A tool invented in 1804 by French weaver and service provider Joseph Marie Jacquard known as the Jacquard machine is an essential a part of computing historical past, and it just sold for $43,750. 2VIEW GALLERY – 2 IMAGES Since you won’t have heard of the machine earlier than, this is a fast rundown. The machine connected to a weaving loom and used printed punch playing cards to “program” patterns into the looms woven cloth. Jacquard’s machine had excessive precision when it got here to weaving patterns, and in 1886 it was used to create a prayer e-book that was woven along with silk.Due to the Jacquard machine counting on replaceable punch playing cards to management the end result of what was being woven, the machine was titled a precursor of computer programming. It grew to become a staple level for future creations, resembling Charles Babbage’s Analytical Engine. The Jacquard mechanism just sold on the Sotheby’s annual History of Science and Technology public sale for $43,750. 2 Sotheby’s public sale web site description:”Jacquard… conceived of growing a semi-automatic tone-selection machine, which might be built-in onto the loom, leading to faster manufacturing and extra intricate patterns. Jacquard’s punch-card system labored a lot in the identical manner as a fax machine: every punch within the card directed a black or a white thread into the headstock of the loom, pinpointing the specified thread into place.”Cassandra Hatton, a senior specialist with Sotheby’s additionally stated, “Technically, the time period ‘Jacquard loom’ is a misnomer. There’s no such factor as a Jacquard loom-there’s a Jacquard mechanism that hooks onto a loom. It’s typically known as a Jacquard-driven loom for that cause.”
https://www.tweaktown.com/news/69362/essential-precursor-computer-hardware-sold-43-750/index.html