From owner-freebsd-chat@FreeBSD.ORG Thu Jun 21 17:19:09 2007 Return-Path: X-Original-To: freebsd-chat@FreeBSD.ORG Delivered-To: freebsd-chat@FreeBSD.ORG Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [69.147.83.52]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 5045A16A41F for ; Thu, 21 Jun 2007 17:19:09 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from thierry@pompo.net) Received: from smtp7-g19.free.fr (smtp7-g19.free.fr [212.27.42.64]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 17D5813C44C for ; Thu, 21 Jun 2007 17:19:09 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from thierry@pompo.net) Received: from graf.pompo.net (graf.pompo.net [81.56.186.139]) by smtp7-g19.free.fr (Postfix) with ESMTP id 2487418938 for ; Thu, 21 Jun 2007 19:19:07 +0200 (CEST) Received: by graf.pompo.net (Postfix, from userid 1001) id 9ABCF11429; Thu, 21 Jun 2007 19:19:05 +0200 (CEST) Date: Thu, 21 Jun 2007 19:19:05 +0200 From: Thierry Thomas To: freebsd-chat@FreeBSD.ORG Message-ID: <20070621171905.GC19491@graf.pompo.net> Mail-Followup-To: freebsd-chat@FreeBSD.ORG References: <1182418101.6802.1196302545@webmail.messagingengine.com> <200706211233.l5LCXuYv082845@lurza.secnetix.de> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Disposition: inline Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit In-Reply-To: <200706211233.l5LCXuYv082845@lurza.secnetix.de> X-Face: (hRbQnK~Pt7$ct`!fupO(`y_WL4^-Iwn4@ly-.,[4xC4xc; y=\ipKMNm<1J>lv@PP~7Z<.t KjAnXLs: User-Agent: Mutt/1.4.2.3i X-Operating-System: FreeBSD 6.2-STABLE i386 Organization: Kabbale Eros X-PGP: 0xC71405A2 Cc: Subject: Re: Where software meets hardware.. X-BeenThere: freebsd-chat@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: Non technical items related to the community List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Thu, 21 Jun 2007 17:19:09 -0000 Le Jeu 21 jui 07 à 14:33:56 +0200, Oliver Fromme écrivait : > > I have a cousin who's taking up a programming course. He doesn't have > > background with programming nor an in depth understanding of how the > > computer works. I tried explaining him that it all started with > > abacus, and that people wanted to use something that could make their > > arithmetic life easier and that Charles Babbage tried automating this > > manual calculator with his steam engine or some sort... and that... > > Actually Charles Babbage designed a complex mechanical > computing machine (with lots of gearwheels etc.), but > it only ever existed on paper. Only small parts of it > have actually been built, but never the whole thing, > because it was too complex. It would work in theory, > though. :-) Pascal built such a machine: . -- Th. Thomas.