NOVEMBER 2000 CORE 1.4

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

November 2000 THE NEXT LEVEL COA publication ofRE The Computer Museum1.4 History Center IN THIS MISSION ISSUE TO PRESERVE AND PRESENT FOR POSTERITY THE ARTIFACTS AND STORIES OF THE INFORMATION AGE

VISION INSIDE FRONT COVER TO EXPLORE THE REVOLUTION AND ITS THE NEXT LEVEL IMPACT ON THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE John C Toole

2 I am pleased to report that we have commercial firms and museums. Julie is more networking and software artifacts THE RADIATION PRINTER reached a new level of professional an executive assistant, so you’ll be out for you very soon. Our collection George Michael EXECUTIVE STAFF organization at the Museum. We now seeing her in many roles, including continues to grow—see page 17 for need your help to “blast through” the working projects at many functions. examples. I’ve received many positive 7 John C Toole GENE AMDAHL: COMPUTER PIONEER next plateau on our way to our compliments about our recent lectures EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR & CEO 2 Alexis Daniels permanent home. After you see what we Our volunteers have been and hope to see you at our future ones. Karen Mathews are accomplishing, please help us extraordinary—on volunteer days, on We are also getting our message out in EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT Eleanor Weber Dickman 10 exceed our expectations in our annual regular days, and for major events. Our exciting and creative ways such as VICE PRESIDENT OF DEVELOPMENT FROM THE COLLECTION: ROBOTS financial campaign, which is the “volunteer steering committee” has hosting executive receptions (for & PUBLIC RELATIONS Chris Garcia lifeblood needed to bring lectures, begun to organize, brainstorm, and example, the TTI Vanguard group in 12 preservation activities, detailed improve communications. They are September), doing interviews, and BOARD OF TRUSTEES FOCUS ON PEOPLE: planning, and energy to everyone surveying other museum volunteer accommodating film crews. 7 LEN SHUSTEK & DONNA DUBINSKY engaged in our mission. programs, planting the seeds for our Leonard J Shustek, Chairman Dave House Eleanor Dickman VENCRAFT, LLC own docent program, and developing I also want to emphasize how important Christine Hughes David L Anderson It’s also the right time to invite signage for our Visible Storage Exhibit and helpful NASA has been to us. Plans HIGHWAY 1 14 SENDMAIL everyone to help expand our Museum Area. for the NASA Research Park at Moffett Steve Kirsch REPORT ON MUSEUM ACTIVITIES C Gordon Bell PROPEL SOFTWARE CORPORATION Karen Mathews community, which is so important for Field, the site of our future building, are MICROSOFT CORPORATION John Mashey our long-term growth. But please don’t Innovation – We’re starting to discuss moving ahead rapidly. We are attending Peggy Burke SILICON GRAPHICS 1185 DESIGN 16 forget to ENJOY our evolving Museum and collect a large number of ideas monthly partner meetings among all Ike R Nassi OUR SUPPORTER NETWORK Andrea Cunningham CISCO SYSTEMS 10 RECENT DONATIONS TO THE COLLECTION culture—you made it all happen, so I about our future building as well as our participating organizations, and CITIGATE CUNNINGHAM hope you are taking advantage of our web presence—including creative ways developing a cooperative view of our Suhas Patil Donna Dubinsky TUFAN lectures, events, and Fellows Awards… to exhibit our collection. You are going future home. You will be seeing a great HANDSPRING 17 Bernard L Peuto UPCOMING EVENTS just as you might enjoy fine wine with to be hearing lots more on this in the deal of publicity as we move through the Samuel Fuller CONCORD CONSULTING ANALOG DEVICES STAFF LISTING AND CONTACT INFORMATION friends. next six months and we welcome your Environmental Impact Statement John William Poduska Sr Eric Hahn thoughts. submissions. As you can see, the ADVANCED VISUAL SYSTEMS INVENTURES GROUP ON THE BACK COVER F Grant Saviers As many of you know, I’ve personally dream you have begun to dream with us Gardner C Hendrie MYSTERY ITEMS FROM THE COLLECTION PRIVATE INVESTOR 12 immersed myself in our people and Communities – We have spent many is on the way to becoming a reality! SIGMA PARTNERS John Shoch events, concluding (again) that we have productive hours with different groups— Peter Hirshberg ALLOY VENTURES the most amazing group of gathering feedback and ideas, and I hope you can feel the positive Charles H (Chuck) House Pierluigi Zappacosta INTEL CONVERGED DIGITAL PERSONA supporters— from the best dreamers to planning collaborations. For instance, movement. Yet, we are also limited in COMMUNICATIONS GROUP, the best “doers” I have ever seen. If we we presented at the Vintage Computer resources by what we can do, and I DIALOGIC DIVISION share the excitement and turn it into Festival; spent quality time at the want to begin a new phase of growth action, we cannot fail! Charles Babbage Institute’s conference next year. So please help us in every on “Unbundling History: the Emergence way possible in our annual campaign— 14 The past quarter has been extremely of the Software Product;” and met with not just in dollars donated but also in active. Remember those priorities I several CEO’s, curators, professors, the number of people we are able to established in the June issue of CORE? and executive directors of places such reach. Both metrics are very important Let’s see what’s been happening—you as the Oakland Museum of California, as we build an institution that you’ll be Copyright © 2000, The Computer Museum History Center. All rights reserved. The Museum is an independent 501 (c) (3) organization, can read more details in other Heinz Nixdorf Museum, and the proud of over the next 3, 5, 10, 25, and TID# 77-0507525. PO Box 367, Moffett Field, CA 94035. articles—but here are some snippets , to name just 50 years. and highlights: a few. The Computer Museum History Center Thanks again for all your help. We’ve Building T12-A Moffett Field, CA 94035 People – Please welcome Kirsten Operations – I hope you have seen got an exciting year ahead! +1 650 604 2579 Tashev and Julie Stein as new many of the new items in our Visible +1 650 604 2594 (fax) employees. Kirsten is our new building Storage Exhibit Area, and you will see WWW.COMPUTERHISTORY.ORG and exhibits project manager. She even more changes in the future. In comes to us with a solid background in addition to the new sample display of both areas, and has worked for both our robotics collection, we hope to put JOHN C TOOLE Cover: The Minsky Tentacle Arm. In 1968, Marvin Minsky developed EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR & CEO the Tentacle Arm which moved like an octopus. It had twelve joints designed to reach around obstacles. A PDP-6 computer controlled the arm, powered by hydraulic fluids. Mounted on a wall, it could lift the weight of a person. See story on robots in the Museum’s collection, page 10. PAGE 2 The paper required for the Radiation printer was a sandwich of a PAGE 3 black conductive layer coated with a white top layer. The overall appearance was bluish-gray. Printing was accomplished by an electric arc burning a hole in the white coating to reveal the black layer underneath. Too bad we can’t produce the odor here! THE RADIATION PRINTER

GEORGE MICHAEL

There are very few computer users who high. A few intense users lost some of The SC5000s were modified so that designed to produce many copies of the printer existed, everyone felt confident still can recall the frustration of having their hearing from standing in front of they printed at an impressive rate of same page. For LLNL applications on that a printer could be scaled up from a to wait for a printout. For instance, this printer, anxiously trying to read about one page per second. This , the problem is to produce mailing label size to a larger page around 1953-1954, at the Lawrence their output as it was being printed. In required expanding the fusing oven and just one copy for each of thousands of format, and it seemed it could be made Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), addition to being very noisy, impact adding a Rube Goldberg device to z-fold output files. The electrographic to go quite fast and it promised to be the first printers used in conjunction printers were not sufficiently reliable, so the printed output. Quite often, the technique, which is both fast and clean, economical. We solicited bids for a high- with the UNIVAC I—our first computer— we sought other solutions. paper would catch fire as it moved uses light to carry information to an speed printer, and what became known were nothing more than typewriters with through the fusing oven. The printer electrically charged material where a as the Radiation Printer was chosen. print rates of perhaps 6 characters per THE GIRL WITH A CURL kept running, but now acted more like toner is used to make the image visible. second (cps). Since the typical output We tried a marriage of cathode ray an automatic stoking device, feeding The image is then transferred to paper Some salesman got the Radiation from a design calculation involved tubes and xerography: the SC5000 built fresh paper into the fire! The SC5000 where it is fixed by chemistry or heat. Printer to brag about itself. Here are between 50,000-100,000 characters, by Stromberg Carlson in 1959. This was very much like the angelic little girl Xerography is a good example of this quotes from the literature (I have printing would take an inordinately long device formed characters by projecting with a curl right in the middle of her technology. Even though further focused on the portions that appear to time. The quest for speedy printing at an electron beam through a character forehead: “when she was good, she discussion of the process is beyond the be accurate): LLNL led us through a succession of mask, creating a spatial distribution of was very, very good, but when she was scope of this article, some basic interesting machines, one of which we electrons that formed the selected bad, she was horrid.” differences as used in the Radiation “The Radiation Incorporated…Printer relied on for about 10 years, starting in character when plotted on the screen of Printer are important to note. operates in a line-at-a-time mode, 1964. This was the so-called “Radiation a CRT. The SC5000 further selected THE RADIATION PRINTER providing 30,000 alpha-numeric lines Printer,” an eccentric and demanding where to position the character along Even when printouts were produced at Instead of light, electronic charge was per minute, each line containing 120 invention that met our needs for speed the print line. The light thus generated the one-page-per-second rate, the total used to carry the information. The characters. The input data rate of despite its own oddities. was projected onto a selenium-coated time was just too long to meet the charge was made to produce an electric 60,000 characters per second is drum that is fundamental in the aggregate needs of all users. The arc from a selected stylus to a black compatible to [sic] the data transfer ON-THE-JOB HEARING LOSS xerographic printing procedure. In this search for faster printing continued, so electrographic web through a whitened rates between many existing digital One of the first attempts to get process, after the image was formed on everyone was primed to welcome a new paint-like material that coated the web. computers and magnetic tape output something faster than the 6cps the selenium drum, it was dusted with printing technology, ultimately embodied The arc burned a tiny hole in the coating units. Automatic transfer between the “typewriter” arrived from Remington xerographic powder (“toner”), which in the so-called “Radiation Printer.” thereby revealing the blackness of the magnetic tape units allows for nearly Rand about 1957. This was a 600-line- adhered only where the light had web. This made toning and fixing steps uninterrupted data flow into the per-minute impact printer, where a line suitably charged the surface. By Two technologies came together in the unnecessary. One saw a black dot, printer….Key to the printer’s high speed included any number of characters from bringing paper into contact with the Radiation Printer. First, the actual print and enough black dots produced a is its Electrosensitive, Multistylus 0 to 120; each page held about 50 drum, the image was transferred. The process was based on an electrographic simulacrum of the image sent by the Recording Technique which eliminates lines. As fast as this was, it was still paper then moved through an oven printing technology, and second, the computer. the mechanical inertia of high impact too slow to serve the needs of dozens where the powder was fused to the process was wedded to a standard mechanisms and permits a dry, of people who spent too much of their paper, fixing the powder in place. printing press that far predated the This type of printing process was immediately available output without valuable time waiting for results Also, Input to the printing system was via advent of computers, but was rugged normally used for the production of subsequent processing. High-speed when these so-called impact printers magnetic tape. and reliable. Before the arrival of mailing labels for magazines like Time recording is attained by swiftly moving ran, the noise level was dangerously computers, most printing presses were and Newsweek. Although no actual the recording paper under a closely- PAGE 4 PAGE 5

One of the cabinets shown here is the SC5000, circa 196O, that was prone to catching the paper on fire. The print rate was one page per second, with input via magnetic tape. One can also see a homemade device for Z-folding the paper.

spaced row of fixed styli. Styli are the printer: Radiation, Inc., of scanned raster is produced. selected according to the character to Melbourne, Florida. The company Something in the print process gave the be printed and energized with high modified a real (Hamilton) printing press output a disagreeable odor. Some of the velocity current pulses. Passing these and added the needed electronics and users actually complained of pulses of current through the controls to produce a printer that ran at headaches. An investigation of the odor electrosensitive recording paper seven pages per second (for Indy failed to expose any serious health (above) Operator Mona Millings stands at the table where exposes high contrast marks on the drivers, this turns out to be about 4.3 hazards, so the simplest response to the separated output was delivered from the printer, and paper. A paper transporting system mph). Printers in the newspaper this was to authorize the issue of fans at the other end, the large rolls of paper used by the handles the paper so that the printer business run even faster although they that could keep the odor away from machine. Paper from the rolls could be spliced head to tail so there was no ordinary need for rethreading through need not be interrupted to add paper.” don’t seem as versatile. In addition to those sensitive noses. the press. A roll lasted about 45 minutes and a special printing at that speed, it punched dolly was needed to move the rolls, since at over 200 The printer had 600 styli arranged in binding holes at the top and bottom of THE IMPLICATIONS OF SPEED pounds, they were far too heavy to be moved by hand. 100 styli modules. The print area was each page, perforated each page so So what does seven pages per second about eleven inches in width, the page jobs could be separated, fan-folded the mean to the users? Each page was was 11 inches tall, and the images output, and separated the jobs one approximately 11 inches square. This (left) The machine perforated, folded, and hole-punched were not considered to be very high from another. The various performance implies the speed of the paper through the printouts. resolution. A traditional printing press numbers for the printer are summarized the printer is about 77 inches per was used to move the web past the in the tables on page six. second. The print data was supplied styli. The procedure was dubbed from any magnetic tape able to provide “Revelation Printing,” because the There were enough styli to allow up to a nominal 60,000 characters per coating was burned away by the charge 120 character positions per print line, second—we used IBM 729 tape coming from the styli, thus revealing the and each character was formed within a handlers written at 800 characters per black paper underneath. During 7 x 9 dot matrix. Suitable spacing inch. Such tapes had a nominal rate of operation, the styli tended to get between characters and between lines transfer of up to 62,500 characters per contaminated with burnt paint debris of characters was thereby provided, so second, more than adequate for and the printer would stop functioning. that in practice a page could contain up printing, so the extra time available The solution had nothing to do with to 10 columns of numbers each up to allowed for the filling and emptying of modern technology: cleanliness was 12 decimal digits, each column buffers, and for the movement of the achieved by blowing pulverized walnut containing 55 to 60 numbers. The paper past areas at the top and bottom shells against the styli. It was claimed capacity of a page was thus about where no printing was done. On balance that other nuts would not work. 5,000 characters. It was also possible then, of the seven pages per second, (but not easy) to address any point in a about 1.3 pages-worth of that time was A few additional remarks seem to be in line, so that with some special not used for printing, but for the extra order. First, the Radiation Printer had programming tricks, graphs could be movement of paper required to get from nothing to do with radiation, but simply produced. Printing was thus one page to the next, as well as time was named for the company that built accomplished exactly as a video- for hole punching and page scoring. PAGE 6 PAGE 7

TABLE 1. APPROXIMATE PAGES OF COMPUTER PRINTOUTS PER MONTH IN 1978

TELETYPES 200,000 35 MM FILM 600,000 ON LINE PRINTERS 830,000 GENE RADIATION PRINTER 3,400,000 6 MICROFICHE RECORDERS 9,800,000 AMDAHL: TABLE 2. EARLY COMPUTER PRINTING TO 1974 (APPROXIMATE SPEEDS)

TYPEWRITERS 1/20 LINES/SEC 1953 LINE PRINTERS (IBM 406) 2.5 LINES/SEC 1954 HIGH SPEED PRINTER (REMINGTON RAND) 10 LINES/SEC 1958 SC5000 60 LINES/SEC 1959 COMPUTER RADIATION PRINTER 420 LINES/SEC 1964 PIONEER Table contents are partially extracted from several TABLE 3. A SUMMARY OF RADIATION PRINTER PERFORMANCE NUMBERS unpublished internal reports. The values are for comparison only. PRINT TECHNOLOGY ELECTROGRAPHIC, REVELATION DATA SOURCE MAGNETIC TAPE, UP TO 800 BPI; 75 IPS CHARACTER RATE UP TO 62.5 KCPS PRINT RATE 7 PAGES/SEC; 4.3 MPH PRINT SIZE 5000CH/PG

ALEXIS DANIELS

Thus the rated speed of seven pages term storage of the problem results, Simple works best soonest; per second meant that the user was and output from the Radiation Printer Speed wins—most of the time; getting about six completed pages per was used mostly for day-to-day True zealots will put up with practically second within the seven-page time. As checking. When a project was finished, anything to get the job done; you might expect, the users became the paper was generally discarded. On the matter of print tradeoffs, most more sophisticated at doing other things users prefer quality more than they Gene Amdahl’s WISC is currently on display at the The Computer Museum History Center’s Visible Storage Exhibit Area. while waiting for their printouts. In total, CONCLUSION prefer quantity. then, the throughput speed of this The output from the Radiation Printer printer was generally adequate to meet was not pretty. It was hard to read; the In the course of dealing with users of all Recently, over several hours of became consumed by a passion that designed in the summer of 1950, and the needs of the growing user gray-on-black paper was heavier than sorts, we evolved an additional rule to videotaped interviews conducted by not only altered the course of his life, submitted as Amdahl’s doctoral thesis community, and it did so for a bit over ordinary paper; it had, for some, an help get through the day: Generally, if William Aspray, Executive Director of but which later had a profound impact in June 1951. His ideas were so ten years. undesirable odor; and it took up too somebody doesn’t know what to do, Computing Research Association, Gene on the entire computer industry. innovative that the Physics Department much storage space. The users often don’t ask him. Amdahl reflected on his professional felt unqualified to evaluate it and sent it The Radiation Printer was integrated referred to the output as “scunge,” experiences and documented the course Although his undergraduate work was to others for review and acceptance. His into the normal operations of the but it met their needs, producing at the of his amazing technical life. The interrupted during World War II by a two- thesis passed the test, and Amdahl computation department, and very rate of seven pages per second. None A NOTE ABOUT DATES: more precise dates following material condenses some of year stint in the U.S. Navy, Amdahl received his doctorate in theoretical quickly was producing around of the printers that were brought in to may exist, but most official records appear to be in the story that was gathered. returned to South Dakota State and physics in 1952. a state of flux. The dates used here are my best 40,000,000 pages per year. This was replace it ever came close to this approximations. received his bachelor’s degree in only about one-fifth to one-third of its speed. However, as effective as the Gene Myron Amdahl was born in engineering physics in 1948. He then After graduate school, Amdahl wanted to capacity, which was a good thing. The printer was, no one shed a tear when Flandreau, South Dakota in 1922. Even began his graduate work at the start a company building computers but George Michael began working as a physicist in though his father had only three years University of Wisconsin with a thesis on he lacked sufficient financing. He machine could be taken down for it was removed sometime during the 1953 at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory emergency maintenance, and still very late 1970s. (LLNL). Michael’s interest in computing and the of schooling, the elder Amdahl knew the “The Contributions to the Magnetic interviewed with International Business quickly clean out the entire print backlog physics of what you could do with a computer importance of education. When Gene Moments of Heavy Nuclei Due to Spin Machines (IBM) and was hired, in part, began with the arrival, one week later, of their when it was brought back on line. Later AFTERWORD declared his intention to go to South Anti-Symmetry and Velocity-Dependent because IBM was impressed with the first computer—a UNIVAC 1—and has continued Dakota State to study engineering, his Forces.” quality of the writing in his doctoral on during its tenure, some microfiche It’s always humbling and sometimes ever since. He has been retired for seven years recorders were added. Their annual instructive to ask if anything was and is currently interviewing the people who built father encouraged him to get a liberal thesis. Rather than the dry, technical output quickly grew to about learned. There are several lessons the original computing systems at LLNL (then arts education instead, emphasizing Meanwhile, he began designing style of most theses, Amdahl’s writing called the University of California Radiation that learning how to make a living was computers on his own time. When the had a missionary’s zeal that engaged 130,000,000 pages distributed over available, though who learned them is Laboratory—UCRL). about 1,000,000 pieces of fiche. The not clear, nor is the question of whether not as important as learning how to get department heard his readers. He accepted a position with effect on the Radiation Printer was less the lessons have had any long-term the most out of life. Nevertheless, about this “other” work, Amdahl was IBM in 1952 and was the most highly- than expected however: the annual positive effects. Somewhat in the spirit Amdahl went on to South Dakota State encouraged to build a computer that paid person in the history of IBM to be output dropped to around 30,000,000 of a post mortem, here are some things and accomplished both goals. Although could be used to train graduate hired directly out of school. pages per year and stayed there. For that were learnable: he began as an average student, his students in the emerging field of digital most users, the fiche was used for long- performance changed dramatically when computing. The resulting computer, In the fifties, the environment at IBM he took a physics course during the known as the Wisconsin Integrally was one of innovation and excitement summer of his freshman year. He Synchronized Computer (WISC), was when new technologies emerging from PAGE 8 PAGE 9

Amdahl was the chief design engineer of the IBM 704, the first commercial machine with floating- point hardware. Unlike the 701A, the 704 was not compatible with the 701.

Gene Amdahl was the chief architect of the IBM 360 family CRA’s Willliam Aspray, Gene Amdahl, and The Computer of computers, the first instruction-set compatible machines. Museum History Center’s John Toole at the taping of The Amdahl 470 V/6 was the first product of the Amdahl interview in September, 2000. Amdahl Corporation. It was introduced to the marketplace in 1975, to compete with IBM’s mainframe computers. These computer clones The IBM 7030, also known as the STRETCH project, were known as “plug-to-plug compatibles.” was begun in 1956. It used the then-new technology and introduced many novel architectural concepts such as pipelining, multiprogramming, memory protection, a generalized interrupt system, memory interleaving, speculative execution, lookahead (overlap of memory and arithmetic ops), the concept of a memory bus, the coupling of two computers to a single memory, large core memory (1MB), the eight-bit character (the “byte”), variable word length, and a standard I/O interface

the war effort were beginning to be Alamos National Laboratory with 100 announced in April of 1964, was a When Amdahl resigned from IBM for the and sold briskly, being a direct, drop-in one of the “1,000 Makers of the 20th applied in industry. Amdahl initially times the performance of anything else series of instruction-set compatible second time, he decided to pursue the replacement for IBM’s System 360/165 Century,” and Computerworld called him worked on machine designs for available at that time and to “stretch” machines covering a 400:1 dream he had held since completing but one-quarter the size and four times one of the 25 people that “changed the character recognition and simulation IBM internally in terms of design, performance range. It became the graduate school: to start a company as fast (the price was the same at $3.5 world.” studies to determine if a machine could manufacturing, and device technologies. greatest success story in the history of that would build computers. In order to million). be made to behave like a human brain. Frustrated with management’s computing and IBM’s most profitable circumvent future legal problems, he Gene Amdahl not only followed his He was the chief architect for the IBM directions, Amdahl left IBM in 1956. He product line ever—in fact, the basic fully disclosed his plans to senior Although IBM had not originally father’s advice to learn to make a living 704 computer, IBM’s first commercial worked for other computer companies System/360 architecture is still management at IBM who cautioned him considered Amdahl Corporation as a and to get the most out of life, but he machine with floating-point hardware on a variety of projects that included embedded in many current IBM that there was no money to be made in potential competitor, the company soon also left a lasting mark on the computer and the first widely-used machine to use designing airborne computers for fighter products today. large computers. learned that it had underestimated its industry with his well-known law on the indexing and a high-level programming planes to maximize the plane’s former employee’s determination. At its theory of computer architecture itself.1 language (FORTRAN). While the capabilities in a dogfight, as well as By 1969, Amdahl had been named an In 1970, Amdahl Corporation was peak, Amdahl Corporation captured 22% His innovative and pioneering spirit marketing department at IBM predicted creating a data entry system for FAA IBM Fellow, that company’s highest formed in Sunnyvale, California, with the of the large systems market and had a showed the world that it was possible a market of only six machines, Amdahl flight planning. Back at IBM, the first of honor, and was made director of IBM’s mission to build more innovative pre-tax profit of 30%. Amdahl to compete with IBM on its own terms. himself predicted a market for 32 nine STRETCH computers was delivered Advanced Computing Systems mainframe computers (called PCMs— Corporation became the biggest threat Yet perhaps most notable and machines, and the price of the 704 was in 1959 and, although each was sold at Laboratory in Menlo Park, California. Plug Compatible Mainframes) and to to IBM’s domination of the mainframe memorable are his sustained records based on that projection. Since 140 a loss, the intellectual debt IBM’s later After a time, Amdahl again became compete head-to-head with IBM. Most market and forced IBM to re-align its of accomplishment and energy over machines were sold, the 704 proved to System 7000 and System/360 family of disenchanted with IBM’s bureaucracy industry analysts thought Amdahl was marketing strategies to take PCM a lifetime. be highly profitable to IBM and secured computers owed to STRETCH was to be and the internal barriers he felt were foolish to take on IBM and he manufacturers into account. Amdahl’s place within IBM as a bold, enormous. hampering the company’s growth and experienced problems raising the capital 1 Amdahl’s Law states: “If x of a program is innovative thinker and manager. ACS product development. Even though he needed. Despite the difficulties, Ever in search of new challenges, inherently sequential, the maximum attainable speedup is 1/x.” Experience has shown this law Despite his earlier disenchantment with many company executives believed his Amdahl was able to simplify design, Amdahl left Amdahl Corporation in 1980 to be fundamental to computer designs which In 1955, Amdahl, John Backus and IBM, Amdahl agreed to return to the ideas had merit, they refused to change improve technology, and build and went on to establish three other incorporate multi-threaded kernels and parallelism. others at IBM began work on the 7030 company in 1960. He was named direction, and so, once again, Amdahl discounted computers that could be companies: Trilogy Systems (now part of project, also known as “STRETCH.” The Manager of Architecture for the IBM left IBM. substituted for the more costly IBM Elxsi Corporation), Andor Systems, and goal of the STRETCH project was to System/360 family of mainframe models. The company’s first computer, Commercial Data Servers (CDS). In build a for the Los computers. The System/360, the Amdahl 470 V/6, shipped in 1975 1991, The Times of London named him PAGE 10 PAGE 11 FROM THE The Robot Theatre as it appeared on display at the Computer Museum, Boston COLLECTION

Oblex, a snake-like rover, is currently on display in the new robot exhibit

ROBOTS ENTER VISIBLE STORAGE

CHRIS GARCIA

The final pieces of The Computer Shakey (Stanford Research Institute, The Stanford Arm (Victor Scheinman, toy that could be programmed to move, Museum collection arrived in California 1970) also features prominently in the 1969) was the first successful talk and carry objects. The first US ads in 1999. Along with most of the earliest display. The first mobile robot to use electrically powered, computer-controlled for OMNIBOT pictured it as a butler PCs (a result of our “Earliest PC artificial intelligence to control its robot arm. Built to help develop serving drinks and making jokes with Contest” in the 1980s), parts of the actions, Shakey employed sensing industrial assembly techniques for partygoers. UNIVAC 1, rare punch card equipment devices such as a laser rangefinder, commercial robots, the Stanford Arm from the 1920s, and 200 other bump sensors, and a TV camera, and design eventually led to the Vicarm, a Due to space limitations, not all of our artifacts rejoined the main collection. transmitted data to DEC PDP-10 and robot arm used in research. robots are currently on display. Some of Some of the more interesting of these PDP-15 computers. The computers the machines that are not yet being artifacts are machines from the “Robot radioed back commands, allowing The display also features commercial shown include Takeo Kanade’s Direct Theatre,” a Boston exhibit highlighting Shakey to plan its directions. The robots used for household and Drive Arm (1981), the Mars Rover some of the world’s earliest and most process was slow—it could take up to entertainment purposes. The mobile Software (testbed) Prototype (1977), The Denning Mobile Robot, used to guard hallways in areas such as prisons and warehouses, was influential robots. 30 minutes for Shakey to move one Hubot (Hubotics Corporation, 1981) was and Hans Moravec’s Stanford Cart equipped with sonar and microwave beacons to meter. designed for home use and was (1965). guide it along Recently, many of these robots were put advertised as “the first home robot on display in the Museum’s Visible The collection also includes several that’s a personal companion, educator, SRI’s Shakey, with labels on the various Storage Exhibit Area. The massive Mars important robot arms. The ORM (Victor entertainer and sentry…and he can instruments used to allow Shakey to manuever Rover Hardware Prototype (Jet Scheinman and Larry Leifer, 1965) was talk!” The ads for Hubot also pointed Propulsion Labs, 1977) dominates the the first attempt at a computer- out that he could function as a personal Chris Garcia is Historical Collections 15-robot display. Designed to explore controlled arm. The ORM, whose name computer, with 128k memory, disk Coordinator at The Computer Museum and map the rugged Martian terrain, the means “snake” in Norwegian, features drive, and keyboard. The Hero Jr. History Center Rover used caterpillar tracks on flexible seven metal disks sandwiching 28 (Heath/Zenith, 1980) was also legs, which allowed the Rover to remain inflatable air sacks. The method used to designed for home use, and came as a level as it moved over the uneven create movement—inflating different kit. The Hero Jr. could roam hallways, surface. The first Mars Rover project combinations of sacks—proved to be play games, and even act as an alarm was abandoned in 1978 when manned the arm’s undoing, as it was not easy to clock. The OMNIBOT 2000 (Tomy Kyogo space flight became NASA’s priority. repeat movements accurately. Company, 1985) was a complex robot PAGE 12 PAGE 13 FOCUS ON Len, you’ve been involved in The members, advisors, financial I’m very excited about being able to I look forward to helping build a center PEOPLE Computer Museum History Center for supporters, computer devotees, contribute. I just want to see it happen, for excellence in understanding the a long time. Please comment on the students, industry professionals, and I want it to be great, so I’m willing history of computers. I think there will continuing fascination you have for retirees, and others. With the new to invest some of my own time and be many challenges, such as cataloging this institution and articulate why. additions to senior management in effort to help make that happen. I think the history of software, or the web, or place, we are equipped to move to the it is important to donate to causes that understanding and explaining the The computing revolution is not just a next level and achieve the goal of a you relate to at a personal level. I’d Silicon Valley ecosystem. It seems to phenomenon of interest to the computer permanent and sustainable institution. rather focus on a few things that I care me that the easiest task is to display industry; it is reshaping our civilization. about than give to everything—although the hardware. The harder task will be Most people would agree that the Donna, as an entrepreneur in the world I certainly get called by everybody! I to build a coherent historical record computer is one of the half-dozen most of wireless handheld computing, what don’t really expect anything explicit back that includes the bigger picture. I am significant inventions ever, and its appeals to you about the old, and very from people to whom I donate other also anxious to see the Museum ultimate effect on our lives is large computers, and the way in which than living up to whatever commitment capture history today, whether using impossible to predict. size and power have changed ratios they have made in their own projects. videotape or other media, such that we over the years? preserve for future generations the The astounding thing is that most of its Len, you’ve often told the story of how spark and dynamism that is happening history has unfolded within the last 50 We view handheld computing as the The Computer Museum helped you find here and now. years. Many of the pioneers are still next generation of computing. Just as and marry Donna. Tell our readers, too! living. Yet viewed from 500 years from minis were radically different from Len, what do you think are the now, this will seem like a point event: mainframes, and PCs were radically I always enjoy telling this story. In greatest contributions The Computer “suddenly, computers appeared.” different from minis, handhelds will be 1997, The Computer Museum in Boston Museum History Center can make to that much different from PCs. Yet, at did a special issue of the newsletter the culture of Silicon Valley in the next We owe it to ourselves, and our the same time, there are certain highlighting our establishment of the 10 years? descendents, to tell the story of how elements of logical progression History Center as a west-coast it happened. And it’s only incidentally regarding systems architecture that subsidiary, and it included a page-long The Museum is international in scope a story of machines; it’s more richly are compelling. I love seeing our tiny profile of me. To my surprise, a long- and not bounded by geography, but we a story of successes and failures, of products in the context of the time supporter read it and became are physically based in Silicon Valley company founders and investors, of historical giants. interested in me! She mentioned it to a because it is the current center of the evangelists and charlatans, of friend who, not seeing any reference to world for the computer industry. We visionaries and beneficiaries of that Donna, when you tell your colleagues a wife or family, tracked me down, intend to become one of the landmark vision. It is, in other words, a story about The Computer Museum History qualified me as available, and set up a institutions here. We will be one of the of people. Center, you convey an enthusiasm for blind date. Thence followed Phase One, “things to see” for the high-school and and excellent understanding of the wherein I was pursued, and Phase Two, above crowd. We will be one of the Len, you’ve often expressed concerns special niche the Museum holds in the wherein I was smitten, and we are now regular tourist attractions to which that the “legacy of the information age high-tech culture of Silicon Valley and in Phase Three, wherein Donna visitors at Silicon Valley companies is [in danger of] being lost.” Why do in the world of museums in general. Dubinsky and I are very happily married. and conventions go—they will go to The you feel that The Computer Museum Please expand upon this concept for I don’t necessarily recommend the Tech to learn about the latest in science History Center is the “right” place to our readers. Museum network as a dating service for and technology, and to our Museum to see that legacy is preserved? everyone, but it worked for me! see how computers happened and who I believe that in order to build the future did it. Our location is an extraordinary Note: We invite you to meet recently There are very few organizations in the one needs to understand the past. We And Donna, what’s your perspective on site next to the dirigible hangar at married Len Shustek (co-founder of world whose primary focus is preserving each stand on the shoulders of those this story? Moffett Field, and our building will be LEN Network General, occasional professor the history of the information revolution. before us, and there is so much work architecturally significant and not just at Stanford University, and current The Museum has that as its sole we do that would not have been I think Lenny described it well. I read another concrete tilt-up. More than that, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of mission and it is, as investment possible without those pioneers of prior the article in the Boston Computer our goal is to become the center for AND The Computer Museum History Center) bankers like to say, a “pure play.” It has days, whether they were successful or Museum newsletter. Since I have always activities and events that are infused and Donna Dubinsky (former president no internal competing interests. It has not. I think the Museum will play an loved history, and I have been involved with computer history, to be the place of Palm Computing, co-founder and CEO amassed what is probably the best important role in understanding the past in the computer business for 20 years, to take pride in our accomplishments. DONNA: of Handspring, and new member of the collection of computer history artifacts and in honoring the people who created it seemed like a true intersection of my From live lectures by pioneers to private Board of Trustees of the Museum). in the world, which was seeded by the it. I also think that it is important that interests. The interview with Lenny company events in “The Hall of Here, in their own words, are their collection from The Computer Museum this museum be located in Silicon intrigued me because of his sense of ,” from seminars on PARTNERS IN reasons for supporting the Museum. in Boston and has been aggressively Valley, which has been such an humor and his passion for the project, history to company press parties among PHILANTHROPY We hope you will enjoy, as we so often expanded since. epicenter for the industry, particularly in so I decided to check him out! My the exhibits, the Museum will be a do, their enthusiasm, insight, and the most recent 20 years. favorite line was that his best advice destination. AND LIFE commitment to a good cause. More importantly, The Computer was to “always initialize your variables.” Museum History Center has an Donna, given your extraordinarily busy ELEANOR DICKMAN involved community of people who are life, why did you decide to take on the Donna, what are your dreams and passionate about the mission. That extra mantle of “Trustee” for The goals for the Museum and how will Eleanor Dickman is Vice President of includes our hard-working staff as Computer Museum History Center? you work in your role as Trustee to Development & Public Relations at well as volunteers of all kinds: board achieve them? The Computer Museum History Center PAGE 14 PAGE 15

A guest at the Steve Roberts lecture examines the REPORT ON MUSEUM user interface that connected Steve to his bike. One of Steve’s goals was to continue his writing ACTIVITIES while mobile. This helmet allowed him to do that. It has a heads-up display unit with a 720 x 280 KAREN MATHEWS screen, a cursor controlled by ultrasonic sensors activated by head movement, and a keyboard in the handlebars. To combat the problem of overheating in the Styrofoam-lined helmet, Steve Executive Director & CEO John Toole welcomes Steve Roberts takes a final spin on his recirculated ice water through the helmet liner from Steve Roberts explains his latest project, the guests to Professor Richard Grimsdale’s lecture on computerized and networked recumbent bicycle, a seven liter tank. Microship. He is building a pair of canoe-based The Manchester University Transistor Computer the BEHEMOTH (Big Electronic Human-Engineered amphibian pedal/solar/sail Linux-powered Volunteer docent Ed Thelen conducts a tour of the Machine… Only Too Heavy.) The BEHEMOTH is now trimarans. This Fall, Roberts, his partner, Natasha, Visible Storage Exhibit Area for TTI Vanguard on an open-ended loan to the Museum and can be and their cat, Java, will set sail on a multi-year conference attendees during a reception hosted by seen in the Visible Storage Exhibit Area. expedition thoughout the US. the Museum

September and October were especially in integrating mobile computing and A computer pioneer who got hardware The rest of the year looks as if it is busy months here at The Computer communications, Roberts has pedaled working in 1947, Professor Grimsdale going to continue at a hectic pace with Museum History Center with both staff over 17,000 miles around the US on a talked about his work on industrial three lectures and the Fellow Awards and volunteers participating in a number computerized and networked recumbent applications of process control Banquet already scheduled. Be sure to of events. We presented two lectures bicycle that allowed him to remain computers including the Ferranti Mark check the calendar of events on page that were part of our on-going lecture connected and productive while 1. He designed what is considered one 17 to see what’s ahead. We are also series, hosted an event for TTI wandering freely. During his of the earliest transistor computers— mounting a vigorous year-end fund Vanguard, and participated in the presentation, Roberts demonstrated his the Manchester University Transistor raising campaign and continuing to Vintage Computer Festival. The bicycle, the BEHEMOTH. Later, during a Computer. Professor Grimsdale showed develop plans for the construction of Museum’s volunteer corps provided a reception at the Museum’s Visible the audience the Williams Tube from the our permanent home. Many thanks to tremendous amount of help and support Storage Exhibit Area, attendees were Ferranti Mark 1 and a drum from the the donors, volunteers, and staff who (from left) Eleanor Dickman, VP of Development & Chairman of the Board Len Shustek shows lecture PR; Dag Spicer, Curator and Manager of Historical attendees how the Cray 2 kept its components cool for all of these events. Very special able to examine the bike up close, as Atlas, a computer that had a 100- continue to provide the support we need Collections; Professor Richard Grimsdale; Betsy by immersing its entire CPU in inert fluorocarbon, thanks go out to Dave Babcock, Lee well as check out Steve’s latest work in nanosecond read-only memory. to make The Computer Museum History Toole; Executive Director John Toole; and Chris the substance used for artificial blood Courtney, Sue Cox, Pat Elson, Jake progress, a solar/sail-powered satellite- Center the preeminent resource of its Garcia, Historical Collections Coordinator, enjoying Feinler, John C. Green, Tracy King, Ron networked computerized folding trimaran The Computer Museum History Center kind in the world. the Grimsdale lecture reception Mak, Eugene Miya, Charlie Pfefferkorn, called the Microship. Again, the entire was a large presence at this year’s Bill Scofield, Ed Thelen, and Betsy staff, and many volunteers assisted Vintage Computer Festival (September Toole. with this event. 30 and October 1). An estimated 400 people visited our booth where we were The lecture series plays a special role On September 7, the Museum hosted a showed them the Apollo Guidance VIDEO COLLECTION EXPANDS WITH NEW RECORDINGS at the Museum by giving us reception and tour for 130 people who Computer, the Apple 1, a working opportunities to deliver on our were attending “The Future of Systems” Kenbak-1, a Scelbi, and Ivan The Computer Museum History Center Thomas Sterling on BEOWULF MUSEUM "COMPUTER HISTORY" LECTURES by commitment to preserve and present conference presented by TTI Vanguard. Sutherland’s VR glasses prototype, preserves the personalities, stories, leading computing innovators. Often these videos are the only permanent record of the stories of the information age. Executive Director & CEO John Toole among other artifacts. John Toole and and visions of the information age Cliff Stoll, Whit Diffie, Peter Neumann, important talks and favorite ideas These are the stories that inspire us welcomed the group on behalf of the Dag Spicer presented a seminar, and through its extensive archive of and John Markoff on COMPUTER CRIME of people who have influenced the technology and amplify the importance of the Museum, and was followed by NASA Dag was an exhibit judge. Additional videotapes—now 2,000 titles and revolution. human experience that is such a critical speakers Bill Berry, Lynn Rothschild, Museum staff (Betsy Toole and Chris growing. The Museum is proud to offer Stuart Feldman on the OBJECTS OF part of technological achievement. and Peter Norvig, who discussed Garcia) also participated in this event a wide selection of its video holdings E-COMMERCE (OOPSLA 1999) MUSEUM "HISTORY IN THE MAKING" NASA’s latest research projects. and were supported by volunteers John LECTURES, meant to capture the present for classroom and personal use. vision, technology, and process of people On September 6, a diverse audience of Francis, Lee Courtney, Alex Bochannek, Available soon through our website: Several more new titles will be who may one day be important parts of more than 100 people from children to About 75 people attended a lecture on Ed Thelen, Mike Walton, Mike Albaugh, announced soon as the Museum computing history. old-timers attended a lecture by high- September 28 by Professor Richard and Eli Goldberg. continues to record its lecture series tech nomad, Steve Roberts. A pioneer Grimsdale of the University of Sussex. and collect other interesting and RECORDINGS IN THE GRAY-BELL ARCHIVE, including presentations by computing legends important presentations. Our and innovators derived from more than a archives include: decade of work by University Video Communications (UVC). WWW.COMPUTERHISTORY.ORG/STORE PAGE 16 PAGE 17 THANKS TO OUR ANNUAL FUND DONORS RECENT DONATIONS CONTACT INFORMATION We acknowledge with Gene & Marian Amdahl C Bradford Jeffries Richard Tennant Alan Frisbie Roger Smith deep appreciation the Anonymous Hal Jesperson Larry Tesler & Colleen Barton Rev Dr Christopher Garcia The Sopkin Family TO THE COMPUTER MUSEUM HISTORY CENTER COLLECTION individuals and Shanda Bahles Robert E Kahn John & Elizabeth Toole Bandit Gangwere Dag Spicer organizations that John & Sheila Banning Jerry Kaplan L Curtis Widdoes Jr Michael Godfrey Armando P Stettner have given generously Jeff & MacKenzie Bezos Alan Kay & Bonnie MacBird Ann Winblad Gary M Goelkel Sun Microsystems Foundation to the Annual Fund. Steven Blank & Alison Elliott Ernest E Keet William Wulf & Anita K Jones Eli Goldberg Matching Gift Program BEHEMOTH (Big Electronic Human-Engineered JOHN TOOLE Barry W Boehm Harold Kellman Enrica D’Ettorre & Robert Goldberg Chris Swenson Executive Director & CEO Gary Boone Kiasma - Museum of Pierluigi Zappacosta Thomas Gould Edward Taft Machine... Only Too Heavy) (1983-1991), CORE BENEFACTORS +1 650 604 2581 16K+ ($16,384+) Peggy Burke Contemporary Art Cindy & Peter Ziebelman Bert Graeve Morgan Tamplin L2003.2001, Loan from Steven K. Roberts [email protected] Gwen & C Gordon Bell Ned Chapin Dr & Mrs Leonard Kleinrock Rollin Harding Edward Thelen Elaine & Eric Hahn Richard J Clayton Donald & Jill Knuth GENERAL SUPPORTERS Ann Hardy James Tomayko IBM Type 85 Electrostatic Storage Tube Gardner Hendrie & Patti & Ed Cluss Marc LeBrun Anonymous John & Andrea Hennessy United Way of King County (from IBM 701) (1952), L2062.2001, Karen Johansen The Computer Language Richard Lowenthal Adobe Patricia Nelson Herring United Way of Santa Clara Loan from Bob Brubaker GWEN BELL Peter Hirshberg Company Daniel & Karen Lynch Mary Artibee & Milt Mallory Thea Hodge Christopher Vogt Founding President Dave House CMP Media Karen Mathews Dennis Austin IEEE Computer Society Greg & Sysan Wageman Gavilan Mobile Computer (1981), X2001.2001, +1 650 604 2568 Stephen Crocker Robert R Maxfield Autodesk Imagine Media Bud Warashina Steve & Michele Kirsch Gift of David Fylstra [email protected] Foundation Yogen & Peggy Dalal Frank L McConnell Allen Baum & Donya White Mark Kaminsky Michael W Watson John Shoch William Davidow Charles McManis Erich & Renee Bloch Jordan Kare Michael Weaver Apple Newton Message Pad (1993), X2002.2001, Len Shustek Lloyd & Eleanor Dickman Carver A Mead Paolo Bormido Thomas Kurtz Carol Welsh AMY BODINE Disk/Trend George A Michael John D Brillhart Walter Leuchs John Wharton Gift of David Fylstra Collections Intern MAJOR CORE L John Doerr & Ann Howland Microsoft Studios Christopher Charla & Fred Loewy Duane Wise Palm Pilot Prototype (1995), X1980.2001, +1 650 604 2577 SUPPORTERS John Humble Mid-Peninsula Bank Carrie Shepherd Donald & Alice Loughry Karyn Wolfe & John R Mabry [email protected] 8K+ ($8,192+) Gordon E Eubanks Gordon E & Betty I Moore Compaq Corporation Carl & Claudia Lowenstein Alan Yeo Gift of Robert Marinetti Paul & Evelyn Baran Whitfield Diffie & Hal Nissley George Comstock Steven Mayer Bob Zeidman TI SR-56 Programmable Calculator (1976), LEE COURTNEY Donna Dubinsky Mary Lynn Fischer Charles Pfefferkorn George Conrades Landon Noll Volunteer Coordinator Chuck & Jenny House Fish & Richardson Paul Pierce Samuel Cooke David Novak This list is current as of October X2013.2001, Gift of James Tomayko John Mashey & Angela Hey Bob Frankston Chris Poda & Nancy Mason Michael Coulter Dave Olson 31, 2000. Please notify us of [email protected] Microsoft Matching Gift Program Marc Friend Dennis Ritchie Peter & Dorothy Denning Richard Pekelney any changes to your listing Halicrafters Super Defiant Radio (ca 1940), Ike & Ronee Nassi Samuel H Fuller Toni & Arthur Rock Mark Duncan Scott Peterson ([email protected]). X2003.2001, Gift of Harvey Ulijohn ELEANOR WEBER DICKMAN Suhas & Jayashree Patil Robert B Garner Dave & Jan Rossetti John Dykstra Antonio Prado Thank you. Vice President of Development & Public Relations Varityper (1980), X2043.2001, Family Fund Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Jean Sammet Electronic Design Robert Praetorius +1 650 604 2575 Charles & Nancy Geschke Peter & Valerie Samson Automation Consortium Bill & Rochelle Pratt Bernard L Peuto Gift of Tom Kleinschmidt [email protected] Grant & Dorrit Saviers John & Patricia Grillos Morey & Barbara Schapira Ray Egan Mark Resch Sigma Partners Forrest Gunnison Michael Simmons Douglas G Fairbairn Daniel Rubin Heathkit H-89 (1980), X2052.2001, Trip Hawkins Charles Simonyi Bill Feiereisen Rita Seplowitz Saltz Gift of Paul Edwards WENDY-ANN FRANCIS CORE SUPPORTERS William R Hearst III Michael Skok David H Floyd John Sanguinetti Office Administrator 1K+ ($1,024+) Dr & Mrs Marcian E Hoff Alvy Ray Smith Jerry Fochtman Fritz & Marie Schneider Hayes 300 bps MODEM (1978), X2053.2001, +1 650 604 5205 ACM - SF Bay Area Chapter Christine Hughes & Mr & Mrs Robert F Sproull John & Wendy-Ann Francis Robert Sherwood Gift of Paul Edwards [email protected] Pamela Alexander Abe Ostrovsky Skip Stritter Bill and Peri Frantz Jean Shuler Frances Allen Colin Hunter Del Thorndike & Steve Teicher Dwight Freund David Singmaster Cray Y-M/P 8I (1988), X2044.2001, CHRIS GARCIA Gift of NASA Ames Research Center Historical Collections Coordinator +1 650 604 2572 [email protected] YOUR ANNUAL DONATION to The Computer Museum History Center will ANNUAL FUND APPEAL Is your name on our list of Annual Fund KAREN MATHEWS help preserve the artifacts and stories of the Information Age for future generations. Executive Vice President Please help us fulfill this important mission. donors? If so, you are one of a select +1 650 604 2568 group of people who appreciates the [email protected] CORE BENEFACTOR YES, I want to help save computing history. Please process my donation impact of the computing revolution on DAG SPICER at the level indicated. I look forward to learning more about the programs ____ other $ ______our lives today. You also take pride in Curator & Manager of Historical Collections and activities of The Computer Museum History Center, especially its plans your own role in ensuring that this +1 650 604 2578 ____ 16K ($16,384) for growth in the coming years. UPCOMING EVENTS [email protected] history of innovation is preserved for JULIE STEIN MAJOR CORE SUPPORTER ____ Enclosed is my check payable to: posterity. We are grateful for your Executive Assistant ____ The Computer Museum History Center generosity and support. And if your ____ 8K ($8,192) NOVEMBER 8, 6 PM ATTENDING EVENTS AND TOURING +1 650 604 5145 [email protected] ____ I prefer to donate stock and will notify you when the transfer is made name is not on this list, we welcome THE STRETCH-HARVEST COMPILER THE COLLECTION CORE SUPPORTER ____ Charge my Visa _____ Mastercard _____ your contribution and will be delighted Fran Allen, IBM Fellow The Museum is housed at NASA Ames KIRSTEN TASHEV to add your name to our roster. You Computer History Lecture Research Center, Moffett Field, California. Building & Exhibits Project Manager ____ 4K ($4,096) Visa/Mastercard number ______+1 650 604 2580 may use the form on this page to join Pake Auditorium, Xerox PARC The collection is open to the general public [email protected] ____ 2K ($2,048) Expiration date ______our family of donors. Thank you! by appointment on Wednesdays at 1:00 pm. ____ 1K ($1,024) Cardholder’s name ______NOVEMBER 9, 6 PM To attend an event or to tour the collection, BETSY TOOLE Office Assistant 2000 FELLOW AWARDS BANQUET please call Wendy-Ann Francis at least 24 Cardholder’s signature ______STOCK DONATIONS +1 650 604 2567 GENERAL SUPPORTER We gratefully accept direct transfers of INDUCTEES: FRAN ALLEN, hours in advance. Donors may also request [email protected] PLEASE PRINT: VINTON CERF, AND private tours. ____ $500 securities to our account. Appreciated Hotel Sofitel at San Francisco Bay KARYN WOLFE Name(s) as I/we like it to appear in printed material Development Coordinator & Special Projects Manager ____ $250 securities forwarded to our broker Redwood Shores, California VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES +1 650 604 2570 ______should be designated as follows: ____ $100 The Museum tries to match its needs with [email protected] Affiliation ______NOVEMBER 18, 9 AM - 5 PM the skills and interests of its volunteers. ____ $35 (student) FBO: The Computer Museum History VOLUNTEER WORK PARTY Monthly volunteer work parties are listed in Title ______THE COMPUTER MUSEUM HISTORY CENTER ____ other $ ______Center; DWR Account # 112-014033- Bldg 126, Moffett Field, California the calenda. For more information, please Building T12-A Preferred mailing address ______072; DTC #015; and sent to Matthew visit our volunteer web page at Moffett Field, CA 94035 +1 650 604 2579 City, ST, Zip, Country ______Ives at Morgan Stanley Dean Witter, DECEMBER 9, 9 AM - 5 PM www.computerhistory.org/volunteers. +1 650 604 2594 (fax) Please return this form (or facsimile) VOLUNTEER WORK PARTY with your remittance to: (please circle) work home 245 Lytton Avenue, Suite 200, Palo Bldg 126, Moffett Field, California or Alto, CA 94301-1963. THE COMPUTER MUSEUM HISTORY CENTER The Computer Museum History Center Email address ______PO Box 367, Moffett Field, CA 94035 P.O. Box 367 Moffett Field, CA 94035 FEBRUARY 6, 6 PM Home phone ______In order to be properly credited for +1 650 604 2575 (tel) IT’S 2001: WHERE’S HAL? your gift, you must notify us directly WWW.COMPUTERHISTORY.ORG +1 650 604 2594 (fax) Work phone ______David G Stork www.computerhistory.org when you make the transfer. If you Ricoh California Research Center & have any questions regarding a Stanford University WELCOME to our network of supporters. We look forward to getting to know you! transfer of securities, please contact Location TBD Eleanor Dickman. RCA Selectron Tube were removed in 1954 in anticipation of MYSTERY from JOHNNIAC, RCA the coming core storage replacement. (1953), XD215.80, Gift of John Postley In March 1955, the machine was back ITEMS on-line with 4,096 40-bit words of FROM THE COLLECTION OF THE magnetic core storage. This became the COMPUTER MUSEUM HISTORY CENTER dominant form of computer memory for nearly the next thirty years, and the Explained from CORE 1.3 Selectron’s brief lifetime as a memory technology came to an end. 40 RCA Selectron tubes on Rand Corporation’s JOHNNIAC Computer Prior to core storage’s availability, constituted the 256 word 40-bit memory however, ENIAC co-designer Presper of the machine. A Selectron tube Eckert commented favorably on the consists of a large cylindrical vacuum Selectron as a viable memory system, tube with a thermionic cathode down stating: “Except for its complex the axis and a dielectric forming the constructional details and its cost, there curved surface; bits are written and is much to recommend the Selectron as read by a complex series of “holding a memory system: it does not require beams” and a very precise mechanical regeneration; the access time is alignment of internal circuit elements. reasonable; there is no destruction on The Selectron was designed by RCA’s from providing 4,096 bits per tube to readout; the locating system does not Jan Rachman in the early 1950s and 256, largely due to the device’s drift since it is mechanical in character saw limited use in the first generation of inherent complexity and poor and fixed in relation to the storage custom built computing machines such manufacturability. Nonetheless, element; and there is no resolution as the RAND JOHNNIAC. JOHNNIAC went Selectron memory was very reliable, problem since operational for the first time in the first once tubes were qualified and “burned- the storage elements are isolated one half of 1953 with 256 40-bit words of in.” Later that year, RAND contracted from another. Somewhat like other RCA Selectron Tube storage. The plans with Telemeter Magnetics for the first electrostatic systems, the Selectron is for the tube itself were scaled down commercially built core storage for the not subject to loss of memory in the JOHNNIAC. The Selectron tubes event of a short power failure.”

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