BBC roots for the home team
Apparently a film about the World War II codebreaking machine, Colossus, has prompted a bit of celebration about Britain’s contribution to early computer development, along with a report by Mark Ward over at the BBC web site. And that’s lovely, and it’s a compelling story. But Ward’s report, unfortunately, gets a bit carried away with British pride. And in the process fudges one or two small but very important points. Repeatedly.
Ward writes: “Colossus is regarded as being the world’s first digital, electronic computer…”
And quotes Phil Hayes, the chief engineer at the National Museum of Computing, as saying “…it’s the first electronic computer.”
Neither of these statements is really accurate. In the same story, Ward repeats the assertion but with a key disclaimer: “…was the first electronic, digital programmable computer.” The word “programmable” has been added, though unfortunately all three of these claims are dropped into the same story without any comment on the difference between them, or which one is in fact accurate, and Ward therefore gives the impression that they’re all interchangeable and that, essentially, the Colossus was just “the first computer” regardless of whatever qualifiers you add.
Except that is not true, sir.
Yes, Colossus was the first electronic digital programmable computer. It was not the first electronic computer, or the first electronic digital computer. We have a computer museum here in the United States, too, perhaps a bit less “national” in character; if you visit its web site you’ll find information about not only American contributions to computer technology but the work of other pioneers, as well, including the Colossus. It also, however, includes information about another device conceived in 1937, and up and running one year before Colossus. Some of you may have heard of it, probably. (more…)
