Geniac

Geniac

The GENIAC was the first of several similar machines designed and sold by Berkeley:
* GENIAC = Genius Almost-Automatic Computer
* TINYAC = Tiny Almost-Automatic Computer
* WEENIAC = Weeny Almost-Automatic Computer (only 60 made)
* BRAINIAC = Brain-Imitating Almost-Automatic Computer

GENIAC was an educational toy built as a "computer" designed and marketed by Edmund C.
Berkeley from 1955 through the sixties.
Widely advertised in science and electronics magazines, the GENIAC provided many youths
with their first hands-on introduction to computer concepts and Boolean logic.

Priced at $15.95 in 1955 GENIAC was far ahead of its time. It basically was a
collection of configurable ("hard-wire programmable") N-pole by N-throw rotary
switches, which could be set up and cascaded to perform logical functions. The reason I
say "N-pole" is that the switches were made of drilled masonite disks that you might
wire as a many-pole two-throw, or single-pole multi-throw, depending on what logical
function you were implementing. The kit came with a pretty good tutorial, which, as I
look at it, is still useful today. The projects started with basic logic circuits and
progressed to such things as a NIM machine and TIC-TAC-TOE machine. Back in 1955 the
idea of making a machine that could play even the simple game of tic-tac-toe was just
amazing. The "output" device was a set of lamps that would light in response to the
"input data" (switch positions) and "program" (how they were wired).