CS Table 5/8/18: Classic computers

For CS table next week we will spend time looking at some of the unusual hardware and software from previous eras in computing. There is no reading for next week’s discussion; instead, please send your recommendations to Prof. Curtsinger by email. If you’ve heard of anything particularly funny, odd, creative, or just different from current computing technology, please send it along. It could include examples like gaming consoles, calculators, mechanical computers, and anything else you think is relevant. We will have a projector available at CS Table pictures or videos are welcome, too. Please send suggestions by 5pm on Monday, May 7, so Prof. Curtsinger has time to organize them.

Here are a few examples to inspire you:

• The Cray 1 is a $10 million supercomputer designed to look like a victorian-era sofa.
• Mercury delay memory uses sound waves traveling through a tube of mercury to store data for a short time.
• When punching cards was the final step in writing your software, many programmers started out by designing their programs on paper with a flowcharting template. Oddly enough, nobody seems to bring this up as a contender during programming text editor debates.
• The Compaq Portable is an iconic example of a “luggable.” It weighed almost 30 pounds and had to be plugged in, but it was technically portable.

Computer science table (CS Table) is a weekly meeting of Grinnell College community members (students, faculty, staff, etc.) interested in discussing topics related to computing and computer science. CS Table meets Tuesdays from 12:00–12:45pm in JRC 224A (inside the Marketplace). Contact the CS faculty for the weekly reading. Students on meal plans, faculty, and staff are expected to cover the cost of their meals. Visitors to the College and students not on meal plans can charge their meals to the department (sign in at the Marketplace front desk).