General-purpose electronic analog computing: 1945-1965

An account of the development and commercialization of general-purpose electronic analog computing in Britain and the United States of America from 1945 to the mid-1990s is presented. It is argued that the principal influence on the growth and maturation of postwar commercial analog computing was the demand for aids to calculation in aeronautical design. The drive to develop military aircraft, guided weapons, and ICBMs provided the primary motivation and funds to develop analog and subsequently hybrid computer systems. The transition from mechanical to electronic analog computing, the formative and pioneering firms, and the commercialization of in-house computing systems are described.<>