Analytical Engine
From Computer History Wiki
The Analytical Engine, proposed and extensively prototyped, but never competed, by Charles Babbage was an advanced computing device, the first programmable (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 cards.
Further reading
- L. F. Menabrea, 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, Notes by the Translator - extensive (over twice the length of the original!) technical notes to the above by Lady Ada
- 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, 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
- Plan 28 Blog - a group of people, led by Doron Swade, planning to build an Analytical Engine
