The world's oldest intact computer is turning 60 in Victoria.

[Don McKenzie]

The world's oldest intact computer is turning 60 in Victoria.

The CSIRAC - Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research
organisation Automatic Computer - is housed in the state's museum and
has today been granted heritage listing as part of its birthday
celebrations.

It is the first computer ever to be made in Australia; the fourth
computer ever to be made in the world; and the only first generation
computer that remains intact.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/11/25/2752781.htm

Cheers Don...



--
Don McKenzie

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[Don McKenzie]

The world's oldest intact computer is turning 60 in Victoria.

just adding to that, if you would like to read the full story, it has a
good writeup with pictures at:
http://museumvictoria.com.au/csirac/


Cheers Don...



--
Don McKenzie

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[me here]

just adding to that, if you would like to read the full story, it has a good writeup with pictures at:
http://museumvictoria.com.au/csirac/


Cheers Don...

Thanks for that post.

Great article.

Takes you back to when things weren't quite so simple, and paper tape and card punch were king.

Rob

--

 

[son of a bitch]

The world's oldest intact computer is turning 60 in Victoria.

The CSIRAC - Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research
organisation Automatic Computer - is housed in the state's museum and
has today been granted heritage listing as part of its birthday
celebrations.

It is the first computer ever to be made in Australia; the fourth
computer ever to be made in the world; and the only first generation
computer that remains intact.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/11/25/2752781.htm

Cheers Don...

When you see a Vintage Car people go wow, isn't that amazing.
When you see a Vintage Computer people usually just Laugh or Snicker.

Why is that?

 

[Mike Warren]

It is the first computer ever to be made in Australia; the fourth computer
ever to be made in the world; and the only first generation computer that
remains intact.

I suppose it would need a memory upgrade to run Quake.

 

[Mr.T]

The world's oldest intact computer is turning 60 in Victoria.

That should be "oldest intact electronic digital computer" I believe.

MrT.

 

[Bob Larter]

The world's oldest intact computer is turning 60 in Victoria.

The CSIRAC - Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research
organisation Automatic Computer - is housed in the state's museum and
has today been granted heritage listing as part of its birthday
celebrations.

It is the first computer ever to be made in Australia; the fourth
computer ever to be made in the world; and the only first generation
computer that remains intact.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/11/25/2752781.htm

Interesting story, but it's a pity that the article is so cringe-worthy.
Comparing CSIRAC to an ipod, for ****'s sake?

 

[Don McKenzie]

Interesting story, but it's a pity that the article is so cringe-worthy.
Comparing CSIRAC to an ipod

I thought the same thing when I read the headline.

Some pimply faced editors idea of what he thinks people want to read, in
this day and age.

Cheers Don...



--
Don McKenzie

Site Map: http://www.dontronics.com/sitemap
E-Mail Contact Page: http://www.dontronics.com/email
Web Camera Page: http://www.dontronics.com/webcam
No More Damn Spam: http://www.dontronics.com/spam

5% to 15% OFF all 4DSystems OLED Displays & modules.
http://www.dontronics-shop.com/4dsystems-m1.html

 

[Bob Larter]

I thought the same thing when I read the headline.

Some pimply faced editors idea of what he thinks people want to read, in
this day and age.

Yeah, that'd be my guess too. Sad, really.

 

[keithr]

The world's oldest intact computer is turning 60 in Victoria.

The CSIRAC - Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research
organisation Automatic Computer - is housed in the state's museum and
has today been granted heritage listing as part of its birthday
celebrations.

It is the first computer ever to be made in Australia; the fourth
computer ever to be made in the world; and the only first generation
computer that remains intact.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/11/25/2752781.htm

Cheers Don...

Here is a storage system to go with it.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/11/27/tob_ibm_1360/

 

[Sylvia Else]

Might be a close run thing.

http://www.teleread.org/2009/09/03/worlds-oldest-functioning-computer-to-be-restarted/

I really can't see the point in spending money on returning these things
to working status - particuarly as keeping them like that would likely
have significant ongoing costs - as it did when they were new.

They're not doubt not the same as vintage aircraft in terms of the risks
of operating them, but surely occasionally these things went up in
flames. It seems a shame to risk a historical relic for the sake of
playing noughts and crosses, or something like that.

Sylvia.

 

[terryc]

I really can't see the point in spending money on returning these things
to working status - particuarly as keeping them like that would likely
have significant ongoing costs - as it did when they were new.

There are very significant skills and knowledge to be learnt from the
practical examination of working machine such as these. If we do not have
them around, then we are very likely to reinvent the wheel all over again.

 

[Rod Speed]

Sylvia Else wrote

ian field wrote

I really can't see the point in spending money on returning these things to working status - particuarly as keeping
them like that would likely have significant ongoing costs - as it did when they were new.

They're not doubt not the same as vintage aircraft in terms of the risks of operating them, but surely occasionally
these things went up in flames.

Nope, and thats trivial to avoid anyway.

It seems a shame to risk a historical relic for the sake of playing noughts and crosses, or something like that.

There's no risk whatever.

 

[Rod Speed]

terryc wrote

Sylvia Else wrote

There are very significant skills and knowledge to be learnt from
the practical examination of working machine such as these.
Nope.

If we do not have them around, then we are very likely to reinvent the wheel all over again.

Nope, the world's moved on so dramatically since then.

And you dont need working examples of them for that anyway, just document how they work etc.

 

[terryc]

And you dont need working examples of them for that anyway, just
document how they work etc.

Hahahahaha says the great google meister.

 

[Dr. Sir John Howard, AC, WSCMoF]

The Yanks keep claiming they invented the computer, we like to point out
from time to time they didn't.

And who is "we"?

--

- KRudd at his finest.

"The Labour Party is corrupt beyond redemption!"
- Labour hasbeen Mark Latham in a moment of honest clarity.

"This is the recession we had to have!"
- Paul Keating explaining why he gave Australia another Labour recession.

"Silly old bugger!"
- Well known ACTU pisspot and sometime Labour prime minister Bob Hawke
responding to a pensioner who dared ask for more.

"By 1990, no child will live in poverty"
- Bob Hawke again, desperate to win another election.

"A billion trees ..."
- Borke, pissed as a newt again.

"Well may we say 'God save the Queen' because nothing will save the governor
general!"
- Egotistical shithead and pompous fuckwit E.G. Whitlam whining about his
appointee for Governor General John Kerr.

"SHUT THE **** UP YOU DUMB ****!"
- FlangesBum on learning the truth about Labour's economic capabilities.

"I don't care what you fuckers think!"
- KRudd the KRude Rat at his finest again.

"We'll just change it all when we get in."
- Garrett the carrott

 

[Sylvia Else]

The Yanks keep claiming they invented the computer, we like to point out
from time to time they didn't.

No harm in that, but surely pointing to the historical record would be
sufficient. Indeed, I don't see what restoring an old computer to
working condition actually achieves in that respect.

Sylvia.

 

[Rod Speed]

No harm in that, but surely pointing to the historical record would be sufficient. Indeed, I don't see what restoring
an old computer to working condition actually achieves in that respect.

Makes it a lot harder for ignorant fools to ignore the evidence.

Whether they matter a damn is a separate matter entirely.

 

[Rod Speed]

terryc wrote

Rod Speed wrote

Hahahahaha says the great google meister.

Even you should be able to bullshit your way out of your
predicament a LOT better than that pathetic effort.

Obviously not.

 

[terryc]

Even you should be able to bullshit your way out of your predicament a
LOT better than that pathetic effort.

Thank you for bowing once again to my superiority. You are definite a
poor pathetic figure.