You make a good point, there Bill.  There is like a level of collective learning that increases with each generation.

And I think this homebrew computer is a case in point.  With all we know now, it was possible for someone to build as a hobby what it would have taken a huge government with a huge government budget to build just 45 years ago.  

> -----Original Message-----
> From: piclist-bounces@mit.edu [mailto:piclist-bounces@mit.edu] On Behalf
> Of William "Chops" Westfield
> Sent: Tuesday, June 07, 2005 10:34 AM
> To: Microcontroller discussion list - Public.
> Subject: Re: [OT] Homebrew CPU
> 
> On Jun 6, 2005, at 11:59 PM, Wouter van Ooijen wrote:
> 
> > OTOH, what would the effect have been of a single computer in the hands
> > of the Germans or Japanse? V2's so accurate that there would soon be no
> > Bletchley Park at all? An unbreakable Japanese navy code?
> >
> I don't see how a SINGLE computer would be much use in improving the
> accuracy of missiles.  Or for that matter, I suppose you could use
> PGP or something to unbreakably code messages.  Too bad you'd need a
> SECOND computer to decode them :-)
> 
> And I think you underestimate how long it would take people used to
> mechanical "differential engines" to learn programming :-)
> 
> BillW
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