Dead At 92, Business Computing Pioneer David Caminer

Brooklyn Bob points out this fascinating obituary of David Caminer, the first systems analyst. "The tea company he worked for developed their own hardware and software — in 1951! Quoting New Scientist: 'In today's terms it would be like hearing that Pizza Hut had developed a new generation of microprocessor, or McDonald's had invented the Internet.'"

Nah ah!

[Anonymous Coward]

âoeAmericans canâ(TM)t believe this,â Paul Ceruzzi, a historian of computing and curator at the National Air and Space Museum, said in an interview last week. âoeThey think youâ(TM)re making it up. It really was true.â

And we don't! AS our manufacturing and the rest of our economy is rotting away (Thanks for nothing corp America), we are constantly reassured that our talent as a country is creativity (at least that's what the economists say - everything is for the better!). The rest of the World doesn't have this talent. In other words, we are number one and no other can or has created anything. Why we invented the telephone, airplanes, radar, the steam catapult for aircraft carriers, democracy, republics, etc....

So there! And if this fact is proven wrong, then I will completely lose all hope of my country's economic future and my own.

McDonalds?

[DeadDecoy]

Is it me or does it just a bit off-putting to use an analogy to equate some of the world's more innovative pioneers with the mc'nugget?

Output

[JustOK]

The first output was something almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea.

Re:No surprise, actually

[noidentity]

Engineers are pretty much replaceable cogs in software development. It's the people who have real world needs that require real world solutions that bring these things into existence.

That's what I've been telling mom for years about me living in the basement. Think of all the innovations we'd lose if I moved out!

Re:So close

[bar-agent]

From the little I know of academic teachings, it's not considered trendy to focus on such areas - particularly as he didn't program in Java

Yeah, he probably programmed in T.

Re:Please hold the milk

[Colin Smith]

Sorry,you can't possibly love English tea, at least not the real stuff. English tea cannot be drunk black. It is stewed in a teapot for 30 minutes specifically to turn the stomach lining to leather.
 

Pizza Hut technology

[professorfalcon]

like hearing that Pizza Hut had developed a new generation of microprocessor

You didn't see that commercial yet? It's the one where they also introduced the Extreme Cheesy-Cheesy Extreme Pepperoni Pizza. The microprocessor is in the crust!

Re:Another "Inventor"

[JustOK]

Super-size your internet, drive-thru downloads, I'm lovin' it.

Re:I've said it before

[Creepy Crawler]

...And redeem her for a valuable prize.

Down with the queen!

Re:Please hold the milk

[jd]

The water must also be poured onto the leaves at 98.2'c, and preferably still be above 95' when it hits the stomach lining. This helps in the leather-making process. (You don't want it too much colder, say in the 60' temperature range, or you'll get cancer. (pubmed report) [nih.gov])

Re:What on earth would they do with this computer?

[eclectro]

What kind of tasks could be worth the expense of building one?

To calculate taxes. Or you could just throw your tea in the harbor.

Cup Of Brown Joy

[gregski]

Yes precisely this seriously:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=eELH0ivexKA [youtube.com]

uhh

[nomadic]

The tea company he worked for developed their own hardware and software -- in 1951! Quoting New Scientist: 'In today's terms it would be like hearing that Pizza Hut had developed a new generation of microprocessor, or McDonald's had invented the Internet.'"

Uhhh...actually we didn't really need a redefinition in "today's terms." I mean, it's still like hearing a tea company developed their own hardware and software.

The OSI Seven Layers...

[FrankDrebin]

... were originally two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions and a sesame seed bun.

Re:Please hold the milk

[Rapid Supreme 17]

This makes sense, seeing as you'd need that leather lining to stomach English cooking. To those about to mod me down, I love Yorkshire pudding! Please take that into consideration before you obliterate me.

Re:Daily Telegraph - same story, no registration r

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah, just skip the story instead of using bugmenot. That'll show them!

Re:Please hold the milk

[Elky Elk]

as some from derbyshire we're renaming them to freedom puddings...

bloody plantagenets