Dave T

How powerful was the Apollo 11 computer? (Download Squad)

Jul 24th 2009 11:47AM Thanks for the article! Brings back so many memories. My first computer was an analog - pots with dials and a null meter- really an electrical slide rule. My mom told me she could still calculate in her head faster than me, and she was right. Not to be deterred, at about age 20 I built my first digital computer based on RCA 1802 - 1MHz - 16 general purpose registers, 256 Bytes RAM, 0K ROM, 8 toggle switch input, 2hex LEDs output. Man I loved that machine. Eventually expanded the RAM, (1K I recall). Still have it. Still works. You might be surprised at the amount of hardware that such a machine can run. That's right, hardware, it isn't much good for making pretty pictures on video screens, but I could run a small assembly line factory with it. I still believe all students should first learn assembly language, after all isn't efficiency what the 21st century is all about?