# Computer History Thread **URL:** \ **Category:** Technology and Computers\ **Tags:** history\ **Created:** [September 17, 2019, 9:12pm UTC](https://forum.artofmemory.com/t/computer-history-thread/41945 "2019-09-17T21:12:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Josh](https://forum.artofmemory.com/user_avatar/forum.artofmemory.com/josh/32/21_2.png) [@Josh](https://forum.artofmemory.com/u/Josh)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2019, 9:12pm UTC](https://forum.artofmemory.com/t/computer-history-thread/41945/1 "2019-09-17T21:12:38Z")
Is anyone here interested in computer history? We could use this thread (in the off-topic section) to discuss it. I recently met a programmer who had been a programmer for 50 years, entirely on mainframes. She got started as a comptometer operator and moved into programming later. I didn’t know what a comptometer was so I looked it up: [![](https://forum.artofmemory.com/uploads/default/original/3X/e/f/ef9bf4e612dd6df571305235bf1f180a2cb6966d.jpeg "How the Comptometer Works") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbJpufimfdM) She also mentioned using bi-quinary numbers, but I didn’t hear all the details: > **[Bi-quinary coded decimal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bi-quinary_coded_decimal)** > > Bi-quinary coded decimal is a numeral encoding scheme used in many abacuses and in some early computers, notably the Colossus. The term bi-quinary indicates that the code comprises both a two-state (bi) and a five-state (quinary) component. The encoding resembles that used by many abacuses, with four beads indicating the five values either from 0 through 4 or from 5 through 9 and another bead indicating which of those ranges (which can alternatively be thought of as +5). Several human languages... ![image](https://forum.artofmemory.com/uploads/default/original/2X/f/f0c1f7314b228dec3c95219a30dbb6dfbc359259.png) There’s also a YouTube channel called [The 8-Bit Guy](http://www.the8bitguy.com/), which is interesting, especially if you grew up in the 1980s. 🙂 > **[The 8-Bit Guy](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8uT9cgJorJPWu7ITLGo9Ww)** > > A computer video series focusing mainly on retro technology from the 80s, 90s and 2000s. However, once or twice a year I'll create something totally "out there." My main goal at this point is to make educational content about retro technology that... Post your interesting computer history links below. 🙂