The bits and digits in the earliest mechanical and vacuum tube-based computers were typically large and visible.Older computers incorporated arrays of indicator lamps in their control panels, indicating the values carried on the address, data, and other internal buses, and in various registers.
The bits and digits in the earliest mechanical and vacuum tube-based computers were typically large, small in number, making it easy to see and often hear activity. Then, for decades, computers incorporated arrays of indicator lamps in their control panels, indicating the values carried on the address, data, and other internal buses, and in various registers.