> > If time travel to the past were possible and I brought a PATA hard
> > drive with me, would the scientists and engineers of 1966 get it to
> > work? Assuming I told them nothing would they figure out the
> > principles behind it? If so, how long would it take? How would they do
> > it?
>
> I think they'd have a hard time. In 1966 you had a lot of discrete
> components on everything and you have to remember that even then
> transistor were just starting to get into the marketplace on a large
> scale and they too were discrete components.
>
> The concept of an integrated circuit wasn't well known yet.
>
> However if you sent it back with full schematics and data sheets for the
> IC's they might be able to understand it.
Nonsense! I was there, buying overrun op-amps (i just loved uA741s) and TTL in surplus stores in the mid 1960s. Of course it was a bit more than usual bicycle distance, so i had to get a parent to take me there.
JosephKK
I wish my ISP would get their act straight again on my news service.