Talk:John von Neumann

I'm not sure about what exactly a "von Neumann Machine" is, officially. I've found some websites which describe it as a type of computer architecture (eg [[1] (http://www.shef.ac.uk/psychology/gurney/notes/l1/section3_2.html)] and [[2] (http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/V/Von_Neumann_machine.html)]), and I've found others which describe it as a conceptual self-replicating machine (eg, [[3] (http://www.homoexcelsior.com/omega.db/datum/engineering/von_neumann_machine/67)], [[4] (http://www.brook.edu/es/dynamics/models/history.htm)]) Perhaps this is a case where von Neumann came up with two separate ideas and people took to calling them by the same name? -BD

I knew the term only in the first meaning, but looking through a Google search, it seems that a sizeable minority of writers also use it in the second meaning. Maybe this second group is confused, but I'm not sure. --AxelBoldt

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Yes, I believe the term is being used to describe two different contributions by von Neumann, one in computer architecture and the other in automata theory.

Isn't the concept in computer architecture the Von Neuman Architecture, while the Automaton is the Von Neuman Machine? (That would make a machien based on the VNA a Von Neuman machine (note capitalisation), I guess.)

Should we note (the claim) that the VNA was merely publicized by VN, but was developed by people from the Moore group? (Aliter)

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I thought there were initially five faculty in the Institute of Advanced Study, not four. viz., Einstein, Von Neumann, Weyl, Veblen, and Alexander. --Dominus 04:56 Apr 20, 2003 (UTC)

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Ancestry

"Max Neumann, born 1870, arrived in Budapest in the late 1880s" [5] (http://www.rit.edu/~drk4633/vonNeumann/). So where's Max born? Austria? --Menchi 03:11, 26 Nov 2003 (UTC)

Max is described as a Hungarian Jew, I believe. From the top of my head, I can't say whether A-H at that time was already a double monarchy, but in any case we could indicate the area as Hungaria. Aliter 03:51, 26 Nov 2003 (UTC)

Why should you use your brain when you have Wikipedia? But, anyway, he was born in the Austrian-Hungarian monarchy; if you tell me the city he was born, I tell you which part it was. And anyway his name was Neumann Miksa originally (in Hungarian), and Kann Margit was his wife. --grin 10:37, 26 Nov 2003 (UTC)

Why? Because my memory is large enough to not need swapping out when browsing in lots of windows at the same time. Nevertheless, the above was written on a rather narrow time-slice.

But on the subject of Miksa: As Hungaria was somewhat sovereign in 1870, a Hungarian jew would stem from Hungaria, not Austra. The problem with the place of birth is that all J.Neumann bibliographies start with Max arriving in Budapest. Before that all I know is that he attended a "Catholic provincial high school", and the year of his birth.

What is curious is that http://www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/utcah/00204/00204b.html which is the John Von Neumann collection], in the Center for American History (U of texas), apparently has a picture of Miksa's tombstone, and because of that(?) gives 1873 as year of birth. Either the year is not very readable on the picture, or Miksa already had that concept of a personal truth that is so apparent in his son's character.

I'm beginning to wonder about Max. Arrived in Budapest as a youngster from somewhere else, with as most noted skill a fluency in German. Is Jewish, which allows him access to the banking circles, but doesn't actually practice the faith. Lies about his age to be concidered old enough to be independent/accepted? Might all be very innocent and explanable, and yet ... . (I wonder how common the name Neumann was in Hungaria in around 1890.) Aliter 15:38, 29 Nov 2003 (UTC)

Names

Why is Neumann's birth name listed as Neumann János Lajos Margittai? And his parents as Neumann Miksa and Kann Margit? I've never heard that Hungarians place the family name before the personal name.

And Margittai is definitely wrong as being part of his birthname. It was added to the family's name in 1913 as part of the ennoblement. MK2 23:58, 29 Apr 2005 (UTC)

János is the Hungarian equivalent of John and it is his original given name. Hungarians have always placed their family names first. Same as to the original name of Wolfgang Kempelen, creator of the chess automaton, whose original Hungarian name is Kempelen Farkas, in this order.

American Stamp

Gave a quick cursory look at the article, but I saw no mention of the commemorative stamp issued May 2005 by the United States Postal Service. The Feynman article has already been updated with that information.

http://shop.usps.com/cgi-bin/vsbv/postal_store_non_ssl/display_products/productDetail.jsp?OID=4849367 Missing image
John_von_Neumann.JPG
Image:John von Neumann.JPG

*This is the stamp to be added to the article--nixie 03:17, 25 May 2005 (UTC)

I've added a section and the image to the article. Can you upload the other stamps, so we can add them to the other articles? Paul August ☎ 21:03, Jun 8, 2005 (UTC)