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Using strings to record things? Now use rope to program spacecraft to the moon and back. (en.m.wikipedia.org)

submitted 3 months ago by TachyonTele@lemm.ee to c/wikipedia@lemmy.world

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Most of the software on the AGC (Apollo Guidance Computer) is stored in a special read-only memory known as core rope memory, fashioned by weaving wires through and around magnetic cores, though a small amount of read/write core memory is available.

Bonus Nerd Link: the Virtual AGC Project

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[–] BaroqueInMind@lemmy.one 5 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 children)

Really cool that it could store more memory than a magnetic hard disk drive at the time

[–] _stranger_@lemmy.world 3 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

Especially when you consider computers at the time were roughly the size of shipping containers, and the hard drive was a whole other box.

http://factmyth.com/factoids/the-first-hard-drive-was-announced-in-1956/

Assembled with covers, the 305 RAMAC was 60 inches long, 68 inches high and 29 inches deep.[2]

[–] todotoro@midwest.social 4 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Hey there. If you find this fascinating, theres a youtube channel that is trying to restore said computer and goes over how it works in detail: https://youtu.be/hckwxq8rnr0?feature=shared

[–] TachyonTele@lemm.ee 3 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

That video was how I learned about it!
I highly encourage anyone even slightly interested in how a rope core computer works to watch that video. The whole series is fantastic too.

Thank you for finding that, Todotoro. I meant to but completely forgot to do it.