The computing machines of Konrad Zuse
[The articles of this volume will not be indexed individually.] They are a valuable supplement of Zuse's interesting but very subjective autobiography (first preliminary published in 1970 and meanwhile reaching its 5th print, cf. Zbl 0777.68020). \textit{F. L. Bauer} introduces the new collection of papers around Zuse and his machines. He compares Zuse's work with that of the other computer pioneers and especially describes in detail the complicated relation of American historians of Computer Science concerning the German Zuse. \textit{H. Dorsch} gives a short description of the reconstruction of the Z1 for the Deutsche Technikmuseum in Berlin (founded 1982) by the essential cooperation of Zuse himself and his excellent memory. \textit{R. Rojas}, the spiritus rector and editor of the volume, describes with much more details than it was done at any time in the past the architecture of the Z3 (which is essentially the same as that of the Z1, except the pure mechanical working of Z1). He points out that the Z3, though working only with linear programs, in principle can simulate a universal Turing machine, because some conditional jumps are hidden in the hardware realization of the arithmetics of the Z3. So he, in a tricky manner, can translate arbitrary programs and even such with alterations of addresses in Zuse's ``Rechenpläne. \textit{H. Petzold} reports Zuse's longtime and finally failing battle to get a patent for his machines. This chapter shows once more that inventors (or else scientists) and law officers are living in two different worlds and that the first sort of people in general has no chance without competent lawyers. This paper is followed by the original (but difficult to read) \textit{Patentanmeldung} (1941) by \textit{K. Zuse} himself (i.e. a detailed description of all parts and the working mode of the machine in the language of Zuse) and by the \textit{Patentschrift} that Zuse got for his \textit{mechanisches Schaltglied} (mechanical switching unit) in 1954. Finally, \textit{G.-A. Thurm} presents an internet simulation of the Z3, prepared under the mentorship of R. Rojas. Beyond many new and valuable details of the history of computing, the volume gives some suggestions for students training in reading and understanding computing technics, simulating and implementing.
- 50 years of the Seminar for Applied Mathematics, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zürich, November 18-20, 1998. The early years of the Institute: Acquisition and operation of the Z4, planning of the ERMETH
- Babbage meets Zuse: a minimal mechanical computer
- scientific article; zbMATH DE number 3890693 (Why is no real title available?)
- scientific article; zbMATH DE number 400659 (Why is no real title available?)
- The stored-program universal computer: did Zuse anticipate Turing and von Neumann?
- Konrad Zuse's Early Computers
This page was built for publication: The computing machines of Konrad Zuse
Report a bug (only for logged in users!)Click here to report a bug for this page (MaRDI item Q4380318)
