Here’s one that has always amused me:
“I think there is a world market for maybe five computers.” This was said by Thomas Watson, who lead the rise of IBM from the 1920’s to the 1950’s.
It’s got to be a classic. It’s believable to many because when computers were first invented, they were giant things that required care and feeding by individuals who thought in terms of zeros and ones. Forseeing the way computers look today and the number of them around would have been difficult in the 1920’s.
According to the Wikipedia on Watson, that famous quote is actually a misquote because there is no proof that Watson ever made such a statement. But, it certainly does make a good story!
And, have you ever wondered where the term “computer bug” came from? In 1947 Grace Murray Hopper was working at Harvard University on one of the early giant computer systems. Something went wrong, and her staff discovered a moth caught in one of the system’s relays. So, they reported that they had debugged the computer. And, we’ve been haunted by computer bugs ever since.
2 Comments
September 21st, 2007 at 2:05 pm
Fun & interesting facts about computers. My solution for debugging the computer? Grabbing the nearest hammer! No, seriously, I call on my husband and tell him to get it fixed.
[Whimsical WED = I make a point to come here and see what you are posting.
]
September 21st, 2007 at 4:08 pm
Glad you like the Whimsicals! I know what you mean about the hammer, too. Sometimes it seems like the most appropriate resolution.