By these definitions I'm rarely concerned if the device is electronic, mechanical, biological (counting with fingers) or even imaginary. Also, by these same definitions, an abacus is clearly a digital device since internally, its values a represented in a discrete form. Unfortunately, there are conflicting (reasonably common or trustworthy) sources that disagree with me.
Usually, such sources are based of the fact that the abacus is not electronic or other considerations regarding its operation but not taking internal representation of values into account.
So, I'd like to question the HN crowd definitions, sources and (to a much lesser extent) opinions about this question. Is the abacus a digital device?
Remark 1: Since it is very common for an abacus to have 5 beads per pole (specially mimicking a counting method using the fingers of a hand), the abacus is probably (the most) classical example of a digital device: it literally mimics digitos (fingers in latin).
Remark 2: Also, I don't want to consider the common opinion among gamers that call a CD as an analog device when it is clearly digital, or controller with joysticks as analog because the mimic very close continuous states. A good example among analog controllers is the Atari one that had a variable capacitor and the capacitance was measured to infer its position. Although the measurement is digital, the controller, yes, was analog. Modern ones are not analog, they're fully digital.
Remark 3: I don't want t\u00f4 fall into irrelevant technicalities like saying "an analog TV could be considered digital since it can have buttons in discrete" states, actually you're just choose analog values from a small set. Argument about electric charge in semiconductors ignoring thresholds fall in this same category."},"title":{"fullyHighlighted":false,"matchLevel":"full","matchedWords":["abacus"],"value":"Ask HN: Is the Abacus a Digital Device?"}},"_tags":["story","author_marcodiego","story_45773474","ask_hn"],"author":"marcodiego","children":[45773536,45773602,45774739],"created_at":"2025-10-31T15:52:49Z","created_at_i":1761925969,"num_comments":2,"objectID":"45773474","points":2,"story_id":45773474,"story_text":"I usually define a digital device as "a device where internal values are represented in a discrete form" while an analog device is "a device where internal values are represented in a continuous form".
By these definitions I'm rarely concerned if the device is electronic, mechanical, biological (counting with fingers) or even imaginary. Also, by these same definitions, an abacus is clearly a digital device since internally, its values a represented in a discrete form. Unfortunately, there are conflicting (reasonably common or trustworthy) sources that disagree with me.
Usually, such sources are based of the fact that the abacus is not electronic or other considerations regarding its operation but not taking internal representation of values into account.
So, I'd like to question the HN crowd definitions, sources and (to a much lesser extent) opinions about this question. Is the abacus a digital device?
Remark 1: Since it is very common for an abacus to have 5 beads per pole (specially mimicking a counting method using the fingers of a hand), the abacus is probably (the most) classical example of a digital device: it literally mimics digitos (fingers in latin).
Remark 2: Also, I don't want to consider the common opinion among gamers that call a CD as an analog device when it is clearly digital, or controller with joysticks as analog because the mimic very close continuous states. A good example among analog controllers is the Atari one that had a variable capacitor and the capacitance was measured to infer its position. Although the measurement is digital, the controller, yes, was analog. Modern ones are not analog, they're fully digital.
Remark 3: I don't want t\u00f4 fall into irrelevant technicalities like saying "an analog TV could be considered digital since it can have buttons in discrete" states, actually you're just choose analog values from a small set. Argument about electric charge in semiconductors ignoring thresholds fall in this same category.","title":"Ask HN: Is the Abacus a Digital Device?","updated_at":"2026-03-05T22:59:20Z"},{"_highlightResult":{"author":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"kruffalon"},"story_text":{"fullyHighlighted":false,"matchLevel":"full","matchedWords":["abacus"],"value":"Hello, I've decided to learn the abacus (bi-quinary coded decimal).
I'm doing it because it's fun to learn new things and because I like the tactile, soundscape and afk aspects of the abacus.
At the moment I'm practising counting up and down with the "correct" fingers but it feels like I want to start doing simple arithmetic calculations (+, -, \u00d7 & \u00f7) soon.
However, the resources I'm finding don't really talk about, or even show, the order in which to push the beads.
It might be the case that I'm just overthinking this but somehow I think it matters.
For example: 63 - 27
What is the order to push the beads, and why?
My guess is:
- 1 bead from the earth 10 rod down (-10)
- 1 heaven 1 down (+5)
- 2 earth 1 down (-2)
- 1 heaven 10 up (-50)
- 3 earth 10 up (+30)
So first I do the -7 and then I do the -20, I also move the bead(s) with the highest value first.
Does this seem correct?
I suspect I'm not thinking about the numbers and values correctly as I'm used to think about numbers in 1-10-100s and not in 1-5-10-50-100s.
If you have any resource or your own experience to share I would very much appreciate it."},"title":{"fullyHighlighted":false,"matchLevel":"full","matchedWords":["abacus"],"value":"Ask HN: Abacus, learning; Can someone explain the order of pushing the beads"}},"_tags":["story","author_kruffalon","story_45694001","ask_hn"],"author":"kruffalon","children":[45697861],"created_at":"2025-10-24T12:36:28Z","created_at_i":1761309388,"num_comments":2,"objectID":"45694001","points":2,"story_id":45694001,"story_text":"Hello, I've decided to learn the abacus (bi-quinary coded decimal).
I'm doing it because it's fun to learn new things and because I like the tactile, soundscape and afk aspects of the abacus.
At the moment I'm practising counting up and down with the "correct" fingers but it feels like I want to start doing simple arithmetic calculations (+, -, \u00d7 & \u00f7) soon.
However, the resources I'm finding don't really talk about, or even show, the order in which to push the beads.
It might be the case that I'm just overthinking this but somehow I think it matters.
For example: 63 - 27
What is the order to push the beads, and why?
My guess is:
- 1 bead from the earth 10 rod down (-10)
- 1 heaven 1 down (+5)
- 2 earth 1 down (-2)
- 1 heaven 10 up (-50)
- 3 earth 10 up (+30)
So first I do the -7 and then I do the -20, I also move the bead(s) with the highest value first.
Does this seem correct?
I suspect I'm not thinking about the numbers and values correctly as I'm used to think about numbers in 1-10-100s and not in 1-5-10-50-100s.
If you have any resource or your own experience to share I would very much appreciate it.","title":"Ask HN: Abacus, learning; Can someone explain the order of pushing the beads","updated_at":"2026-03-05T22:54:17Z"},{"_highlightResult":{"author":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"kitcade"},"story_text":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":""},"title":{"fullyHighlighted":false,"matchLevel":"full","matchedWords":["abacus"],"value":"Appacus: Most intuitive way to learn the Abacus"},"url":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id963455987"}},"_tags":["story","author_kitcade","story_9041699"],"author":"kitcade","created_at":"2015-02-12T22:10:22Z","created_at_i":1423779022,"num_comments":0,"objectID":"9041699","points":2,"story_id":9041699,"story_text":"","title":"Appacus: Most intuitive way to learn the Abacus","updated_at":"2023-09-07T02:05:43Z","url":"https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id963455987"},{"_highlightResult":{"author":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"anujbans"},"title":{"fullyHighlighted":false,"matchLevel":"full","matchedWords":["abacus"],"value":"Fields and Abacus Medals 2026"},"url":{"fullyHighlighted":false,"matchLevel":"full","matchedWords":["abacus"],"value":"https://www.quantamagazine.org/series/fields-and-abacus-medals-2026/"}},"_tags":["story","author_anujbans","story_49048198"],"author":"anujbans","created_at":"2026-07-25T15:09:26Z","created_at_i":1784992166,"num_comments":0,"objectID":"49048198","points":2,"story_id":49048198,"title":"Fields and Abacus Medals 2026","updated_at":"2026-07-25T16:16:55Z","url":"https://www.quantamagazine.org/series/fields-and-abacus-medals-2026/"},{"_highlightResult":{"author":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"Fairburn"},"story_text":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"Deep agent is wonderful.\nIt has helped our company immensely in numerous ways.\nThe flow was always great.. helpful.
Now, however, enshittification by way of "useful" developmental changes\nhave become a pain in the ass.
Working with their Deep Agent has recently become onerous.
Any time it "thinks" you are deviating from the agentic flow,\nit pops up an intrusive modal stating:
"Do you want to continue?\nThis query does not seem to be related to previous turn queries. Are you sure you want to continue in the current conversation?
For optimal and cost-effective performance we recommend starting a new conversation with this prompt."
This breaks the flow considerably when I have to take myself out of my moment\nto address your apparent lack of insight that not everything in a flow is going to be related to the session. Stop trying to guide us. We know where the fuck we are going.
Stop trying to babysit us. There are other LLM services out there.
Don't make us choose."},"title":{"fullyHighlighted":false,"matchLevel":"full","matchedWords":["abacus"],"value":"Abacus Agentic Behavior"}},"_tags":["story","author_Fairburn","story_47568594","ask_hn"],"author":"Fairburn","created_at":"2026-03-29T23:32:32Z","created_at_i":1774827152,"num_comments":0,"objectID":"47568594","points":2,"story_id":47568594,"story_text":"Deep agent is wonderful.\nIt has helped our company immensely in numerous ways.\nThe flow was always great.. helpful.
Now, however, enshittification by way of "useful" developmental changes\nhave become a pain in the ass.
Working with their Deep Agent has recently become onerous.
Any time it "thinks" you are deviating from the agentic flow,\nit pops up an intrusive modal stating:
"Do you want to continue?\nThis query does not seem to be related to previous turn queries. Are you sure you want to continue in the current conversation?
For optimal and cost-effective performance we recommend starting a new conversation with this prompt."
This breaks the flow considerably when I have to take myself out of my moment\nto address your apparent lack of insight that not everything in a flow is going to be related to the session. Stop trying to guide us. We know where the fuck we are going.
Stop trying to babysit us. There are other LLM services out there.
Don't make us choose.","title":"Abacus Agentic Behavior","updated_at":"2026-03-30T18:00:54Z"},{"_highlightResult":{"author":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"breve"},"title":{"fullyHighlighted":false,"matchLevel":"full","matchedWords":["abacus"],"value":"The Effects of Abacus Training on Cognitive Functions and Neural Systems"},"url":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7492585/"}},"_tags":["story","author_breve","story_45400213"],"author":"breve","created_at":"2025-09-27T23:26:02Z","created_at_i":1759015562,"num_comments":0,"objectID":"45400213","points":2,"story_id":45400213,"title":"The Effects of Abacus Training on Cognitive Functions and Neural Systems","updated_at":"2026-03-05T22:44:55Z","url":"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7492585/"},{"_highlightResult":{"author":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"paulpauper"},"title":{"fullyHighlighted":false,"matchLevel":"full","matchedWords":["abacus"],"value":"Abacus Market Conducts Likely Exit Scam"},"url":{"fullyHighlighted":false,"matchLevel":"full","matchedWords":["abacus"],"value":"https://www.trmlabs.com/resources/blog/abacus-market-conducts-likely-exit-scam-amid-increasingly-unstable-western-darknet-marketplace-landscape"}},"_tags":["story","author_paulpauper","story_45052445"],"author":"paulpauper","created_at":"2025-08-28T14:15:30Z","created_at_i":1756390530,"num_comments":0,"objectID":"45052445","points":2,"story_id":45052445,"title":"Abacus Market Conducts Likely Exit Scam","updated_at":"2026-03-05T22:33:10Z","url":"https://www.trmlabs.com/resources/blog/abacus-market-conducts-likely-exit-scam-amid-increasingly-unstable-western-darknet-marketplace-landscape"},{"_highlightResult":{"author":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"rbanffy"},"title":{"fullyHighlighted":false,"matchLevel":"full","matchedWords":["abacus"],"value":"Abacus Books for the Atari ST, Part 1 \u2013 By Paul Lefebvre"},"url":{"fullyHighlighted":false,"matchLevel":"full","matchedWords":["abacus"],"value":"https://www.goto10retro.com/p/abacus-books-for-the-atari-st"}},"_tags":["story","author_rbanffy","story_40011106"],"author":"rbanffy","created_at":"2024-04-12T10:34:42Z","created_at_i":1712918082,"num_comments":0,"objectID":"40011106","points":2,"story_id":40011106,"title":"Abacus Books for the Atari ST, Part 1 \u2013 By Paul Lefebvre","updated_at":"2024-09-20T16:45:32Z","url":"https://www.goto10retro.com/p/abacus-books-for-the-atari-st"},{"_highlightResult":{"author":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"dnsosebee"},"title":{"fullyHighlighted":false,"matchLevel":"full","matchedWords":["abacus"],"value":"Building the Digital Abacus, an Open-Source Mathematical Modeling App"},"url":{"fullyHighlighted":false,"matchLevel":"full","matchedWords":["abacus"],"value":"https://humanprogramming.substack.com/p/building-the-digital-abacus-an-open"}},"_tags":["story","author_dnsosebee","story_37490415"],"author":"dnsosebee","created_at":"2023-09-13T00:06:19Z","created_at_i":1694563579,"num_comments":0,"objectID":"37490415","points":2,"story_id":37490415,"title":"Building the Digital Abacus, an Open-Source Mathematical Modeling App","updated_at":"2024-09-20T15:07:41Z","url":"https://humanprogramming.substack.com/p/building-the-digital-abacus-an-open"},{"_highlightResult":{"author":{"matchLevel":"none","matchedWords":[],"value":"omarfarooq"},"title":{"fullyHighlighted":true,"matchLevel":"full","matchedWords":["abacus"],"value":"Abacus"},"url":{"fullyHighlighted":false,"matchLevel":"full","matchedWords":["abacus"],"value":"https://www.pentaform.co.uk/products/abacus"}},"_tags":["story","author_omarfarooq","story_35768650"],"author":"omarfarooq","created_at":"2023-05-01T02:59:57Z","created_at_i":1682909997,"num_comments":0,"objectID":"35768650","points":2,"story_id":35768650,"title":"Abacus","updated_at":"2024-09-20T14:02:25Z","url":"https://www.pentaform.co.uk/products/abacus"}],"hitsPerPage":50,"nbHits":298,"nbPages":6,"page":0,"params":"query=Abacus&tags=story&hitsPerPage=50&advancedSyntax=true&analyticsTags=backend","processingTimeMS":5,"processingTimingsMS":{"_request":{"queue":1,"roundTrip":16},"afterFetch":{"merge":{"mergeLoop":{"prepareNextHit":1,"total":2},"total":2},"total":2},"fetch":{"query":1,"total":2},"total":5},"query":"Abacus","serverTimeMS":7}