MAY 2002 CORE 3.2

A PUBLICATION OF THE COMPUTER HISTORY MUSEUM WWW.COMPUTERHISTORY.ORG PAGE 1

May 2002 FUNDAMENTALS IN COREA publication of the Computer History3.2 Museum IN THIS MISSION ISSUE TO PRESERVE AND PRESENT FOR POSTERITY THE CHANGING TIMES ARTIFACTS AND STORIES OF THE INFORMATION AGE INSIDE FRONT COVER VISION FUNDAMENTALS IN CHANGING TIMES TO EXPLORE THE COMPUTING REVOLUTION AND ITS John C Toole IMPACT ON THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE

As our fiscal year ends in June, it’s Look carefully at all the activities poses some unique opportunities today, 2 natural to look at the Museum’s reported in this issue, and you will see but also challenges us to project our THE APOLLO GUIDANCE COMPUTER accomplishments and future plans. It is how our organization is growing. The next 10 years very carefully. We also DESIGNING THE AGC also a time to reflect on how amazing free lecture series has been a are getting much more information on EXECUTIVE STAFF Eldon Hall our annual fundraising support has tremendous success. Our curatorial the costs and timelines for our plan of MISSIONS WITH THE AGC been during a difficult year in the U.S. staff is doing an outstanding job in record with NASA, which becomes John C Toole David A Miller David Scott and around the world. Thank you to organizing the collections, focusing on important to our analysis. The “Beta EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR & CEO VICE PRESIDENT OF DEVELOPMENT 2 Karen Mathews Michael R Williams everyone who has contributed to our future exhibits, and working with an Building” that will provide additional EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT HEAD CURATOR 8 expanding programs and enabled us to impressive list of volunteers who are room for us to grow is still a major HISTORY MATTERS Mike Williams grow in stature, capability, and helping as docents, greeters, and priority, but will be delayed several professionalism! It is critically important enthusiastic helpers. We are also months in this calendar year as we PUBLICATION STAFF to operate in the black, and I am happy finding ourselves much more prominent refine our plans. Stay tuned for more 9 Karyn Wolfe RECENT DONATIONS to report that our audited 2001 in the press. Tours of our Visible information. EDITOR financial statements show exactly that. Storage Exhibit Area (with expanded 6 10 With your continued support, we expect Saturday hours twice a month) provide Although, over time, plans and details BOARD OF TRUSTEES BASIC to do the same this year and in the visitor access to our collection and may evolve to meet opportunities and BASIC upcoming fiscal year that starts on demonstrate our emphasis on content to address challenges, the building Leonard J Shustek, Chairman Charles H (Chuck) House Christopher Garcia July 1. in the fulfillment of our mission. Finally, blocks of our organization—the people, VENCRAFT LLC INTEL CONVERGED Sally M Abel COMMUNICATIONS GROUP, OPEN LETTER TO HOBBYISTS the new building architecture team, led the collection, and the mission—are DIALOGIC DIVISION FENWICK & WEST LLP Bill Gates The economy, the war on terrorism, and by EHDD, completed their schematic fundamentally strong and the basis of Dave House David L Anderson THOMAS KURTZ ON BASIC the corresponding impacts on local design phase, and delivered an amazing a great institution. Help us make this ALLEGRO NETWORKS SENDMAIL 10 Interviewed by Dag Spicer climates have been extraordinary set of great ideas for our permanent year the best ever! C Gordon Bell Christine Hughes challenges for all non-profits, but the home. The schematic design phase of MICROSOFT CORPORATION ACHIEVEMENT PLUS 16 Peggy Burke Steve Kirsch Museum has remained strong with your exhibit design will continue through REPORT ON MUSEUM ACTIVITIES 1185 DESIGN PROPEL SOFTWARE CORPORATION help. This is an important testament to early fall. Karen Mathews Lori Crawford John Mashey our base of support, which has helped INFINITY CAPITAL LLC SENSEI PARTNERS LLC this organization through good times While our public presence has continued Andrea Cunningham Ike R Nassi 20 and bad. The mission of preserving the to increase during this economic CITIGATE CUNNINGHAM ALLEGIS CAPITAL 13 ANNUAL DONORS stories and artifacts of the information downturn, the Trustees and staff have Donna Dubinsky Suhas Patil HANDSPRING TUFAN age strikes a fundamental note in many also considered the challenges, 21 David Emerson Bernard L Peuto UPCOMING EVENTS people’s minds, which makes our opportunities, and risks at every stage. CLARENT CORPORATION CONCORD CONSULTING CONTACT INFORMATION JOHN C TOOLE organization solid even in challenging In fact, we have been constantly EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR & CEO Samuel Fuller John William Poduska Sr ANALOG DEVICES ADVANCED VISUAL SYSTEMS times. If you have not already donated evaluating our long-term plans, and ON THE BACK COVER to our annual campaign, please have developed new insights into the Eric Hahn F Grant Saviers MYSTERY ITEMS FROM THE COLLECTION INVENTURES GROUP PRIVATE INVESTOR consider this mission and what we are future. Although it’s too early to publicly Gardner C Hendrie John Shoch BACK trying to accomplish, and become a address any emerging options, we are SIGMA PARTNERS ALLOY VENTURES contributor—we have included an insert continually challenging our assumptions Peter Hirshberg Pierluigi Zappacosta Copyright ©2002, Computer History Museum. All rights in this issue to make it as easy as we search for the best investments GLOSS.COM reserved. The Museum is an independent 501(c)(3) organization, FID #77-0507525. PO Box 367, Moffett as possible. of our resources. The changing economy Field, CA 94035, USA. BOARD OF ADVISORS Computer History Museum Building T12-A Gene Amdahl Burge Jamieson Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA SIGMA PARTNERS William Aspray +1 650 604 2579 COMPUTING RESEARCH Randy Katz +1 650 604 2594 (fax) ASSOCIATION UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERKELEY Robert Broderson WWW.COMPUTERHISTORY.ORG UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA David Patterson BERKELEY UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERKELEY Paul Ceruzzi Submission guidelines for technical articles can be NATIONAL AIR & SPACE MUSEUM, James N Porter found at www.computerhistory.org/core, or contact the SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION DISK/TREND editor at [email protected]. Federico Faggin Eric Schmidt SYNAPTICS GOOGLE Cover: Photo and exploded-view diagram of James Gray Stephen L Squires the Apollo Guidance Computer Display MICROSOFT CORPORATION HEWLETT-PACKARD COMPANY Keyboard (DSKY)

COMPUTER HISTORY MUSEUM CORE 3.2 PAGE 2 PAGE 3

In effect, navigating in space is the THE same as navigating on Earth. One might take a star sighting with a sextant. That information is put into the computer and from it the state vector, i.e. the position and velocity of the missile at any point of time, is computed. The computer orients the missile such that the change in velocity will cause the state vector to be updated so the APOLLO missile will free-fall into the targeted point. While it is thrusting, the guidance GUIDANCE COMPUTER system must control the attitude of the vehicle, the magnitude of the thrust in the case of the Lunar Excursion Module BY ELDON HALL AND DAVID SCOTT (LEM), and the direction of the thrust in the case of the command and service module.

Inside the Apollo capsule DESIGN CONSTRAINTS INTRODUCTION DESIGNING THE AGC digital techniques for the Polaris Initially the need for a very reliable program, resulting in the construction of computer with significant computational BY ELDON HALL The following article is drawn from a a wired-program, special-purpose capacity and speed was clear. The lecture given by Apollo Guidance computer to solve the guidance and design constraints included very limited In the early sixties the so-called mini- Computer (AGC) lead designer Eldon control equations. In 1959 the first size, weight, and power consumption. computer had not emerged and there Hall on June 10, 1982 at The Computer version of this system, called the Mark If the designers had known then what was no commercial computer suitable Museum in Boston. It was first printed 1, flew in a Polaris missile. It was the they learned later, or had a complete for use in the Apollo mission. Most of in The Computer Museum Report in Fall, first ballistic missile flown with an on- set of specifications been available as the technologies that were eventually 1982 and provides some insight into board digital computer providing the might be expected in today’s used in the Apollo computer were ones the development of a major component guidance and control computations. The environment, they would probably have just emerging from research and that allowed “a giant leap for mankind.” computer occupied about four-tenths of concluded that there was no solution development efforts. The “design” was a cubic foot, weighed 26 pounds, and with the technology of the early sixties. mainly a task of fitting the components The Computer History Museum consumed 80 watts. Even before this together in order to meet the mission collection contains several items and first guided flight succeeded, designs Establishing interface requirements was requirements for computational capacity prototypes comprising the AGC, were already being explored that would a monumental task. The astronaut and miniaturization. including logic modules, a DSKY, reduce the size and improve the interface was one of these. In 1962, and rope memory; as well as lecture maintainability of the system. The new computers were not considered user- FROM POLARIS TO APOLLO videotape; photos of the units in use design, eventually designated Mark 2, friendly. Heated debates arose over the Previous aerospace computers greatly and under test; and various paper repeated the architecture and logic nature of the computer displays. One influenced the development of the documents that provide us with design with improvements in circuits faction, which usually included the Assemblers at Raytheon testing and building AGC modules Apollo Guidance Computer. The further details. and packaging. astronauts, argued that meters and demands placed on these computers dials were necessary. Logically, the provided the motivation to miniaturize Eldon Hall led the hardware design In August 1961, when NASA contracted pressure for digital displays won most and develop semiconductors. The MIT effort throughout the development of the laboratory to develop the Apollo of the arguments because of their Instrumentation Lab, now called Charles the AGC and pioneered the use of guidance, navigation, and control greater flexibility in the limited area Stark Draper Laboratory, had integrated circuits in this design. system, the mission and its hardware allowed for a control panel. In late responsibility for the design of the His group at the MIT Instrumentation were defined in only very broad terms. 1963, as the requirements for the computers used in the Polaris, Laboratory (MIT/IL) was awarded the A general-purpose digital computer LEM were being firmed up, NASA Poseidon, and Apollo programs. contract in 1961 to begin work on the would be required to handle the data decided to use identical guidance Apollo Guidance Computer after and computational needs of the computers in both the command The lab’s first significant venture into their successful work on the Polaris spacecraft. Therefore a special module and the LEM. the field of digital computing was, for missile project, in which Hall was arrangement of display and controls the Polaris program, a very small responsible for encouraging the Navy to would be necessary for in-flight In the early manned orbital missions ballistic missile launched from a use digital guidance computers. Hall operation. The boost phase of the before Apollo, NASA learned that the submarine. A special-purpose digital received his AB in Mathematics at mission, which was the Saturn system, human animal, confined in a spacecraft computer was designed to solve the Eastern Nazarene College, his AM in had its own internal guidance system to for a week or so, was not as clean as specific equations required for the Physics at Boston University, and had put the command and service module in might be expected from observations guidance and control system based on completed much of a PhD in Physics translunar trajectory. Then the Apollo on Earth. This additional constraint had analog techniques originally developed from Harvard when he took a position system took over to guide the mission by the Navy. With a need for increased at MIT/IL in 1952. to the moon. Lead designer Eldon Hall testing the Apollo Guidance Computer accuracy, the Navy decided to use

COMPUTER HISTORY MUSEUM CORE 3.2 PAGE 4 PAGE 5

Instruments. Reliability, power DESIGN AND USE OF THE CONSOLE The read-only memory of the computer consumption, noise generation, and A display and keyboard was developed consisted of six rope memory modules, noise susceptibility were the prime for the astronauts and had the each containing 6,000 words of subjects of concern in the use of designation DSKY (pronounced memory. This special type of core integrated circuits in the AGC. The “Diskey”). Functionally, the DSKY was memory depended on the patterns set performance of these units under an integral part of the computer, and at the time of manufacture. Its sensing evaluation was sufficient to justify their two were mounted remotely and wires were woven into a set pattern. It exclusive use in place of the core operated through the discrete interface had five times the density and was far transistor logic proposed initially for the circuits. One was for a sitting position more reliable than the coincident Apollo project design. The micrologic and another one near the entry to the current core memory used for erasable version of the Apollo computer was LEM, convenient for a reclining position. storage in the computer. Being constructed and tested in mid-1962 to unalterable, it also provided a greater discover the problems that the circuits The principle part of the DSKY display incentive for error-free software might exhibit when used in large was a set of three numeric light development. numbers. Finally, in 1964, Philco-Ford registers. Each register contained five was chosen to supply the integrated decimal digits consisting of segmented The Apollo 11 lunar landing had an circuits used in the prototype computer electro-luminescent lights. Five decimal anomaly that attracted public attention. The Apollo Guidance Computer was responsible for the guidance, navigation, and control computations in the that operated in February 1965. These digits were used so that a computer The computer in the LEM signaled a Apollo space capsule. The AGC was the first computer to use integrated circuit logic and occupied less than one cubic foot of the spacecraft. It stored data in 15-bit words plus a parity bit and had a memory cycle time cost approximately $25 each. word of 15 bits could be displayed in restart alarm condition several times of 11.7 microseconds, utilizing 2,000 words of erasable core memory and 36,000 words of read-only either decimal or octal. In addition, during a very critical period prior to memory. The frame is made of magnesium for lightness and designed to hermetically seal the components. SPECIFICATIONS three two-digit numeric displays touchdown. This fact was broadcast to Approximately one cubic foot had been indicated the major program in the public and those who knew its allocated in the command module for progress, the verb code, and the noun significance were close to a state of the computer. The first prototype was code. The verb/noun format permitted panic. operating in the spring of 1964 and communication in a language whose syntax was similar to that of spoken The interface with the astronauts was the DSKY utilized the wire wrap and modular After analysis, it was determined that (for display keyboard). It used digital displays welded cordwood construction that had language. Examples of verbs were the alarms were an indication to the and communicated with the astronauts using been produced for the Polaris program. display, monitor, load, and proceed. astronauts that the computer was verb and noun patterns and two-digit operation It was designed to have pluggable trays Examples of nouns were time, gimbal overloaded and was eliminating low and operand codes. A set of status and caution lights is shown in the top left corner. with room for spare trays. angles, error indications, and star priority tasks from the waitlist. The identifications. Commands and requests overload resulted from the rendezvous Since the clock in the computer was the were made in a form of sentences, radar being set in the wrong mode a rather interesting and far-reaching prime source of time, it had to be each with a noun and a verb, such as during the lunar landing phase, wasting impact on the mechanical design of the accurate to within a few parts per “display velocity” or “load desired computer memory cycles. The computer computers and other hardware. All million. The data and instruction words angle.” To command the computer, the software was responding to overloads electrical connections and metallic in the memory were 15 bits plus parity. operator pressed the Verb key followed as designed. The read-only memory of the computer consisted of six rope memory modules, each containing 6,000 words surfaces had to be corrosion resistant Data was represented as 14-bit binary by a two-digit code. This entered the of memory. This unique type of core memory treated each core as a transformer within a matrix of discrete and even though the computer was words plus the sign bit. Double- desired verb into the computer. The This incident triggered a news brief in “rope-like” wires and depended on the patterns set at the time of manufacture. Wires running through the designed to have pluggable modules, precision operations were provided to operator then pressed the Noun key and Datamation in October, 1969, faulting core stored a “1,” and those bypassing the core represented a “0.” It had five times the density and was far everything had to be hermetically supply 28-bit computations. The a corresponding code. When the enter the computer design for being too slow. more reliable than the coincident current core memory used for erasable storage in the computer. Being unalterable, it also provided a greater incentive for error-free software development. sealed. instruction word contained the address key was pressed, the computer carried It rightfully claimed that there were a and operation codes for the computer out the operation that had been number of minicomputers, including the THE SUPPLIERS operation. The memory address field commanded. The computer requested PDP-11, that were at least an order of By the end of 1962, NASA selected was extended by organizing the memory action from the operator by displaying a magnitude faster. In the eight years contractors: General Motors’ AC in banks. verb and noun in flashing lights to since the initiation of the Apollo Sparkplug Division for the inertial attract the astronauts’ attention. program, commercial technology had far systems and system integration; The AGC had 2,000 15-bit words of surpassed that of the Apollo design and Raytheon, Sudbury Division, for the erasable core memory and started with IN-FLIGHT USE capacity. However, no commercial computer and computer testing 12,000 words of read-only memory, Shortly after the lift-off of Apollo 12, two computer could claim to match the equipment; Kollsman Instrument for the called rope memory. It was quickly lightning bolts struck the spacecraft. power consumption and space optical systems; North American upgraded to 24,000 words. Then by The current passed through the characteristics of the AGC. Aviation for the command and service mid-1964, when the first mission command module and induced module; and Grumman Aircraft for the program requirements had been temporary power failure in the fuel cells Lunar Excursion Module. conceived and documented, there was supplying power to the AGC. During the increasing concern about the possible incident, the voltage fail circuits in the In late 1959 and 1960 the lab began insufficiency of the memory. This computer detected a series of power evaluating semiconductors, purchased prompted a further expansion to trenches and triggered several restarts. The module in the collection has been used only on Earth. The Museum’s prototype computer ran at Draper at $1,000 each from Texas 36,000 words. The computer withstood these without Labs and was used to test the routines for in-flight machines. However, in space, all of the components had to be completely “potted” to insure that all the parts would stay firmly in place and remain uncontaminated. interruption of the mission programs or loss of data.

COMPUTER HISTORY MUSEUM CORE 3.2 PAGE 6 PAGE 7

We probably would not have expired, but comprehensive Earth orbital there were some parts of the mission in qualification and verification test of a which a computer failure would have fully configured Apollo spacecraft. In been especially compromising. 1971 Scott commanded Apollo 15, the Navigation was not necessarily time first extended scientific exploration of critical but the lunar landing was very the Moon, doubling the lunar stay time time critical. You could have a situation of previous flights and using the first during a lunar landing in which, if the Lunar Roving Vehicle to explore the computer failed, the engine would be Hadley Rille and the Apennine driven into the ground. Unless the Mountains. Scott received an MS and astronaut could react quickly enough to an Engineer's Degree in Aeronautics stop it, the Lunar Module could have and Astronautics from MIT in 1962. been flung on its side. Chances are that Photo courtesy of NASA. the astronaut could prevent such an The Apollo 9 prime crew from left to right: Commander James A McDivitt, Command Module Pilot Even as the Apollo 11 crew—Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins—were sitting on the launch pad, the only event by switching to manual control of AGC SPECIFICATIONS David R Scott, and Lunar Module Pilot Russell L Schweickart. The Apollo 9 mission was designed to “documentation” on the AGC program was the listing itself, part of which is shown here. test the Apollo Command/Service Module (CSM) and Lunar Module (LM) in Earth orbit to verify that the vehicle. It must be remembered that the CSM could successfully dock with the LM, and to test the LM systems in a “free flying” attitude the computer had been designed to be Instruction Set to ensure that it performed as per specifications. as reliable as possible and the Approximately 20 instructions; astronauts had a great amount of 100 noun-verb pairs, data up to MISSIONS WITH confidence in the machine. triple-precision IN THE COLLECTION FURTHER READING THE AGC PROBLEMS OF SUCCESS Word Length BY DAVID SCOTT We had a backup called the entry 16 bits (14 bits + sign + parity) Burroughs Corporation Apollo Guidance Apollo Operations Handbook, GUIDANCE monitor system, which had a graphic Computer read only rope memory AND NAVIGATION SYSTEM (G&N), Basic In 1963, when NASA was conducting on the spacecraft. Since they were fixed display based on the accelerometers in Memory (1963), XD115.76, Gift of Charles Stark Date: 12 November 1966, the selection of the third group of to the spacecraft, the vehicle itself had the spacecraft. With this display the ROM (rope core) 36K words; Draper Laboratory http://users.primary.net/~pebecker/ astronauts for the U.S. space program, to track a perfect orbit such that the vehicle could be flown manually using RAM (core) 2K words apollogc.htm I had just received a graduate degree at cameras were precisely vertical with pre-drawn curves to be followed for Draper Laboratories Apollo Guidance MIT and finished test pilots school. My respect to the surface that they were attitude, g-loading, and velocity. It was Disk Computer block 1 components: 3 logic For a summary of NASA flight computers interests and the program’s need for a photographing. During simulations it reassuring to know that we were still None prototypes, 1 finished logic module and software reliability, see: user to interact with the design of the was determined that manual orbit able to return to Earth even if the Apollo (1962), X1067.91, Gift of Eldon Hall http://www.dfrc.nasa.gov/History/ guidance computer at the MIT procedures would be inaccurate. We Guidance Computer failed. During re- I/O Publications/f8ctf/chap3.html Instrumentation Lab were a good fit. were at a loss. entry there was a scroll in the entry DSKY (two per spacecraft) Draper Laboratories Apollo Guidance I was part of the discussions whether to monitor system and we could see the Computer block 2 prototype Hall, Eldon. Journey to the Moon: The use analog or digital controls. About two weeks before the flight, I computer tracking the predetermined Performance components: 1 sense amplifier, 2 logic History of the Apollo Guidance called up MIT and asked if they could curves all the way to the landing site. Approx. Add time: 20µs modules (year unknown), X1068.91, Computer, Washington: American THE MIT INTERFACE program the computer to give the As our skills and the computer Gift of Eldon Hall Institute of Aeronautics, 1996. When I was studying at MIT, the ability vehicle a satisfactory orbit rate. They programs improved over the years of the Basic machine cycle to rendezvous in space was an issue for answered, “Of course. Which way do Apollo program, we came down closer 2.048 MHz MIT Instrumentation Laboratory Apollo For an Apollo 8 mission journal, see: debate. It wasn’t clear whether it was you want to go and how fast?” In a and closer to the carrier waiting to meet memory stack module (1962), X186.83, http://history.nasa.gov/ap08fj/ possible to develop the mathematics matter of a couple of days we had a us. Finally, by the last Apollo mission, Technology Gift of Boguslaw Frankiewicz index.htm and speed of computation necessary to program and a simulator that they didn’t park the carrier directly on RTL bipolar logic (flat pack) bring two vehicles together at a precise automatically drove a spacecraft at the landing point. MIT Instrumentation Laboratory, An online version of Chariots for Apollo: point in space and time—a critical issue perfect orbit rate. We got into flight with Size Raytheon Company, Charles Stark A History of Manned Lunar Spacecraft, for the Apollo mission’s successful very little chance to practice or verify, Excerpted by Ben Goldberg from AGC: 24" x 12.5" x 6" (HWD) Draper Laboratory Apollo Guidance by Courtney G Brooks, James M landing on the moon and return to but we put on the cameras and the remarks made by David Scott on June DSKY: 8" x 8" x 7" (HWD) Computer Prototype Processor-Logic- Grimwood, Loyd S Swenson, published Earth. Between 1963 and 1969, with results were perfect. 10, 1982 at The Computer Museum in Interface-Memory modules (1962), as NASA Special Publication-4205 in the the flight of Apollo 9, this was Boston. Reprinted from The Computer Weight X37.81B, Gift of Charles Stark NASA History Series, 1979 can be accomplished. I stayed in the spacecraft POTENTIAL COMPUTER FAILURE Museum Report, Fall 1982. AGC: 70 lbs; DSKY: 17.5 lbs Draper Laboratory found at: http://www.hq.nasa.gov/ while Rusty Schweickart and Jim During the development process we ran office/pao/History/SP-4205/ McDivitt got in the lunar module and many simulations of in-flight computer USAF Colonel David Scott flew on the Number produced MIT Instrumentation Laboratory, contents.html went out about 60 miles away. The operations with particular concern for Gemini 8, Apollo 9, and was spacecraft AGC: 75; DSKY: 138 Raytheon Company, Charles Stark computer behaved flawlessly during our in-flight failure. But in the 10 years that commander on Apollo 15. On the Draper Laboratory Apollo Guidance A thorough history of the Apollo first successful rendezvous in space. I spent in the program there was never Gemini 8 mission in 1966, Scott Cost Computer Prototype Universal DSKY Guidance Computer is located at: a real computer failure. Yet people often and Command Pilot Neil Armstrong Unknown Input/Output array (1962), X37.81A, http://hrst.mit.edu/hrs/apollo/public/ Another assignment for Apollo 9 was to wonder what a computer failure would performed the first successful docking Gift of Charles Stark Draper Laboratory take the first infrared photographs of have meant on a mission. It would have of two vehicles in space. As Command Power consumption the Earth from space. To do this, a depended on the situation and the Module Pilot for Apollo 9 in 1969, Operating: 70W @ 28VDC large rack of four cameras was mounted manner in which the computer failed. Scott helped complete the first Standby 15.0 watts

COMPUTER HISTORY MUSEUM CORE 3.2 PAGE 8 PAGE 9

HISTORY MATTERS RECENT DONATIONS BY MICHAEL R WILLIAMS TO THE COMPUTER HISTORY MUSEUM COLLECTION

Michael R Williams is Head Curator at 1940s-era slide rule documentation collection Inside NETBIOS (1986), X2383.2002, Gift of NASA GRiD System Corporation Model 2352 PalmPad the Computer BUILDING A COLLECTION (various dates) X2389.2002, Ames Library (1992), X2362.2002 History Museum. Gift of Herbert F. Spirer Laser Computer Inc. pc3 portable computer, MicroSlate Datellite 300L personal digital assistant IN A COMPUTER MUSEUM A Computer Perspective (1973), The Personal software, and manuals (1989), X2390.2002, (1991), X2356.2002 Computer Lilith (1981), X2386.2002, Gift of Bobby Greenberg Gift of Ron Mak NCR Safari 3115 CommStation docking port of curatorial review centered around the Another approach can be to “Laws of Computer Programming” coffee mug (c. 1992), X2363.2002 Museum’s Collections Committee. We compromise—perhaps “hedge our bet” APL documentation and ephemera collection (1963- (1982), X2365.2002, Gift of Jim Gross 1995), X2393.2002, Gift of Curtis Jones NCR Safari 3115 portable computer (c. 1992), The challenges encountered in creating have been fortunate to have generous is a better term—by accepting MACTEP (MASTER) personal computer, X2363.2002 a computer history collection are often storage space during this time. illustrative pieces of something big. For Apple Macintosh PowerBook 165c and Color documentation, and software (c. 1993), different from those found in creating, However, since the institution’s move example, we recently decided that we StyleWriter 2200 (1993), X2384.2002, X2452.2002, Gift of Serguei Nikolaev say, a collection of rare historical West, the collection has doubled in size, could not accept an entire Fujitsu/ Gift of Lynne Engelbert GIFTS OF MICHAEL PLITKINS Manual and documentation collection (various science books. For the latter, wide thanks to an aggressive policy of Amdahl 5995A (a system 390 class of Atanasoff-Berry Add-Shift Module replica (c. 1995), dates), X2388.2002, Anonymous Donor Apple GLM computer system (c. 1984), agreement exists as to what constitutes rescuing important artifacts. Coupled computer). Instead, we arranged for the X2446.2002, Gift of John Gustafson X2435.2002 an historic breakthrough and which with the storage requirements donation of sample boards from the Palm Pilot VII (c. 1998), X2385.2002, Bound firing tables for a 155mm M1/M1A1 gun Gift of Andrea Butter Apple IIc Plus computer system (1988), authors are the fundamental authorities. demanded by the Museum’s CPU and memory sections as well as (1942), X2395.2002, Gift of the United States X2433.2002 Computers are, of course, a modern preservation mission, space is the fundamental design documentation. Department of the Army, Aberdeen Proving Ground Promotional button collection (1970s-1980s), invention and we often do not have the becoming an increasing challenge and This gives us visually and technically X2451.2002, Gift of Chris Illes Apple III computer system (1980), X2437.2002 insight to say, with any real confidence, will continue to be so, even with a interesting items to exhibit as well as Commodore SX-64 Executive portable computer (1985), X2367.2002, Gift of Lee and Mary Long Ricochet Model 21062 wireless modem (1992), Apple LISA I prototype computer system (1983), what are the real advances and what new facility. information that future historians might X2448.2002, Gift of Karen Mathews X2436.2002 are simply derivative embellishments. want. Additionally, the donor is now “Compu-mug” coffee mug (c. 1980), X2364.2002, Additionally, many of the people who When we accept a donation and investigating the possibility of producing Gift of Jim Gross Tano AVT2 Personal/Business Computer, manuals, Apple LISA II personal computer (c. 1984), and software (c. 1985), X2396.2002, X2442.2002 worked in the early days of computing properly “accession” it through a family tree of all 390 systems— Computer Logic (1964) and Charting Courses Gift of Mark Possof are still alive, which makes documenting documents that transfer ownership something historians will certainly find (1931), X2392.2002, Gift of Steven Golson Apple Lisa NOS cathode ray tube (c. 1983), history both easier and harder. It is only rights to us, we are legally obligated to interesting. The Portable Companion collection and related X2438.2002 human nature to consider one's own keep it for a specified period of time. Computer Simulation Applications (1971), Osborne documentation (1982-1984), X2445.2002, X2397.2002, Gift of Julian Reitman Gift of Leslie Blackwell Apple/Franklin floppy disk drive (c. 1978), accomplishments to be fundamentally Legislation in this regard was enacted What the Museum has attempted to do X2441.2002 important, which may or may not be to prevent various unethical groups from is to develop a philosophy to guide our Digital Equipment Corporation document collection, Two TRS-80 computer cassettes (c. 1982), the case. accepting potentially valuable donations decision on any particular donation. In including many Pocket Service Guide handbooks X2366.2002, Gift of Jim Gross Atari 520 ST personal computer system (c. 1985), and selling them on the open market. essence it states, “we want to have as (1964-1983), X2394.2002, Gift of Petar Sredojevic X2439.2002 Tutorial Description of the Hewlett-Packard Interface When it comes to creating a collection Here at the CHM we have an additional many of the home runs as possible, Early computing manuals collection (c. 1960-1980), Bus (1980), X2387.2002, Gift of T J Forsyth Atari 520 ST personal computer system (c. 1985), of relatively modern artifacts, a policy that requires us to keep each and a representative sample of the X2381.2002, Gift of Charles Jortberg X2440.2002 museum has two basic choices, both of item in our collection until the Board of doubles, base hits, and strike-outs.” To Various computer science manuals and Epson PX-8 laptop computer (1983), X2451.2002, supercomputer documentation collection (various Atari 520 STFM personal computer (c. 1985), which have advantages. The first is to Trustees specifically authorizes the accomplish this, the collections Gift of Chris Illes dates), X2449.2002, Gift of Eugene Miya X2443.2002 simply collect everything possible Museum to “de-accession” it, department meets once a week to (within certain parameters) and hope preventing staff members from simply discuss items offered for donation. If Guide to the IBM pavilion, 1964 World's Fair, Xerox 860 Information Processing System printer IBM 320 POWERserver (c. 1996), X2444.2002 that another 15 or 20 years will bring cleaning house on a whim. the decision is obvious, we make it X2382.2002, Gift of Dag Spicer wheels and ribbons, documentation, and software library (c. 1980), X2453.20002, Pixar Image computer in Symbolics SCOPE cabinet some perspective, allowing curators to there and then; for further advice, we Hewlett-Packard Integral Personal Computer (1985), Gift of Kenneth G Lehmann (c. 1987), X2434.2002 weed out unimportant items over time. Many other considerations arise when consult the Collections Committee, X2369.2002, Gift of Peter Gulotta However, unless the subject is evaluating a potential donation. The which is composed of members of our Sony HB-75AS Hit Bit Home Computer (c. 1985), IBM 1403 printer music audio tape (1970), GIFTS OF DAVID BELKNAP X2432.2002 something the size of a postage stamp, question of whether an item looks good Board of Trustees and other experts in X2386.2002, Gift of Ron Mak storage space simply runs out too soon. and would make an interesting exhibit the field. Apple Newton Message Pad (1993), X2357.2002 (Dates represent dates of introduction and not The second methodology is to use the must be balanced against its IBM advertisements (c. 1950), X2450.2002, necessarily dates of manufacture.) best knowledge and intuition in deciding usefulness in illustrating a particular Everyone has a favorite machine and Gift of Robert Garner Apple Newton Message Pad 110 with GPS docking port (1994), X2358.2002 what is or will be important in the future technology or its status as something of sometimes we must be very diplomatic IBM manual collection (c. 1964-1969), and from the start to limit the items such importance that it must be in declining an offer. However, if anyone X2398.2002, Gift of Donald Keegan Casio Z-7000 personal digital assistant (1993), If you would like to update the Museum regarding brought into the collection. In this case, obtained regardless of its exhibiting knows of an IBM 650 or one of their X2355.2002 your artifact donation, please contact Registrar some important items will undoubtedly potential. One such item would be the 700 series of machines we will be IBM Models 3494 and 3590 Tape Library Jeremy Clark at +1 650 604 1524 or Subsystems and Drives (c. 1998), X2399.2002, GRiD System Corporation 2260 "Convertible" [email protected]. be rejected and impossible to obtain at Apollo spacecraft guidance computer happy to consider it at our next weekly Gift of University of California, Berkeley, personal digital assistant (c. 1992), X2359.2002 a later date. (see page two), which may not much to collections meeting! Computer Science Division look at. But, who wouldn't agree that a GRiD System Corporation 2260 "Convertible" To find out how to donate an item, please visit our IBM software and documentation (various dates), personal digital assistant (c. 1992), X2360.2002 At the Computer History Museum, we device that helped humans get to the X2391.2002, Gift of Richardson Data Services have striven over the past twenty years moon deserves a place in the Museum? web page at http://www.computerhistory.org/ collections/donateArtifact/ or call Chris Garcia at GRiD System Corporation Model 2352 PalmPad to collect items according to a process +1 650 604 2572 for more information. Illiac I drum image (CD-ROM) (1952), X2447.2002, (1992), X2361.2002 Gift of Al Kossow

COMPUTER HISTORY MUSEUM CORE 3.2 PAGE 10 PAGE 11

BASIC BY CHRISTOPHER GARCIA Copyright ©2002 True BASIC Inc. Copyright ©2002 True BASIC paper tape. Written by Bill Gates for the Altair 8800, BASIC quickly became the language of choice among Thomas Kurtz and John Kemeny, co-inventors of BASIC Students using a PDP-8 based timesharing system hobbyists, and was the first piece of software to be heavily pirated.

Batch processing dominated the earliest Kurtz and Kemeny thought that the When the microprocessor was of two US dollars per hour for all the knew anything about it) to be used on Some people point to BASIC as the days of computing. A programmer would most popular languages of the day, introduced in the early 1970s, some of work he and his team had put into the BBCMicro, later the Archimedes, “gateway” programming language: it take a deck of cards he or she had including Fortran and ALGOL, were too the young people introduced to BASIC in BASIC for the Altair. The letter was and many other British micros. The BBC was the first real language to enable the punched off-line, give them to a system complex for non-technical users. Using elementary schools started building published in many computer hobby Micro had been designed as part of a common person to program computers operator, and wait, sometimes days, for elements from several languages, and computers from kits and went on to magazines and was the first time BBC plan to introduce computers to the and it ultimately helped to make the results. Obviously, this meant large adding features such as line numbering start companies. It should be no people began to contemplate the idea general population (since to a degree computer science a discipline of its delays in analyzing and adjusting code, that made troubleshooting easier, the surprise that many early microcomputing that software sharing was piracy. Some Britain had been lagging behind the own. Kemeny passed away in the early since iterations could not be tested two developed BASIC. With just 14 systems chose BASIC, especially since hobbyists believed passionately in free US in the percentage of homes and 1990s, but Kurtz continues to speak immediately. commands in the beginning—including Kemeny and Kurtz never patented or sharing of software, and Gates’ letter classrooms with computers). The and write about the early days of BASIC. the famous “GOTO”—BASIC could be copyrighted the language. The first began to turn some of them against machine and the variant of BASIC are Recently, Kurtz denied the claim that The need for systems where multiple learned in as little as two learning BASIC considered to be a full language Gates and Microsoft—an attitude that almost unknown in America, though BASIC was the single-most important users could function as individual sessions, creating a tremendous implemented on a microprocessor was persists even today. some believe that it could have caught advancement in the history of operators helped bring about the BASIC advantage over other languages that Li Chen Wang’s Tiny Basic, which on in the US with a proper introduction. programming, commenting, “I’m sorry to language. BASIC, the “Beginners All- could take months to learn. appeared in Dr Dobbs magazine in In 1983, BASIC designers Kemeny and There continues to be a strong group say, but I don’t think we had much Purpose Symbolic Instruction Code,” BASIC may have been the first early 1975. Kurtz released their own polished of users who proclaim BBCBASIC to effect…” was invented in the early 1960s by two programming language written for use version of BASIC called True BASIC. The be “the best, most powerful BASIC Dartmouth mathematics professors, by non-computer professionals. Many Bill Gates, then a student at Harvard, two originators claimed that the variants ever written.” Thomas Kurtz and John Kemeny, and early timesharing systems used BASIC, wrote a BASIC interpreter for the Altair of BASIC released by multiple Christopher Garcia is Historical Collections various Dartmouth students. They including those powered by GE in March, 1975. Microsoft (then Micro- companies were altering the premises BASIC began to fade from the limelight Coordinator at the Computer History Museum. wanted to create an easy-to-learn machines and DEC PDP-11 systems. Soft) released their own version on of BASIC, and the “true” BASIC was to when languages like C and Pascal were language that could be used on the BASIC began to show up in many paper tape later in the year, once be the definitive version. However, it did implemented for small machines. The GE225 timesharing system that elementary schools around the country, delivery of Altairs had started. A paper not sell as well as the other versions on beginning of object-oriented FURTHER READING Wexelblat, Richard L. History of Dartmouth was about to launch. This particularly in cities where school tape was easy to pirate, because it the market, especially those made by programming and languages like C++ Programming Languages, Academic time-sharing system would allow many districts could use teletypes to get at could be run into the computer and a Microsoft. brought a close to BASIC’s glory days. Press, New York, 1981. users to log in at the same time, university mainframe timesharing copy could then be punched out. The language still exists today in running programs remotely via terminals systems. Children as young as seven Many new systems used BASIC to Microsoft’s QBASIC and a few other in the mathematics and science years old learned BASIC as part of After this had been occurring for awhile, introduce people to computing. In the products, and also as Visual BASIC, an departments. their curriculum. This early introduction Bill Gates wrote an open letter to 1980s, the British Broadcasting object-oriented language developed by made sure that BASIC would continue hobbyists (see page 12) claiming that Corporation (BBC) used a version of Microsoft, though it is less popular than to evolve. software copying was theft. He stated BASIC called BBCBASIC (occasionally many of the other object-orientated that this theft had resulted in an income called BBasiC by the few Americans who programming languages.

COMPUTER HISTORY MUSEUM CORE 3.2 PAGE 12 PAGE 13

THOMAS KURTZ ON BASIC William Henry Gates III INTRODUCTION In an email exchange with Computer February 3, 1976 History Museum Curator of Exhibits Dag Spicer, Thomas Kurtz graciously An Open Letter to Hobbyists responded to several questions regarding his experiences with BASIC. To me, the most critical thing in the hobby market right now is the lack of Thomas Kurtz and John Kemeny, along good software courses, books and software itself. Without good software and with many students at Dartmouth, an owner who understands programming, a hobby computer is wasted. Will invented BASIC in the 1960s. Kurtz and quality software be written for the hobby market? Kemeny later wrote a version called True BASIC. Almost a year ago, Paul Allen and myself, expecting the hobby market to expand, hired Monte Davidoff and developed Altair BASIC. Though the initial Dag Spicer: In your opinion, what was work took only two months, the three of us have spent most of the last year required to transition from a single-user documenting, improving and adding features to BASIC. Now we have 4K, 8K, paradigm to a timeshared paradigm in EXTENDED, ROM and DISK BASIC. The value of the computer time we have used computing? How did you observe this exceeds $40,000. happen and what, in retrospect, is striking about how it occurred? The feedback we have gotten from the hundreds of people who say they are using BASIC has all been positive. Two surprising things are apparent, Thomas Kurtz: Timesharing was a way however, 1) Most of these “users” never bought BASIC (less than 10% of all to provide many persons with a small Altair owners have bought BASIC), and 2) The amount of royalties we have amount of computing resources from a Professor Thomas Kurtz lectures to his class. received from sales to hobbyists makes the time spent on Altair BASIC worth single, expensive main frame, each user less than $2 an hour. having the impression that he/she bare hands! Regarding the LGP-30, at TK: Punched cards could not do the job. “owned” the whole computer. Why is this? As the majority of hobbyists must be aware, most of you steal the time we acquired the machine in They were okay for professionals Remember, 1964 was long before your software. Hardware must be paid for, but software is something to 1959, there was a crude interpreter working full time on huge projects, but personal computers or microcomputers, share. Who cares if the people who worked on it get paid? called “24.1.” What our students did students (with few exceptions) wouldn’t and there were only mainframes. over the next few years was: build a stand for the messing around with Timesharing was a fantastic Is this fair? One thing you don’t do by stealing software is get back at genuine algebraic language processor keypunches, waiting in line for their job improvement over punched cards! In MITS for some problem you may have had. MITS doesn’t make money selling (in one summer); build a compiler for to run, and grappling with the other words, there was no paradigm; it software. The royalty paid to us, the manual, the tape and the overhead make Algol-60 (actually, a subset of Algol-60); completely unintelligible error messages was a matter of economics, plus it a break-even operation. One thing you do do is prevent good software from build a load-and-go Algol-like processor that came back. They just wouldn’t do wanting to allow thousands of students being written. Who can afford to do professional work for nothing? What for student use (we called it SCALP for it. And recall, we were trying to educate at the computer. hobbyist can put 3-man years into programming, finding all bugs, documenting Self Contained ALgol Processor); prove ALL Dartmouth students, especially his product and distribute for free? The fact is, no one besides us has a number theory result about the tenth those having major interests in the DS: Before the arrival of the invested a lot of money in hobby software. We have written 6800 BASIC, and Fermat number; construct a humanities and social sciences. GE225/235 BASIC timesharing system are writing 8080 APL and 6800 APL, but there is very little incentive to concordance of the works of Wallace in 1964, Dartmouth students had make this software available to hobbyists. Most directly, the thing you do Stevens; and on and on. All this was Therefore, at the time, timesharing was access to the school’s LGP-30 machine. is theft. done by undergraduate students in their the only way. BASIC was a part of the In your Wexelblat paper you observe spare time. I observed that the work solution, being far simpler to that by using this machine, “a good What about the guys who re-sell Altair BASIC, aren’t they making money on done by our students was superior in understand and use than Fortran or undergraduate could achieve what at hobby software? Yes, but those who have been reported to us may lose in the sophistication and quality to the work Algol. that time was a professional-level end. They are the ones who give hobbyists a bad name, and should be kicked done by the industrial users of the accomplishment, namely, the design out of any club meeting they show up at. same LGP-30. DS: Can you explain the relationship and writing of a compiler.” What was between BASIC and GE’s Mark I Dartmouth’s policy regarding getting I would appreciate letters from any one who wants to pay up, or has a DS: You once said that, “Lecturing timesharing system and how the machine time on the LGP-30? Did these suggestion or comment. Just write to me at 1180 Alvarado SE, #114, about computing doesn’t make any relationship helped promulgate BASIC high-level accomplishments surprise Albuquerque, New Mexico, 87108. Nothing would please me more than being able sense, any more than lecturing on how as a standard? you? Why? to hire ten programmers and deluge the hobby market with good software. to drive a car makes sense.” How important was the timesharing TK: In the fall of 1964 or thereabouts, TK: Remember that what arrived in metaphor (in contradistinction to batch the GE Service Bureau decided to add 1964 were two machines, the GE-225 Bill Gates punch card processing) to your goals Dartmouth timesharing to their existing (later the 235) and the Datanet-30. for BASIC as a language “for the rest offerings, which were restricted to Dartmouth undergraduate students built of us?” punched-card type services. So they the entire timesharing system with their hired the two students who wrote the Representation of Bill Gates’ open letter to hobbyists claiming that software copy was theft

COMPUTER HISTORY MUSEUM CORE 3.2 PAGE 14 PAGE 15

For example, C was invented as a higher-level improvement for assembly language on Unix machines.

DS: How did RAND’s JOSS (Johnniac Open Shop System) influence you?

TK: John Kemeny had used JOSS at the Rand Corporation, and so had experience with timesharing systems. But we did not adopt JOSS as there were details that we preferred not to use. For example, each JOSS statement ended with a period. Well, periods are the way most folks represent decimal numbers. Also, we wanted to make all internal calculations in double-precision floating point to (a) provide enough accuracy for serious computations, and (b) isolate our users from having to learn about the internal number formats. Other than that, I cannot recall our discussions about JOSS.

DS: You are part of a project to A student goes over his program in the mid-1970s One of millions of young students who learned Early users of the Dartmouth timesharing system on the GE-225 BASIC at an early age reconstruct the Dartmouth timesharing system. Can you say more about that? timesharing executive to go to Phoenix microcomputers began to appear, the figure out how to use them. Their TK: Oddly enough, I didn’t write any of TK: Dartmouth BASIC will be celebrating proofread. Once the code is thus to install the Dartmouth timesharing vendors adopted BASIC as being desktops are cluttered with so much the code. John Kemeny had written a its fortieth birthday in 2004. It is still finished, someone will write emulators system on similar hardware at the (a) simple, (b) easy to learn, and junk that it is almost impossible to BASIC compiler for the GE-225 using around; its current incarnation is True for the 235 and D-30. When completed, service bureau. Of course, they (c) able to fit in the teeny memories at figure things out without studying the punched cards during the summer of BASIC, which is used in schools and we will actually have a working model renamed it the GE timesharing system, the time. This then motivated an effort manual. And most manuals are 1963, but didn’t do any coding once the some colleges. While we have used of the original (well, one year later) Mark I. It was with our blessing, as to standardize BASIC in 1974. (It failed, atrocious. The computer industry is out hardware arrived in 1964. (I had written True BASIC to build many serious system. (1) they had provided a slight bit more as coming too little, too late.) Gates and for the quick buck, and puts little effort much code for the LGP-30, as he did as applications, its chief appeal is that it is than their usual educational discount Allen wrote one of the first (not the first) into creating reliable and safe products well.) It was clear that our students simple and easy to use. Plus, there Others who are directly involved in the plus several other non-monetary BASIC interpreters in 1975. In short, with readable and useful manuals. The were better at coding than we were. All have been no major language changes project are: John McGeachie, who wrote benefits, and (2) we had no interest in the GE connection was the vehicle that whole strategy is to bring out upgrades we did was to supervise the project. in the last decades; teachers much the original GE-235 exec to DTSS and marketing what we had built through a popularized BASIC, which was then on a regular basis in order to establish Kemeny was 1/12 time as the prefer continuity, as they don’t want to Ron Martin, who took over the code for commercial operation. The timesharing picked up by the emerging personal a revenue stream, each upgrade making supervisor of the programming group, have to change their teaching materials the D-30 exec (which had been originally system, also called the GE-265, was the computer industry. the product ever more complicated. The but interfered little in their work, except every year. written by Mike Busch.) As we progress, basis of the GE service bureau whole virtue of simplicity has been lost! to maintain the main goals, such as I am sure more people will become operation for the next ten or so years, DS: What principles of BASIC do you simplicity. I was the director of the We are hot on this project of recreating involved. A start of a website for this and eventually provided them with believe still remain fundamentally DS: Why do you think there has been “center.” We collaborated on the original the Dartmouth timesharing system, project can be found at: $100,000,000 in annual revenue. important or true? What ideas are so such a proliferation of programming design of BASIC, and on the additions circa 1965. One of the then student http://www.dtss.org. I seem to recall that the GE-265 was ubiquitous today they no longer feel like languages since the invention of the and improvements that were programmers, Steve Hobbs (formerly of replicated in over 50 locations, some of BASIC, but nevertheless are/were? stored-program computer some subsequently made. DEC and Compaq, now of Intel), has them in the GE Service Bureau, the 50 years ago? located assembly language listings of For more information about True BASIC, others in various corporations and in a TK: Since most of the users would be DS: You and Dr. Kemeny are heroes to the BASIC compiler and runtime, the visit the company website at few school districts. casual and occasional users, the TK: My opinion is that all (well, almost many for your invention of BASIC. Do Algol compiler and runtime, the 235 www.truebasic.com. language had to be simple and easy to all) programming languages are the you have any heroes? exec, and the D-30 exec. We are now in Thus, BASIC became the most widely remember. Error messages should be in same, differing only in the spelling of the process of hand transcribing these used language in the timesharing world, English and also be suggestive. the words, and the clientele for which TK: Anyone who makes significant listings into a machine-readable form. as other vendors “copied” the GE Beginners should not have to learn they are intended. Each new systems progress toward world peace. (We tried scanning but that didn’t work. approach on different computers. At one fancy stuff of use mainly to experts. programmer that comes along feels he Plus, we have to proofread very carefully time, there were over 100 companies in These aspects are not present today in can improve things by inventing a new DS: Is there anything you’d like to say anyhow.) As of the moment, the D-30 the world offering timesharing services, most computer applications. The language. In some cases, a new about the role of BASIC in the history of exec has been transcribed and and the vast majority offered some form majority of applications are so huge that language was needed because it was computing? proofread. The Algol compiler and of BASIC. Thus, when (finally) a casual user must take a course to intended for a different environment. runtime has been transcribed, but not

COMPUTER HISTORY MUSEUM CORE 3.2 PAGE 16 PAGE 17 REPORT ON MUSEUM ACTIVITIES BY KAREN MATHEWS

the foundation of Silicon Valley.

Karen Mathews is Executive Vice President at the Computer History Museum Pioneers (left to right) Jeff Hawkins, Donna Dubinsky, and Ed Colligan discuss the roots and challenges of the handheld computing industry.

It is clear—when we think about it—that Handspring Chairman and Chief Product Officer Jeff Doug Engelbart (left) and Pierluigi Zappacosta Attendees record their thoughts during computer history is created every day. Hawkins (right) shows off the Treo. prepare for Engelbart’s talk in which he reminisced Engelbart’s lecture. The challenge of preserving and Charlie Sporck (left) autographs his book, Spinoff: about his lifetime of invention and research. A Personal History of the Industry that Changed the presenting important artifacts and World, after his Museum lecture on January 16. stories of that history is our abiding It is incredible how much tenacity and hyperlinking and in-file object Our host and Microsoft’s general passion at the Computer History determination it took to make this processing, multiple windows, manager of cable services, Colin Dixon, Museum. Much of what we do on a daily After leaving Fairchild in the late 1960s, happen. As the vice president of hypermedia, context-sensitive help— said, “I think the most magical moment basis relates to education and serving Sporck distinguished himself as CEO of marketing for Palm Computing, Colligan Engelbart’s drive has been to maximize for me… was when Doug mentioned, the public; researching and planning for National Semiconductor, where, under worked with Hawkins and Dubinsky to his professional contributions toward almost offhandedly, an invention he the future building and the physical and his leadership, the company became a lead the product marketing and helping humankind cope with complex made during the war. He described how CyberMuseum exhibits; processing multi-billion-dollar giant. With Richard communications efforts for Palm. After and urgent problems. he held a tube of electro-luminescent artifact donations; cataloguing and L Molay, Sporck recently co-authored Andrea Butter, former Palm Computing marketing their successful run together at Palm gas up against an antenna he was executive, facilitated a panel discussion with Computing, Hawkins and Dubinsky co- Since 1989, he has become the trying to tune. When he had the power caring for the existing collection; Spinoff: A Personal History of the Hawkins, Dubinsky, and Colligan on February 26. planning and holding programs and Industry that Changed the World, a book founded Handspring in July of 1998 to recipient of an extraordinarily long string set just right, the gas in the tube events; and of course, raising the funds about the Silicon Valley semiconductor create a new breed of handheld of awards, including the Lemelson-MIT glowed most intensely. It was a to continue and advance this important industry. Lecture attendee Mike and co-author of Piloting Palm: The computers for consumers. Colligan Prize of $500,000, and the National fascinating glimpse into the mind of a work. In my opinion, it is our great Cheponis remarked, “I really Inside Story of Palm, Handspring, and joined Handspring to lead the Medal of Technology in 2000. Still to be consummate inventor.” Engelbart privilege to both facilitate and observe appreciated Charlie Sporck’s talk and the Birth of the Billion Dollar Handheld development and marketing efforts. recognized is that Engelbart’s continues to propagate his ideas the process of preservation in action. book. I wish more computer old-timers Industry, facilitated the discussion. technological accomplishments are but through his Bootstrap Institute. would do what he’s done! It is very nice Be sure to visit our Visible Storage part of his humanitarian career. Said Additional background information is to see someone like him ‘giving back’ to In 1994, Hawkins invented the original Exhibit Area and view the PalmPilot lecture attendee Susan Nycum, “My available at www.bootstrap.org. prototype on display. impressions are that Doug is, as CHARLIE SPORCK the community of preserved history.” PalmPilot products and founded Palm always, looking ahead and impatient PUTTING THE SILICON IN Computing. He is often credited as the with looking behind—even at his own CHARLIE BACHMAN SILICON VALLEY designer who reinvented the handheld DOUG ENGELBART accomplishments. [This is] something ASSEMBLING THE INTEGRATED DATA With SEMI (www.semi.org) as our co- JEFF HAWKINS, DONNA DUBINSKY, market. As president and CEO of Palm OUTRACING THE FIRE: 50 YEARS he shares with all the ‘young for their STORE (IDS) host, Charlie Sporck kicked off the AND ED COLLIGAN Computing, Dubinsky helped make the (AND COUNTING) OF TECHNOLOGY age’ senior superstars I know.” On April 16, Charlie Bachman, winner of Museum’s Spring 2002 lecture series THE PALMPILOT STORY PalmPilot the best-selling handheld on January 16 with his talk, “Putting the The late 1980s and early 1990s buzzed computer and the most rapidly adopted AND CHANGE the ACM Turing Award and Distinguished Silicon in Silicon Valley: The Birth of the with corporations and startups trying to new computing product ever produced. Hosted at Microsoft’s Silicon Valley Fellow of the British Computer Society, Semiconductor Industry in Silicon develop portable computers that used Campus on March 26, Doug described the circumstances under Valley,” where he relayed fascinating pens as the means of interaction. By Engelbart—thinker, inventor, and which the first database management and sometimes surprising personal late 1993, every one of these efforts humanitarian—shared with an audience system (DBMS) came into being. In observations and stories about the had failed. Though running out of of 250 some of the influences and 1960, General Electric was desperate to people and personalities who brought funding, one of these startups, Palm struggles behind his life of research. computerize their manufacturing the semiconductor industry in Silicon Computing, introduced the Pilot Pierluigi Zappacosta, founder of systems, without each of 100 Valley into being. Recruited by Fairchild organizer and Palm operating system, Logitech and chairman of Digital departments inventing their own Semiconductor in Mountain View, Calif., which, in turn, launched the handheld Persona, facilitated the dialogue. solution. Bachman and others at GE set 250 people attended the Engelbart event. Sporck began as a production manager computing industry. Last February 26, out to solve the problem. By 1964 they and rose to vice president and general to an audience of 250, Jeff Hawkins, Although he may be best known for his had created and put into production a manager. It was during this period at Donna Dubinsky, and Ed Colligan tangible evidence of productivity—the generic manufacturing system (MIACS), Fairchild that Jean Hoerni developed the discussed the roots of handheld computer mouse, display editing, a transaction-oriented operating system, planar process and Bob Noyce, the computing, how Palm learned from outline processing, multiple remote and the first database management integrated circuit. These innovations, failure, and the challenges of battling online users of a networked processor, system (Integrated Data Store, or IDS), together with the manufacturing conventional technology wisdom. Andrea Handspring President and CEO Donna Dubinsky all running on an 8K GE 225 computer. autographs Butter’s book, Piloting Palm, before equipment and organization, became Butter, former Palm marketing executive IDS was a unique combination of the panel discussion with colleagues Hawkins existing software technologies: virtual and Colligan.

COMPUTER HISTORY MUSEUM CORE 3.2 PAGE 18 PAGE 19

Russell, inventor of the early computer SpaceWar! was created on a Digital owner of the famed Buck’s Restaurant with Möbius and formerly an intelligence acquisition helps the Museum fulfill its game SpaceWar!, and Nolan Bushnell, Equipment Corporation (DEC) PDP-1, an of Woodside, California (where hundreds officer in China; and Steve Zelencik, mission of preserving not just hardware, designer of Computer Space and early “interactive” mini-computer that of businesses have been founded over senior vice president at Advanced Micro but software as well, and is an exciting founder of Atari, shared their personal used a cathode-ray tube display and breakfast), recently organized a tour for Devices and a great finder of computer find from the “prehistoric” era of the stories, starting from the days when keyboard input. The computer was a some of his friends. His guests artifacts himself. modern computer. computer games were played on donation to MIT from DEC, which hoped included: Brian Carlisle, founder of the mainframes. Stewart Brand, publisher MIT’s think tank would be able to do robotics firm, Adept Technology, where Why not organize a tour for your of the original Whole Earth Catalog something remarkable with its product. the Milano Cookies are assembled; friends? Contact Kelly Geiger at and president of The Long Now A game was possibly the last thing the venture capitalist Paul Dali; Reid +1 650 604 0345 to make Foundation, moderated this fascinating company expected. But Russell’s Dennis, founder of Institutional Venture arrangements. discussion about the advent of the SpaceWar! showed that fun could be a Partners and pilot of a 50-year-old modern gaming age. driving force in the advancement of airplane that he restored and flew COLLECTION CONTINUES TO GROW computer technology. It influenced around the world; Kevin Kelly, co-founder Among the many items recently donated companies like Atari and others in of WIRED Magazine and outspoken to the Museum’s collection (see page creating a powerful new entertainment optimist for the coming new age of nine), the following are particularly Charlie Bachman discussed his experiences in developing the first database management system, medium. interconnectivity; Jacques Littlefield, noteworthy. A replica of an add-shift A paper tape of the ILLIAC I drum memory was the Integrated Data Store. who has an impressive operation in module from the Atanasoff-Berry recently donated to the Museum by Al Kossow. Woodside to collect and restore army Computer (ABC) replicates in exact detail the circuitry and components memory, blocked records, list used in the original ABC from 1937. processing, data descriptions, self While the machine was not a direct identifying records, data manipulation progenitor of the modern stored language, recovery and restart, etc., program digital computer, it played a key Video game fans gathered to celebrate the 40th and was the first disk-based database birthday of Spacewar! and the 30th birthday of role in a decades-long lawsuit over the management system used in everyday PONG. official “inventor” of the digital production. Among other things, computer, a legal battle that Atanasoff Bachman was also responsible for eventually won. developing data structure diagrams (ER diagrams), commonly known as Secondly, the U.S. Army’s Aberdeen Bachman diagrams, as graphical Proving Ground donated an original representations of semantic structures (left to right) Jacques Littlefield, Brian Carlisle, World War II Artillery Firing Table, Steve Zelencik, Reid Dennis, Meihong Xu, Bill within the data. Delighted fans Cassidy Nolen and Nicole Servais precisely the type of table the Peacock (behind), Len Shustek (behind), Kevin production of which was the impetus for with Nolan Bushnell’s autograph. Kelly, and Larry Roberts converse in the Museum’s In April 1983, Bachman Information Visible Storage Exhibit Area. the design and construction of the Systems, Inc. was created to ENIAC, the United States’ first commercialize Computer Aided Software As a youth in Salt Lake City, Bushnell electronic computer. Gunners used the Engineering (CASE) concepts, which he worked in the games department of an 1942 booklet of tables to properly guide On March 30, Museum volunteers and staff visited developed while at Honeywell and arcade. He first encountered SpaceWar! their artillery shells to their targets. It Jacques Littlefield’s Tank Farm in Portola Valley. Cullinet. In 1991 the company went Slug Russell, Bill Pitts, Steve Golson, and Nolan on an IBM machine in the mid 1960s was the long process of calculating public, and in 1996, merged with Cadre Bushnell (left to right) enjoyed the rare opportunity and describes himself at the time as these tables by rooms full of human to play the Galaxy game, which was developed by Technology, Inc., to form Cayenne “truly obsessed with the game.” “computers” that led the Army to VOLUNTEERS VISIT TANK FARM Pitts and based on Spacewar! Find Spacewar! Software, Inc. Bachman’s IDS and CASE online at: http://agents.www.media.mit.edu/ Bushnell co-founded Atari in 1972 and consider an automated method of About 30 Museum volunteers and staff products are still alive under the CA groups/el/projects/spacewar/ after four years of financial struggles, production. ENIAC, though completed went on a field trip on March 30 to Pony banner. Today, Bachman is a consultant the company was purchased by Warner after the war, was still used to calculate Tracks Ranch in Portola Valley to see and is currently working on a book Communications. It had become “part firing tables but also played a major Jacques Littlefield’s tanks and about the story of the development Hanging out together at the model of the Atari culture to get to the bank role in the development of the the Military Vehicle Technology of IDS. railroad club and inspired by the writings first with your paycheck,” Bushnell hydrogen bomb. Foundation organization. Curator Roy of sci-fi author E.E. “Doc” Smith, admitted. Having brought PONG to Bill Peacock, Jacques Littlefield, and Jamis Robertson showed us 150 of the nearly Russell and his team of programmers the masses, Bushnell is justifiably MacNiven with Museum Curator of Exhibits Dag Finally, Al Kossow donated an ILLIAC I 200 tanks held on the site. Most of Spicer at a special tour arranged by Buck’s STEVE RUSSELL AND at MIT worked to create SpaceWar! in revered as the “Father of the Video Restaurant owner MacNiven. drum image: a snapshot of the actual them are operable and many have been NOLAN BUSHNELL 1962. “The space program was peaking Game Industry.” bit patterns stored on the computer’s restored to combat-ready appearance SHALL WE PLAY A GAME? THE EARLY at the time and people didn’t have drum memory (delivered on paper tape). and operating condition. We are always YEARS OF COMPUTER GAMING much sense of what it might be like to tanks from around the world; Bill The ILLIAC I, a vacuum tube machine interested in seeing how other From their humble beginnings in the steer the spacecraft,” said Russell. “I TOURS AT THE MUSEUM BRING PEOPLE Peacock, venture capitalist and former completed in about 1952, was a direct organizations collect, restore, preserve 1960s as demonstrations of computer was into realism and really trying to TOGETHER assistant secretary of the United States descendant of the famous IAS (Institute and present their collections. The interactivity, computer video games have teach people what flying in space was You never know whom you will run into Army; networking pioneer and for Advanced Study) machine designed foundation is doing an impressive job. become a major part of popular culture all about.” at the Museum’s Visible Storage Exhibit entrepreneur Larry Roberts; Dennis by John von Neumann—the prototype of in America, Japan, Europe, and area—nor what you will learn about Taylor, managing editor of Silicon Valley the modern stored-program, binary, elsewhere. On May 7, Stephen “Slug” them. For example, Jamis MacNiven, Biz Ink; Meihong Xu, venture capitalist parallel, digital computer. This

COMPUTER HISTORY MUSEUM CORE 3.2 PAGE 20 THANKS TO OUR ANNUAL DONORS PAGE 21

We acknowledge with deep The Rockwell International Paul Pierce Alistair Davidson Cecilia A Larsen Rex Sanders UPCOMING EVENTS appreciation the individuals and Corporation Trust Susan Poduska & Peter & Dorothy Denning Kenneth Larsen John & Christine Sanguinetti organizations that have given to Dave & Jan Rossetti John W Poduska Lena M Diethelm John L Larson Marisa & Werner Schaer the Annual Fund. Jean E Sammet Bill & Shelly Pratt Michael diVittorio Karl Lautman Michael & Wyn Schuh Alvy Ray & Zu Smith Dennis Ritchie Lee & Daniel Drake David A Laws Gail Schure CORE BENEFACTORS Rich & Cindy Tennant Toni & Arthur Rock Mark Duncan Roy Kwok Ming Lee Matthew & Melissa Shafer Please RSVP for all events and activities TUE, OCTOBER 22 64K (65,536)+ Peter & Valerie Samson John Dykstra John V Levy Chris Sheedy & Marsha Brewer TOUR THE MUSEUM Gwen & C Gordon Bell 1k ($1,024) Robert Shaw John Ehrman Jefferson Lilly Dick Shoup by calling +1 650 604 2714 or visiting FELLOW AWARDS BANQUET L John Doerr & Ann Doerr Adobe Systems - Virginia Shuler Stephen Ellis & Panos Aglaia Joyce Currie Little Thomas Siekman & Donna Dubinsky Matching Gift Program Lee & Robert Sproull David Ellsworth Carl & Claudia Lowenstein Pamela Kenney www.computerhistory.org/events. Fairmont Hotel, Imperial Ballroom Elaine & Eric Hahn Frances Allen Stephen Squires & Jack Esbin Slava & Hana Mach Dan & Karon Siewiorek Thank you! San Jose, California Tours of the Museum’s Visible Storage Jeff Hawkins & Janet Strauss Gene & Marian Amdahl Ann Marmor-Squires Thelma & Gerald Estrin Walt Main Michael P Simon Gardner Hendrie & David & Robin Anderson Edward Taft Maria & Bob Evans Michael Malcolm Chris & Jade Simonson Exhibit Area are normally held on Karen Johansen Austrade Edward Thelen Douglas G Fairbairn Milt Mallory Rebecca Elizabeth Skinner David & Karla House The Avram Miller Family Larry & Dawn Weber Alan Scott Fitz John Maloney & Eric Smith TUE, MAY 21 TUE, NOVEMBER 12 Wednesdays and Fridays at 1:00 p.m. Janice & Bob Lisbonne Foundation Kayton & Steven Weinstein Rita Foley Roxanne Guilhamet Maloney Sally & Dick Smith Leonard J Shustek John & Sheila Banning Raymond & Carol Williams Shawn Ford Julius Marcus Joseph & Sally Smith THE HISTORY AND FUTURE OF JOHN WARNOCK AND and the first and third Saturdays of each Craig & Barbara Barrett Paul Winalski Jim Forster Bill & Sandra Martin Frank Snow 32K ($32,768)+ Allen Baum & Donya White Anthony J Wood John & Wendy-Ann Francis Connie Martinez Matt Chew Spence ELECTRONIC PHOTOGRAPHY CHUCK GESHKE month at 1:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. For Eric Brewer Barry & Sharla Boehm Warren Yogi Barbara & Joseph Fredrick George Maul Daryl Spitzer Carver Mead, Foveon, Inc. Adobe Systems, Inc. Bill & Roberta Campbell Gary Boone Robert & Carrie Zeidman Jim Fruchterman Terry Mayer David & Shirley Stackpole tour registration call +1 650 604 2579. Grant & Dorrit Saviers Jack & Casey Carsten Cindy & Peter Ziebelman Chris Garcia Stanley & Maurine Mazor Larry Staley MEMBER RECEPTION: 6:00 PM MEMBER RECEPTION: 6:00 PM John & Sheree Shoch Ned Chapin George Glaser & Karen Duncan Frank McConnell David Stearns Bruce & Gail Chizen GENERAL SUPPORTERS Bob & Dee Glorioso Russell McHugh Steven Stepanek LECTURE: 7:00 PM Building 126 16K ($16,384)+ Cisco Foundation Anonymous Gary M Goelkel Stuart McHugh Peter Stewart Steve Blank & Alison Elliott Richard J Clayton Donald & Nancy Alpert Arlene & Earl Goetze William D & Dianne Mensch, Jr Studio Mobius AMD, Commons Building LECTURE: 7:00 PM VOLUNTEER Mike & Kristina Homer The Computer Language Saul & Irene Amarel Robert E Goldberg Philip Menzies Richard Swan & Claudia Mazzetti Sunnyvale, California Moffett Training and Conference Center The Krause Foundation Company Inc John Amos Bert Graeve David Miller Dr Bradley S Tice John Mashey & Angela Hey R T Coslet Judith & Curt Anderson Mark Graham Celia & Gary Miller Ilene Chester & Frank Tobin Building 3 Eric Schmidt Lori Kulvin Crawford Melissa Anderson & Philip Gregory Charlene Miyashita Fritz & Nomi Trapnell OPPORTUNITIES Davidow Foundation Howard Look Douglas Greig W E & Sharon Moerner Joseph Traub & TUE, JUNE 4 Moffett Field, California CORE INVESTORS Eleanor & Lloyd Dickman Paul & Joan Armer Matthew Hamrick Michael Morganstern Pamela McCorduck 8K ($8,192)+ Whitfield Diffie & Mary Artibee Rollin C Harding Edward Munyak Stephen Trimberger EARLY TECHNOLOGY MARKETING The Museum tries to match its needs Vinton & Sigrid Cerf Mary Lynn Fischer The Dennis & Janet Austin Fund Ann Hardy Ronald Nicholson Richard & Pamela Tucker Andrea Cunningham Les & Marian Earnest Connie & Charlie Bachman Norman Hardy Marilee J Niemi United Way of King County EFFORTS: AN EVENING WITH TUE, DECEMBER 10 with the skill and interests of its Dave Cutler David Emerson John Backus Roy & Virginia Harrington Landon Noll Teruo Utsumi REGIS MCKENNA STEVE WOZNIAK volunteers and relies on regular Steve & Michele Kirsch Foundation Judy Estrin & Bill Carrico Joseph Barrera Alys Hay Mike & Betsy Noonen The Vanguard Group Foundation Ike & Ronee Nassi Irwin & Concepción Federman Sandy & Ann Benett Glen B Haydon Arthur Norberg Daniel Wade Regis McKenna, The McKenna Group MEMBER RECEPTION: 6:00 PM volunteer support for events and Bernard L Peuto Edward A Feigenbaum & Leslie Berlin Dan Hill David Novak Duane & Lorna Wadsworth Allen Rudolph Penny Nii Paul Berry Winston Hindle Dave Olson Floy & Willis Ware MEMBER RECEPTION: 6:00 PM Building 126 projects. In addition to special projects, Sigma Partners Bruce Fram Doris & Alfred Bertocchi Thea Hodge Donn B Parker Michael Weaver Frank-Ratchye Family Foundation Mohan Bethur James Hurd Jeff Parker & Barbara Waddy John Weirich LECTURE: 7:00 PM LECTURE: 7:00 PM monthly work parties generally occur 4K ($4,096)+ Fujitsu Laboratories of Lyle Bickley Joseph Impellizeri Rich Pasco Carol Welsh Xerox PARC Auditorium Moffett Training and Conference Center Sally M Abel & Mogens Lauritzen America, Inc Philip Blanchar Joanne & Irwin Jacobs Doug & Shirley Pearson Marguerite & James Wengler on the second Saturday of each month, Peggy Burke Forrest Gunnison Michael & Sharon Blasgen Dina & Neil Jacobson Jerry Lee Perkins Gio & Voy Wiederhold Palo Alto, California Building 3 including: Eric D & Marilyn G Carlson Trip Hawkins Blumberg Capital Management Luanne Johnson S Michael Perlmutter W Roger B Willis Christine Hughes & John & Andrea Hennessy Philippe Bouissou Curtis Jones & Lucille Boone Michael Pique Duane Wise Moffett Field, California Abe Ostrovsky Mary Henry & Rajpal Sandhu Stuart Bowen Chuck Kaekel Arati Prabhakar & Jon & Marsha Witkin Shawn & Doug MacKenzie Chuck & Jenny House Richard Brand Brewster Kahle Patrick Windham Jim & Sylvia Work THU, SEPTEMBER 5 JUNE 8, JULY 13, AUGUST 10, Gordon E & Betty I Moore Tim & Nancy Howes Ron & Margaret Brender Robert Kahn & Patrice Lyons Robert Praetorius Ko Yamamoto John & Elizabeth Toole IBM International Foundation Frederick & Nancy Brooks Marlene & Jeffrey Kalb Jane & Bob Puffer Wai Chee Yee HALF A CENTURY OF DISK DRIVES SEPTEMBER 14, OCTOBER 12 IEEE - Hot Chips John & Doris Brown Laurel & Ray Kaleda Donald & Sandie Pugh Robert Yeh AND PHILOSOPHY: FROM IBM 2K ($2,048)+ Symposium 2001 Werner Buchholz Mark Kaminsky James Quinn Bill Yundt Allan Alcorn Matthew B Ives Jack Burness Christopher A Kantarjiev Sandhya Ramanathan John G Zabolitzky TO SEAGATE Please RSVP at least 48 hours in Bruce G & Leona D Baumgart Dr & Mrs Leonard Kleinrock Bruce & Janet Burns Randy Katz Carol Randall Martin Zam Yogen & Peggy Dalal Tom Kopec & Leah Carneiro Andrea Butter Yumi & Tom Kelley Glenn Ricart Maria D Zorsky Al Shugart, Al Shugart International advance to Betsy Toole for work parties, Carol & Chris Espinosa Richard & Ellen Lowenthal Ruth Carranza & Pamela Walton Tabinda Khan David Richey Maureen & John Zuk Federico & Elvia Faggin Ron & Deb Marianetti John Chang Tracy Holloway King Annie Roe-Rever George D Zuras MEMBER RECEPTION: 6:00 PM and contact us if you are interested in Robert B Garner James A Markevitch Pamela Cleveland Thomas & Mary Kornei Heidi Roizen & David Mohler LECTURE: 7:00 PM The Bill & Melinda Gates Frank & Judith Marshall Richard & Dorene Cohen Daniel Kottke Lynn & George Rossmann This information is current as of lending a hand in other ways! Foundation Karen Mathews Nancy & Thomas Colatosti Ed Kramer Dick Rubinstein May 1, 2002. Please notify us of Xerox PARC Auditorium Charles & Nancy Geschke James McElwee Gordon Collins Winston Kriger Phillip Rupp any changes to your listing Rob & Yukari Haitani Malachy Moynihan George Comstock Philip Kurjan Kathleen L Rydar ([email protected]). Palo Alto, California For more information, please visit our Donald & Jill Knuth Joan & Stanley Myers Michael Coulter Richard & Joanne Kurkowski June & David Rynne Thank you. Jim & Stephanie Nisbet Donald & Helen Nielson Deborah & Michael Cussen Thomas Kurtz Paul Saffo III volunteer web page at James N Porter Jeffrey Berg & Debra Paget William Danielson Larry Kwicinski John & Linda Sailors Max Palevsky Naren Dasu David & Grayson Lane Rita Seplowitz Saltz www.computerhistory.org/volunteers

COMPANIES PLAY CRITICAL ROLE MUSEUM SEEKS IN PRESERVATION DIRECTOR OF CONTACT INFORMATION INDIVIDUAL GIVING EXECUTIVE STAFF FULL-TIME STAFF PART-TIME STAFF AND MAJOR GIFTS JOHN TOOLE JEREMY CLARK DAG SPICER JENNIFER CHENG BETSY TOOLE Your company has played a critical role Contributions play an essential role in Executive Director & CEO Registrar Curator of Exhibits Event and PR Intern Hospitality & Facilities Support +1 650 604 2581 +1 650 604 1524 +1 650 604 2160 +1 650 604 2714 +1 650 604 2567 in the computer industry; you spent guaranteeing the future success of the The Computer History Museum has an [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] nights sleeping underneath your desk Computer History Museum, and helping immediate opening for a director of KAREN MATHEWS PAM CLEVELAND CATRIONA SWEENEY LEE COURTNEY ROBERT YEH and an 80-hour work week was average. us to continue our work collecting the individual giving and major gifts. As a Executive Vice President Event Manager Development & PR Associate Volunteer Coordinator Administration and Accounting Intern +1 650 604 2568 +1 650 604 2062 +1 650 604 5133 [email protected] +1 650 604 2067 Now it’s time for you to help preserve artifacts and human stories of member of the development team, the [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] the history you created by becoming a computing history. director is responsible for the KELLY GEIGER DAVID A MILLER WENDY-ANN FRANCIS KIRSTEN TASHEV Administrative and Accounting Intern JOHN J VILAIKEO corporate member of the Computer Museum’s annual fund program and Vice President of Development Office Administrator Building & Exhibits Project Manager +1 650 604 2579 Tech Suport Intern History Museum. The items we seek and the pioneers of goals and serves as major gifts officer +1 650 604 2575 +1 650 604 5205 +1 650 604 2580 [email protected] +1 650 604 4962 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] the industry are disappearing; we need for the Museum’s capital campaign. SOWMYA KRISHNASWAMY MICHAEL R WILLIAMS CHRIS GARCIA MIKE WALTON Database Services Intern Corporate members join the Museum on your help to preserve this piece of Head Curator Historical Collections Coordinator Director of Cyber Exhibits +1 650 604 2579 COMPUTER HISTORY MUSEUM an annual basis, and enjoy many history now. For more information please visit +1 650 604 3516 +1 650 604 2572 +1 650 604 1662 [email protected] Building T12-A [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA advantages and exclusive privileges for www.computerhistory.org/jobs. TANYA PODCHIYSKA +1 650 604 2579 DAPHNE LISKA KARYN WOLFE Web Services Intern +1 650 604 2594 (fax) the critical support they provide. For further information please contact Development Associate Special Projects Manager +1 650 604 2070 or David Miller, vice president of +1 650 604 3470 +1 650 604 2570 [email protected] COMPUTER HISTORY MUSEUM [email protected] [email protected] PO Box 367 Through this program, your company will development, at 650.604.2575 or KATHY VO JOZEFOWICZ Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA JACKIE McCRIMMON E-Commerce Intern be associated with the Museum’s most [email protected]. Executive Assistant +1 650 604 2577 visible and significant activities. +1 650 604 5145 [email protected] WWW.COMPUTERHISTORY.ORG [email protected] Current staff openings can be found at www.computerhistory.org/jobs.

COMPUTER HISTORY MUSEUM CORE 3.2 MYSTERY ITEMS FROM THE COLLECTION OF THE COMPUTER HISTORY MUSEUM

Explained from CORE 3.1

APOLLO GUIDANCE COMPUTER LOGIC Massachusetts. It was built by Raytheon MODULE PROTOTYPE and used approximately 4,000 discrete integrated circuits from Fairchild Shown here is a prototype logic module Semiconductor. from the Apollo Guidance Computer (AGC) currently on display at the The Apollo Guidance Computer program Computer History Museum. The AGC was a landmark both in terms of was a 70 lb. box of integrated circuitry hardware design and software (with attached control panel) that management and laid the foundation for MIT Instrumentation Laboratory, Raytheon performed real-time guidance and SpaceLab and shuttle computer Company, Charles Stark Draper Laboratory control and served as a lifeline to systems development. The speed, Apollo Guidance Computer Prototype Processor- Logic-Interface-Memory modules (1962), American astronauts descending to the power, and size requirements for the X37.81B, Gift of Charles Stark lunar surface in 1969. AGC pushed along an entire industry Draper Laboratory that was just taking its first steps along Spanning nearly a decade of the breathtaking curve of Moore’s Law. development, the AGC began in about 1961 as a research project at the MIT See page two for more information Instrumentation Lab in Cambridge, about the AGC.

Please send your best guess to WHAT IS [email protected] before 07/15/02 along with your name, THIS? shipping address, and t-shirt size. The THIS ITEM WILL BE EXPLAINED IN THE first three correct entries will each NEXT ISSUE OF CORE. receive a free t-shirt with the new Museum logo and name.

PO Box 367, Moffett Field, CA 94035 USA NONPROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE PAID MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA PERMIT NO. 50

Address Service Requested