评论
打印
In the spring of 1947, while Darwin applied the higher realms of his thought to solving the problem of Alan Turing, incoherent initiatives were taken by more impatient people on the lower rungs of the promotion scale.
1947年春天，大拳头落到了图灵的项目上，激进派夺得了主动权，
One of these was Harry Huskey, who was very eager to see a start made on building a computer before his year was out.
这其中之一就是哈斯基，他非常急于在这一年内看到实际成果。
He admired the general form of the ACE design, but believed that the best plan would be to construct a small delay line machine 'on a plan which is a compromise between the NPL and the Moore School plans.'
他大体上欣赏ACE的设计，但他认为最好的计划，是把这份设计与莫尔学院的设计结合起来，以便尽快造出一个小型的延迟线机器。
Relations between Alan and Huskey had been cool from the start, but they deteriorated when one day in the spring, Alan went into Mike Woodger's room to find him engaged upon writing a program headed 'Version H'.
哈斯基与图灵的关系从一开始就非常僵，但从这个时候起，他们的关系更加严重地恶化了。图灵有一次去麦克·伍格的房间，发现他正在编"第八版"程序，
This was in fact an adaptation by Huskey of the Version V of the ACE, trimmed to include only the barest minimum of apparatus required to do a useful job, which was defined as the solution of eight simultaneous equations.
这是哈斯基搞出来的，实际上是对图灵的第五版设计进行了一些删改，改到只剩下最少的设备，机器只能做一件事，即解八元方程注。
Though generally consistent with the ACE design philosophy, such a departure necessarily subverted Alan's control of the project.
虽然这与图灵的设计哲学是一致的，但是这样的修改，对于夺取图灵的主导权来说，是非常有必要的。
If Huskey's project failed, it would be a waste of time, and if it succeeded, it would lead to a marked change of plan.
如果哈斯基失败了，他只是浪费一些时间，但如果他成功了，就会导致整个项目发生转折式的变化。
Naturally, Alan boycotted the development. Somehow Harry Huskey managed to scrape together enough equipment to make a start.
图灵当然对此表示反对，但哈斯基却东拼西凑地搞到了足够的设备，
His official role was 'on the apparatus side', and he was better at the form-filling;
他的正式职务就是"负责设备"，而且他非常擅长填表之类的事。
furthermore he did not need to think in terms of building the grand ACE installation, but only in terms of an experimental set-up.
而且，哈斯基与图灵不同，他不需要关心ACE的全局性问题，他只需要拼尽全力地对付这个小实验。
Jim Wilkinson and Mike Woodger joined in. Life in the Mathematics Division became very complicated, but they did learn something about electronics for the first time.
威尔金森与麦克·伍格加入了他，数学部门的人事关系开始变得复杂了。
