Something I have always wanted to know - How were the FIRST pc's programmed?

Dark_Angel · 8 Apr 2007 at 18:38

I am talking, back in the days in the orignal computers, like basically at the dawn of PC's? how was everything created and implemented? Probably a noob question, but I always wondered.

I mean it is obvious written in machine code and all, but how did that all happen when there was nothing to really work with?

Olib · 8 Apr 2007 at 18:41

binary i assume, lots of on's and off's getting them to do what they were supposed to.

michael baxter · 8 Apr 2007 at 18:41

Switches were used, as were punched cards.

However, the IBM PC wasn't around until the early 80's or so, and the term PC came into usage. It did have a screen, keyboard, disk drive.....not sure about a mouse and HD.

Here is a wiki' about the PC:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_PC

Of course, the history of computing goes well back, look up Alan Turing and Babbage, for example.

Masterdog · 8 Apr 2007 at 19:15

If you get the chance, have a read of Accidental Empires by Robert X Cringley...there are more informative books on the beginnings of PCs as we know them, but none more entertaining.

Spuds · 8 Apr 2007 at 19:29

Might also want to have a look at Colossus which was the first computer. They used punched tape running at 30mph to load data and reprogramming one required the use of a soldering iron :eek:

bledd · 9 Apr 2007 at 11:00

Spuds said:
Might also want to have a look at Colossus which was the first computer. They used punched tape running at 30mph to load data and reprogramming one required the use of a soldering iron

and TFC is such a great game that it will just about run on that..