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