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Computer Pioneer Harry Huskey Dies At Age 101 (bbc.co.uk)
Big Hairy Ian quotes the BBC:
Engineer Harry Huskey, who helped build many of the first ever computers, has died aged 101. Dr. Huskey was a key member of the team that built the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer (ENIAC) which first ran in February 1946. ENIAC is widely considered to be one of the first electronic, general purpose, programmable computers. Dr. Huskey also helped complete work on the Ace -- the Automatic Computing Engine -- designed by Alan Turing.
U.C. Santa Cruz also remembers Huskey's work on the Bendix G-15 in 1954, "a 950-pound predecessor to today's laptops" which is sometimes hailed as the first personal computer (since it didn't require a separate technician to run) -- though each one cost over $50,000. The idea of an "electronic brain" was still so new, it led Huskey to an appearance on Groucho Marx's radio show You Bet Your Life, where Groucho warned him that "They're pretty tricky those machines! I wouldn't trust 'em... They'll turn on your like a mad dog, doctor!"
U.C. Santa Cruz also remembers Huskey's work on the Bendix G-15 in 1954, "a 950-pound predecessor to today's laptops" which is sometimes hailed as the first personal computer (since it didn't require a separate technician to run) -- though each one cost over $50,000. The idea of an "electronic brain" was still so new, it led Huskey to an appearance on Groucho Marx's radio show You Bet Your Life, where Groucho warned him that "They're pretty tricky those machines! I wouldn't trust 'em... They'll turn on your like a mad dog, doctor!"
He only lived to the age of 5???
This was the oldest computer I ever programed on. It was not my first computer. It still being used at the time to process paper tape and write it to magnetic tape. It had no memory only a drum. The only fun thing about is that it had a brass huge bell, that you could ring with an instruction.
To have complete control of a computer all by yourself was a thrill. Did a little simple lens design on a G-15 as a summer job for Kodak as a high school student back in '61. Liked its paper tape better than punched cards cause program commands didn't get scrambled when dropped.
and they were the first to make an all-IC computer for the Minuteman missile, before NASA.
False; MIT IL ordered the Fairchild chips in 1962 and built a Block I AGC computer in 1963, Minuteman's IC-based D-37C computer was built in 1964. But in 1963, Apollo was consuming 60% of the world's combined IC production.
Ezekiel 23:20