Trivia

Aw, man, I got so busy yesterday I forgot to actually post the answers to the trivia. So here it is. Sorry about that! Not that I really need to post them, since the commenters had all the right answers (collectively). 1. Who invented the first compiler? Grace Hopper. 2. What optical phenomenon is the basis for fiber optics, and also is how most automotive rain sensors work? Total internal reflection. 3. An early form of RAM was magnetic ceramic rings with wires threaded through them. What was the more common name for this memory? Core memory (and hence the term “core dumps”). 4. What computer systems had the operating system called UNICOS? Cray supercomputers. 5. What designation did Intel …

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It’s Tuesday, so it’s time for some trivia. I’ll post the answers around 2 PM CST. Feel free to beat me to it in the comments. 1. Who invented the first compiler? 2. What optical phenomenon is the basis for fiber optics, and is also how most automotive rain sensors work? 3. An early form of RAM was magnetic ceramic rings with wires threaded through them. What was the more common name for this memory? 4. What computer systems ran the operating system UNICOS? 5. What designation did Intel give 80486 CPUs with defective floating point units?

I can’t remember what I had for dinner last night but I can remember this stuff. Can you? I’ll post the answers in the comments later today if you folks don’t beat me to it. Which you will, I’m sure. 1. The only optional field in /etc/passwd, its name is an acronym for what? 2. A double-sided, double-density 5.25″ floppy disk holds how much data? 3. What is the name of the computing “law” which states that the value of a telecommunications network is proportional to the square of the number of users of the system? 4. The acronym “SCSI” is pronounced “scuzzy” but it was originally intended to be pronounced in what way? 5. How many pins did the …

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