>> Does anybody know approximately when this time was?
> 
> 1970's. By about 1980 most of those machines were likely retired.

Right, OK.

>> For that matter, does anybody have 
> 
> Yes. Google.

Oh goodie.

>> Was there ever a time when programs were entered into memory via 
>> switches rather than some other medium?
> 
> Yes.
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Front_panel

Wow, OK. Looks like they have a dedicated switch for every individual 
memory register. o_O I was expecting a set of switches to punch in an 
address, and another set to input a datum. But I guess there are several 
designs possible... And hey, if you're spending £2,000,000 on a 
computer, what's a few thousand extra rocker switches?

> The first personal computers worked that way.
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altair_8800

Mmm, interesting.

>> Was there ever a "punched tape" medium similar to punch cards?
> 
> Yes. That's why DEL is up at 127. Think about it.

Oh... oh dear god. You *are* kidding me, right??

>> Similarly, you hear people talk about the VAX, the PDP, the varouis 
>> IBM mainframes and Cray supercomputers. Does anybody know the timeline 
>> for these, the technologies used and the basic design and performance 
>> details?
> 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_history

Finally, a usable summary...

-- 
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