If we're measuring this by function:cost then this is easy. I bought a Sony ICF S10MK2 radio last spring for $10. It's used two sets of batteries so far, so make that $15. It's a great example of 1950's technology still being relevant today. There's absolutely nothing fancy about this unit. It just works.
That's why the computers on the Apollo mission were so primitive, even compared to processors of that era: old electronic technology is stable technology.
It's not necessarily that the older technology is inherently more stable, but that there's a survivor effect. Old technology that wasn't stable fell to newer technology that wasn't stable. Stuff that "just worked" (like the radio mentioned here) didn't see much improvement, because the stability was the issue (not the audio quality, as evidenced by the lack of uptake on HDRadio).
It's an example of the classic software graph -- on the y axis, there's stability, on the x-axis is age. As age increases, so does stability.
...i thought the apollo guidance computers were one of the first computers built using ICs?
Maybe upon launch, or when 16 finally went up they were 'primitive', but that's not so much a question of stability but rather long development times and not drastically changing your platform while in use.
My gadgets are nice and all but when it comes to technology what I am really thankful for are the machines that clean the water I drink and deliver the electricity my devices consume; also the advanced computers that allow scientist and doctors to cure diseases. I'm pretty thankful to all the programmers that spend countless hours working on open source projects as well.
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Maybe upon launch, or when 16 finally went up they were 'primitive', but that's not so much a question of stability but rather long development times and not drastically changing your platform while in use.