Whatever Happened to the Other Turing Machine?
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1 Oral History Interview with Brian Randell January 7, 2021 Via Zoom
Oral History Interview with Brian Randell January 7, 2021 Via Zoom Conducted by William Aspray Charles Babbage Institute 1 Abstract Brian Randell tells about his upbringing and his work at English Electric, IBM, and Newcastle University. The primary topic of the interview is his work in the history of computing. He discusses his discovery of the Irish computer pioneer Percy Ludgate, the preparation of his edited volume The Origins of Digital Computers, various lectures he has given on the history of computing, his PhD supervision of Martin Campbell-Kelly, the Computer History Museum, his contribution to the second edition of A Computer Perspective, and his involvement in making public the World War 2 Bletchley Park Colossus code- breaking machines, among other topics. This interview is part of a series of interviews on the early history of the history of computing. Keywords: English Electric, IBM, Newcastle University, Bletchley Park, Martin Campbell-Kelly, Computer History Museum, Jim Horning, Gwen Bell, Gordon Bell, Enigma machine, Curta (calculating device), Charles and Ray Eames, I. Bernard Cohen, Charles Babbage, Percy Ludgate. 2 Aspray: This is an interview on the 7th of January 2021 with Brian Randell. The interviewer is William Aspray. We’re doing this interview via Zoom. Brian, could you briefly talk about when and where you were born, a little bit about your growing up and your interests during that time, all the way through your formal education? Randell: Ok. I was born in 1936 in Cardiff, Wales. Went to school, high school, there. In retrospect, one of the things I missed out then was learning or being taught Welsh. -
Technical Details of the Elliott 152 and 153
Appendix 1 Technical Details of the Elliott 152 and 153 Introduction The Elliott 152 computer was part of the Admiralty’s MRS5 (medium range system 5) naval gunnery project, described in Chap. 2. The Elliott 153 computer, also known as the D/F (direction-finding) computer, was built for GCHQ and the Admiralty as described in Chap. 3. The information in this appendix is intended to supplement the overall descriptions of the machines as given in Chaps. 2 and 3. A1.1 The Elliott 152 Work on the MRS5 contract at Borehamwood began in October 1946 and was essen- tially finished in 1950. Novel target-tracking radar was at the heart of the project, the radar being synchronized to the computer’s clock. In his enthusiasm for perfecting the radar technology, John Coales seems to have spent little time on what we would now call an overall systems design. When Harry Carpenter joined the staff of the Computing Division at Borehamwood on 1 January 1949, he recalls that nobody had yet defined the way in which the control program, running on the 152 computer, would interface with guns and radar. Furthermore, nobody yet appeared to be working on the computational algorithms necessary for three-dimensional trajectory predic- tion. As for the guns that the MRS5 system was intended to control, not even the basic ballistics parameters seemed to be known with any accuracy at Borehamwood [1, 2]. A1.1.1 Communication and Data-Rate The physical separation, between radar in the Borehamwood car park and digital computer in the laboratory, necessitated an interconnecting cable of about 150 m in length. -
Information Technology 3 and 4/1998. Emerging
OCCASION This publication has been made available to the public on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation. DISCLAIMER This document has been produced without formal United Nations editing. The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this document do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries, or its economic system or degree of development. Designations such as “developed”, “industrialized” and “developing” are intended for statistical convenience and do not necessarily express a judgment about the stage reached by a particular country or area in the development process. Mention of firm names or commercial products does not constitute an endorsement by UNIDO. FAIR USE POLICY Any part of this publication may be quoted and referenced for educational and research purposes without additional permission from UNIDO. However, those who make use of quoting and referencing this publication are requested to follow the Fair Use Policy of giving due credit to UNIDO. CONTACT Please contact [email protected] for further information concerning UNIDO publications. For more information about UNIDO, please visit us at www.unido.org UNITED NATIONS INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATION Vienna International Centre, P.O. Box 300, 1400 Vienna, Austria Tel: (+43-1) 26026-0 · www.unido.org · [email protected] EMERGING TECHNOLOGY SERIES 3 and 4/1998 Information Technology UNITED NATIONS INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATION Vienna, 2000 EMERGING TO OUR READERS TECHNOLOGY SERIES Of special interest in this issue of Emerging Technology Series: Information T~chn~~ogy is the focus on a meeting that took INFORMATION place from 2n to 4 November 1998, in Bangalore, India. -
Computer Conservation Society
Issue Number 52 Autumn 2010 Computer Conservation Society Aims and objectives The Computer Conservation Society (CCS) is a co-operative venture between the British Computer Society (BCS), the Science Museum of London and the Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI) in Manchester. The CCS was constituted in September 1989 as a Specialist Group of the British Computer Society. It is thus covered by the Royal Charter and charitable status of the BCS. The aims of the CCS are: To promote the conservation of historic computers and to identify existing computers which may need to be archived in the future, To develop awareness of the importance of historic computers, To develop expertise in the conservation and restoration of historic computers, To represent the interests of Computer Conservation Society members with other bodies, To promote the study of historic computers, their use and the history of the computer industry, To publish information of relevance to these objectives for the information of Computer Conservation Society members and the wider public. Membership is open to anyone interested in computer conservation and the history of computing. The CCS is funded and supported by voluntary subscriptions from members, a grant from the BCS, fees from corporate membership, donations, and by the free use of the facilities of both museums. Some charges may be made for publications and attendance at seminars and conferences. There are a number of active Projects on specific computer restorations and early computer technologies and software. -
Computer Conservation Society
Issue Number 88 Winter 2019/20 Computer Conservation Society Aims and Objectives The Computer Conservation Society (CCS) is a co-operative venture between BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT; the Science Museum of London; and the Science and Industry Museum (SIM) in Manchester. The CCS was constituted in September 1989 as a Specialist Group of the British Computer Society. It is thus covered by the Royal Charter and charitable status of BCS. The objects of the Computer Conservation Society (“Society”) are: To promote the conservation, restoration and reconstruction of historic computing systems and to identify existing computing systems which may need to be archived in the future; To develop awareness of the importance of historic computing systems; To develop expertise in the conservation, restoration and reconstruction of historic computing systems; To represent the interests of the Society with other bodies; To promote the study of historic computing systems, their use and the history of the computer industry; To publish information of relevance to these objectives for the information of Society members and the wider public. Membership is open to anyone interested in computer conservation and the history of computing. The CCS is funded and supported by a grant from BCS and from donations. There are a number of active projects on specific computer restorations and early computer technologies and software. Younger people are especially encouraged to take part in order to achieve skills transfer. The CCS also enjoys a close relationship with the National Museum of Computing. Resurrection The Journal of the Computer Conservation Society ISSN 0958-7403 Number 88 Winter 2019/20 Contents Society Activity 2 News Round-Up 9 The Data Curator 10 Paul Cockshott From Tea Shops to Computer Company: The Improbable 15 Story of LEO John Aeberhard Book Review: Early Computing in Britain Ferranti Ltd. -
Timeline of Computer History
Timeline of Computer History By Year By Category Search AI & Robotics (55) Computers (145)(145) Graphics & Games (48) Memory & Storage (61) Networking & The Popular Culture (50) Software & Languages (60) Bell Laboratories scientist 1937 George Stibitz uses relays for a Hewlett-Packard is founded demonstration adder 1939 Hewlett and Packard in their garage workshop “Model K” Adder David Packard and Bill Hewlett found their company in a Alto, California garage. Their first product, the HP 200A A Called the “Model K” Adder because he built it on his Oscillator, rapidly became a popular piece of test equipm “Kitchen” table, this simple demonstration circuit provides for engineers. Walt Disney Pictures ordered eight of the 2 proof of concept for applying Boolean logic to the design of model to test recording equipment and speaker systems computers, resulting in construction of the relay-based Model the 12 specially equipped theatres that showed the movie I Complex Calculator in 1939. That same year in Germany, “Fantasia” in 1940. engineer Konrad Zuse built his Z2 computer, also using telephone company relays. The Complex Number Calculat 1940 Konrad Zuse finishes the Z3 (CNC) is completed Computer 1941 The Zuse Z3 Computer The Z3, an early computer built by German engineer Konrad Zuse working in complete isolation from developments elsewhere, uses 2,300 relays, performs floating point binary arithmetic, and has a 22-bit word length. The Z3 was used for aerodynamic calculations but was destroyed in a bombing raid on Berlin in late 1943. Zuse later supervised a reconstruction of the Z3 in the 1960s, which is currently on Operator at Complex Number Calculator (CNC) display at the Deutsches Museum in Munich. -
TCM Report, Summer
Board of Directors Corporate Donors Contributing Members John William Poduska. Sr. Benefactor-$lO.ooo or more Pathway Design. Inc. Patron-$SOO or more Chairman and CEO AFIPS. Inc." PC Magazine Anonymous. Ray Duncan. Tom Eggers. Belmont Computer. Inc. American Exr.ress Foundation Peat. Marwick. Mitchell & Co. Alan E. Frisbie. Tom and Rosemarie American Te ephone & Telegraph Co." Pell. Rudman. Inc. Hall. Andrew Lavien. Nicholas and Gwen Bell. President Apollo Computer. Inc." Pencept. Inc. Nancy Petti nella. Paul R. Pierce. The Computer Museum Bank of America" Polese-Clancy. Inc. Jonathan Rotenberg. Oliver and Kitty Erich Bloch The Boston Globe" Price Waterhouse Selfridge. J. Michael Storie. Bob National Science Foundation ComputerLand" Project Software & Development. Inc. Whelan. Leo R. Yochim Control Data Corporation" Shawmut Corporation David Donaldson Data General Corporation" Standard Oil Corporation Sponsor-$250 Ropes and Gray Digital Equipment Corporation" Teradyne Hewlett-Packard Warner & Stackpole Isaac Auerbach. G. C . Beldon. Jr .. Sydney Fernbach Philip D. Brooke. Richard J. Clayton. Computer Consultant International Data Group" XRE Corporation International Business Machines. Inc." " Contributed to the Capital Campaign Richard Corben. Howard E. Cox. Jr .. C. Lester Hogan The MITRE Corporation" Lucien and Catherine Dimino. Philip H. Fairchild Camera and Instrument NEC Corporation" Darn. Dan L. Eisner. Bob O. Evans. Corporation Raytheon Company Branko Gerovac. Dr. Roberto Guatelli. Sanders Associates M. Ernest Huber. Lawrence J. Kilgallen. Arthur Humphreys The Travelers Companies Core Members Martin Kirkpatrick. Marian Kowalski. ICL Wang Laboratories. Inc." Raymond Kurzweil. Michael Levitt. Carl Theodore G. Johnson Harlan E. and Lois Anderson Machover. Julius Marcus. Joe W .. Charles and Constance Bachman Matthews. Tron McConnell. -
Short Bios of Attendees Peter Mcburney Is a David Hales Is a Senior Professor of Computer Research Fellow at the Science and Head of the Open University
Short Bios of Attendees Peter McBurney is a David Hales is a senior Professor of Computer research fellow at The Science and Head of the Open University. I do Department of Informatics at research at the overlap King's College London. He is a member of the Agents and between computer Intelligent Systems (AIS) science and social Group of the Department. McBurney's research science. I am interested in focuses on several areas in multi-agent software open distributed systems that include both machine and human agencies where the systems including: agent communications imposition of central control is not an option and languages (ACLs) and protocols; multi-agent one can't rely on the "invisible hands" of simulation models of public policy and corporate orthodox economic (or game) theory. strategy domains; the presence of reflective intelligent entities able to learn, and able Jeffrey Johnson is Professor of themselves to model the environment they are Complexity Science and Design. in; cyber conflict, cyberwar and cyberweapons. I joined the Open University in Seth Bullock is Professor in 1980 after three years as Senior the Agents, Interaction and Research Associate in the Complexity Group and the Geography Department of Cambridge University, and six Institute for Complex Systems years as Research Fellow in the Mathematics Simulation at the University of Department of Essex University. Southampton. My principal research interest is evolutionary simulation modelling: the Jeremy Pitt is Reader in, and, application of evolutionary modelling techniques deputy head of the Intelligent developed within artificial intelligence (e.g., Systems and Networks Group at genetic algorithms) to problems within evolutionary biology (e.g., the evolution of Imperial College. -
Alan Turingturing –– Computercomputer Designerdesigner
AlanAlan TuringTuring –– ComputerComputer DesignerDesigner Brian E. Carpenter with input from Robert W. Doran The University of Auckland May 2012 Turing, the theoretician ● Turing is widely regarded as a pure mathematician. After all, he was a B-star Wrangler (in the same year as Maurice Wilkes) ● “It is possible to invent a single machine which can be used to compute any computable sequence. If this machine U is supplied with the tape on the beginning of which is written the string of quintuples separated by semicolons of some computing machine M, then U will compute the same sequence as M.” (1937) ● So how was he able to write Proposals for development in the Mathematics Division of an Automatic Computing Engine (ACE) by the end of 1945? 2 Let’s read that carefully ● “It is possible to inventinvent a single machinemachine which can be used to compute any computable sequence. If this machinemachine U is supplied with the tapetape on the beginning of which is writtenwritten the string of quintuples separated by semicolons of some computing machinemachine M, then U will compute the same sequence as M.” ● The founding statement of computability theory was written in entirely physical terms. 3 What would it take? ● A tape on which you can write, read and erase symbols. ● Poulsen demonstrated magnetic wire recording in 1898. ● A way of storing symbols and performing simple logic. ● Eccles & Jordan patented the multivibrator trigger circuit (flip- flop) in 1919. ● Rossi invented the coincidence circuit (AND gate) in 1930. ● Building U in 1937 would have been only slightly more bizarre than building a differential analyser with Meccano. -
NEWSLETTER Cpdtrf;Lq'tp.Nn •
Th~?p~,~eps~9ti(t~J.s··r'~ws{~tt~I"" DIGITAL COMPUTER j.~~p'~r()xJ ?~i~\ .me? lumfOr ~he !.."te r-?h~9ge among t n'ter~~te~ p~r~On~\?jlnf9rtl).~t 1?n<?o" ... <;(Enl~g ,·rT?~9~•.· •.···· ••• ~. ~v;lop1l1en~~ In.t,v.~t.I.~iJ$>·· .. ~... 1,9 f~·.1l.·I·i· ••. ?9I11p.tJt~.r pr;.;J;ct$~pi.~lr.I.~.lIt.ton.<.i~ ..... 11 T'" ItT<i'~O'9?y~rvm~~t~gEl~<:iesi NEWSLETTER cPDtrf;lQ'tp.nn •. "'n(.t,.~ontr I bu't;Qrs. OFFICE OF NAVAL RESEARCH MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES DIVISION Vol. 11, No.3 Gordon D. Goldstein, Editor July 1959 Jean S. Campbell, Asst. Editor TABLE OF CONTENTS Page No. COMPUTERS AND DATA PROCESSING, NORTH AMERICA 1. Ferranti Electric, Inc., Sirius, Hempstead, L.L, New York 1 2. Librascope, Inc., Libratrol- 500, Glendale, California 1 3. Monroe Calculating Machine Company, Distributape, Orange, New Jersey 2 COMPUTING CENTERS 1. Air Force Cambridge Research Center, Computer and Mathematical Sciences Laboratory, L.G. Hanscom Field, Bedford, Massachusetts 2 2. Georgia Institute of Technology, Rich Electronic Computer Center, 2 Atlanta, Georgia 2 3. Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, Data Assimilator 3 4. National Bureau of Standards, Computation Laboratory, Washington, D.C. 4 5. New York University,AEC Computing and Applied Mathematics Center, NewYork,N.Y. 4 6. RCA Service Company, FLAC I and IBM 709, Patrick Air Force Base, Florida 5 7. U.S. Naval Missile Center, 709 andRAYDAC Systems, Point Mugu, California 5 8. U.S. NavalProving Ground, Naval Ordnance Computation Center, Dahlgren, Virginia 6 9. -
ATLAS@50 Then and Now
ATLAS@50 Then and now Science & Technology Facilities Council The origins of Atlas In the years following the Second World War, there was huge interest in nuclear physics technologies both for civilian nuclear energy research and for military nuclear weapons. These technologies required ever-increasing amounts of computer power to analyse data and, more importantly, to perform simulations far more safely than would be possible in a laboratory. By 1958, 75% of Britain’s R&D computer power was provided by the Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) at Aldermaston (using an American IBM 704), Risley, Winfrith and Harwell (each using a British Ferranti Mercury). These were however what we would now call The advisory panel for the super-computer single-user systems, capable of running only included Freddy Williams (a pioneer in radar and Foreword one program at a time, so were essentially very computer technology) from Victoria University large desktop calculators. Indeed, the name of Manchester, Maurice Wilkes (designer of It is now known as Rutherford Appleton Laboratory buildings R26 and R27, but over “computer” referred to the human operator; EDSAC, the Electronic Delay Storage Automatic its 50+ year history, the Atlas Computer Laboratory in the parish of Chilton has been the machinery itself was known as an Calculator) from Cambridge, Albert Uttley of the “automatic calculating machine.” RRE (Royal Radar Establishment), and Ted Cooke- part of many seminal moments in computing history. Yarborough (designer of the Dekatron and CADET British manufacturers of automatic calculating computers) from AERE Harwell; Christopher Over its 50+ year history it has also housed It was cleaned and restored as far as we could, machines were doing well until IBM announced Strachey (a pioneer in programming language many mainframe and super-computers including and took pride of place at an event held to that their first transistorised computer was to design) was in charge of design. -
Media Technology and Society
MEDIA TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY Media Technology and Society offers a comprehensive account of the history of communications technologies, from the telegraph to the Internet. Winston argues that the development of new media, from the telephone to computers, satellite, camcorders and CD-ROM, is the product of a constant play-off between social necessity and suppression: the unwritten ‘law’ by which new technologies are introduced into society. Winston’s fascinating account challenges the concept of a ‘revolution’ in communications technology by highlighting the long histories of such developments. The fax was introduced in 1847. The idea of television was patented in 1884. Digitalisation was demonstrated in 1938. Even the concept of the ‘web’ dates back to 1945. Winston examines why some prototypes are abandoned, and why many ‘inventions’ are created simultaneously by innovators unaware of each other’s existence, and shows how new industries develop around these inventions, providing media products for a mass audience. Challenging the popular myth of a present-day ‘Information Revolution’, Media Technology and Society is essential reading for anyone interested in the social impact of technological change. Brian Winston is Head of the School of Communication, Design and Media at the University of Westminster. He has been Dean of the College of Communications at the Pennsylvania State University, Chair of Cinema Studies at New York University and Founding Research Director of the Glasgow University Media Group. His books include Claiming the Real (1995). As a television professional, he has worked on World in Action and has an Emmy for documentary script-writing. MEDIA TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY A HISTORY: FROM THE TELEGRAPH TO THE INTERNET BrianWinston London and New York First published 1998 by Routledge 11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada by Routledge 29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2003.