Robinson Developments
The original Heath Robinson was a prototype and was effective despite a number of serious shortcomings. All but one of these were progressively overcome in the production of what became known as "Old Robinson". However, Tommy Flowers realised that he could produce a machine that generated the key stream electronically so that the main problem of keeping two tapes synchronised with each other would be eliminated. This was the genesis of the Colossus computer.
Despite the success of Colossus, the Robinson approach was still valuable for certain problems. A further development of the ideas was a machine called "Super Robinson" or "Super Rob". This could run four tapes and was used for "crib" or Known-plaintext attack runs.
Read more about this topic: Heath Robinson (codebreaking Machine)
Famous quotes containing the words robinson and/or developments:
“But go, and if you listen she will call,
Go to the western gate, Luke Havergal—
Luke Havergal.”
—Edwin Arlington Robinson (1869–1935)
“The developments in the North were those loosely embraced in the term modernization and included urbanization, industrialization, and mechanization. While those changes went forward apace, the antebellum South changed comparatively little, clinging to its rural, agricultural, labor-intensive economy and its traditional folk culture.”
—C. Vann Woodward (b. 1908)