Continuing Progress On Babbage Analytical Engine

Slashdot reader RockDoctor writes: The project to actually construct Babbage's Analytical Engine, the first design for a general purpose computing machine, continues with the documentation phase of the programme. Since Babbage continued to refine his design almost until the day of his death, working out what he actually wanted to build is quite a task. The last year's work is reported to includes work on a batch of previously unknown and uncatalogued materials discovered since the project's inception in 2011.

These decades, people don't think much of producing a new programming language to suit particular tasks — to "scratch an itch" in the vernacular. As with so many things, Babbage was a pioneer, according to the Plan 28 blog: :

There have already been significant finds. The Notations for Difference Engine 1, dating from 1834, thought to exist, had never come to light. These have now been found and represent a crucial piece in the puzzle of the developmental trajectory of the symbolic language Babbage developed as a design aid, to describe and specify his engine, and used extensively in the development of the Analytical Engine.

RockDoctor adds, "Anyone who has been tasked with taking over a project from someone else (retired, sacked, beheaded, whatever) will recognise this feeling..."

The survey so far has identified mis-titled drawings, single drawings that have two unrelated catalogue entries, and drawings known to exist from earlier scholarly work but not located.

"The hope of the project is to have a working machine in time for Babbages sesquicentenary in 2021."

Meltdown/Specter Vulnerabilities

[PPH]

Is this architecture susceptible? Can I look at the gears during a speculative execution branch and read protected data?

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[swillden]

Is this architecture susceptible? Can I look at the gears during a speculative execution branch and read protected data?

No speculative execution, but I'm sure you can read protected data right from the gears.

I'm replying mostly because this reminded me of another computer you can read data from. If anyone gets the chance, they should absolutely see the Harwell Dekatron computer [wikipedia.org] on display at the UK National Museum of Computing's [wikipedia.org] functional vintage computers display in (next to?) Bletchley Park. The museum is next to the "main" Bletchley Park exhibits, in a building that was probably the world's first data center.

There's

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[RockDoctor]

I went round Bletchley Park a few years ago with the parents - Mum was still walking, so it must have been quite a few years ago - and don't recall seeing that machine. I'm certain I'd have played with it, dropping bits through an adder ... I BET there is a flipflop somewhere that you can flip as if a cosmic ray hit the processor. Got to go back, some day!

first in 3d?

[Gravis Zero]

I sure hope they build this thing using a 3d game engine or something before they build a single part of it because not doing so could lead to some unfortunate discoveries during construction.

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[RockDoctor]

The point of TFA is that they're still trying to work out what Babbage wanted to build. And, to be honest, it remains possible that Babbage had not finalised his plans - at least the written plans.

How fast things change...

[Anonymous Coward]

In early '60's our company purchased Collins Radio C8401 computer (only one of two made). Like Colossus it had 16 bit words using 3 byte or nybble 5 bit addressable per word for Baudot tty stations. 64 kword or 128 kbyte core ram . System was built with transistor cards of two to four transistors per card. CPU logic used three or more bays of these cards all wired together in a massive (thousands of wires strung together) in a 'backplane'. Nobody ever 'touched' or went near that collection of wires. It was

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[RockDoctor]

You were a friend of Mel [google.com]?

Outside of being the ultimate in cyberpunk....

[mark-t]

... is there any practical benefit to building this today?

Not trying to troll anyone or make fun of what is very clearly someone's passion to get this thing done, but I'm curious: could the building of this somehow make any difference to computing today?

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[Hognoxious]

It's probably EMP resistant. You never know when that could come in h@,.,~; )
no carrier

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[iggymanz]

no there is no practical value whatsoever. They should just model the thing in software and call it a day.

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[RockDoctor]

As TFA says, they didn't, and still don't, know what Babbage intended to build. I mean, I did write that point in to TFA specifically so that I could tell people to RTFA, not so that people would comment without R-ing-TFA.

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[iggymanz]

We know much about it, the memory capacity, types of input cards and major operations of the machine were described as well as states of the machine solving certain specific problems. if you want to say modern projects are trying to make "A Babbage-type" engine, fine, but the point stands that can be done in software, pointless to waste the money to grind metal.

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[RockDoctor]

That you don't see the point doesn't mean that there isn't a point.

Babbage is the epitome of an engineer

[stepho-wrs]

Doron Swade was the main force behind building a Difference Engine in modern times.
His book "The Cogwheel Brain" provides a lot of detail of Babbage himself, the design of the DE (and the complexities involved) and the process of building a physical copy (should he old manufacturing techniques or modern?, should he fix mistakes in the plans?).

Babbage is the epitome of an engineer wanting to solve a problem through the most elegant means possible.
He didn't just design something to be functional.
Eg incrementi

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[RockDoctor]

JG-C makes more than a few references throughout to Swade's work, who is an integral part of the project.

By complete coincidence, last week I noticed a "piece" in a Philomena Cunk [wikipedia.org] spoof programme where her character is talking to Swade and - as is her schtick - getting completely the wrong, third, end of the stick.