How long would it take to re-create a computer running C from scratch materials?

3 points·quantumpotato_··6 comments

Do I need to build my own transistors?

If I'm allowed to use modern machines and software, an FPGA, and off-the-shelf static RAM, I could do it in a week or two.

Cool. If you had to build it all from scratch?

What am I allowed to use? Discrete transistors? Relays? Wire and metals?

Do I need to refine my own metals? Make my own wire-drawing machines? It would take me a few years, others might be able to do it more quickly.

I might be able to make a massive mechanical computer rather than an electronic one. That would also take a few years. People have built "computers" in MineCraft - something similar could be done for real.

Also, define "Run C." There are variants of C that run on PICs that are genuine versions of C, and compile nicely to compact machine code.

So a couple of years if you started from scratch. Cool. I'm just wondering how fast we could rebuild computers if they all stopped working / disappeared.

It would only run at about 1 Hz, though, so about 3000 million times slower than existing machines. They would be effectively useless.

Maybe you need to think harder about what you're asking for, and why.

If some disaster happened and we wanted to restart the technological revolution without any tools from said technological revolution. It's a good thought experiment, and if anything ever should happen, hopefully we don't lose centuries of technological advancements.

Consider this, where would we be today if the Library of Alexandria never burned?

Reply on news.ycombinator.com