Talk:ENIAC

World's First?

The British produced 2 computers during WW2, Collossus and another more advanced one I can't remember the name of (Fdsdh1 (talk) 20:51, 28 October 2012 (UTC))

The ten British Colossus computers (used for cryptanalysis starting in 1943) were designed by Tommy Flowers. The Colossus computers were digital, electronic, and were programmed by plugboard and switches, but they were dedicated to code breaking and not general purpose.Wa3frp (talk) 21:14, 28 October 2012 (UTC)

Sorry the ENIAC was rather a giant electronic calculating machine not general purpose in the modern sense so using that definition the Colossus position stands and before that came the Manchester SSEM. Twobells (talk) 09:44, 31 August 2014 (UTC)

I think it's probably the case that the dedication to code breaking wasn't so much a technical fact, as simply being the purpose for which they were built. They didn't do other things because that wasn't what the British government was paying that department to do.Brianetta ^{Brian Ronald, UK. Talk here} 10:53, 11 February 2013 (UTC)

the ABC (Atanasoff Berry Computer) was the first the first automatic electronic digital computer not the ENIAC. Oscar111811 (talk) 23:32, 4 October 2023 (UTC)

That was a special-purpose machine. All it could do was solve a system of linear equations. Bubba73 ^{You talkin' to me?} 00:17, 5 October 2023 (UTC)

Agreed. This article wants to describe ENIAC as the first electronic computer (which is how it was described when launched in 1946) but it was by no means the first and the technology was not invented or developed by the ENIAC builders, rather coped from the British colossus thanks to a deal done over atomic technology. I think the problem is that colossus was a secret for 40 years so the lie of ENIAC being the first was told so often that it has become the truth in some peoples minds. Colossus was kept secret because the Russians were re-using captured German encoding machines and the British continued to intercept and decipher Russian communications until the 60s. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 130.123.189.140 (talk) 23:57, 14 October 2013 (UTC)

the ABC (Atanasoff Berry Computer) was the first the first automatic electronic digital computer not the ENIAC. Oscar111811 (talk) 23:34, 4 October 2023 (UTC)

Even the Colossus was not the first electronic computer, as the Berry-Atanasoff computer had been built and tested over a year before the Colossus. It is true though that the Colossus was programmable, but only partially so, and was designed for a very specific task. The ENIAC was the first 'fully' programmable electronic computer. the article is accurate in describing as the first 'general use' computer.

Wouldn't the Mark 1 be considered first over the ENIAC? The Mark 1 was officially presented by Harvard university on August 24, 1944 (found in Mark 1 wikipedia article) which was before the official presentation of ENIAC. Would it not be considered first because they are in different categories if they are in different categories of computer? Sobewong (talk) 18:59, 4 March 2016 (UTC)

The Harvard Mark I was an electromechanical, not an electronic device, as was the Z3. The Atanasoff–Berry computer was not programmable and its development was abandoned before it worked satisfactorily. So Colossus's claim to be the first computer is dependent on the set of adjectives used before the word "computer". Colossus was digital, electronic and binary, but it was programmed by setting switches and connecting patch leads, as was ENIAC. It counted the result of a wide range of Boolean functions but did not have the range of arithmetic functions of ENIAC which had units for addition and subtraction, multiplication, division and square rooting. ENIAC could therefore perform a greater range of functions and can arguably add "general-purpose" to the set of adjectives, although it did use decimal rather than binary arithmetic. TedColes (talk) 13:07, 5 March 2016 (UTC)

The definition of a computer is 'an electronic device which is capable of receiving information (data) in a particular form and of performing a sequence of operations in accordance with a predetermined but variable set of procedural instructions (program) to produce a result in the form of information or signals.' Colossus fits this definition perfectly and came before ENIAC, claiming otherwise is simply bias. Claiming ENIAC is first is factually incorrect (I'd argue it was 11th but donn't want to waste the time). I would suggest it's claim to be first be more carefully documented. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 211.28.193.236 (talk) 10:32, 31 August 2016 (UTC)

References

There was no crawling

A statement in the article that the ENIAC programmers (or "operators", as they have sometimes been called) crawled around inside the machine to search for defective joints or tubes is not supported by the cited reference, nor does it appear to be factually accurate. Unfortunately, this statement has by now been picked up by a number of secondary sources (web articles and the like), apparently trusting the Wikipedia statement to be accurate. However, no primary source has been located that would support the supposition that the ENIAC programmers ever "crawled," inside the machine or otherwise. Those familiar with the architecture of the ENIAC would understand readily that it would be impossible to fit a human being inside any of the ENIAC's units. Potentially, it might be necessary to crouch in order to access one of the ENIAC's panels from behind, in a narrow space between the back of the panel and the wall of the room, but this would not have been done by a programmer, since the programmers were not authorized to make interior hardware repairs or component replacements, including of vacuum tubes. This would have been done by an engineer or technician, sometimes at the suggestion of a programmer. I have edited the "crawling" language to a statement better supported by the cited reference. Robert K S (talk) 19:13, 26 March 2019 (UTC)

Yes, I've seen most of it (at the Smithsonian when they had it on display, at U Penn, Aberdeen, and Ft. Sill), and it wasn't built in a way that would allow literally crawling inside. Bubba73 ^{You talkin' to me?} 19:48, 26 March 2019 (UTC)

This is from memory, so correct me if I am wrong, but I thought that the museum displays only had a portion of ENIAC, not the whole thing. Also, not sure that programmer/operator and engineer/technician were separate jobs, or whether there was some crossover in the tasks tasks they performed. --Guy Macon (talk) 21:20, 26 March 2019 (UTC)

They were definitely separate jobs, and I can say with some confidence that none of the engineers or technicians were women. Yes, the ENIAC is in pieces today, but that is irrelevant. Aside from its function tables, card reader, and other ancillary equipment (none of which could be crawled in), the machine comprised 40 panels each 2 feet wide by 2 feet deep by 8 feet high, arranged together in a room in a large U shape. None of these panels could be crawled around in. It would simply be impossible. Robert K S (talk) 15:26, 28 March 2019 (UTC)

Yes, ENIAC is in pieces. I saw a major part of it when the Smithsonian had it on display in the 1960s and 1970s. (The last time I was there, it wasn't on display and I don't think it is now). U of Penn has four panels and a function table, I've seen that. Aberdeen has a function table, I've seen that. Fort Sill has, I think, seven panels, and I've seen that. I've seen them from the front and back, and there is no room to crawl in them, unless you removed a lot of stuff. And I don't think that was done. Bubba73 ^{You talkin' to me?} 18:08, 28 March 2019 (UTC)

That's good enough for me. --Guy Macon (talk) 22:43, 28 March 2019 (UTC)

ENIAC was in a 33' by 55' room, according to page 72 of

• Dyson, George (2012), Turing's Cathedral, Vintage Books, ISBN 978-1-4000-7599-7 Bubba73 ^{You talkin' to me?} 00:50, 1 March 2024 (UTC)

Wondering if there should be a citation for how the ENIAC computed the square root added.--Arcticrobot0612 (talk) 17:46, 25 January 2025 (UTC)

How tall is ENIAC?

The article says that it is 10 feet tall, and I think that I've seen sources saying that. But Portraits in Silicon, page 74, says 8 feet tall. I measured a photo and it seems to be about 10 feet tall. Bubba73 ^{You talkin' to me?} 16:33, 5 October 2025 (UTC)

Appearances in fiction

ENIAC appears a couple of times in fiction or is discussed, should this be added? 99.158.166.129 (talk) 21:06, 10 October 2025 (UTC)

No. --Wtshymanski (talk) 23:00, 10 October 2025 (UTC)

Eniac is caine backwards..... both are computers.... amazing digital circus ~2026-18331-72 (talk) 02:18, 1 April 2026 (UTC)

ENIAC

ENIAC was not the first programmable electronic computer. Colossus was. Invented and built in Dollis Hill, London in 1943 by a man called Tommy Flowers, a Post Office Engineer. ENIAC was started up in 1945. ~2026-80772-6 (talk) 23:03, 5 February 2026 (UTC)

That is right, but Colossus was a special-purpose computer. ENIAC was for general purposes. Bubba73 ^{You talkin' to me?} 23:13, 5 February 2026 (UTC)

Also look at the topic near the top of this talk page for the previous discussion. In particular, look for the comment by TedColes, which seems to summarise the opinion of most of the long-timers here. It's all in the adjectives. For what it's worth, the Colossus was a wonderful machine and Flowers deserved far more credit - but it was ever so short of being a general purpose machine.  Stepho  talk  01:34, 6 February 2026 (UTC)

I think he has it right, except that you don't have to argue that it was "general-purpose". I have a book The Eniac at Work ENIAC in Action which details the many different programs it ran, and it was certainly a general-purpose computer. Bubba73 ^{You talkin' to me?} 03:22, 6 February 2026 (UTC)

Colossus was a programmable general-purpose computer but it was not used as such. Colossus was more programmable than ENIAC. ENIAC needed to be physically re-wired and could not be given a software program. Colossus could be fed a set of instructions and ran a software program. Colossus was a computer in the modern sence of the word and ENIAC was not. ~2026-17934-12 (talk) 15:56, 22 March 2026 (UTC)

From the article about Colossus: "it was not a general-purpose machine, being designed for a range of cryptanalytic tasks, most involving counting the results of evaluating Boolean algorithms. " Bubba73 ^{You talkin' to me?} 16:19, 22 March 2026 (UTC)