On Sat, May 31, 2008 at 08:57:42AM -0700, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > > Doug writes: > >> IIRC, each card had a sequence number. I don't know if they had > >> card-sorter machines. > > > > Yes, of course we had sorters. Card sorting machines are much older than > > computers: it's what punch cards were invented for. Ask Wikipedia to tell > > you about Herman Hollerith. Don't you kids study history? > > -- > > John Hasler > > > As I recall Hollerith developed the card "reader" which also sorted cards > and his special punched card format for the census bureau in the US. The > bureau is required by law to take a census every 4(I think) years. The > data had become so voluminous that they were unable to tabulate the data > from the last survey before it was time for the next survey. Hollerith > used his invention to start a company which became IBM > Larry
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacquard_loom The Jacquard Loom is a mechanical loom, invented by Joseph Marie Jacquard in 1801 http://www.eingang.org/Lecture/index.html punched cards in connection with computing in 1890 by Herman Hollerith -- Chris. ====== "One, with God, is always a majority, but many a martyr has been burned at the stake while the votes were being counted." -- Thomas B. Reed -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
