Tomorrow's World: Nellie the School Computer 15 February 1969 - BBC
Why Hacker News recommends it
Shared as a charming historical look at children learning computing, including kids acting as register bits.
What it is
A 1969 BBC Tomorrow's World segment about Nellie, a school computer used by pupils at Forest Grammar School to solve equations and play music. Students learn programming and maintenance, and act out binary arithmetic.
Recommended by 1 HN commenters across 1 different months, 2010 to 2026.
What Hacker News said
Recommends mahmud · 2010-07 · on “Tomorrow's World - Home Computer Terminal (1967)”
Wow, I have never seen this: human digital logic. [this video] Kids acting as bits in a machine register and performing binary arithmetic by raising their hands if set, or not raising when cleared. Really cute.
Cites DanBC · 2017-06 · on “Jean Sammet, co-creator of COBOL, has died”
Or was it a product of the computers at the time? Here's a 1959 computer, donated to a school in 1965. This was filmed in 1969. One of the children wrote a language - minigol - so the younger children didn't have to use assembler. [this video] Just turning the machine on requires coordination between several people using intercom.
Cites zeristor · 2026-03 · on “"This Is Not the Computer for You"”
Is this close enough? it’s from 1969, I wonder what became of them: “Tomorrow's World: Nellie the School Computer 15 February 1969 - BBC” [this video]