Colossus working again at Bletchley Park

Colossus took under four hours.

A German, Joachim Schueth, who wrote a custom program in (of all things) Ada (ptut – bad memories from university!), managed to get all 12 wheel settings using his 1.4GHz laptop. Total runtime on computer *46 seconds*.

…..

Ah yes, but what is more impressive, to watch a boring grey box gently humming away on your desk for 46 seconds, before flashing a few words on a small flat TFT screen, or to watch a thing the size of a planet, with lots of buzzing valves, spinning wheels, and flashing light bulbs, chugging away for a few hours?

A modern PC may be faster, but it’s just SO bl**dy boring to look at 😀 . It’s a bit like comparing something like an Airbus A321 to a Vickers Viscount….both do the same job, but one’s just go so much more style.:cool:

Paul F

Germany calling …

Colossus took under four hours.

A German, Joachim Schueth, who wrote a custom program in (of all things) Ada (ptut – bad memories from university!), managed to get all 12 wheel settings using his 1.4GHz laptop. Total runtime on computer *46 seconds*.

http://www.tnmoc.org/cipher7.htm
http://www.heise-security.co.uk/news/99090

Scheuth’s site (with code):
http://www.schlaupelz.de/SZ42/SZ42_software.html

I was going to do something similar for my dissertation.

Unfortunately the Colossus has lost the race…

…since it only de-coded the messages sixty-four years before the modern PC based software! 😀

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7098005.stm

On a different note anyone know anything about the Harrier parked up there?

Harrier GR3 serial XV752 ‘belongs’ to 2366 Squadron Air Cadets.

That is great news i only live about 5 miles from Bletchley park and have only been there once 😮

To make things worse my Grandmother served there in the war:o 😮

Must make time to go see Colossus.

curlyboy (really embarrased)

It’s also worth pointing out that that still means that an early 1940s computer could process as efficiently as a late 1990s machine – some 55 years younger.

Yes but, could while away hours playing solitaire?:p And I hear the graphics aren’t up to much, can’t even change your font!

John

There is going to be some tests run today and tomorrow on short wave. Using Lorenz teleprinter signals. http://www.codesandciphers.org.uk/

On a different note anyone know anything about the Harrier parked up there?

It’s also worth pointing out that that still means that an early 1940s computer could process as efficiently as a late 1990s machine – some 55 years younger.

No doubt we will have an influx of tech types telling me that my terminology is all to blazes, but you hopefully see the point.

Adrian

In the article it says a Pentium 2 (10 year old technology now) could run an emulated Colossus and was about the same speed. So a modern PC would probably run rings around it.

Yeah Right! So its only my pc’s that grind to a halt, crash, update things you didn’t want in the first place (right in the middle of something important),and then restart automatically, losing all unsaved information, go down with a new virus every week, and become obsolete during their own warranty; none of it fixable by a human being.

I know what I’d rather have (even if it meant typing this on my old 1920’s machine, and sending it by carrier pigeon).

In the article it says a Pentium 2 (10 year old technology now) could run an emulated Colossus and was about the same speed. So a modern PC would probably run rings around it.

Thanks for that, it will be interesting to see the end results. Of equal interest is how the old machine performs against ‘new tech’.