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Thread ID: 29423 2003-01-19 09:51:00 Is a computer a machine? seacrest (2893) Press F1
Post ID Timestamp Content User
115278 2003-01-19 09:51:00 I often people call computers machines
Are they?
Ps I know its a weird question but i would like to know
seacrest (2893)
115279 2003-01-19 09:59:00 hear seacrest (2893)
115280 2003-01-19 10:01:00 My better half has gone as far as naming the two computers in my office.

One is called Sally and the other Suzie...................

I give up.
duckyduck (197)
115281 2003-01-19 10:23:00 Computers are machines. Just look at IBM. International Business Machines. Kame (312)
115282 2003-01-19 10:27:00 Usually call it a computer or comp.

Also certain parts being the rig, magic box, box.
-=JM=- (16)
115283 2003-01-19 10:38:00 It's got a name (Rosie), a mind of its own and a very black soul...... it's not a machine any more porpora (3036)
115284 2003-01-19 10:44:00 Machine (n) : A device consisting of fixed and moving parts that modifies mechanical energy and transmits it in a more useful form.

Im sure you can answer that yourself now :)
DistantCube (3037)
115285 2003-01-19 21:45:00 Answer depends on how you define "machine".
In about 1934 Alan Turing gave a definition of the most general or universal machine. As far as I know his definition hasn't been seriously disputed since.
Turing tried to design a computer according to his definition of "machine". Modern computers are an approximation to his definition.
(eg his definition required the universal machine to among other things have an infinite memory, I don't know if he would think my current 512MB of DDR was close to this or hopelessly inadequate - he died in 1952, I suspect his thoughts would have been more on the side of inadequate.)
rugila (214)
115286 2003-01-20 00:48:00 When I'm in a good mood I call them machines. When I am not in a good mood I call them all sorts of things. :D Graham L (2)
115287 2003-01-20 01:28:00 Sure it is. It's a data processing machine. mark c (247)
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