It has been 80 years since the world was changed by the birth of the world's first electronic computer!

In the long course of history, there are always some landmark events that inadvertently change the course of human civilization. This year we celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Colossus, the world’s first electronic computer. The birth of this mysterious machine laid the foundation for future personal computers.


Excitingly, today, the British Government Communications Headquarters GCHQ recently released some of the original confidential photos of Colossus to the public for the first time. As a result, we get to see the world's first electronic computer.




(Photo source: GCHQ)


Colossus is the same as the "bomb machine" studied by Turing, which was used to crack An electronically encrypted system for communication between German military officers. This computer was officially put into use on January 18, 1944. Its application greatly promoted the Allied war process. Not only that, it is also the most important existence in the history of electronic computers. Without it, there would be no current computers.



(Photo source: GCHQ)



Of course, from today’s perspective, this electronic computer is huge in size and has simple functions. . Now even the worst-performing mobile phones can operate thousands or tens of thousands of times faster. More importantly, it was used for military purposes at the time and was unknown to the outside world, making it even less likely that ordinary people would have the opportunity to use it.



(Source: Google)



The emergence of Colossus marked the beginning of the electronic computer era. Its design concept and structure had a profound impact on subsequent computer development. Every computer we use today can be traced back to the design and philosophy of Colossus.

For most ordinary users, it will take at least until the millennium for computers to truly spread to thousands of households and become the "computers" we are familiar with. At that time, computers were almost the most advanced equipment in most ordinary households, carrying many functions such as games and audio-visual entertainment. However, at that time, computers were still not cheap. It is probably only in the past ten years that PC product prices have become more expensive. Today, it is not uncommon to spend one to two thousand yuan to buy a mini console or even a thin and light notebook.


Nowadays, with the continuous development of intelligent devices, mobile phones, tablets, cars and other products have entered public life, and the PC industry has passed its most glorious period. The living space of PC products has actually been squeezed, but desktops and laptops are still the most important productivity tools today. In office and other scenarios, PC still has an irreplaceable status.


On this anniversary, we should remember the contribution of Colossus, and the hard work and innovation of those behind it. It is precisely because of their efforts that we have today's technologically advanced world. Let us celebrate this important milestone together and pay tribute to those who work hard for technological progress and peace.

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