However, the major change on A-102 was that for the first time a Saturn rocket would carry a programmable computer.

It was a direct predecessor to the Colossus, the world's first programmable digital electronic computer.

Other computers, though programmable, stored their programs on punched tape which was physically fed into the machine as needed.

Although it was not his primary intention, he had discovered, in passing, the idea of the programmable computer.

Later, he worked on another early experimental programmable computer named Leprechaun.

Colossus was the world's first electronic, digital, programmable computer.

At age 11 he got to use an early programmable digital computer, the Minivac 601.

Charles Babbage was the first to make a design of a fully programmable mechanical computer.

It was during this period that he became fascinated by the then-new programmable digital computer.

Some users of the terminals chose to use them as simple programmable computers instead.