I don't know about Babbage, but the hardware/software tradeoff was well known be...

		tasty_freeze on Feb 16, 2022 \| parent \| context \| favorite \| on: It's often said that the Analytical Engine was bef... I don't know about Babbage, but the hardware/software tradeoff was well known before microprocessors. The IBM 360 family (1960s) had a range of options, from hardwired monsters, to microcoded but wide machines, all the way down to microcoded versions that had an 8 bit ALU.