How an 1803 Jacquard Loom Led to Computer Technology

Joseph Marie-Jacquard developed the mechanical Jacquard loom in France in 1803. This innovative machine used punch cards to control the design of textiles made on the loom. These cards are predecessors to the modern-day computer punch cards and computer technology.

[@RossTrittipo]

Imagine being Monsieur Jacquard coming into his shop, getting his loom all ready to use, and then it decides to update.

[@johnjacquard863]

😂

[@mustardca667]

This humour is Top❤

[@TakuraNyagumbo]

😂😂😂

[@riittap9121]

I'm a first year CS student and as a part of a course assignment I was reading on history of computers. I was blown away by this story and seeing this video gave me the chills.

[@AlanCanon2222]

I've known the story since I was a kid in the 1980s learning to program on a Teletype with a paper tape punch and reader. I will tell you after 35 years of computing, it NEVER gets old.

[@davidfaiheng]

Wow. I'm so blown away with the working of this machine, which eventually led to the modern world of technology we live in today.

[@xaenon]

If you want to see the full transition from loom to computer, go check out an old TV show called CONNECTIONS with host James Burke. Episode 4 'Faith in Numbers' of the original show. He demonstrates a tabulating machine that was used to calculate the census in record time, using the principles originally developed with/for the Jacquard loom. The entire original series is definitely worth seeing, if you enjoy learning about the origins of many technologies we take for granted today.

[@johnjacquard863]

❤

[@greensleeves8734]

Hello. I am currently studying Information Technology and after learning about the aformentioned "punch cards" that you referenced in the video I must say I was blown away by your video. Truly amazing how something invented so long ago can still baffle the human mind centuries later! Also you explained everything so masterfully and just wanted to say many thank you very much for the content! As I said truly amazing and beautiful textile work!

[@muraleekrishna.s1901]

Its telling us how simple is a computer(0&1),all so COMPLICATED. 🙏

[@empireofgreatjanggeo7888]

Its like printing paper but in loom, wow, old technology is so awesome

[@duanedonaldson2262]

I have seen a very similar loom machine in Japan, very very detailed piece of machinery. It was used to make simple window blinds for smaller windows such as a kitchen window and the blinds were woven with fake thin bamboo rods of different colors to give a nice design pattern. It was made of solid cast iron for the main portions and seemed super heavy, but it was overall very beautiful in action.

[@scottm4267]

Great presentation. Have read about these but couldn't visualize it properly. This was very helpful. Thank you

[@-kaitharikalam7930]

Good job. Mind blowing work. I love my weaving work at my place....

[@williamtrajano7914]

Thank you for this video. very interesting, . My son is learning coding and is super nice to be able to show this to him

[@osamasharaf3407]

beautiful

[@jims162]

Very cool. Exactly what I was looking to learn more about.

[@TheHenryFord]

Thank you for watching!

[@feefo8315]

Amazing 👏

[@dimitribazos1532]

Fascinating! Virginia Postrel’s “The Fabric of Civilization: How Textiles Made the World” brought me here. She described this device but, not being able to visualize it, I decided to look it up. It really is a very early computer; neat!

[@anandand3646]

Mind blowing💥

[@ankitdhami3350]

Very nice video

[@nirisa8747]

Nice machine

[@nileshacharekar9465]

Thank you

[@eliseolopez2790]

Amazing astonishing

[@sock2828]

This thing really is turning complete as well. If you wanted to you could, slowly, calculate anything you want.

[@dragonsmith9012]

With enough looms working in tandem you could map the human genome, or play a game of Go. 🤔

[@dragonsmith9012]

Or make a Pixar Film. 😀

[@AlanCanon2222]

It needs two things to do that: a go-to instruction (skip N cards forwards or back) and a conditional instruction to skip the go-to if an internal condition of state is met.

[@masterchief5437]

So where do I insert my USB?

[@garrettbell8419]

For some reason, this hole punch programming concept is EXTREMELY fascinating to me lol.

[@JoGarcia]

Speechless

[@DiamondOre24]

This is basically like a music box I assume, which probably go back further

[@Kawa-oneechan]

You're not wrong.

[@pedrorivera9779]

Thank you, very educative.

[@KateLate____]

Educational I think is the correct word, no?

[@merkymerc]

ada lovelace and charles babbage used the technology of the jacquard loom to come up with the concepts for the first computer programs all the way back in 1843!

[@DaviMKim]

Jacquard are TRULLY fancy.

[@tobydavidson8]

very interesting---this initial technology was looming ....look where we are today because of it....know our history!

[@masterchief5437]

Can it run Doom?

[@Kawa-oneechan]

No, but it can run Loom, the latest masterpiece in interactive storytelling from LucasArts' Brian Moriarty.

[@TheMarovan]

I’m afraid it’s not Turing complete

[@RaviKumar-cl6iy]

computer before computer

[@davidandjessicaclay2333]

It is a literally a form of early CNC, using binary.

[@ZTenski]

Such a simple mechanical concept but it took another hundred years for Boolean logic to develop properly. It's like the fact that a proper 30fps film existed to record failed flying machines in 1900. I just can't fathom how we were so far ahead in chemical and material engineering but so far behind in information science (and aerodynamics).

[@dave4882]

There is now a modern production of Charles Babbage's differential engine. What would have been the next step in computing.

[@lazydave137]

Why did they not also automate the shuttle passing through left to right? That would have made it run completely autonomously, or am I missing something?

[@nikolaiownz]

They did.

[@Ramog1000]

was probably not seen as worth the afford, since its not particularly easy. there can be no connecting piece between the 2 sides, since the threads basically change their position and have to cross that path.

[@AlanCanon2222]

They did, this is just a modest example. I bet they made them faster, too, but I can think of some serious limitations just from the inertia of those myriad suspended counterweights.

[@mmo4754]

@@Ramog1000 It's not difficult to do and there are at least three different ways to do it

[@qwertyasdfg7782]

SO WEIRD THAT THIS IS THE BIRTH OF COMPUTER... LIFE IS SO MYSTERIOUS..

[@factormarketing5652]

wooow

[@the_hate_inside1085]

I´m scratching my apparatus right now.

[@jordanschmidt8572]

Principles of Computing Class WYA?

[@jordanschmidt8572]

Wheaty2002 Sup dude haha I go to university of Northwestern in Minnesota it’s pretty good here hah

[@astromentro408]

wow op

[@dave4882]

What do you first year computer students think about it, when you consider that the woven cloth is just another form of memory?

[@eldstgilmorbarboydodellatb4413]

👍🏿👍🏿👍🏿👍🏿

[@raviahuja9287]

so basically MS Paint v1.1

[@randomvideo4453]

I work this work

[@Together.we.grow.better]

😕 jacquard taken away design patterns which were used to be woven in nadia of bengal. So much torture given. Here people don't recognise or know about it completely.

[@rafetossked6723]

pog champ

[@pradumnachaurasia7231]

THIS LITERALLY BLEW AWAY OH MY GOOD LORD ACNE STUDIOS FALL WINTER S 20 IS SO DAMN SMART OH MY GOOD LORD WOW😷😷😷😷😷😷😷😷😷😷😷😷😷😷😷😷😷

[@TemplarX2]

Jacquard should be considered the inventor the computer not Babbage.

[@chalichaligha3234]

@@Tadfafty I don't think there were any designs for Turing complete computers(reprogrammable/ true computers), digital or analogue before Babbage. Even Babbage himself did not get the funding to build his Turing complete "Analytical engine".

[@pulakbaishya9511]

How can't card lesing solution give me video

[@MrBaz007]

YO HEAJ

[@rodparsons521]

Punch card controlled loom designed first by Jacques de Vaucanson, not Jacquard?

[@guitarciaaleon5900]

An original Silk prayer book must be worth 🛸🎎📖

[@animanoir]

syrobonkers

[@sandrahmonthieuxpelage8915]

The Word France never mentioned in the comments once ?? Just take it and do not give ANY RECOGNITION to a country presented as stupid and lazy !!

[@eliseolopez2790]

Saturate me humanity for your benefit

[@sadafzafar9110]

poor

[@sadafzafar9110]

yes