Memory Size versus Computation Speed for various calculators and computers , IBM,ZQ90 . 11J A~len · W •• EDVAC lAS• ,---.. SEAC • Whirlwind ~ , • ENIAC SWAC /# / Harvard.' ~\ EDSAC Pilot• •• • ; Mc;rk I " • ACE I • •, ABC Manchester MKI • • ! • Z3 (fl. pt.) 1.000 , , .ENIAC •, Ier.n I i • • \ I •, BTL I (complexV • 100 ~ . # '-------" Comptometer • Ir.ne l ' with constants 10 0.1 1.0 10 100 lK 10K lOOK 1M GENERATIONS: II] = electronic-vacuum tube [!!!] = manual [1] = transistor Ime I = mechanical [1] = integrated circuit Iem I = electromechanical [I] = large scale integrated circuit CONTENTS THE COMPUTER MUSEUM BOARD OF DIRECTORS The Computer Museum is a non-profit. Kenneth H. Olsen. Chairman public. charitable foundation dedicated to Digital Equipment Corporation preserving and exhibiting an industry-wide. broad-based collection of the history of in­ Charles W Bachman formation processing. Computer history is Cullinane Database Systems A Compcmion to the Pioneer interpreted through exhibits. publications. Computer Timeline videotapes. lectures. educational programs. C. Gordon Bell and other programs. The Museum archives Digital Equipment Corporation I Introduction both artifacts and documentation and Gwen Bell makes the materials available for The Computer Museum 2 Bell Telephone Laboratories scholarly use. Harvey D. Cragon Modell Complex Calculator The Computer Museum is open to the public Texas Instruments Sunday through Friday from 1:00 to 6:00 pm. 3 Zuse Zl, Z3 There is no charge for admission. The Robert Everett 4 ABC. Atanasoff Berry Computer Museum's lecture hall and rece ption The Mitre Corporation facilities are available for rent on a mM ASCC (Harvard Mark I) prearranged basis. For information call C. Lester Hogan 5 Colossus 617-467-4443. Fairchild Camera and Instrument Corporation Museum membership is available to 6 Theodore G. Johnson ENIAC individuals and non-profit organizations Digital Equipment Corporation 7 EDVAC for $25 annually and to businesses for $125 annually. Members receive the q uarterly Andrew C. Knowles. III 8 lAS Computer Report. invitations to all lectures and spe­ Digital Equipment Corporation cial programs. new posters. and a ten 9 EDSAC percent discount in the Museum store. John Lacey Control Data Corporation 10 Manchester University Mark I A Founders program is in effect during the initial two-year period of the Museum. until Pat McGovern II Pilot ACE June 10. 1984. During this period individuals ComputerWorld and non-profit organizations may become 12 National Bureau of Standards George Michael Founders for $250 and businesses and chari­ Lawrence Livermore Laboratories SEAC and SWAC table Foundations may become Founders for 13 Whirlwind $2500. Founders receive all benefits of mem­ Robert N. Noyce bership and recognition for their important in tel 14 The Pioneer Computer: role in establishing the Museum. Comparative Statistics Brian Randell University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne 16 Additional Source Material THE COMPUTER MUSEUM REPORT Edward A. Schwartz The Computer Museum Report is published Digital Equipment Corporation quarterly by The Computer Museum. One Iron Way. Marlboro. MA 01752. Annual sub­ Michael Speck scription is part of the membership of the The Children's Museum of Boston Museum ($25 per year for individuals and nonprofit organizations and $125 Erwin O. Tomash for corporations). Dataproducts (retired) The purpose is to report on the programs The Honorable Paul E. Tsongas and exhibitions of the Museum. The con­ U.S . Senator from Massachusetts tents of The Computer Museum Report may not be reproduced without written consent. STAFF The Museum Staff is responsible for the con­ tents of the Report. The opinions expressed Gwen Bell do not necessarily represent those of The Director Computer Museum or its Board of Directors. Jamie Parker Exhibit Coordinator The design and production of the Re port is done by Benson and Clemons. Christine Rudomin Program Coordinator Gregor Trinkaus-Randall Archivist Geri Rogers Office Manager David Bromfield Business Manager John McKenzie TX-O Technician Beth Parkhurst Research Assistant Store Personnel: Linda Davidson Merle Insigna Carol Strecker Photo Credits: p.3. from Konrad Zuse; p. 4. top from John Vincent Atanasoff; p . 5. col­ umn 1. Harvard University. Cruft Laboratory; The Computer Museum p . 6. from Arthur Burks; p . 7. William M. One Iron Way Rittase; p . 8. Institute for Advanced Studies. Marlboro. Massachusetts 01752 Princeton University; p. 12. National Bureau 617-467-4036 of Standards; pps. 2. 4. 5. 9. 10. back cover. David Bromfield ©19821THE COMPUTER MUSEUM A Companion to the Pioneer Computer Timeline INTRODUCTION Beth Parkhurst carried out the research and compiled the text for This booklet is meant to be an both the exhibit and its companion. exemplary companion: informative. The Timeline has the specifications attractive and user-friendly. People spelled out for each machine. an who visit the Timeline. a perma­ overall view of the machine. and nent gallery devoted to the first. basic descriptive materials. For the one-of-a-kind computers. can use companion. Beth chose quotations this companion as a supplement to that would begin to approximate the exhibit. and those who read it the sentiments of F. C. Williams: "It as the Winter 82183 issue of the Re­ is fairly easy by reference to such port can gain a sense of the Pioneer records as survive to describe what Computer Timeline. had been achieved twenty-five years ago. What is difficult is to The concept of developing a recreate the environment of uncer­ permanent gallery devoted to the tainty and excitement in which first computers grew out of the those achievements occurred." Pioneer Computer lecture series ini­ (F. C. Williams. The Radio and tiated by the curator. Gordon Bell. Electronic Engineer, 45. 1975.) The lecture series. archived on videotape. was led off on Septem­ Coordinating the companion. ber 23rd. 1979. by Maurice Wilkes my main concern was to provide a on the EDSAC. Then George Stibitz picture indicative of the Museum's not only talked about the Bell Tele­ exhibit. In some cases. I chose phone Relay Computers but repro­ photographs of the artifacts on dis­ duced his "Model K" adder for the play at the Museum. in others "pe­ Museum. John Vincent Atanasoff. riod" drawings. and in still others the fourth speaker. loaned the the portraits of the machine itself. breadboard Atanasoff-Berry Com­ And I also insisted on the reference puter for display. With these pieces. page that would indicate where as well as the major Whirlwind primary materials existed on these artifacts and the information gath­ pioneer computers. While many of ered at the lectures. the idea of as­ the original sites of the machines sembling them into an integrated maintain an exhibit and archives. exhibit emerged. the Computer Museum is the only place that has an integrated exhibit The exhibit itself. 100 feet long of the Pioneer Computers. on the balcony of the Museum's lecture hall. was designed and Gordon Bell insisted that this mounted by Jamie Parker and light­ companion. as well as the timeline. ing consultant Christopher Ripman. put the pioneer computers in their Their concerns were attractiveness historic perspective. and made the and legibility-both for the person comparative table that appears on in the lecture hall and the studious page 14 and the graph on the visitor-as well as flexibility for cover. In compiling the data. we've growth and change. selected from sometimes conflicting information and will keep a run­ ning corrected table. The Timeline is not yet com­ plete. The next Pioneer Computer Lecture. by Captain Grace Hopper on the Harvard Mark I is scheduled for April 14. At some time. we will integrate video-taped material into the exhibit; but for now have settled on keeping it available in the archive. Your suggestions. cor­ rections. and donations relevant to this exhibit. the lecture series and the archive are encouraged. Gwen Bell Director The Computer Museum Report/Winter 1983 1 BeD Telephone Laboratories Modell Complex Calculator George Stibitz worked at Bell math course I had learned a little Around that time, the head Labs as a mathematician in the about the binary notation for repre­ of the mathematical engineering 1930s. In his spare time, he experi­ senting numbers. That notation has group came to Stibitz with a prob­ mented with using telephone relays digits with only two values, such as lem. Recent developments in filter for electro-mechanical calculation. zero and one, much as the relay has and transmission line theory were only two 'values': open and closed. overloading the desk calculator "The original notions that led team with complex number work. to the series of relay computers had Nit occurred to me that perhaps Could a large-scale relay calculator nothing to do with usefulness. I just the two positions of a relay could handle the work? wondered whether it would be pos­ be used to represent the two values sible to make such simple things of a binary digit. Then perhaps Bell Labs made Stibitz's relay as relays do complicated calcula­ circuits through the contacts of project official with a budget and tions ... several relays might represent the circuit designer. The Model I. first two values of a binary digit. I soon in a series of Bell Labs relay calcu­ -I was then a 'mathematical found out that this was true-two lators and computers, was finished engineer' at the Bell Telephone relays could be wired together to in 1939. Technically, the Model I Labs, and as such I was asked to add two binary digits. was not a true computer because look into the magnetic circuits of it was not controlled by a program. the telephone relay. As you know, "I built an adder of the two Rather, it was operated directly a relay is just an electrically-oper­ relays I had borrowed, a couple of through a teletype.