[inforoots] Eckert ENIAC Interview

[Hans Neukom]

Hi Bob

I will certainly read the book by Clark Mollenhoff. However, it seems to me
that the facts are not that easy. Pres Eckert was asked in the cited
interview about Atanasoff. He of course takes a fully opposite view of these
things and claims that he and Mauchly never used any idea from Atanasoff,
although they lost the patent court case against their Eniac patent. So
there are two opposing camps. Maybe some more history research would be
needed to shed more light on this question. Do you know of any specific,
unbiased research on this ?

Hans Neukom

_____________________________________________
Why pay for a telephon call? If you want to call me free, use www.skype.com

  -----Original Message-----
  From: inforoots-bounces at computerhistory.org
[mailto:inforoots-bounces at computerhistory.org]On Behalf Of Bob Zeidman
  Sent: Samstag, 18. Februar 2006 03:59
  To: 'Open Discussion about the history of the Information Age'
  Subject: RE: [inforoots] Eckert ENIAC Interview


  Hi Hans,

  I don't have specific answers to your questions, but I suggest you read
"Atanasoff: Forgotten Father of the Computer" by Clark Mollenhoff. The book
was recommended to me by Gordon Bell and I've also met and had discussions
with Atanasoff's son and granddaughter. Turns out that Mauchly stole the
basic concepts of digital computing from Atanasoff whom he visited at Iowa
State in 1940. Mauchly studied the detailed specs of the digital computer
Atanasoff designed with Cliff Berry, then joined up with Eckert to design
ENIAC. It's not clear if Eckert knew the concepts were stolen. Eckert and
Mauchly added many key inventions but in their greed tried to patent the
basic concept. In one of the biggest patent cases of the last century,
between Sperry and Honeywell, it was proven, through Mauchly's signed
letters to Atanasoff and eyewitness testimony, that the concepts were
stolen. The patent was invalidated. Really fascinating story.

  -Bob Zeidman
--
No virus found in this outgoing message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition.
Version: 7.1.375 / Virus Database: 267.15.12/266 - Release Date: 21.02.2006
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://mail.computerhistory.org/pipermail/inforoots/attachments/20060222/766f736a/attachment.html