Cumulative Computer Quiz #1

starlifter · Jun 15, 2002, 06:09 PM

General "rules"

0. This is a fun quiz....

1. This thread is similar to all the other Cumulative quizzes, except all questions need to be related to computers.

2. The first person to answer the current question correctly, when confimed by the question's author may post the next question.

3. If you're the current questioner, try and visit daily to check replies; you can give hints if necessary.

4. The basic idea is that you ask and reply based on what you know and have learned... it's not a battle of databases and reference books

.

5. Some examples of questions topics might be hardware, software, internet, prgramming, computer history...

6. Be considerate and merciful.... if no one gets the answer after about 5 days max, let us in on the answer and ask a new question

.

7. If the question ages about 5 days with no reply from the author, then the 1st one who posted the "right" answer can post the next question; if that is ambigious, then the person who replied immediately after the author's original question can go next & get the quiz back on track.

8. Extra info: After people give their answer and a topic is disposed of, people may feel free to consult search engines & reference material to clarify & post minor details, since very few people including me can remember everything 100%.... Hopefully, we'll all learn tidbits as we go along, and post-question references can help make sure final answers are complete... so no one get annoyed if someone else adds some more details or makes minor corrections after the fact

. Naturally, question makers should know the main details (correct answers) to their question before hand, LOL....

rev 1.00, 15Jun02... the 1st day of the Forum, and the 3rd thread

rev 1.01 15Jun02, added #8.

starlifter · Jun 15, 2002, 06:14 PM

I'll go first....

What was the name of the first Electronic computer?

Bonus: What was the fate of this first machine?

Bonus #2: In what nation was it built it and why?

Hint: I'm not talking about the Abacus, or adding machines, etc... I'm talking about a massive electrical/electronic machine, LOL...

philippe · Jun 15, 2002, 07:52 PM

the etac or something?it was used in WW2 to crack the german code and its build in america

starlifter · Jun 15, 2002, 08:28 PM

You're on the right track, Philippe! But the details are still not right

....

King of Camelot · Jun 15, 2002, 09:11 PM

Very close Phillippe!
The first electronic computer was ENAIC(Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer)

Bonus#2:Built for the United States military to calculate the paths of artillery shells. It was later used to make calculations for nuclear weapons research, weather prediction, and wind tunnel design.

Source: Microsoft(I said the evil word, God have mercy!

) Encarta

If you count this as right starlifter then you are wrong I hate to say.(I am guessing since you said phillippe was close) Exact quote from article:"Although it was the first large-scale machine to do routine calculations in a production environment, the ENIAC was not the first electronic computer. Between 1939 and 1942, John Atanasoff, a physics and mathematics professor at Iowa State University, and his graduate student Clifford Berry, assembled the Atanasoff-Berry Computer, which incorporated many digital circuit design innovations. Their system used the binary arithmetic system of 1s and 0s commonly used in today's computers as well as a memory drum that stored data in a method similar to the storage technique used in modern memory chips.

starlifter · Jun 15, 2002, 10:57 PM

Good explanation, King of Camelot!

There is some debate as to the first useful electronic computer, but I would have taken Colossus as well. It was built no later than Dec 1943, and used by the British to decode German Enigma messages. Only a few photos still remain of the Colossus machines; the British destroyed the machines and plans, and to this day, have never released the algorithms it employed. Its computation speed was set by the speed of the sprocket drive of the long paper code containing a message to be decrypted... the paper wizzed at 30 miles per hour. The Colossus actually figured, by brute force, the correct wheel settings for the British cypher machines to use to actually decrypt an entire German message. It did not translate the code itself.... the Colossus was kept in such secrecy that it did not really influence modern computer design, like ENIAC did....

The Atanasoff machine was a special purpose electromechanical machine for solving simultaneous equations... it could not be altered, and most people classify it into the other similar machines developed in several places in the 1930's... the basis for the claim some make for the first modern electronic computer is on the fact that some of the ENIAC patents were reversed in US court in the early 1970's because the ENIAC's inventor (can't recall his name) had briefly seen the Atanasoff device before the ENIAC was operational.

But the ENIAC is the most widely acknowledged 1st modern electronic computer, barring further revelations from the British gov't about Colossus. Colossus was, BTW, the first Turing machine... the logic basis for digital computers of today.

PS, Philippe had a mix of the ENIAC and the Colossus description, which is why I said he was on the right track...

Nice job... your question!

King of Camelot · Jun 15, 2002, 11:05 PM

I will post my question tomorrow because right now I need some sleep. Got to think of a good one. And thanks starlifter for starting the tech forum off with a great thread. This is what the tech forum is made for, interesting threads that really teach you about computers and their history.

Black Fluffy Lion · Jun 16, 2002, 01:24 AM

You stole my thread!

well I'll forgive you, this time sl

that is if we can have some html questions instead of all this hardware junk

Lucky · Jun 16, 2002, 02:30 AM

Yeah, we should do like Pellaken, take CFC and SL to court!

Anyway, to KoC and SL, didn´t the rules state that this is a quiz of KNOWLEDGE, not of who can search the fastest on the web or in this case MS encarta??

starlifter · Jun 16, 2002, 02:32 AM

Hehe... HTML, DHTML, XML... bring it on!! Yeah, ask anything about computers you'd like when you get control of the question!!

starlifter · Jun 16, 2002, 02:33 AM

Quote:

didn´t the rules state that this is a quiz of KNOWLEDGE, not of who can search the fastest on the web or in this case MS encarta

Yes, people should answer as best they can from knowledge & school & experience. Questions should come from knowledge & experience, too.

BTW, once a question is asked, answered (and the questioner provides a final statement), then anyone (including the questioner) may feel free to look it up and make a new post wth minor detail corrections, add useful info, etc. (I'm going to search my question later today to fill in the gaps [dates, names, etc.], if I get the time).

PS, I'm looking over your shoulder again, Lucky, but I had some coffee in my hand and you beat me to the message this time.... hehe... and you thought I was only kidding about the camera I have that is watching you

.

Also, Lucky, you might have some ideas about general "HOWTOs" that could help, e.g, similar to the HOWTOs that I've been writing & putting up this morning (feel free to write/contribute any new HOWTOs you think can help with "typical" problems of CFC-ers!).

Lucky · Jun 16, 2002, 02:53 AM

I told you I am only feeding you what I want you to see!

But I´m nowhere as good as you in writting neverending essays with so much information.

But you shouldn´t forget your quiz question at GC, just like you stated in the rules here, check in often.

starlifter · Jun 16, 2002, 03:08 AM

LOL, I was there 6 hours ago... you've got the big Q now, dude!

King of Camelot · Jun 16, 2002, 09:48 AM

My question is about the aquiring of MS-DOS by Microsoft. Just thought it would be interesting to see if any one knows that much about it.

And it is computer history.

1.When did Bill Gates buy MS-DOS?(year)
BonusA.What month?
BonusB.What day?

2.Where did he buy it?(State and City)

3.What was the name of the company he bought it from?

Good luck! Sorry to the people who hate microsoft but its a interresting question.

P.S. Didn't see rule 4 there...

Black Fluffy Lion · Jun 16, 2002, 09:55 AM

1. 1981
2. no idea
3. IBM

King of Camelot · Jun 16, 2002, 09:59 AM

Close but needs some refining. Also num 3 is bought from not sold to.

starlifter · Jun 16, 2002, 10:10 AM

I'll wait on that one to give someone else a chance. Bill Gates and M$ are my specialty. More bonus if you know who the original author of the OS that Bill Gates and Paul Allen bought, and what happened to the real author of that OS.... e.g., how much money did he get and how rich did he get. Hint. Bill Gates has not changed in 28 years, going back to pre-Altair days.

Black Fluffy Lion · Jun 16, 2002, 10:30 AM

was the year right?? as a guess for the month...wasn't it something like september or october??

King of Camelot · Jun 16, 2002, 12:50 PM

The year was right..or was it a year off? AHHH! Senior moment! Can't remeber!

King of Camelot · Jun 16, 2002, 01:03 PM

Ok, I remember it was right.

Jun 15, 2002, 07:52 PM	#3
philippe FYI, I chase trains. Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Bourgondische Kreitz Posts: 11,416	the etac or something?it was used in WW2 to crack the german code and its build in america __________________ THIS TEXT IS ORANGE

Jun 15, 2002, 08:28 PM	#4
starlifter Deity Join Date: Jun 2001 Posts: 4,163	You're on the right track, Philippe! But the details are still not right .... __________________ Good Civ II stuff is here .....

Jun 15, 2002, 09:11 PM	#5
King of Camelot Camelot's King Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Sunny California Posts: 528	Very close Phillippe! The first electronic computer was ENAIC(Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer) Bonus#2:Built for the United States military to calculate the paths of artillery shells. It was later used to make calculations for nuclear weapons research, weather prediction, and wind tunnel design. Source: Microsoft(I said the evil word, God have mercy!) Encarta If you count this as right starlifter then you are wrong I hate to say.(I am guessing since you said phillippe was close) Exact quote from article:"Although it was the first large-scale machine to do routine calculations in a production environment, the ENIAC was not the first electronic computer. Between 1939 and 1942, John Atanasoff, a physics and mathematics professor at Iowa State University, and his graduate student Clifford Berry, assembled the Atanasoff-Berry Computer, which incorporated many digital circuit design innovations. Their system used the binary arithmetic system of 1s and 0s commonly used in today's computers as well as a memory drum that stored data in a method similar to the storage technique used in modern memory chips.

Jun 15, 2002, 10:57 PM	#6
starlifter Deity Join Date: Jun 2001 Posts: 4,163	Good explanation, King of Camelot! There is some debate as to the first useful electronic computer, but I would have taken Colossus as well. It was built no later than Dec 1943, and used by the British to decode German Enigma messages. Only a few photos still remain of the Colossus machines; the British destroyed the machines and plans, and to this day, have never released the algorithms it employed. Its computation speed was set by the speed of the sprocket drive of the long paper code containing a message to be decrypted... the paper wizzed at 30 miles per hour. The Colossus actually figured, by brute force, the correct wheel settings for the British cypher machines to use to actually decrypt an entire German message. It did not translate the code itself.... the Colossus was kept in such secrecy that it did not really influence modern computer design, like ENIAC did.... The Atanasoff machine was a special purpose electromechanical machine for solving simultaneous equations... it could not be altered, and most people classify it into the other similar machines developed in several places in the 1930's... the basis for the claim some make for the first modern electronic computer is on the fact that some of the ENIAC patents were reversed in US court in the early 1970's because the ENIAC's inventor (can't recall his name) had briefly seen the Atanasoff device before the ENIAC was operational. But the ENIAC is the most widely acknowledged 1st modern electronic computer, barring further revelations from the British gov't about Colossus. Colossus was, BTW, the first Turing machine... the logic basis for digital computers of today. PS, Philippe had a mix of the ENIAC and the Colossus description, which is why I said he was on the right track... Nice job... your question! __________________ Good Civ II stuff is here ..... Last edited by starlifter; Jun 15, 2002 at 11:07 PM.

Jun 16, 2002, 02:30 AM	#9
Lucky Game- and Quizmaster Join Date: Nov 2001 Posts: 2,304	Yeah, we should do like Pellaken, take CFC and SL to court! Anyway, to KoC and SL, didn´t the rules state that this is a quiz of KNOWLEDGE, not of who can search the fastest on the web or in this case MS encarta?? __________________ The difference between fiction and reality? Fiction has to make sense. - Tom Clancy Visit Gamecatcher, your online gaming community! Featuring our own online Magazine, a SimCity Deluxe Region, a Forum Arcade, a The Kabal Invasion server and much more. Part of the Intersite Civ3 PBEM Democracy games.

Jun 15, 2002, 06:09 PM	#1
starlifter Deity Join Date: Jun 2001 Posts: 4,163	Cumulative Computer Quiz #1 General "rules" 0. This is a fun quiz.... 1. This thread is similar to all the other Cumulative quizzes, except all questions need to be related to computers. 2. The first person to answer the current question correctly, when confimed by the question's author may post the next question. 3. If you're the current questioner, try and visit daily to check replies; you can give hints if necessary. 4. The basic idea is that you ask and reply based on what you know and have learned... it's not a battle of databases and reference books . 5. Some examples of questions topics might be hardware, software, internet, prgramming, computer history... 6. Be considerate and merciful.... if no one gets the answer after about 5 days max, let us in on the answer and ask a new question . 7. If the question ages about 5 days with no reply from the author, then the 1st one who posted the "right" answer can post the next question; if that is ambigious, then the person who replied immediately after the author's original question can go next & get the quiz back on track. 8. Extra info: After people give their answer and a topic is disposed of, people may feel free to consult search engines & reference material to clarify & post minor details, since very few people including me can remember everything 100%.... Hopefully, we'll all learn tidbits as we go along, and post-question references can help make sure final answers are complete... so no one get annoyed if someone else adds some more details or makes minor corrections after the fact . Naturally, question makers should know the main details (correct answers) to their question before hand, LOL.... rev 1.00, 15Jun02... the 1st day of the Forum, and the 3rd thread rev 1.01 15Jun02, added #8. __________________ Good Civ II stuff is here ..... Last edited by starlifter; Jun 15, 2002 at 11:16 PM.

Jun 15, 2002, 06:14 PM	#2
starlifter Deity Join Date: Jun 2001 Posts: 4,163	I'll go first.... What was the name of the first Electronic computer? Bonus: What was the fate of this first machine? Bonus #2: In what nation was it built it and why? Hint: I'm not talking about the Abacus, or adding machines, etc... I'm talking about a massive electrical/electronic machine, LOL... __________________ Good Civ II stuff is here .....

Jun 15, 2002, 11:05 PM	#7
King of Camelot Camelot's King Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Sunny California Posts: 528	I will post my question tomorrow because right now I need some sleep. Got to think of a good one. And thanks starlifter for starting the tech forum off with a great thread. This is what the tech forum is made for, interesting threads that really teach you about computers and their history.

Jun 16, 2002, 01:24 AM	#8
Black Fluffy Lion Qxria Join Date: Oct 2001 Posts: 977	You stole my thread! well I'll forgive you, this time sl that is if we can have some html questions instead of all this hardware junk

Jun 16, 2002, 02:32 AM	#10
starlifter Deity Join Date: Jun 2001 Posts: 4,163	Hehe... HTML, DHTML, XML... bring it on!! Yeah, ask anything about computers you'd like when you get control of the question!! __________________ Good Civ II stuff is here .....

Jun 16, 2002, 02:53 AM	#12
Lucky Game- and Quizmaster Join Date: Nov 2001 Posts: 2,304	I told you I am only feeding you what I want you to see! But I´m nowhere as good as you in writting neverending essays with so much information. But you shouldn´t forget your quiz question at GC, just like you stated in the rules here, check in often. __________________ The difference between fiction and reality? Fiction has to make sense. - Tom Clancy Visit Gamecatcher, your online gaming community! Featuring our own online Magazine, a SimCity Deluxe Region, a Forum Arcade, a The Kabal Invasion server and much more. Part of the Intersite Civ3 PBEM Democracy games.

Jun 16, 2002, 03:08 AM	#13
starlifter Deity Join Date: Jun 2001 Posts: 4,163	LOL, I was there 6 hours ago... you've got the big Q now, dude! __________________ Good Civ II stuff is here .....

Jun 16, 2002, 09:48 AM	#14
King of Camelot Camelot's King Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Sunny California Posts: 528	My question is about the aquiring of MS-DOS by Microsoft. Just thought it would be interesting to see if any one knows that much about it. And it is computer history. 1.When did Bill Gates buy MS-DOS?(year) BonusA.What month? BonusB.What day? 2.Where did he buy it?(State and City) 3.What was the name of the company he bought it from? Good luck! Sorry to the people who hate microsoft but its a interresting question. P.S. Didn't see rule 4 there...

Jun 16, 2002, 09:55 AM	#15
Black Fluffy Lion Qxria Join Date: Oct 2001 Posts: 977	1. 1981 2. no idea 3. IBM

Jun 16, 2002, 09:59 AM	#16
King of Camelot Camelot's King Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Sunny California Posts: 528	Close but needs some refining. Also num 3 is bought from not sold to.

Jun 16, 2002, 10:10 AM	#17
starlifter Deity Join Date: Jun 2001 Posts: 4,163	I'll wait on that one to give someone else a chance. Bill Gates and M$ are my specialty. More bonus if you know who the original author of the OS that Bill Gates and Paul Allen bought, and what happened to the real author of that OS.... e.g., how much money did he get and how rich did he get. Hint. Bill Gates has not changed in 28 years, going back to pre-Altair days. __________________ Good Civ II stuff is here .....

Jun 16, 2002, 10:30 AM	#18
Black Fluffy Lion Qxria Join Date: Oct 2001 Posts: 977	was the year right?? as a guess for the month...wasn't it something like september or october??

Jun 16, 2002, 12:50 PM	#19
King of Camelot Camelot's King Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Sunny California Posts: 528	The year was right..or was it a year off? AHHH! Senior moment! Can't remeber!

Jun 16, 2002, 01:03 PM	#20
King of Camelot Camelot's King Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Sunny California Posts: 528	Ok, I remember it was right.

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