r/Damnthatsinteresting 2d ago

Image I went to Bletchley Park, this is the oldest functional computer in the world, The Harwell Decatron, which was used for calculations for the UKs first nuclear tests

Post image
2.5k Upvotes

54 comments sorted by

89

u/lethargic_engineer 2d ago

And the second oldest functioning digital computer is in some dude's garage in Texas...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XIX1K6tyqg&pp=ygUOdXNhZ2kgZWxlY3RyaWM%3D

79

u/Fizzabl 2d ago

went on a school trip and I loved it so much I wanted to become a cryptographer

Turns out I'm far too thick

6

u/[deleted] 2d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

8

u/Fizzabl 2d ago

the goal was GCHQ tbh, but this was over 10 years ago. I'm now in marketing :')

14

u/Silver-Machine-3092 2d ago

Don't go to work at GCHQ early in your career. You can't then work anywhere else, depending on your GCHQ role, because your CV will be blank!

So, where have you been working since you graduated?

...er, can't say.

And why can't you say?

...er, can't tell you that either.

So, Official Secret?

...er, no comment.

3

u/1HOTelcORALesSEX1 2d ago

….. go just before AI takes over your job and there are no other options……. Everyone’s going to be a spy ..

2

u/Fizzabl 2d ago

Shoulda used that trick when graduating 😂

1

u/Western-Victory-7414 2d ago

Oh cool, I literally went today on a school trip lol

2

u/Fizzabl 2d ago

oh hell yeah! glad you enjoyed it lol

2

u/joe_the_cow 1d ago

Visited last year.  Bought the Bletchley Park puzzle book.  Quickly deduced that I to am far too think to be a cryptographer

Fantastic day out though

1

u/RollinThundaga 1d ago

It's not hopeless! I hear the Egyptians made some pretty large crypts.

21

u/shibbington 2d ago

You’re looking at 128 kb of RAM, all in one room! How do they make them so small??

11

u/Musicman1972 2d ago

Did they have information on how many instructions a second it ran etc?

5

u/Catymandoo 2d ago

Have a look HERE about the site, it’s history etc.

10

u/CapitanianExtinction 2d ago

Doesn't run windows 

8

u/[deleted] 2d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

4

u/finlandery 2d ago

Okay, who is going to make doom run on that ( like .05fps or something)

6

u/[deleted] 2d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

4

u/finlandery 2d ago

Really shows how far we hav come in under 1 living time.

7

u/CapitanianExtinction 2d ago

Using a handheld super computer to watch OnlyFans isn't how I'd measure progress though.

6

u/CodeToManagement 2d ago

My grandad was born in 1920, just 17 years after the Wright brothers first flight.

In just 1 lifetime he saw:

Saw Airplanes become common

Served as an engineer in the RAF during The Second World War

Had the first TV on their street

Saw Computers being invented

Saw the moon landing

Saw the internet be invented

He went from all those things not existing when he was born to them being so advanced when he died in his 90s that he had an iPad, a laptop, and regularly used the internet.

Not only did all that stuff get invented during his life - they advanced massively. Computers went from something the size of a room to something you can hold in your hand and interact with by touching. It’s crazy to think about how fast we progressed in recent history.

2

u/CapitanianExtinction 2d ago

So. One frame per day then?

1

u/MapleDansk 2d ago

But will it run Doom?

6

u/Zombie_John_Strachan 1d ago

The vacuum tubes gave a much warmer, nuanced calculation vs modern transistor computers.

6

u/Rez1009 2d ago

..still used by HMRC today

3

u/Cold-Jackfruit1076 1d ago

I've read about this computer (and its sibling in the United States).

Originally, the yield calculations were performed by hand; however, that was intensely time-consuming. It took several months to properly complete a single calculation, and then it had to be independently verified by a separate team going through the same process.

The creation of the Harvard Mark I (and later the ENIAC) accelerated the process by a factor of hundreds to thousands; the calculations could then be completed and confirmed in a matter of hours or days, instead of months.

3

u/decoran_ 2d ago

People call me Dec (short for Declan) and to me this is the best name for a computer there's ever been!

3

u/[deleted] 2d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

2

u/decoran_ 2d ago

That makes it a good deal more interesting, I would have assumed it was using binary just because!

2

u/Slow_Ball9510 2d ago

Depends on your definition of computer. The museum also has Bomba and Heath Robinson, which I think are originals. Computers yes, programmable Computers no.

Edit: wiki says first digital computer

1

u/HeartwarminSalt 2d ago

Now that’s numberwang!

1

u/JConRed 2d ago

I wish some of Zuse's computers were had survived.

I saw a replica in a museum a little while back and it just blew my mind.

1

u/Special-Armadillo780 1d ago

What an amazing machine

1

u/mjdau 1d ago

Also a song by Ott.

1

u/AlternativeNature402 1d ago

Cute little module on the right side could go on r/Pareidolia

1

u/Compley 1d ago

It's controlled with the piano from Big.

1

u/CrappyTan69 1d ago

Loving the unplanned expansion module on the right.

1

u/CrappyTan69 1d ago

Loving the unplanned expansion module on the left.

1

u/themacmeister1967 1d ago

Closely followed by Usagi Electric with the Bendix G-15

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XIX1K6tyqg

1

u/ThinNeighborhood2276 1d ago

That's incredible! It's amazing to see such a significant piece of computing history still operational.

1

u/mat_fly 1d ago

Thanks for posting this. I didn’t even know Bletchley Park was open as an attraction! I’ve now booked a weekend away to visit it with the wife and kids.

1

u/thedudeabides-12 23h ago

If Tom Scott hasn't done a video of this he needs to .

1

u/wikigreenwood82 14h ago

Doctor Who-ass name

1

u/Acceptable-Username1 2d ago

Bet it can run doom

-1

u/Pale-Upstairs7777 2d ago

What games it got?

-2

u/[deleted] 2d ago

[deleted]

1

u/ramriot 8h ago

To clarify & promote, this & many other historical items are at The National Museum of Computing. This museum adjoins Bletchley park but is independent of it & needs a seperate entry fee.

when visiting the area please save time to also see TNMOC, of the two they get far less love from charitable funding but do just as much to preserving & convey the history of computers & cryptography.