异类之不一样的成功启示录 第30期:计算机领域的新革命

 　　Here is how one history of the period describes the advent¹ of time-sharing:

　　让我们看看当时的历史文献是如何描绘分时系统的优势：

　　This was not just a revolution. It was a revelation.

　　这不仅仅是一项革命，并且是新的起点。

　　Forget the operator, the card decks, the wait.

　　忘掉操作员，忘掉卡片，忘掉漫长的等待。

　　With time-sharing, you could sit at your Teletype, bang in a couple of commands, and get an answer then and there.

　　在分时系统下，你可以坐在你的电传打字机前面，轻敲出程序命令，很快，结果就能传回到你这里。

　　Time-sharing was interactive²:

　　分时系统是交互式的：

　　A program could ask for a response, wait for you to type it in, act on it while you waited, and show you the result, all in "real time."

　　你很快就能得到程序的回应，让你继续输入命令；输入命令的时候，计算机就能处理前面的命令，告诉你处理的结果，从而真正做到“实时操作”。

　　This is where Michigan came in.

　　这种情况下，密歇根大学来得正是时候。

　　Because Michigan was one of the first universities in the world to switch over to time-sharing.

　　因为密歇根大学是全美最先使用分时系统的大学之一，

　　By 1967, a prototype of the system was up and running.

　　1967年，出现了分时系统的最初版本并开始运作。

　　By the early 1970s, Michigan had enough computing³ power that a hundred people could be programming simultaneously⁴ in the Computer Center.

　　到了20世纪70年代初期，密歇根大学建立了强大的计算机体系，计算机中心能够满足上百个人同时编程的需要。

　　"In the late sixties, early seventies, I don't think there was anywhere else that was exactly like Michigan,"

　　在20 世纪60年代后期、70年代初期，我找不到任何一个地方能像密歇根大学那样，

　　Mike Alexander, who was one of the pioneers at Michigan in setting up the university's computer system, said.

　　构建密歇根计机系统的先锋人物麦克.亚历山大说，

　　"Maybe MIT. Maybe Carnegie Mellon. Maybe Dartmouth. I don't think there were any others."

　　或许麻省理工能比得上，还有卡内基梅隆大学、达特茅斯学院能与它不相上下，但除此之外，我再也想不到其他地方了。

　　This was the opportunity that greeted Bill Joy when he arrived on the Ann Arbor⁵ campus in the fall of 1971.

　　这对1971年秋季进入安娜堡分校的比尔.乔伊来说是个千载难逢的机会。

　　He hadn't chosen Michigan because of its computers.

　　但他并不是冲若计箅机来到密歇根大学的，

　　He had never done anything with computers in high school.

　　此前他在中学的时候也从来没有接触过计算机，

　　He was interested in math and engineer and biology.

　　他只是对数学和工程学感兴趣。

　　But when the programming bug⁶ hit him in his freshman⁷ year, he found himself, by the happiest of accidents,

　　不过在他刚刚入学的时候，计算机编程就迅速占据了他全部的心思，他重新发现了自己——真是幸运的巧合

　　in one of the few places in the world where a seventeen-year-old could program all he wanted.

　　一个17 岁的少年发现了一个能随心所欲编程的地方，当时，这样的地方世界上少得可怜。

　　"Do you know what the difference is between the computing cards and time-sharing?" Joy says.

　　“你知道计算机卡片编程和分时编程的区别在哪儿吗？”乔伊说

　　"It's a difference between playing chess by mail and speed chess."

　　这就好像是通过邮递方式下棋和即时下棋之间的区别。

　　Programming wasn't an exercise in frustration⁸ anymore. It was fun.

　　编程不再令乔伊觉得沮丧，而是让他觉得趣味无穷。

　　"I lived in the north campus, and the Computer Center was in the north campus," Joy went on.

　　我住在北校区，而计算机中心也刚好就在北校区，”乔伊接着说道，

　　"How much time did I spend there? Oh, a phenomenal amount of time.

　　我在计算机中心度过了多少时间？哦，那真是太多太多了。

　　It was open twenty-four hours. I would stay there all night, and just walk home in the morning.

　　计算机中心24小时开放，我整晚都待在那里，直到天亮才走回宿舍。

1 advent   

n.(重要事件等的)到来，来临

参考例句：

• Swallows come by groups at the advent of spring. 春天来临时燕子成群飞来。
• The advent of the Euro will redefine Europe.欧元的出现将重新定义欧洲。

2 interactive   

adj.相互作用的，互相影响的，（电脑）交互的

参考例句：

• The psychotherapy is carried out in small interactive groups.这种心理治疗是在互动的小组之间进行的。
• This will make videogames more interactive than ever.这将使电子游戏的互动性更胜以往。

3 computing   

n.计算

参考例句：

• to work in computing 从事信息处理
• Back in the dark ages of computing, in about 1980, they started a software company. 早在计算机尚未普及的时代（约1980年），他们就创办了软件公司。

4 simultaneously   

adv.同时发生地，同时进行地

参考例句：

• The radar beam can track a number of targets almost simultaneously.雷达波几乎可以同时追着多个目标。
• The Windows allow a computer user to execute multiple programs simultaneously.Windows允许计算机用户同时运行多个程序。

5 arbor   

n.凉亭；树木

参考例句：

• They sat in the arbor and chatted over tea.他们坐在凉亭里，边喝茶边聊天。
• You may have heard of Arbor Day at school.你可能在学校里听过植树节。

6 bug   

n.虫子；故障；窃听器；vt.纠缠；装窃听器

参考例句：

• There is a bug in the system.系统出了故障。
• The bird caught a bug on the fly.那鸟在飞行中捉住了一只昆虫。

7 freshman   

n.大学一年级学生(可兼指男女)

参考例句：

• Jack decided to live in during his freshman year at college.杰克决定大一时住校。
• He is a freshman in the show business.他在演艺界是一名新手。

8 frustration   

n.挫折，失败，失效，落空

参考例句：

• He had to fight back tears of frustration.他不得不强忍住失意的泪水。
• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration.他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。