This Report Presents the Results of the Initial Phase of the File Organization

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

This Report Presents the Results of the Initial Phase of the File Organization DOCUMENT RESUME ED 029 679 52 LI 001 535 By-Cunningham. Jay L.; And Others A Study of the Organization and Search of Bibliographic Holdings Records inOn-Line Computer Systems: Phase L Final Report. California Univ.. Berkeley. Inst of Library Research. Spons Agency-Office of Education (DHEW). Washington. D.C. Bureau of Research. Bureau No- BR-7-1083 Pub Date Mar 69 Grant- OEG-1-7-071083-5068 Note- 307p. EDRS Price MF-$1.25 HC-$15.45 Descriptors-`,Qtomation. Bibliographic Citations. Catalogs. Computer Programs. ComputerStorage Devices. Costs.*InformationProcessing.InformationRetrieval.Information Storage.Information Systems. Libraries. Library Technical Processes. Search Strategies.Systems Development This report presents the results of the initial phase of theFile Organization Project. a study which focuses upon the on-line maintenance andsearch of the library's catalog holdings record. The focus of the project is to develop a facilityfor research and experimentation with the many issues of on-line file organizations and search. The first year has been primarily devoted to&fining issues to be studied. developing the facility for experiment, and carrying out initialresearch on the issues. Achievements involved: (1) obtaining equipment: (2) programming and testing aninitial software system. and then expanding it to supply access to thecentral processor from two different mechanical terminals at two remote locations:(3) planning for acquisition and incorporation of an existing machine file as well asbibliographic records which require original conversions: (4) developing software for data base preparation and for file handling and access: and (5) initiatinganalyses on issues such as optimum length of search keys. Appended are six reportswhich cover specific aspects of the project and an article entitled *The Organization. Maintenance and Search of Machine Files." reprinted from *The Annual Review ofInformation Science and Technology:2 volume 3. (JB) FINAL REPORT Project No. 7-1083 Grant No. OEG-1-7-071083-5068 A STUDY OF THE ORGANIZATION ANDSEARCH OF BIBLIOGRAPHIC HOLDINGS RECORDS IN ON-LINE COMPUTER SYSTEMS: PHASE I By Jay L. Cunningham William D. Schieber and Ralph M. Shoffner Institute of Library Research University of California Berkeley, California94720 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION it WELFARE OFFICE OF EDUCATION THIS DOCUMENT HAS BEEN REPRODUCED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED FROM THE PERSON OR ORGANIZATION ORIGINATING IT.POINTS OF VIEW OR OPINIONS STATED DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT OFFICIAL OFFICE OF EDUCATION POSITION OR POLICY. March 1969 The research reported herein was performed pursuantto a grant with the Office of Education, U.S. Department of Health,Educa- tion, and Welfare. Contractors undertaking such projects under Government sponsorship are encouraged to express freelytheir professional judgment in the conduct of the project. Points of view or opinions stated do not, therefore, necessarilyrepresent official Office of Education position or policy. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUGATION, AND WELFARE Office of Education Bureau of Research TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Figures Acknowledgments I. INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARY A. The Research Problem 1 B. Research Method 3 C. Significant Findings and Achievements. D. Future Directions II. FACILITY ESTABLISHMENT 7 A. General 7 B. Fquipment 12 C. Computer Programs 14 D. Data Base Development 20 E. File Structure 21 III. THE BIBLIOGRAPHIC RECORD 35 A. General 35 B. Record Content 37 C. Record Form 38 D. The Representation of Typographical Characters48 E. Logical Similarity of Bibliographic Records. 60 IV. DATA BASE DEVELOPMENT 75 A. General 75 B. Strategies of Conversion 77 C. Translation of Existing Machine Files, . 85 D. Data Base Production Procedure 94 E. Issues of Cost and Quality 107 References 115 TABLE 07 CONTENTS, (Cont.) Laza APPENDIX I: AN ALGORITHM FOR NOISY MATCHES IN CATALOG SEARCHING, By James L. Dolby 117 APPENDIX II: USER'S GUIDE TO THE TERMINAL MONITOR SYSTEM (WS), By William D. Schieber 137 APPENDIX III: A DESCRIPTION OF LYRIC, A LANGUAGE FOR REMOTE INSTRUCTION BY COMPUTER, By Steven S. Silver 145 APPENDIX IV: ILR PROCESSING RECORD SPECIFICATION, By Jay L. Cunningham 163 APPENDIX V: SUMMARY OF RECORD FORMATS FOR DATA BASES TO BE CONVERTED TO ILR PROCESSING RECORD FORMAT 1. Santa Cruz Record Format 193 2. ILR Input Record Format 207 3. Experimental On-line Mathematics Citation Data Base 263 APPENDIX VI: SAMPLE SIZE DETERMINATION FOR DATA CONVERSION QUALITY CONTROL, By Jorge Rodriguez 271 APPENDIX VII: THE ORGANIZATION, MAINTENANCE AND SEARCH OF MACHINE FILES, By Ralph M. Shoffner (Published in the Annual Review of Information Science and Technology, v. 3, edited by Carlos A. Cuadra. Chicago, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc., 1968. pp. 137-167) 277 - LIST OF FIGURES Figure Title LEI SECTION II: FACILITY ESTABLISHMENT 1. Schematic Diagram of Project Facility 8 2. File Generation Process 17 3. Blocking Strategy 24 4 Block a Non-Keyed File 25 5. Uniqueness of Author Identification 30 6. Distribution of Number of Fields of Length N 31 7. Schematic of Multi-level File Structure Linkage . 33 SECTION III: THE BIBLIOGRAPHIC RECORD 8. Functional System Components Related to Different Record Formats 36 9. MARC II Elements Deferred in File Organization Project Data Base 39 10. File Organization Project Data Elements Not Defined in MARC II 40 11. Coding Sheet - Monographs 46 12. Keying Blocks of Text 52 13. The Tentative Harvard List of Diacritics 56 14. Alphabetical Index of Diacritic Codes 57-58 15. Proposed Single Keying Codes Compatible with Transliteration Schemes for Modern Cyrillic 59 16. A Spelling Equivalent Abbreviation Algorithm for Personal Names (Dolby Version 1 - Variable Length). 65 17. Equivalence Class Computation (Manual) 66 18. Equivalence Class Computation (Computer) 68 19. Abbreviation Algorithm for Personal Names (Version 2- FixedLength) 69 LIST OF FIGURES (Cont.) Figure Title Page SECTION IV: DATA BASE DEVELOPMENT 20. Distribution of DupliLate Titles as a Function of Publication Date: A. Titles in English Language 86 B. Titles in Languages Other Than English That Use a Roman Alphabet 87 C. Titles in Languages That Use a Non-Roman Alphabeb 87 21. Conventional Conversion Compared to Automatic Format Translation and Computer-Assisted Editing. 89 22. Plow Chart of Personal Author Field Algorithm . 91 23. Flow Chart of Title Field Algorithm 92-93 24. Summary Chart of Data Base Production . 95 25. On-line Search for Duplicates 97 26. Verification of Match 98 27. Data Preparation and Transcription 100 28. Computer Edit, Correction Cycle, and File Update. 101 29. Diagnostic Printout, Part 1- Logical Field Listing 105 30. Diagnostic Printout, Part 2- Card Image Listing. 106 31. Schematic of Quality Control Subsystem 108 32. Relation of Initial Keying Cost to Accuracy . 113 33. Acceptability in Terms of Accuracy and Cost for Three Price Quotations for Keying 114 APPENDIX IV: ILR PROCESSING RECORD SPECIFICATION 1. Indicator for Main Entry- Personal Name 166 2. Storage Record Organization 166 - iv- LIST OF FIGURES (Cont.) Title Page Record, INFOCAL Version 1 . 168 3. Schematic of ILR Storage 169 4. ILR Processing Record -Segment 1, Leader Segment 2, Record Directory 172 5. ILR Processing Record - 6. ILR Processing Record -Segment 3, Fixed Length 173 Data Elements 177 7. Variable Field Tags and DataElements 180 8. Values for Indicator 1 inApplicable Fields 184 9. Sub-Field Delimiter Codes 188 10. Proposed Variable Field Header APPENDIX V-1: SANTA CRUZ RECORD FORMAT 195 1. Sample Catalog Record inOriginal Santa Cruz Format. APPENDIX 11-2: ILR INPUT RECORD FORMAT 208 1. Storage Record Components &Organization 211 2. Structural Patterns in MARC RecordData Definition 3. Example of Input FormatMapping Into Processing 213 Format 217 4. Example of Tab Card Decklet - ILRInput Fonuat . 5. ILR Input Record Format-I-Fields: Data Elements & Codes 219 6. ILR Input Record Format-A-Fields: Data Elements & Codes 224 7. ILR Input Record Format-B-Fields: Data Elements & Codes 226 232 8. Input Code Values Tablefor Typeof Main Entry . 9. Input Code Values Tablefor Typeof Added Entries (Series Traced Same) 233 10. Input Code Values Tablefor Type of Added Entries (Subject Added Entries) 234 =i IMO LIST OF FIGURES (Cont.) Figure Title Page 11. Input Code Values Table for Type of Added Entries (Other Added Entries) 236 12. Input Code Values Table for Type of Added Entries (Series Traced Differently) 238 13. Presence of Fields in an Input Record 239 14. INFOCAL Default Initializations 241 15. Default Settings for Indicator 1 243 16. List of Tag Numbers Which are Currently Repeatable. 244 17. Revised Field Coding: A-Fi3lds & B-Fields 246 18. Table of Valid Symbols 250 APPENDIX V-3: EXPERIMENTAL ON-LINE MATHEMATICS CITATION DATA BASE 1. Cards Punched for One Paper Published in Vol. 66 of the Communications in Pure and Applied Mathe- matics 268 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This report comprises the results of the first year of effort under a grant, 0EG-1-7-071083-5068, from the Bureau of Research, Office of Education, U.S, Department of Health, Educa- tion and Welfare. The content and conclusions presented in the report pertain to the period July 1, 1967 - June 30, 1968. The University of California also provided contributory support. M.E. Maron, Associate Director of the Institute, acted as Prin- cipal Investigator and Ralph M. Shoffner as Project Director. For constructive criticism concerning goals and methods, and for otherwise inaccessible information, we are especially grateful to the members of the
Recommended publications
  • A Politico-Social History of Algolt (With a Chronology in the Form of a Log Book)
    A Politico-Social History of Algolt (With a Chronology in the Form of a Log Book) R. w. BEMER Introduction This is an admittedly fragmentary chronicle of events in the develop­ ment of the algorithmic language ALGOL. Nevertheless, it seems perti­ nent, while we await the advent of a technical and conceptual history, to outline the matrix of forces which shaped that history in a political and social sense. Perhaps the author's role is only that of recorder of visible events, rather than the complex interplay of ideas which have made ALGOL the force it is in the computational world. It is true, as Professor Ershov stated in his review of a draft of the present work, that "the reading of this history, rich in curious details, nevertheless does not enable the beginner to understand why ALGOL, with a history that would seem more disappointing than triumphant, changed the face of current programming". I can only state that the time scale and my own lesser competence do not allow the tracing of conceptual development in requisite detail. Books are sure to follow in this area, particularly one by Knuth. A further defect in the present work is the relatively lesser availability of European input to the log, although I could claim better access than many in the U.S.A. This is regrettable in view of the relatively stronger support given to ALGOL in Europe. Perhaps this calmer acceptance had the effect of reducing the number of significant entries for a log such as this. Following a brief view of the pattern of events come the entries of the chronology, or log, numbered for reference in the text.
    [Show full text]
  • 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.
    [Show full text]
  • Fiendish Designs
    Fiendish Designs A Software Engineering Odyssey © Tim Denvir 2011 1 Preface These are notes, incomplete but extensive, for a book which I hope will give a personal view of the first forty years or so of Software Engineering. Whether the book will ever see the light of day, I am not sure. These notes have come, I realise, to be a memoir of my working life in SE. I want to capture not only the evolution of the technical discipline which is software engineering, but also the climate of social practice in the industry, which has changed hugely over time. To what extent, if at all, others will find this interesting, I have very little idea. I mention other, real people by name here and there. If anyone prefers me not to refer to them, or wishes to offer corrections on any item, they can email me (see Contact on Home Page). Introduction Everybody today encounters computers. There are computers inside petrol pumps, in cash tills, behind the dashboard instruments in modern cars, and in libraries, doctors’ surgeries and beside the dentist’s chair. A large proportion of people have personal computers in their homes and may use them at work, without having to be specialists in computing. Most people have at least some idea that computers contain software, lists of instructions which drive the computer and enable it to perform different tasks. The term “software engineering” wasn’t coined until 1968, at a NATO-funded conference, but the activity that it stands for had been carried out for at least ten years before that.
    [Show full text]
  • Systems Architecture of the English Electric KDF9 Computer
    Version 1, September 2009 CCS-N4X2 Systems Architecture of the English Electric KDF9 computer. This transistor-based machine was developed by an English Electric team under ACD Haley, of which the leading light was RH Allmark – (see section N4X5 for a full list of technical references). The KDF9 was remarkable because it is believed to be the first zero-address instruction format computer to have been announced (in 1960). It was first delivered at about the same time (early 1963) as the other famous zero-address computer, the Burroughs B5000 in America. A zero-address machine allows the use of Reverse Polish arithmetic; this offers certain advantages to compiler writers. It is believed that the attention of the English Electric team was first drawn to the zero-address concept through contact with George (General Order Generator), an autocode programming system written for a Deuce computer by the University of Sydney, Australia, in the latter half of the 1950s. George used Reversed Polish, and the KDF9 team was attracted to this convention for the pragmatic reason of wishing to enhance performance by minimising accesses to main store. This may be contrasted with the more theoretical line taken independently by Burroughs. To quote Bob Beard’s article in the autumn 1997 issue of Resurrection, the KDF9 had the following architectural features: Zero Address instruction format (a first?); Reverse Polish notation (for arithmetic operations); Stacks used for arithmetic operations and Flow Control (Jumps) and I/O using ferrite cores with a one microsecond cycle; Separate Arithmetic and Main Controls with instruction prefetch; Hardware Multiply and Divide occupying a complete cabinet with clock doubled; Separate I/O control; A word length of 48 bits, comprising six 8-bit 'syllables' (the precursor of the byte).
    [Show full text]
  • Volume 38 Number 1 2011 the Australian Mathematical Society Gazette
    Volume 38 Number 1 2011 The Australian Mathematical Society Gazette Amie Albrecht and Kevin White (Editors) Eileen Dallwitz (Production Editor) School of Mathematics and Statistics E-mail: [email protected] The University of South Australia Web: www.austms.org.au/Gazette MawsonLakes, SA5095,Australia Tel: +618 83023754;Fax: +61 8 8302 5785 The individual subscription to the Society includes a subscription to the Gazette. Libraries may arrange subscriptions to the Gazette by writing to the Treasurer. The cost for one volume con- sisting of five issues is AUD 104.50 for Australian customers (includes GST), AUD 120.00 (or USD 114.00) for overseas customers (includes postage, no GST applies). The Gazette publishes items of the following types: • Reviews of books, particularly by Australian authors, or books of wide interest • Classroom notes on presenting mathematics in an elegant way • Items relevant to mathematics education • Letters on relevant topical issues • Information on conferences, particularly those held in Australasia and the region • Information on recent major mathematical achievements • Reports on the business and activities of the Society • Staff changes and visitors in mathematics departments • News of members of the Australian Mathematical Society Local correspondents are asked to submit news items and act as local Society representatives. Material for publication and editorial correspondence should be submitted to the editors. Any communications with the editors that are not intended for publication must be clearly identified as such. Notes for contributors Please send contributions to [email protected]. Submissions should be fairly short, easy to read and of interest to a wide range of readers.
    [Show full text]
  • Tommy Flowers - Wikipedia
    7/2/2019 Tommy Flowers - Wikipedia Tommy Flowers Thomas Harold Flowers, BSc, DSc,[1] MBE (22 December 1905 – 28 October 1998) Thomas Harold Flowers was an English engineer with the British Post Office. During World War II, Flowers MBE designed and built Colossus, the world's first programmable electronic computer, to help solve encrypted German messages. Contents Early life World War II Post-war work and retirement See also References Bibliography External links Tommy Flowers – possibly taken Early life around the time he was at Bletchley Flowers was born at 160 Abbott Road, Poplar in London's East End on 22 December Park 1905, the son of a bricklayer.[2] Whilst undertaking an apprenticeship in mechanical Born 22 December 1905 engineering at the Royal Arsenal, Woolwich, he took evening classes at the University of Poplar, London, London to earn a degree in electrical engineering.[2] In 1926, he joined the England telecommunications branch of the General Post Office (GPO), moving to work at the Died 28 October 1998 research station at Dollis Hill in north-west London in 1930. In 1935, he married Eileen (aged 92) Margaret Green and the couple later had two children, John and Kenneth.[2] Mill Hill, London, From 1935 onward, he explored the use of electronics for telephone exchanges and by England 1939, he was convinced that an all-electronic system was possible. A background in Nationality English switching electronics would prove crucial for his computer designs. Occupation Engineer Title Mr World War II Spouse(s) Eileen Margaret Flowers' first contact with wartime codebreaking came in February 1941 when his Green director, W.
    [Show full text]
  • The Journal for the International Ada Community
    TThehe journaljournal forfor thethe internationalinternational AdaAda communitycommunity AdaAda UserUser Volume 41 Journal Number 1 Journal March 2020 Editorial 3 Quarterly News Digest 4 Conference Calendar 21 Forthcoming Events 29 Anniversary Articles J. Barnes From Byron to the Ada Language 31 C. Brandon CubeSat, the Experience 36 B.M. Brosgol How to Succeed in the Software Business while Giving Away the Source Code: The AdaCore Experience 43 Special Contribution J. Cousins ARG Work in Progress IV 47 Proceedings of the Workshop on Challenges and New Approaches for Dependable and Cyber-Physical Systems of Ada-Europe 2019 L. Nogueira, A. Barros, C. Zubia, D. Faura, D. Gracia Pérez, L.M. Pinho Non-functional Requirements in the ELASTIC Architecture 51 Puzzle J. Barnes Forty Years On and Going Strong 57 Produced by Ada-Europe Editor in Chief António Casimiro University of Lisbon, Portugal [email protected] Ada User Journal Editorial Board Luís Miguel Pinho Polytechnic Institute of Porto, Portugal Associate Editor [email protected] Jorge Real Universitat Politècnica de València, Spain Deputy Editor [email protected] Patricia López Martínez Universidad de Cantabria, Spain Assistant Editor [email protected] Kristoffer N. Gregertsen SINTEF, Norway Assistant Editor [email protected] Dirk Craeynest KU Leuven, Belgium Events Editor [email protected] Alejandro R. Mosteo Centro Universitario de la Defensa, Zaragoza, Spain News Editor [email protected] Ada-Europe Board Tullio Vardanega (President) Italy University
    [Show full text]
  • Making the Cut We Celebrate 50 Years of Student Television
    Avenue The magazine for alumni and friends of the University of Glasgow Making the cut We celebrate 50 years of student television Walk this way Big news for big data Glasgow’s new app to get And other research news you walking from across the University Issue 56 June 2014 1 Continuing your study Postgraduate study can help you to further your career or delve deeper into a subject you are passionate about. With more than 280 postgraduate taught programmes on offer, you can find something to match your interests. We offer postgraduate programmes in: • arts and humanities • science and engineering • social sciences, business, education, law and interdisciplinary studies • medical, veterinary and life sciences. Welcome Contents The University offers a 10% discount to its alumni on all postgraduate taught Welcome to the latest edition of Avenue, our twice-yearly magazine for alumni and News 2 programmes. friends of the University. Recent activities and achievements Making the cut 8 At the University’s London Burns Supper earlier this year, I had the pleasure of again talking Take the next step and discover the programmes on offer, flexible study options, Glasgow celebrates 50 years of student with television writer and producer Steven Moffat. Steven, as well as being a graduate of the fees and funding opportunities and the lively postgraduate community of over television University, is a proud former GUSTie. Glasgow University Student Television (GUST) members 6,000 students. past and present are celebrating the station’s golden anniversary this year, and in this issue of Walk this way 12 Avenue we take a look at how GUST has helped to kick-start the careers of many graduates A new app to get you walking during (page 8).
    [Show full text]
  • Pergamon Titles of Interest Journals Computer Languages Computers
    Pergamon Titles of Interest Journals Computer Languages Computers & Data Bases Computers & Education Computer & Graphics Computers & Human Concern Computers & the Humanities Computers & Urban Society Books Author-Subject Index to Computers and the Humanities 11 Computer-Assisted Research IN THE r^/^^/^e/ A Directory of Scholars Active Edited by Joseph Raben Queens College City University of New York PERGAMON PRESS New York / Toronto / Oxford / Sydney / Frankfurt / Paris Pergamon Press Offices: U.S.A. Pergamon Press Inc., Maxwell House, Fairview Park, Elmsford, New York 10523, U.S.A. U.K. Pergamon Press Ltd., Headington Hill Hall, Oxford 0X3, OBW, England CANADA Pergamon of Canada, Ltd., 207 Queen's Quay West, Toronto 1, Canada AUSTRALIA Pergamon Press (Aust) Pty. Ltd., 19a Boundary Street, Rushcutters Bay, N.S.W. 2011, Australia FRANCE Pergamon Press SARL, 24 rue des Ecoles, 75240 Paris, Cedex 05, France WEST GERMANY Pergamon Press GmbH, 6242 Kronberg/Taunus, Frankfurt-am-Main, West Germany Copyright © 1977 Pergamon Press Inc. Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Main entry under title: Computer-assisted research in the humanities. Includes index. 1. Humanities - Data processing -- Directories. I. Raben, Joseph. AS8.C63 001.3'028'54 75-16447 ISBN 0-08-019870-8 All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means: electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without permission in writing from the publishers. Printed in the United States of America Preface This book is a response to a frequently expressed need for a single reference work describing the great variety of computer-assisted research in the humanities and the related social sciences.
    [Show full text]
  • English Electric KDF9 Computers
    a very hgh speed data processing system s5 k 0 'for Commerce, Industry, Science 'ENGLISH ELECTRIC' :.I The Lineage On the pages that follow is described the 'English Electric ' KDF9 Data Processing system-one of the most advanced electronic digital systems yet devised. KDF9 is the outcome of many years' experience accumulated by 'English Electric ' as designers, manufacturers, and users of computers, the Company being one of the pioneers in the field in Britain. In the early post-war years 'English Electric ' co-operated with the National Physical Laboratory in the development of the " ACE " Pilot Model, one of the first electronic digital computers made in the United Kingdom. The Company then proceeded with the development and production of a fully engineered computer which was to set new standards of speed and capacity. Great interest was shown in this undertaking and, literally at the drawing board stage, the Company was asked to build one each for the National Physical Laboratory and the Royal Aircraft Establishment, Farnborough. The new machine, which was named " DEUCE," was an immediate success and soon became widely known as the most powerful and advanced computer of its type. Successive marks were developed to meet the demand for increased speed and storage, all of which give the utmost satisfaction to their users. As the use of computers became more widely known and appreciated there came increased demands for computers of much greater speed and capacity, and 'English Electric ' addressed themselves to the task of meeting these demands. A computer manufacturing division was established at Kidsgrove, North Staffordshire, and is now known as the Data Processing and Control Systems Division.
    [Show full text]
  • Computing Science
    COMPUTING SCIENCE Reminiscences of Whetstone ALGOL Brian Randell TECHNICAL REPORT SERIES No. CS-TR-1190 February, 2010 TECHNICAL REPORT SERIES No. CS-TR-1190 February, 2010 Reminiscences of Whetstone ALGOL B. Randell Abstract These reminiscences centre on the implementation, by Lawford Russell and myself, of an ALGOL 60 compiler for the English Electric KDF9 Computer in the early 1960s. However details are also given of preceding work on so-called "automatic programming", and of other contemporary ALGOL compiler projects. © 2010 University of Newcastle upon Tyne. Printed and published by the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, Computing Science, Claremont Tower, Claremont Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RU, England. Bibliographical details RANDELL, B Reminisences of Whetstone ALGOL [By] B. Randell Newcastle upon Tyne: University of Newcastle upon Tyne: Computing Science, 2010. (University of Newcastle upon Tyne, Computing Science, Technical Report Series, No. CS-TR-1190) Added entries UNIVERSITY OF NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE Computing Science. Technical Report Series. CS-TR-1190 Abstract These reminiscences centre on the implementation, by Lawford Russell and myself, of an ALGOL 60 compiler for the English Electric KDF9 Computer in the early 1960s. However details are also given of preceding work on so- called "automatic programming", and of other contemporary ALGOL compiler projects. About the author Brian’s earliest work, during the period 1957-1964 while he was at English Electric, was on compilers. This led to the book: Algol 60 Implementation . (Co-author L. J. Russell). Academic Press, London, 1964. He then joined IBM T.J. Watson Research Center, Yorktown Heights, N.Y. where, with an intervening year during 1965-66 in California, he worked on high performance computer architectures (the ACS Project), then on operating systems and system design methodology.
    [Show full text]
  • Emeritus Professor John Makepeace Bennett 31 July 1921 Œ 9 December 2010
    Emeritus Professor John Makepeace Bennett 31 July 1921 { 9 December 2010 Emeritus Professor John Bennett AO was an internationally recognised Australian computing pioneer and numerical analyst. Starting at the University of Sydney in 1956, in 1961 he became Australia’s first Professor of Computing with an initial title of Professor of Physics (Electronic Computing) though in 1982 this was changed to Professor of Computer Science and Head of the Basser Department of Computer Science, a position he held until his formal retirement in 1986. Born in Warwick Queensland, he attended the Southport School. This was followed by a BE (Civil). During World War II he used his technical bent to serve in the RAAF in radar units. Following the war, he returned to the University of Queensland to study Electrical and Mechanical Engineering and Mathematics. John joined the Brisbane City Electric Light Company where, inspired by a radio talk about the Automatic Computing Engine (ACE) being developed at the National Physical Laboratory in Teddington, he saw a possible solution to the repetitive calculations of his employer. In 1947 he set sail for Cambridge, where he became the first PhD student of Sir Maurice Wilkes (who predeceased him by just two weeks). Here he was responsible for the design, construction and testing of part of the Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Calculator (EDSAC), one of the world’s first computers. He then carried out the first structural engineering calculations by computer as part of his PhD. In Cambridge he also pioneered the use of digital computers for X-ray crystallography in collaboration with John Kendrew (later a Nobel prize winner).
    [Show full text]