But would he have recognised a cigarette-packet-sized device that shows text and pictures and responds to touches as the same class of object as the room-sized mainframes that processed payrolls for corporations and were controlled with punchcards? Without real-time processing, VDU terminals, microcomputers and GUIs to bridge the gap, they’d be essentially two very different things.
Ok, and how many people, outside of those that used them, would ever have any clue what that was? How many regular everyday americans do you think would know what you’re talking about, either back then, or today, if you said you work with an “ENIAC”?
Um, ENIAC was a computer that filled an entire room, and was around from 1945 to 1955. And ENIAC was not the only computer at that time either.
But would he have recognised a cigarette-packet-sized device that shows text and pictures and responds to touches as the same class of object as the room-sized mainframes that processed payrolls for corporations and were controlled with punchcards? Without real-time processing, VDU terminals, microcomputers and GUIs to bridge the gap, they’d be essentially two very different things.
I am pretty sure you are overthinking a Cyanide and Happiness comic.
Ok, and how many people, outside of those that used them, would ever have any clue what that was? How many regular everyday americans do you think would know what you’re talking about, either back then, or today, if you said you work with an “ENIAC”?
I think officermike’s point fully still stands.
Sure, there were (and apparently still are) ignorant people. But my argument would be just as valid as (possibly more) both yours and officermikes.