The Nearly Man by Nigel Holder from the January 1983 issue of Personal Computer World Charles Babbage is remembered as the man who nearly invented the digital computer. Working in a pre-electronic age he nevertheless discovered principles which were not put into practice until Von Neumamin in the 1940’s. His mechanical computer was defeated by the lack of precise enough manufacturing techniques. Nigel Holder tells the story. This is an account of the work of the pioneer of automatic calculating machines, Charles Babbage.