Mechanical Monsters
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Jan. 27Th SSEC Seeber and Hamilton Had Tried to Persuade Howard Aiken Jan
some aspects of the SSEC's operation still used plugboards. Jan. 27th SSEC Seeber and Hamilton had tried to persuade Howard Aiken Jan. 27 (24 ??), 1948 [March 8] to make the Harvard William K. English Mark II a stored program IBM’s Selective Sequence machine. Aiken wasn’t Born: Jan. 27, 1929; Electronic Calculator (SSEC) was interested, but Thomas Watson Lexington, Kentucky built at its Endicott facility in Sr. [Feb 17] was persuaded with Died: July 26, 2020 1946-47 under the direction of regards the SSEC, especially Wallace Eckert [June 19], Robert English and Douglas Engelbart since he was still upset over his (Rex) Seeber, Frank E. Hamilton, [Jan 30] share credit for creating altercation with Aiken during and other Watson Scientific the first computer mouse [Nov the dedication of the Harvard Computing Lab [Feb 6] staff. 14]. English built the initial Mark I. prototype in 1964 based on It contained 21,400 relays, The SSEC occupied three sides of Engelbart’s notes, and was its 12,500 vacuum tubes, and could a large room on the ground floor first user. performed 14-by-14 decimal of IBM’s headquarters at 590 multiplication in one-fiftieth of a English was Engelbart’s chief Madison Avenue in NYC, where second, and division in one- hardware architect. He led the it was visible to people walking thirtieth of a second, making it 1965 NASA project to find the by on the street. Herbert Grosch around 250 times faster than the best way to select a point on a [Sept 13] estimated its Harvard Mark I [Aug 7]. -
Proposal for SHOT 2009 Session Title: Materiality Meets Practice Organizer: Thomas Haigh, University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee, T
Proposal for SHOT 2009 Session Title: Materiality Meets Practice Organizer: Thomas Haigh, University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee, [email protected] Chair: JoAnne Yates, MIT Sloan School, [email protected] Commentator: Gerard Alberts, University of Amsterdam, [email protected] Papers: Opening the Beige Box: Materiality and the Evolution of the IBM PC, 1981-1995 Thomas Haigh, University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee, [email protected]. Plug and Play: Standardized Connectors and Home Audio Reproduction, Jeffrey Tang, James Madison University, [email protected] The Right Job for the Tools: Transitioning to the Computer Age, Allan Olley, University of Toronto, [email protected]. The Material Origins of Virtualization, David Alan Grier, George Washington University, [email protected] This panel is submitted by the SIG on Computers, Information & Society. The panel includes scholars from three countries. It includes a blend of graduate students and faculty spanning the assistant, associate and full professor level. It is also diverse in terms of discipline, representing scholars working in departments of information studies, business communications, computer science, history of science, and science policy. Session Abstract: Materiality Meets Practice Computers are things and people manipulate them with their bodies. Information cannot exist without a physical medium. Communication is a material process. But writing on the history of information technology has tended to abstract away from the tangible and material. Rarely do we learn about the experience of using a particular machine, the layout of a computer center, or the issues involved in producing and assembling computer systems. But recent interest in materiality as a concept in science studies (associated particularly with the recent volume Living in a Material World edited by Pinch and Swedberg) challenges us to respect the fundamental importance of stuff to the history of technology (and allied fields such as labor history). -
Items for the Library of Congress
Items for the Library of Congress Item Name of item Box #/ Description/Comments No. 1 NPR program on occasion of Draper Prize (about 5 min) 1 Tape cassette 2 Photos from Draper Prize ceremony 1 Names on back of some photos 3 Think magazine article, 8/79 1 Great photos by Erich Hartmann 4 Blackboard notes, ’70 & ’71 1 Polaroid photos of work on coloring families of sets 5 Presentation at D. Univ. award, Univ. of York, England 1 2 pages 6 Old IBM memos ’53-‘82 1 Mostly about Fortran & customers 7 Interview done by Saphire of me, 12/15/67 1 Transcripts of 2 tapes, 32 + 22 pages 8 Retirement dinner – photos 1 1991 dinner in San Jose 9 Computer System Design and ANS Control Techniques Oct 1955 paper, IBM 1 Look-ahead decoder. Machine design. Confidential. 10 FORTRAN by JW Backus and WP Heising 1 Aug 1964 paper, IEEE Trans on computers 11 Software: will engineering replace witchcraft? By Eric J Lerner 1 May ’80 article about functional programming 12 Computers: emphasis on software by Robert Bernhard 1 Jan ’80, on software problems 13 Photos of Nat’l Medal of Science award ceremony 1 Pres Ford 14 Remarks at 40th anniversary dinner 1 Sept? 1990 – 40 years at IBM 15 IRI Achievement Award Address 11/83 1 Industrial Research Inst. (IRI) The talk was about tolerating many failures in doing research. 16 “Draper Prize Lecture” Boston Museum of Science + photos 1 5/10/94. 17 Lecture notes for History of Programming Languages Conf + slides 1 HOPL (1) L.A. -
A History of the Personal Computer Index/11
A History of the Personal Computer 6100 CPU. See Intersil Index 6501 and 6502 microprocessor. See MOS Legend: Chap.#/Page# of Chap. 6502 BASIC. See Microsoft/Prog. Languages -- Numerals -- 7000 copier. See Xerox/Misc. 3 E-Z Pieces software, 13/20 8000 microprocessors. See 3-Plus-1 software. See Intel/Microprocessors Commodore 8010 “Star” Information 3Com Corporation, 12/15, System. See Xerox/Comp. 12/27, 16/17, 17/18, 17/20 8080 and 8086 BASIC. See 3M company, 17/5, 17/22 Microsoft/Prog. Languages 3P+S board. See Processor 8514/A standard, 20/6 Technology 9700 laser printing system. 4K BASIC. See Microsoft/Prog. See Xerox/Misc. Languages 16032 and 32032 micro/p. See 4th Dimension. See ACI National Semiconductor 8/16 magazine, 18/5 65802 and 65816 micro/p. See 8/16-Central, 18/5 Western Design Center 8K BASIC. See Microsoft/Prog. 68000 series of micro/p. See Languages Motorola 20SC hard drive. See Apple 80000 series of micro/p. See Computer/Accessories Intel/Microprocessors 64 computer. See Commodore 88000 micro/p. See Motorola 80 Microcomputing magazine, 18/4 --A-- 80-103A modem. See Hayes A Programming lang. See APL 86-DOS. See Seattle Computer A+ magazine, 18/5 128EX/2 computer. See Video A.P.P.L.E. (Apple Pugetsound Technology Program Library Exchange) 386i personal computer. See user group, 18/4, 19/17 Sun Microsystems Call-A.P.P.L.E. magazine, 432 microprocessor. See 18/4 Intel/Microprocessors A2-Central newsletter, 18/5 603/4 Electronic Multiplier. Abacus magazine, 18/8 See IBM/Computer (mainframe) ABC (Atanasoff-Berry 660 computer. -
CBC-Index.Pdf
257 Index A AARAcomputer, 220 Aiken, Howard, viii, 96,203, Abacus, 7 213-219,224 contest of speed, 7 first proposals, 214 counters, 12 IBM, 215 demise, 7 influence of, 219 English, 12 Amsler, Jacob, 168 European, 8 Amsler planimeter. See Planimeters Gerbert’s, 35 Analog calculation, 156 Greek, 8-9 accuracy of, 157 Inca, 8 addition, 160,162 origins, 7,lO Analog computers Roman, 10 electrical, 191-194 Russian, 13 Analog computing devices, 156-204. soroban, 7, 15 See also Differential analyzer spread of, 14-15 accuracy, 157,160,162,195-196 swanpan, 7,14 approximating complex table, 10-11 functions, 166 ABC, 226-230 electrical, 177-178 components, 228 harmonic analyzer, 158,172-176, control, 228 180 failure, 230 harmonic synthesizer, 172, 177 genesis of, 227 integrators, 167-174, 179- 185, Mauchly’s visit to, 238 187 operation, 229 isograph, 177 use, 228 multipliers, 160 Abel computer, 220 network analyzer, 178 Accounting and Tabulating Machine noise in, 162, 195 Corporation, 137 resolver, 158-159, 172, 194 Accounting machines, 122-155 tide predictors, 162, 172-176 Accumulator, 215. See also ENLAC Analogue, word origin, 247 Addition, analog, 160,162 Analog versus digital techniques, 1% Additive number system, 5 Analytical engine, 59-60,67,75-9 1, Computing Before Computers 258 Analytical engine (cont.) Automata, 100-101 200,203. See also Babbage, Automata theory, 119 Charles; Ludgate, Percy; Torres y Automatic Sequence Controlled Quevedo, Leonard0 Calculator. See ASCC arithmetic operations, 82-83 barrel control, 85 construction, 90 B Babbage, Benjamin, 60 control mechanism, 85-86 Babbage, Charles, viii, 3,60-62,66, design, 8 1,90 75-91,200. -
Pioneercomputertimeline2.Pdf
Memory Size versus Computation Speed for various calculators and computers , IBM,ZQ90 . 11J A~len · W •• EDVAC lAS• ,---.. SEAC • Whirlwind ~ , • ENIAC SWAC /# / Harvard.' ~\ EDSAC Pilot• •• • ; Mc;rk I " • ACE I • •, ABC Manchester MKI • • ! • Z3 (fl. pt.) 1.000 , , .ENIAC •, Ier.n I i • • \ I •, BTL I (complexV • 100 ~ . # '-------" Comptometer • Ir.ne l ' with constants 10 0.1 1.0 10 100 lK 10K lOOK 1M GENERATIONS: II] = electronic-vacuum tube [!!!] = manual [1] = transistor Ime I = mechanical [1] = integrated circuit Iem I = electromechanical [I] = large scale integrated circuit CONTENTS THE COMPUTER MUSEUM BOARD OF DIRECTORS The Computer Museum is a non-profit. Kenneth H. Olsen. Chairman public. charitable foundation dedicated to Digital Equipment Corporation preserving and exhibiting an industry-wide. broad-based collection of the history of in Charles W Bachman formation processing. Computer history is Cullinane Database Systems A Compcmion to the Pioneer interpreted through exhibits. publications. Computer Timeline videotapes. lectures. educational programs. C. Gordon Bell and other programs. The Museum archives Digital Equipment Corporation I Introduction both artifacts and documentation and Gwen Bell makes the materials available for The Computer Museum 2 Bell Telephone Laboratories scholarly use. Harvey D. Cragon Modell Complex Calculator The Computer Museum is open to the public Texas Instruments Sunday through Friday from 1:00 to 6:00 pm. 3 Zuse Zl, Z3 There is no charge for admission. The Robert Everett 4 ABC. Atanasoff Berry Computer Museum's lecture hall and rece ption The Mitre Corporation facilities are available for rent on a mM ASCC (Harvard Mark I) prearranged basis. For information call C. -
Notes: 6 Per Page
Punch Card Based Machines • Different machines would use different forms of encoding. • The programmer would use a machine to punch the information for a program onto card or tape. The Mechanical Monsters • Typically the program would then be given to a computer operator so the program would be run. • After a delay the results would then be given back to the Physical computational devices from the programmer for analysis. early part of the 20th century Link to extra optional video: video of punch File images: James Tam cards and punch James Tam James Tam tape Video #1: The Use Of Computers During World Mechanical Monsters: Groups War II • Video link not available (original video could not be found) • The Zuse machines (Z1 – Z4) • Bell Relay Computers • The Harvard Machines • The IBM calculators James Tam James Tam The Zuse Machines Konrad Zuse (1910-1995) • Machines: • Born in Berlin he had childhood dreams of designing – Z1 rockets that would reach the moon or planning out – Z2 great cities. – Z3 • He trained as a civil engineer. – Z4 – As a student he became very aware of the labor needed in the calculations in his field. • Originally Zuse’s machine was called the V1 (Versuchsmodell- = (x * y) / (z +(a1 + b)) 1/Experimental model-1) • After the war it was changed to ‘Z’ (to avoid confusion with the weapons being developed by Wernher von Braun). Colourbox.com James Tam James Tam Image: http://www.konrad-zuse.net The Mechanical Monsters Konrad Zuse (1910-1995): 2 Zuse: Early Designs • Zuse was the first person “…to construct an • In order to automate the process of performing calculations automatically controlled calculating machine.” – “A Zuse envisioned a mechanical machine. -
Chapter Six: Relay Calculators
200 Chapter 6 Relay Calculators Introduction harles Babbage had planned to power his Analytical Engine Cwith a steam engine-steam being the only feasible prime mover available in the 1830s. In that same decade, however, others were making discoveries that led to the electric motor: a source of motive power more compact, cleaner, quieter, and most of all, much more flexible than steam. By the early twentieth century, calculators were just one of many machines that were powered by electricity. But electricity could do more than replace the steam engine or human arm as a source of power; it could also represent the numbers themselves that a calculator handles. Electric circuits could replace the cams, pins, gears, and levers that actually do the computation. Hollerith’s electric tabulators took advantage of this property, and we have already seen how the rival Powers system, developed after 1911 to compete with Hollerith, suffered in comparison because it used electricity only for motive power. By the 1930s, a number of inventors recognized that the ability (as well as the power) offered by electric circuits allowed one to build a machine that could not only do arithmetic, but also direct a complex -ce of calculations autom&@ly. Thime,had be& Babbage’s drezand bmatdreGhad come true. It came true by combining traditional mechanical calculator architecture with 201 FIXED ENDS F MIL OF WIRE’ IRON ,Ad (1 NO SIGNAL VOLTAGE ON d -COIL TERMINALS OPEN CIRCUIT - NO CURRENT ELECTROMAGNETIC RELAY la] DE- ENERGIZED ELECTROMAGNETIC RELAY lbl ENERGIZED Figure 6.1. (a) Typical relay used in telephone switching. -