online: 4 february 2005

4 february 2005 since the early days of computing

(rough draft)




context
i began by recalling my first encounter with computers in the 1950s when i had the opportunity to design the appearance and the interface of an early mainframe (the <>AEI 1010). In preparing to do that i learnt something of the nature of <>automation but i did not learn to program (in autocodes like Algol, or in the machine code of 1s and 0s, that the designers of computers used at that time)

*Ever since then I have been in touch with computer people but i did not learn to program because the programming languages seemed to me not to match the marvellous fluidity, precision and unboundedness of spoken and written language... (or of any human action provided it has not been mechanised).

*...but now, in this last decade (and thanks to the web and HTML, and thanks to the persuasion and practical help of the people<> who encouraged and helped me) i have at last become computer literate enough to write and maintain a simple website (or 'public writing place' as i call it - which has now become quite enormous - about the length of one or two books)..

...for more about the early days of the future elsewhere in this website...




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© 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 john chris jones

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