21st June 2007, 3:18 PM
The original, as far as I can tell, actually still uses a front lighting solution. I got mine for free so for me the value was obvious. But, oh well. It's the same system anyway.
"On two occasions, I have been asked [by members of Parliament], 'Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?' I am not able to rightly apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question." ~ Charles Babbage (1791-1871)