"The primary operation of calculation is counting: the secondary operation is addition, with its counterpart, subtraction. The addition and subtraction are in reality effected by means of counting, which still remains the primary operation; but the necessity for economising labour and time forces upon us devices for performing the counting processes in a summary manner, and for allowing several of them to go on simultaneously in the calculating engine."

1879 report on the Analytical Engine

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@agreeable_landfall

> forces upon us devices

Plenty of devices have indeed been forced upon us since then! With no end in sight. 🙂

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