Who would you think built the first business computer?

Would you expect IBM or a tea shop company?

The first business computer that was built by a J. LYONS TEA

http://www.computerhistory.org/revolution/early-computer-companies/5/110/2260

Figure 1http://www.zdnet.com/leo-computer-marks-60th-anniversary-3040094435/

The computer was used to enhance the efficiency of the tea shops from payroll to buying ingredient’s for the buns.

It had a clock speed of 500Khz with a memory of 2k. The memory was individual tanks of mercury with the data being converted to sound waves. The mercury would slow the sound waves and it would then be converted back to data.

The down time of the computer was used by the ministry of defense, the met office and Ford for their payroll.

They eventually were exporting computers to the USSR but as the tea industry declined they reinvested in tea rather than computers. The company no longer exists.

 Peter 1