A bright band on the monitor tube indicated that the waiting loop had been entered. When this had been achieved, you ran upstairs and put the tape in the tape reader and then returned to the machine room.
显示器上出现一道亮带,这表示机器已经进入就绪循环了。然后你要跑到楼上去,把纸带放进读带器,然后再跑回机器室。
If the machine was still obeying the input loop you called to the engineer to switch on the writing current, and cleared the accumulator (allowing the control to emerge from the loop).
如果机器仍然处于就绪循环,你就可以去叫工程师,给它切换到写入电流,然后清空累加器(让控制信号出来)。
With luck, the tape was read. As soon as the pattern on the monitor showed that input was ended the engineer switched off the write current to the drum.
如果你运气够好,纸带就被读取了。显示器的模式一旦表明输入结束,工程师马上把写入电流切换到磁鼓。关掉书写电流到鼓状物。
As every vehicle that drove past was a potential source of spurious digits, it usually took many attempts to get a tape in - each attempt needing another trip up to the tape room.
因为每一个传输环节都有可能产生错误,所以往往要试很多次才能将纸带输入,而每试一次,你都需要跑到楼上去。
In fact, writing from the tubes on to the magnetic drum was all but impossible on the prototype.
从射线管写入磁鼓是一个非常重要的过程,
Alan wrote9: Judged from the point of view of the programmer, the least reliable part of the machine appeared to be the magnetic writing facilities.
图灵对此写道:从编程者的角度看来,这台机器最不可靠的部分,似乎就是磁写入设备。
The effects of incorrect writing were however so much more disastrous than any other mistake which could be made by the machine, that automatic writing was practically never done.
写入错误的后果,比其它任何错误都更加严重,所以自动写入从来都没有成功过……
Other serious sources of error were the failure of storage tubes and the multiplier.
其它严重的错误还会发生在存储管和乘法器……
In the hot summer of 1950 it was not unknown for computer users to be sweltering in 90°F heat, and banging the racks with a hammer to detect loose valves.
在1950年夏天,计算机使用者们,在32摄氏度的酷暑中,还要举着大锤子,猛砸机器的架子,以检查松掉的电子管。
The autumn of 1949 saw what was to be Alan's only titbit of hardware design for the Ferranti machine.
1949年秋天,图灵对弗兰蒂机器的硬件设计,提出了很少的一些建议。
One of the hardware functions on which he had insisted was that of a random number generator - a feature not included in his ACE design.
比如他建议加装一个随机数产生器,这是他的ACE设计中所没有的。
His own electronic knowledge stopped short of the necessary practical detail, but with Geoff Tootill's collaboration he was still able to design his own system.
他自己的电子知识很有限,缺乏一些必要的实践经验,但如果在托蒂尔的协助下,他就完全能够设计出这个系统。