There was a universe before digital computers were popular or a thing at all. Co... | Hacker News

Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit

		tgma 13 days ago \| parent \| context \| favorite \| on: “Dynamic programming” is not referring to “compute... There was a universe before digital computers were popular or a thing at all. Computing predates computers.

Thorrez 13 days ago [–]

Before digital computers existed, there were still computers. They were people. A baker is a person who bakes. A computer was a person who computes (computing mathematical results).

tgma 13 days ago | [–]

Sure, that's why I had computers italicized to indicate the specific modern definition, not everything that computes.

Consider applying for YC's Fall 2025 batch! Applications are open till Aug 4
Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact