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Today computing power that was once unimaginable is bundled within consumer-friendly colored plastic and micronization has caused advanced technologies to look like nothing more than something you’d find inside a digital watch. But, no matter how powerful computers become, they’ll never match the awe-inducing complexity of the computers of yesteryear.
Back in the golden age of computing systems took up entire rooms, everything was covered in knobs and dials, and there were lots of moving parts. It may be a sad part of the human condition, but and array of 18,000 vacuum tubes looks a lot more impressive than a 32nm processor, whose technology is too small to appreciate.
Above is the SAGE:
A gigantic computerized air defense system, SAGE (Semi-Automatic Ground Environment) was designed to help the Air Force track radar data in real time. Equipped with technical advances such as modems and graphical displays, the machine weighed 300 tons and occupied one floor of a concrete blockhouse.
Now that’s a computer…
Later on the gallery has handsome photos of such vintage computer favorites as the Commodore 64, Osborne 1, and the Apple 1.
