Analytical Engine - Revision history

Jnc: punctuation

2024-12-01T14:47:21Z

punctuation

Jnc: /* Further reading */ Improve annotations

2024-03-10T10:41:18Z

‎Further reading: Improve annotations

Jnc: Stubby, but a home for URLs

2024-03-10T00:27:58Z

Stubby, but a home for URLs

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The '''Analytical Engine''', proposed and extensively prototyped, but never competed, by [[Charles Babbage]] was an advanced [[computing device]], the first [[program]]mable (and thus ''necessarily'' general-purpose) computing device ever. It was entirely [[digital]], but all mechanical; prototyping began in the 1860's. Its program was fixed, and stored on [[punched card]]s.

==Further reading==

* L. F. Menabrea, [https://psychclassics.yorku.ca/Lovelace/menabrea.htm ''Sketch of the Analytical Engine invented by Charles Babbage, Esq.''] - not the most comprehensible description, by very famous, in part because of the following 'Notes'
** Augusta Ada Byron King, Countess of Lovelace, [https://psychclassics.yorku.ca/Lovelace/lovelace.htm ''Notes by the Translator''] - extensive (over twice the length of the original!) technical notes to the above by Lady Ada

* [https://repository.ou.edu/uuid/6235e086-c11a-56f6-b50d-1b1f5aaa3f5e#page/1/mode/2up ''Sketch of the Analytical Engine invented by Charles Babbage, Esq.''] - scan of the original 1843 publication
* Philip and Emily Morrison, ''Charles Babbage and his Calculating Engines'', Dover Publications, New York, 1961
* Bruce Collier, [http://robroy.dyndns.info/collier/ ''The Little Engines that Could've: The Calculating Machines of Charles Babbage''], Harvard University, Cambridge, 1970 - includes a good description of the machines

==External links==

* [https://blog.plan28.org/ Plan 28 Blog] - a group of people, led by Doron Swade, planning to build an Analytical Engine

[[Category: Early Computing Devices]]
[[Category: Early Computers]]
[[Category: Unique Computers]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:47, 1 December 2024
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−	The '''Analytical Engine''', proposed and extensively prototyped, but never competed, by [[Charles Babbage]] was an advanced [[computing device]], the first [[program]]mable (and thus ''necessarily'' general-purpose) computing device ever. It was entirely [[digital]], but all mechanical; prototyping began in the 1860's. Its program was fixed, and stored on [[punched card]]s.	+	The '''Analytical Engine''', proposed and extensively prototyped, but never competed, by [[Charles Babbage]], was an advanced [[computing device]], the first [[program]]mable (and thus ''necessarily'' general-purpose) computing device ever. It was entirely [[digital]], but all mechanical; prototyping began in the 1860's. Its program was fixed, and stored on [[punched card]]s.

	==Further reading==		==Further reading==

@@ Line 3: / Line 3: @@
 ==Further reading==
-* L. F. Menabrea, [https://psychclassics.yorku.ca/Lovelace/menabrea.htm ''Sketch of the Analytical Engine invented by Charles Babbage, Esq.''] - not the most comprehensible description, by very famous, in part because of the following 'Notes'
+* L. F. Menabrea, [https://psychclassics.yorku.ca/Lovelace/menabrea.htm ''Sketch of the Analytical Engine invented by Charles Babbage, Esq.''] - not the most comprehensible description, but the only record of Babbage's only attempt to publicly describe the high-level goals of the Analytical Engine work; very famous, in part because of the following 'Notes'
-** Augusta Ada Byron King, Countess of Lovelace, [https://psychclassics.yorku.ca/Lovelace/lovelace.htm ''Notes by the Translator''] - extensive (over twice the length of the original!) technical notes to the above by Lady Ada
+** Augusta Ada Byron King, Countess of Lovelace, [https://psychclassics.yorku.ca/Lovelace/lovelace.htm ''Notes by the Translator''] - extensive (over twice the length of the original!) technical notes to the above by Lady Ada, based on her private discussions with Babbage
 <!-- https://www.fourmilab.ch/babbage/sketch.html - another transcription -->
 * [https://repository.ou.edu/uuid/6235e086-c11a-56f6-b50d-1b1f5aaa3f5e#page/1/mode/2up ''Sketch of the Analytical Engine invented by Charles Babbage, Esq.''] - scan of the original 1843 publication
-* Philip and Emily Morrison, ''Charles Babbage and his Calculating Engines'', Dover Publications, New York, 1961
+* Philip and Emily Morrison, ''Charles Babbage and his Calculating Engines'', Dover Publications, New York, 1961 - also contains reprints of other material
 * Bruce Collier, [http://robroy.dyndns.info/collier/ ''The Little Engines that Could've: The Calculating Machines of Charles Babbage''], Harvard University, Cambridge, 1970 - includes a good description of the machines