lynch@aristotle.ils.nwu.edu (Richard Lynch) (12/06/90)
[Numerous postings about Grace Hopper and the term bug not included.] I heard *SOMEWHERE* that the first bug was in ENIAC or UNIVAC, and was, in fact a bug that got into the machine and was fried by the wires and whose carcass maintained contact, thus short-circuiting the machine. I sincerely hope that this is true, since it IS the story I've told to several hundred high school students. :-) "TANSTAAFL" Rich lynch@aristotle.ils.nwu.edu
jsd@boreal.rice.edu (Shawn Joel Dube) (12/06/90)
In article <127@anaxagoras.ils.nwu.edu>, lynch@aristotle.ils.nwu.edu (Richard Lynch) writes: |> [Numerous postings about Grace Hopper and the term bug not included.] |> I heard *SOMEWHERE* that the first bug was in ENIAC or UNIVAC, and was, in |> fact a bug that got into the machine and was fried by the wires and whose |> carcass maintained contact, thus short-circuiting the machine. I |> sincerely hope that this is true, since it IS the story I've told to |> several hundred high school students. :-) |> Your right. I read the same thing in a Popular Science (c. 82-84). -- rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr r ___ _ "...but then there was the r r /__ | \ possibility that they were r r ___/hawn |__\ube LaRouche democrats which, of r r jsd@owlnet.rice.edu course, were better off dead." r rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
lsmith@cs.umn.edu (Lance "Taylorism" Smith) (12/06/90)
In <1990Dec6.012530.18666@rice.edu> jsd@boreal.rice.edu (Shawn Joel Dube) writes: >In article <127@anaxagoras.ils.nwu.edu>, lynch@aristotle.ils.nwu.edu (Richard Lynch) writes: >|> [Numerous postings about Grace Hopper and the term bug not included.] >|> I heard *SOMEWHERE* that the first bug was in ENIAC or UNIVAC, and was, in >|> fact a bug that got into the machine and was fried by the wires and whose >|> carcass maintained contact, thus short-circuiting the machine. I >|> sincerely hope that this is true, since it IS the story I've told to >|> several hundred high school students. :-) >|> >You're right. I read the same thing in a Popular Science (c. 82-84). I hate to keep beating a dead moth, but you can find the answer to this one in the Annals of the History of Computing. The general agreement is that the term bug goes back way before computing (Thomas Edison uses it.) Even debug goes back before computing. The first literal bug was a moth that got stuck in a relay in the Mark II computer which is what Grace Hopper is talking of. There is a picture of the log book where the moth has been taped in one of the issues of the Annals (I think vol. 10 no. 4, but check the index first.) The moth didn't really fry the system, just caused some errors. As I said above, I believe the term was used before the moth was found. The Mark II came after the ENIAC and before the UNIVAC. It delivered to Dahlgren Naval Proving Ground in 1948. Like the Harvard Mark I it was an electro-mechanical computer, but was about 12 times as powerful as its predecessor, doing a whopping 30 instructions per second and containing 100 relay registers. [Source is Giant Brains by E. C. Berkeley, 1949.] Sorry to rehash this again. Perhaps we can get up a list of FAQs. I notice TECO is making the rounds again. BTW, I'd also like to put in my plug again for comp.history since the powers that be here (U of MN) are threating to remove much of the alt hierarchy. -- Lance "Simon" Smith and his dancing bear Oh, who would think a boy and bear could be well accepted everywhere... REPLYTONET: lsmith@cs.umn.edu Send monetary units to: PO Box 13345, Dinkytown Station, Minneapolis, MN 55414
hrubin@pop.stat.purdue.edu (Herman Rubin) (12/06/90)
In article <127@anaxagoras.ils.nwu.edu>, lynch@aristotle.ils.nwu.edu (Richard Lynch) writes: > [Numerous postings about Grace Hopper and the term bug not included.] > I heard *SOMEWHERE* that the first bug was in ENIAC or UNIVAC, and was, in > fact a bug that got into the machine and was fried by the wires and whose > carcass maintained contact, thus short-circuiting the machine. I > sincerely hope that this is true, since it IS the story I've told to > several hundred high school students. :-) I personally heard the term used before there was an electronic computer. Someone in some group in the past posted that the OED traced the use of the term "bug" for industrial defect to Edison in the last century. -- Herman Rubin, Dept. of Statistics, Purdue Univ., West Lafayette IN47907-1399 Phone: (317)494-6054 hrubin@l.cc.purdue.edu (Internet, bitnet) {purdue,pur-ee}!l.cc!hrubin(UUCP)
lark@tivoli.UUCP (Lar Kaufman) (12/07/90)
In article <1990Dec6.012530.18666@rice.edu> jsd@boreal.rice.edu (Shawn Joel Dube) writes: >In article <127@anaxagoras.ils.nwu.edu>, lynch@aristotle.ils.nwu.edu (Richard Lynch) writes: >|> [Numerous postings about Grace Hopper and the term bug not included.] >|> I heard *SOMEWHERE* that the first bug was in ENIAC or UNIVAC, and was, in >|> fact a bug that got into the machine and was fried by the wires and whose >|> carcass maintained contact, thus short-circuiting the machine. I >|> sincerely hope that this is true, since it IS the story I've told to >|> several hundred high school students. :-) >Your right. I read the same thing in a Popular Science (c. 82-84). Well, the Grace Hopper story about the bug crisped in a contact of the computer circuitry is oft repeated, but consider this: If the computer team wasn't already aware of the use of the term "bug", why would they go to the trouble of noting it in the logbook and taping the actual carcass into the book? This was clearly intended as droll humor. I submit that it is probably accurate to say that this was the first instance of the use of the term "bug" (or perhaps even "debugging") in a computer context. I believe that there is evidence that predates this usage in context of electrical systems, possibly avionics and the like. Sorry, I don't have time to spend doing such research, but be careful out there... -lar -- Lar Kaufman I would feel more optimistic about a bright future (voice) 512-329-2455 for man if he spent less time proving that he can (fax) 512-329-2755 outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness lark@tivoli.com and respecting her seniority. - E.B. White
peter@ficc.ferranti.com (Peter da Silva) (12/07/90)
Go to the Smithsonian Institution, you can see the actual moth with your own eyes. It's taped to a log book, with an entry along the lines of "actual bug found in system". It's clear from the log entry that the term "bug" predated the event. Followups *out* of comp.arch. Sheesh. -- Peter da Silva. `-_-' +1 713 274 5180. 'U` peter@ferranti.com
amos@taux01.nsc.com (Amos Shapir) (12/07/90)
[Quoted from the referenced article by hrubin@pop.stat.purdue.edu (Herman Rubin)] > >I personally heard the term used before there was an electronic computer. > >Someone in some group in the past posted that the OED traced the use of >the term "bug" for industrial defect to Edison in the last century. When this was discussed in sci.nlang (I think it was back when it was still called net.nlang) the earliest mention of "bug" meaning "disturb, annoy" was traced back to the 16th century - preceding even its application to insects. (I think there was even a quote from Shakespeare or Chaucer). If anyone can verify (or beat) this and post the references, we can finally lay this argument to rest. -- Amos Shapir amos@taux01.nsc.com, amos@nsc.nsc.com National Semiconductor (Israel) P.O.B. 3007, Herzlia 46104, Israel Tel. +972 52 522255 TWX: 33691, fax: +972-52-558322 GEO: 34 48 E / 32 10 N
datri@convex.com (Anthony A. Datri) (12/20/90)
>I hate to keep beating a dead moth, but you can find the answer to this one >in the Annals of the History of Computing Ahhh, the legendary "proof by unavailable reference". --