This Is What a Computer Looked Like in 1957

This photo, according to a document from the government Norfolk County, UK, is a photo of the city of Norwich taking delivery of its first computer. It's an Elliott 405, a computer manufactured by Elliott Brothers, a now-defunct British company.

This 1957 article from The New Scientist describes it as the first municipal computer in the UK. The author, J.W. Cox, is an employee of Elliott Brothers. He states that the 405 was "specially designed for accounting and statistical purposes." It stores data on up to 1,000 feet of magnetic film.

Programming tip: lift with your legs, not your back.

-via David Thompson


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Newest 4 Comments

My dad remembered arranging the closing Curzon Street in London on a Sunday morning to crane in a new computer to the top floor. It was to do teachers' salaries for the whole of the UK. Took up several rooms.
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now our TVs come WITH computers that you can control it from another computer that has a tiny TV that you can also make phonecalls! Computer-ception!
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@Briannana

Why? Is being honest with ourselves and recognising the things which are important that we never learned, and not assuming that we know even though we don't? I think this mindset is better than thinking we are at the pinnacle of human development without looking at our personal individual weaknesses.
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it's funny, I only have the gift of gab when i'm sure it isn't going anywhere. as soon as it looks like, hey, this might happen, i immediately transform into a bumbling idiot.
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I agree that learning interpersonal skills like flirting is important, however, it really has no place as part of secondary level education.

As for Germany, and correct me if I'm wrong, it seems awfully liberal in that aspect and others as well (e.g. providing government coverage for homeopathy "treatments"). I guess they are just giving the people what they want no matter how dumb and counterproductive it is. It seems they are doing OK though. Just hope we all aren't heading for a state of idiocracy.
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