Oldest operational computer was Re: cctalk Digest, Vol 54, Issue

[William Donzelli]

>  So are you saying that by the time you've tested enough components to make the
>  thing work, the first components tested have already started to fail (and by
>  implication, that early tubes would fail very quickly even when not being
>  actively used)?
>
>  Or just that the early tubes would fail so often that replacement would be
>  constant, with nothing left over for actual operational time?

Both.

>  Given that we're talking digital logic here, I would have expected that it's
>  reasonably easy to test whether a particular tube will perform in a digital
>  environment, just not how long it'll stay operational.

Any triode will work in a digital fashion.

>  But yes, we need the OP to give us a few more guidelines as to where the
>  boundaries are, as "1900-era materials and modern knowledge" covers way too
>  much ground.

Modern knowledge of computer architecture only, perhaps.

--
Will