Exploring the architecture of an early machine: The historical relevance of the ENIAC machine architecture

Abstract

After presenting the historiographical background to the ENIAC development, this paper examines the technical history of the machine. The technical section looks at the architecture of the Accumulators and the Master Programmer Unit in an attempt to illustrate both the advantages and the shortcomings of the design. In particular a description of a conditional branch mechanism and parallel operations are provided - together with a discussion of reasons why they were not used in any extensive way.