Re: Old cassette tape storage

On Wed, 05 Mar 2008 21:03:35 -0500, Kip Williams <kiptw@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
wrote:

>Keith F. Lynch wrote:
>> Karl Johanson <karljohanson@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>>> How many bits did the early computer cassette tapes hold?
>> 
>> I was trying to figure out what you were asking, until I saw others'
>> replies and your response to them.  To me, early computers are all
>> mainframes.  Most of them used reel-to-reel tapes, but a few of
>> them had various kinds of special cassettes.  You were asking about
>> microcomputers that used standard audio cassettes?  Not what I'd
>> call "early."
>
>Early computers were programmed by soldering and unsoldering components. 
>My sister-in-law's mother-in-law used to work on one.
>

The invention of plug-boards for programming was a major step forward.