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From: lamaster@pioneer.arpa (Hugh LaMaster)
Newsgroups: comp.arch
Subject: Re: Architecture behind "early" electronic calculators
Message-ID: <2420@ames.arpa>
Date: Thu, 30-Jul-87 11:35:03 EDT
Article-I.D.: ames.2420
Posted: Thu Jul 30 11:35:03 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 1-Aug-87 09:36:38 EDT
References: <1893@kitty.UUCP>
Sender: usenet@ames.arpa
Reply-To: lamaster@ames.UUCP (Hugh LaMaster)
Organization: NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif.
Lines: 29
Keywords: electronic calculators, method of operation

In article <1893@kitty.UUCP> larry@kitty.UUCP (Larry Lippman) writes:
>	My first electronic calculator experience was a Wang scientific
>calculator in 1965.  At the time, this was an impressive device that not

>Did they operate using some form of stored program control, and hence
>a "software" algorithm for these exponential, log and trig functions?

They certainly had stored program control (there may have been direct
hardware support for the functions; ) because I remember trying to figure
out how to program one in science camp.  They had a strange single card
punched card reader that you somehow read in one card at a time.  If you 
had a bug in your program, you could tape over a few of the holes to patch
it up.  I must be dating myself...






  Hugh LaMaster, m/s 233-9,  UUCP {seismo,topaz,lll-crg,ucbvax}!
  NASA Ames Research Center                ames!pioneer!lamaster
  Moffett Field, CA 94035    ARPA lamaster@ames-pioneer.arpa
  Phone:  (415)694-6117      ARPA lamaster@pioneer.arc.nasa.gov


                 "IBM will have it soon"


(Disclaimer: "All opinions solely the author's responsibility")