly predicted that Dwight Eisenhower would win with a sample of only 1% of the voting population.
Unlike modern digital computers however, UNIVAC was hardly a machine suitable for Den Computing. It required a floor space no less than 400 square feet, weighed 29,000 pounds, consumed 125 kW of power, and ran at a clock frequency of 2.25 MHz By contrast, a modern laptop computer can run a clock frequency 1000 times faster, consume 5000 times less power, and weigh near 5,000 times less. That is Den Computing.
I define Den Computing as having a computing device of manageable physical size mounted on or tucked under a table in a small place. The title, Den Computing, was chosen to dramatize the evolution of computers from the early "Tally Sticks", which were dark brown length of bone with a series of tally marks carved in three columns running the length of the tool, to the modern digital computing machines with their stunning capabilities,speeds and reduced size.
Den Computing would have been a Science fiction story few decades ago. Even back in the fifties and sixties, computers were stone-age machines by today's standards. They computed but with limited capabilities, occupied inordinate floor space, consumed massive amounts of power, had gigantic price tag, and were as reliable as New England's weather.
The Abacus, invented in Babylon around 2400 BC, is the earliest actual computation tool known. It was an arrangement of lines drawn in the sand, with a systematic set of pebbles that can be displaced. Many centuries later, namely in the 2nd century BC, ancient Chinese invented a more sophisticated "Abacus" device known as the "Chinese Abacus" which can be still found in certain locations. That may have been the first computing device of a manageable size to fit in small space and be suitable for den computing.
Mechanical analog computing devices appeared in various forms and configurations several centuries later in the medieval Islamic world. The earliest known mechanical analog computer was the "Antikythera Mechanism" discovered in 1901. It is believed to have been designed to calculate astronomical positions.
The ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer) was the first general-purpose electronic computer, announced in 1946. It was designed specifically to calculate artillery firing tables for the United states Army's Ballistic Research Laboratory. It represented a significant technological leap, as it was more powerful and vastly faster than all earlier electromechanical devices.
The first commercial Digital computer produced in the United States was UNIVAC I (UNIVersal Automatic Computer I). It was designed by J. Presper Eckert and John Mauchly, the same team who in 1946 had developed the Analog computer ENIAC The power of the new Digital computer was highlighted, when in 1952 CBS used a UNIVAC I machine to predict the results of the presidential elections. It correctly predicted that Dwight Eisenhower would win with a sample of only 1% of the voting population.
Unlike modern digital computers however, UNIVAC was hardly a machine suitable for Den Computing. It required a floor space no less than 400 square feet, weighed 29,000 pounds, consumed 125 kW of power, and ran at a clock frequency of 2.25 MHz By contrast, a modern laptop computer can run a clock frequency 1000 times faster, consume 5000 times less power, and weigh near 5,000 times less. That is Den Computing.
Bertrand is a professional with more than 35 years of Engineering and management experience in the Electronics industry. He received his education in Liberal Arts, Science, Engineering and Operations research in French and Ivy League American Universities. He is a lecturer on engineering subjects, a technical writer and Editor, a researcher and a strong advocate of Human Engineering and Engineering Ethics,
Bertrand resides in Connecticut with his wife Ping. Together they enjoy the peacefulness of rural life, fine dining and travel.
Web: http://www.dencomputing.com/|
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