Digital Without The Electronics

First I will define these following terms; digital, analogue, communication and electronic.

Digital; electronic technology that generates, stores, and processes data in terms of two states: positive and non-positive. Positive is expressed or represented by the number 1 and non-positive by the number 0.

Analogue; are electronic systems with a continuously variable signal, in contrast to digital electronics where signals usually take only two different levels. The term "analogue" describes the proportional relationship between a signal and a voltage or current that represents the signal.

Communication; is a process whereby information is enclosed in a package and is channeled and imparted by a sender to a receiver via some medium. The receiver then decodes the message and gives the sender a feedback. All forms of communication require a sender, a message, and an intended recipient, however the receiver need not be present or aware of the sender's intent to communicate at the time of communication in order for the act of communication to occur.

Electronic; is the branch of science and technology which makes use of the controlled motion of electrons through different media and vacuum. The ability to control electron flow is usually applied to information handling or device control. Electronics is distinct from electrical science and technology, which deals with the generation, distribution, control and application of electrical power.

Here are three examples of digital devices that are not electronic;

The first example I have is the telephone network, the world's largest communications system, which is a mix of analog and digital lines. It used to be entirely analog and transmitted only voice frequencies, but is today almost entirely digital. By using the telephone network, people could talk to each other which as stated before is a communication system.





The second example is an analogue clock, what is special about this clock is that it indicates time using angles. Another type of analog clock is the sundial, which tracks the sun continuously, registering the time by the shadow position of its gnomon. Sundials use some or part of the 24 hour analog dial. The clocks communicates time, so therefore they are also communication technologies.

The third and final example is the typewriter, which is a mechanical or electromechanical device with a set of keys that, when pressed, cause characters to be printed on a medium, usually paper. Which of course is one of the basic forms of communication as one can type letters to each other.



References:
http://searchcio-midmarket.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid183_gci211948,00.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analogue_electronics
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communication
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronics
http://www.answers.com/topic/communication
http://cisco.biz/en/US/docs/voice_ip_comm/cucme/srnd/design/guide/intro.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clock#Analog_clocks
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:TypewriterHermes.jpg