Colossus & Other Early Computers
Summary
TLDRThis video from explainingcomputers.com explores historic computers at the National Museum of Computing, UK. It features Colossus, the world's first electronic computer, designed to crack German codes during WWII. The video also showcases the Harwell Dekatron, the world's oldest original working digital computer, and the WITCH, used for computation teaching. The museum's collection includes early PCS, thermionic valves, and large hard disk platters, offering a journey through the evolution of computing.
Takeaways
- 🏛️ The National Museum of Computing is located at Bletchley Park, UK, a site historically significant for its role in code-breaking during World War II.
- 💡 Colossus, the world's first electronic computer, was designed by Tommy Flowers and was instrumental in deciphering encrypted German messages.
- 🔄 Colossus used vacuum tube technology, with the Mark 1 version containing 1,600 tubes and Mark 2 approximately 22,000.
- 🔒 Colossus was not a general-purpose computer; it was specifically designed to break the Lorenz cipher used by the German High Command.
- 🔁 The machine operated on a continuous loop of punched paper tape, capable of processing up to 5,000 characters per second.
- 🛠 Colossus was programmed manually, without an operating system or high-level programming languages, reflecting its specialized purpose.
- 🏗️ A fully working replica of the Colossus Mark I, reconstructed between 1994 and 2017, now stands in its original location at Bletchley Park.
- 🧮 The Harwell Dekatron, the world's oldest original working digital computer, was used for automating mathematical work and emphasized reliability over speed.
- 🔄 The Harwell Dekatron, also known as WITCH, used 828 Dekatron counting tubes for program and data storage and was operational from 1951 to 1973.
- 🛠️ The EDSAC, an early British computer, is being rebuilt at the museum; it was one of the first general-purpose computers and was operational from 1949 to 1958.
- 🏭 The ICL 2966 Mainframe, a large system used by the Tarmac Construction Company until 1999, is also exhibited at the museum, showcasing the progression of computing technology.
Q & A
What is the National Museum of Computing, and where is it located?
-The National Museum of Computing is located at Bletchley Park in the United Kingdom, a site famous for its World War II code-breaking activities. The museum showcases many historical computers and is a key place for computing history.
What was the Colossus computer, and what was its significance during World War II?
-Colossus was the world's first electronic computer, designed by Tommy Flowers and used during World War II for code-breaking. It was specifically used to help decipher encrypted German high command messages by determining the settings of the Lorenz encryption machine.
How was the Colossus computer programmed?
-Colossus was programmed manually by setting switches and plugs on its panels. It had no operating system or high-level programming languages, making it only capable of running the specific applications it was built for, with configurations selected through the switches.
What technology did the Colossus computer use?
-Colossus was based on vacuum tube (thermionic valve) technology, with the Mark 1 version having 1,600 vacuum tubes and the Mark 2 version increasing that to 2,200. These components were delicate and needed to remain powered on to prevent them from failing.
What type of input and output system did the Colossus use?
-The Colossus computer was fed data through a continuous loop of punched paper tape that circulated around the machine. It could read up to 5,000 characters per second. Its output was directed to an electric typewriter rather than a monitor or display.
What is significant about the Harwell Dekatron computer?
-The Harwell Dekatron is the world's oldest original working digital computer. It was built to automate mathematical tasks and prioritized simplicity and reliability. It used 828 Dekatron counting tubes for program and data storage and operated from 1951 until 1973.
What was the purpose of the Harwell Dekatron, and how did it compare to human performance?
-The Harwell Dekatron was built to automate mathematical tasks. It was not much faster than a skilled human mathematician, but it could work for long periods without getting tired, offering reliability over speed.
What is EDSAC, and why is it important?
-EDSAC (Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Calculator) was one of the first computers designed for general use by people who did not build it. It ran its first program in 1949 and was essential in scientific research, with some Cambridge scientists even winning Nobel Prizes for work that relied on EDSAC calculations.
What is the ICL 2966 Mainframe, and when was it built?
-The ICL 2966 Mainframe was constructed between 1985 and 1987 by International Computers Limited (ICL), a major British computing company. It was used until 1999 by the Tarmac Construction Company and was decommissioned due to concerns over the Y2K problem.
What are some of the other exhibits at the National Museum of Computing?
-In addition to Colossus, EDSAC, and the Harwell Dekatron, the museum features other large computing systems, thermionic valves, early hard disk platters, and early personal computers. These exhibits showcase the history and development of computing technology.
Outlines
💻 A Look at Historic Computers at Bletchley Park
The video begins by introducing the National Museum of Computing at Bletchley Park in the UK, a former World War II codebreaking facility. One of the highlights is Colossus, the world’s first electronic computer, built by Tommy Flowers in 1944. Colossus helped break German high-command messages using the Lorenz cipher machine. Although programmable, Colossus is not a general-purpose computer and lacks modern features like RAM. It operates using vacuum tubes and punched paper tape, processing up to 5,000 characters per second.
🖥️ Colossus: Rebuilding the Legendary Codebreaker
The video continues by explaining how the Colossus machine works, including its vacuum tube-based technology and paper tape input. It describes how Colossus is programmed via manual switches and plugs, lacking any high-level programming languages or operating system. The specific machine in the video is a rebuild of Colossus Mark I, completed in 2017 at the same location in Bletchley Park, led by Tony Sale. The narrator emphasizes how impressive the recreation is, both in terms of its mechanical design and historical significance.
🔢 Harwell Dekatron: The Oldest Working Digital Computer
Attention is then shifted to the Harwell Dekatron, the world’s oldest original working digital computer, built in the early 1950s at the UK’s Atomic Energy Research Establishment in Harwell. Also known as the 'WITCH' (Wolverhampton Instrument for Teaching Computation), it was used for mathematical calculations and prioritized reliability over speed. Although not faster than a human mathematician, the machine could work tirelessly. Its restoration was completed in 2012, making it a significant piece of computing history, reflecting the origins of automation.
🏗️ EDSAC: Rebuilding a Giant from 1949
The video then discusses the ongoing reconstruction of EDSAC (Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Calculator), which is expected to be completed in 2018. EDSAC, originally built in 1949, is one of the first computers built for general use, with a vast valve-based architecture. Its significance lies in being the first computer available for use by scientists and engineers who didn’t build it. It played a pivotal role in early scientific computing, even contributing to Nobel Prize-winning research. The new replica will weigh around 2 tons and house approximately 1,000 words of memory.
🏢 ICL 2966: A Massive 1980s Mainframe
The ICL 2966 Mainframe, one of the largest systems in the museum, is showcased next. Built in the 1980s by International Computers Limited (ICL), this British computing company was significant in its era. The system includes 33 cabinets, 5 for the processor and 20 for hard drives, offering storage ranging from 80MB to 200MB. This machine was used by the Tarmac Construction Company until it was decommissioned in 1999 due to concerns over the Y2K bug. The sheer size and complexity of this system serve as a reminder of the monumental scale of early computers.
📺 Reflecting on the Early Era of Computing
The final segment emphasizes the museum's importance in preserving the history of computing. It showcases early machines like Colossus, EDSAC, and the WITCH, alongside the ICL 2966 Mainframe. The video concludes by mentioning that the museum also houses other exhibits, such as early PCs, thermionic valves, and large hard disk platters. The narrator hints at covering these fascinating items in a future video and encourages viewers to subscribe for more insights into the development of early computers.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Colossus
💡Bletchley Park
💡Harwell Dekatron
💡EDSAC
💡Vacuum Tube Technology
💡Code-breaking
💡ICL 2966 Mainframe
💡Punch Tape
💡National Museum of Computing
💡Artificial Intelligence
Highlights
Introduction to the National Museum of Computing at Bletchley Park, UK.
Colossus, the world's first electronic computer, designed by Tommy Flowers.
Colossus Mark 1 entered service in February 1944, with Mark 2 following in June 1944.
Ten Colossus computers were used by code breakers at Bletchley Park by the end of WWII.
Colossus was specifically designed to decipher encrypted German High Command messages.
Colossus utilized vacuum tube technology with Mark 1 having 1,600 tubes and Mark 2 around 22,000.
Colossus had no RAM, relying on a continuous loop of punched paper tape for data input.
Colossus could process up to 5,000 characters per second.
Programming Colossus involved manual setting of switches and plugs, without an operating system.
Final output from Colossus was directed to an electric typewriter.
The Harwell Dekatron, the world's oldest original working digital computer, is featured.
The Harwell Dekatron used 828 Dekatron counting tubes for program and data storage.
The machine was designed for simplicity, reliability, and attended operation.
The Harwell Dekatron was used for automating mathematical work and was operational until 1973.
The EDSAC, an electronic delay storage automatic calculator, is being rebuilt at the museum.
The original EDSAC was designed in 1947 and was operational until 1958.
The ICL 2966 Mainframe, constructed between 1985 and 1987, is showcased.
The ICL 2966 was used by the Tarmac Construction Company until decommissioned due to Y2K concerns.
The National Museum of Computing provides a reminder of the early days of computing.
The museum also features early PCs, thermionic valves, and large hard disk platters.
Transcripts
[Music]
welcome to another video from explaining
computers.com this time we're going to
look at some amazing historic computers
at the national museum of
computing this is located at Bletchley
Park in United Kingdom which during
World War II was a top secret Co
breaking
[Applause]
facility here we have Colossus the
world's first electronic
computer the machine was designed and
built by a man called Tommy flowers with
a prototype Marked One Colossus entering
service in February
1944 a mark 2 Colossus was then
developed with the first of these put
into operation in June 1944
in total by the end of the war 10
Colossus computers were being used by
the code Breakers at Bletchley
[Applause]
Park while Colossus is programmable it's
not a general purpose computer rather it
was developed solely to help decipher
encrypted German High command
messages specifically Colossus was used
to determine the settings of the Len
encryption machine that the Germans use
to scramble each secret communication
as you can see Colossus is based on
vacuum tube or thermic valve technology
with a Mark 1 machine having about 1,600
vacuum tubes and the mark 2 about
22,000 to prevent these notoriously
delicate components from blowing it's
important that they're never turned
off Colossus has no Ram or other form of
electronic or magnetic memory instead
it's fed from a continuous loop of
punched paper tape that circulates
around this bedstead at the end of the
machine a paper tape can contain up to
25,000 5bit characters and travels at up
to 27
mph amazingly the whole thing holds
together and allows Colossus to process
up to 5,000 characters a
second Colossus is programmed by
manually setting the positions of the
rows of switches and plugs that we see
on several of its panels so unlike a
modern computer Colossus has no
operating system and cannot run
highlevel programming languages because
it's not a general purpose computer
Colossus also only runs the specific
application for which it was built with
its switches and plugs being used to
select desired algorithms and other
programmable
parameters while Colossus has lights to
indicate operation it does not have a
monitor star display rather final output
is directed to this electric
typewriter the specific Hardware we're
looking at here is a rebuild of a
Colossus Mark I constructed by a team
led by Tony sail between 1994 and
2017 this fully working computer now
stands in exactly the same location in
Bletchley Park as the original Colossus
9 it really is an amazing machine to
behold and a recreation that makes you
appreciate the extra ordinary
achievements of computing's early
Pioneers the noise it makes is also
hypnotic and you can almost feel the
mechanical pulse of Colossus resonating
out from the past and deep into our
Computing
[Applause]
future while the coloss computer we were
just looking at is a reconstruction here
we have the world's oldest original
working digital
computer when it was first built it was
known as the Harwell decatron as it was
made at the atomic energy research
establishment in Harwell and used 828
decatron counting tubes for program and
data
storage this enormous machine was built
to automate tus mathematical work its
design also prioritized Simplicity
reliability and attended operation over
pure computational speed in practice
this resulted in a computer that's not
much faster than a skilled mathematician
and Performing calculations but which
does not get tired and which can work
relentlessly for long periods as we look
ahead to the 2020s and the mass
automation of many jobs by artificial
intelligence it's interesting to reflect
that this is where the trend for mental
automation
started the Harwell decatron first ran
in 1951 enter service in 1952 and was
used in Harwell until
1957 it was then offered as a prize in a
competition and won by an educational
establishment in wolver
Hampton here it became known as the
witch or wolver Hampton instrument for
teaching computation from Harwell and
remained in use until
1973 having been disassembled and kept
in storage in 2009 the machine was
delivered to the national museum of
computing for restoration where it was
first re booted in November
2012 to add to their collection the
national museum of computing is
rebuilding a working replica of the
edsac or electronic delay storage
automatic
calculator this is due to be completed
in Spring 2018 but is already very large
and very impressive as somebody working
on the project told me this is a
computer where you can walk inside the
CPU the final reconstructed edsac will
have about 140 shelves of valve based
Electronics supported across 12 racks
and will weigh about 2 tons with about
1,000 words or roughly 3 kiloby of
memory the machine will be able to
process about 650 instructions a
second the original edsac was designed
in 1947 and run its first program in May
1949 at its home in the Cambridge
University mathematical laboratory the
machine is important because it was the
first computer constructed for General
use by people who had not built it edsac
remained in operation until July 1958
and across its 9 years of service proved
invaluable to many Cambridge scientists
and Engineers three of these even won a
Nobel Prize for work that depended on
EXA calculations
bringing us closer to the present day
this is an ICL 2966 Mainframe and so is
this and so is this this quite enormous
machine fills a significant proportion
of the Museum's large systems gallery
and was constructed somewhere between
1985 and
1987 its manufacturer was ICL or
International computers limited which
between 1968 and 2002 was a very large
British Computing company
of the 33 cabinets on display five house
the processor while 20 are exchangeable
hard drives that provide the machine
with its storage the plastic containers
you can see on top of several units are
used to hold discs removed from the
drives the large containers house
platters providing 200 megab of storage
while the smaller ones contain 80
megab the ICL 2966 machine was used by
the tarmac Construction Company until
1999 when it was finally decommissioned
because it was expected to fail as a
result of the Y2K problem or millennium
bug for anybody with an interesting
Computing the national museum of
computing is an amazing place to visit
in the modern world it's far too easy to
forget how different early computers
were from the computers we enjoy today
and this place provides a powerful
reminder are the very beginnings of
computing now in addition to other large
systems we see here things like the
Colossus and the edsac and the witch and
this extraordinar large ICL Mainframe
the Museum's also got lots of other
exhibits it's got these amazing
thermionic valves it's got these
extraordinary large hard dis platters
that you probably spotted earlier and
it's also got lots of early PCS so in
fact I'm going to cover them separately
in another
video but now that's it for this time
time if you've enjoyed this video please
press that like button if you haven't
subscribed Please Subscribe and I hope
to talk to you again very soon
[Music]
関連動画をさらに表示
OS COMPUTADORES HERÓIS da Segunda Guerra Mundial #SagaDosComputadores Ep. 3
Os COMPUTADORES eram PESSOAS! #SagaDosComputadores Ep.1
Saylor.org BUS206: Dr. Davd Bourgeois' "The Hardware Component"
History of Computers part 1 BBC Documentary.mp4
The history of the computer from the beginning to the present
Who is Konrad Zuse? Meet the Man Behind the Programmable Computer and Plankalkül
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)