Re: It's not a computer though
"Although to be fair I had always understood the word "computer" to mean something programmable for different tasks"
That is the subset of computers which are programmable.
I believe that the provenance of the modern use of the word 'computer' comes from gunnery. The original 'computers' were people who calculated the correct angle of the guns such that a target could be hit. They might have first done this by experience but by WW1 they used gunnery tables and mathematical tools to assist them. As the calculating tools became more complex, the word transferred to the tool.
Most computers were, effectively single task: calculate a gun angle, multiply figures, etc. However, as they became able to carry out more calculation per hour, it became cost-efficient to use one device to run multiple tasks.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
