history

Rating: 9/10 (11 January 2015)

In a letter to Georgi Parvanov, President of Microsoft Bill Gates officially recognized the merits of John Atanasov for the opening of the first computer and its role in development of the information society. The letter was delivered to the Bulgarian head of state vice president Pete Hayes, sent by the head of Microsoft's celebrations of the 100th anniversary of the birth of John Atanasov.
After experiments with various available at this time calculating devices Atanasov first introduced the concept of "analog computer". In 1936, together with Glenn Murphy colleague atomic physicist, create a small analog calculator for study of the geometry of surfaces, which they call "Laplasiometar". Atanasoff found that it has the same shortcomings as all other analog devices - accuracy depends on the work of other parts of the machine. Replica of 1997 Atanasoff-Berry computer in Durham Center, State University of Iowa
In the winter of 1937-38 his strongest effort to solve the problem leads to the result. One night, frustrated by the many fruitless efforts, boarded a car and makes no specific direction. After two hundred kilometers stops at a roadside restaurant in Illinois. There cup bourbon she soon found that his thoughts are arranged and begins to "born" the idea of a completely new type of machine, which is different from anything known before. It should be built on the basis of electronic elements to consider with binary numbers instead of decimal worn long and there is a separate from the CPU memory that is regenerative (with capacitors) [2]. Furthermore physicist and mathematician Atanasov is a highly qualified expert in electronic equipment, which helps to design specific circuit solutions. To build the machine Atanasov need technical assistance, which shares with his friend Harold Anderson, also a professor of physics in college. His latest recommended one of his best students - Clifford Berry (Clifford E. Berry, 1918-1963).
In March 1939 the University awarded him $ 650 and Atanasoff and Berry began working as the installation of the machine is carried out in the basement of the physics lab. For a few months they create and refine a prototype of a computing machine, later called the Atanasoff-Berry computer or ABC (English: Atanasoff-Berry Computer). Atanasov plans to record in memory and automatically, a series of commands in the process of calculation, т.е. use software [2].
In December 1940 Atanasov first met John Mauchly at the conference and expressed his interest due to the machine and its working principle Mauchly invited guests in Ames. Mauchly visited Atanasoff and guest in his house five days, during which they discussed the design of computer ABC, and other ideas of Atanasoff related to computing. Mauchly read the manuscript of an article with a description of the machine. During the visit, the computer is almost finished and the guest with details of its working principle and technical realization. Discussions with Atanasoff and his assistant are friendly and honest. [2]
Mauchly deals with analog computing devices, but has not seen the automatic electronic digital computer. Subsequently, in a trial conducted in 1973, the court concluded that as a result of this particular visit, the discussions held with Atanasoff and Berry, the demonstrations and the discovery of the manuscript, Mauchly extracted from ABC "invention of automatic digital computer" .
With the entry of the US into World War II in December 1941 work on the computer is disconnected. Although the US college in Iowa began the patent process, the computer ABC and is not patented.