Showing papers in "IEEE Annals of the History of Computing in 1980"
TL;DR: This article identifies published errors and misunderstandings in three areas of the history of computing and provides the results of research intended to correct these errors.
Abstract: This article identifies published errors and misunderstandings in three areas of the history of computing and provides the results of research intended to correct these errors. The three areas addressed are: (1) awareness of the work of Charles Babbage among the originators of modern computers; (2) the origins of the stored-program concept; (3) the distinction between the MANIAC and the IAS machine. The conclusions reached are: (1) some of the originators of modern computers were indeed aware of the work of Babbage, but some were not; (2) the stored-program concept was an integral part of the EDVAC design, the result of the work of the ENIAC design team; (3) the term MANIAC was properly applied only to the computer designed and built at Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory, not to the IAS machine.
40 citations
TL;DR: The development of the programming system between the first operation of the EDSAC computer in May 1949 and the end of that year is described and an assessment of this programming activity is concluded.
Abstract: The EDSAC computer was completed at Cambridge University, England, in May 1949. By early 1950, a programming system had been set up, and the EDSAC began to attract a number of regular users. The article describes the development of the programming system between the first operation of the machine in May 1949 and the end of that year. Subsequent programming developments in 1950-1952 are also described. The paper concludes with an assessment of this programming activity.
32 citations
TL;DR: The programming systems devised, first for the prototype and then for the production Mark I, are described, and an account of two novel automatic coding schemes developed during 1952 and 1954 are included.
Abstract: Computer activity at Manchester University began in 1946 with the construction of a CRT-based memory, which was followed by a series of prototype computers The work culminated in the Ferranti Mark I, completed in early 1951 This paper describes the programming systems devised, first for the prototype and then for the production Mark I, and includes an account of two novel automatic coding schemes developed during 1952 and 1954The paper concludes with an assessment of the programming activity
30 citations
[...]
TL;DR: An account of the development of the Control Data 6600 computer first developed in 1964 and of historical interest is the design team approach adopted by Control Data in which a small staff of engineers was isolated from the main operations of the company.
Abstract: This article is an account of the development of the Control Data 6600 computer first developed in 1964. Of historical interest is the design team approach adopted by Control Data in which a small staff of engineers was isolated from the main operations of the company. Some review is made of the design process as well as the unique features of the machine. The article also includes some comments in retrospect about the results of certain of the initial design objectives.
29 citations
TL;DR: This paper is centered on the correspondence that took place between Lady Lovelace and Charles Babbage, particularly during her writing of the extensive notes that accompany her translation of Menabrea's paper on Babbage's Analytical Engine.
Abstract: This paper is centered on the correspondence that took place between Lady Lovelace and Charles Babbage, particularly during her writing of the extensive notes that accompany her translation of Menabrea's paper on Babbage's Analytical Engine. The material is selective. Her mathematical background and studies are given in some detail, while little mention is made of her other great interest, music. Her travels and family relationships are not mentioned except where they directly apply to her work or to her relationship with Charles Babbage. Most of the material has been gathered from original sources. Through the courtesy of the Rt. Hon. Earl of Lytton, O.B.E. (great-grandson of the Countess of Lovelace), and his son, Viscount Knebworth, access was granted to the Lovelace-Byron papers deposited in the Bodleian Library, Oxford University. The Babbage Correspondence in the British Library, London was another source. Also of value were the letters of the Somerville Collection owned by Lady Fairfax Lucy and deposited in the Bodleian Library.
24 citations
TL;DR: The aim of SHARE is to eliminate, as much as possible, redundant effort expended in using the 704 by promoting cooperation and communication among installations that use the704.
Abstract: Whenever someone asks about SHARE, the first question is usually "What do the initials mean?" The answer is that SHARE is a name and not a set of initials. The second question is usually "Just what is SHARE?" SHARE has been frequently described as a "users' cooperative." It is made up of most of the organizations who have, or plan on getting, an IBM Type 704 EDPM. Like any cooperative, SHARE was formed to be of service to its members. Its aim is to eliminate, as much as possible, redundant effort expended in using the 704. It seeks to accomplish this aim by promoting cooperation and communication among installations that use the 704.
21 citations
18 citations
TL;DR: A brief (25 page) history of mechanical computing machinery, from the abacus to Aiken's Mark I, is presented.
Abstract: A brief (25 page) history of mechanical computing machinery, from the abacus to Aiken's Mark I.
18 citations
TL;DR: A survey of the computer developments made by and for NSA is given here, beginning with ATLAS, delivered in December 1950 by Engineering Research Associates, and culminating in the massive LIGHTNING research program.
Abstract: When the modern electronic computer proposals pioneered by von Neumann, Eckert, Mauchly, and others in the 1940s were under development, the Army and Navy predecessors of today's National Security Agency were quick to realize that their great power and versatility promised exciting improvements in cryptologic applications. Many of the NSA-supported projects were among industry "firsts," and features in several commercial computers directly followed NSA's lead. A survey of the computer developments made by and for NSA is given here, beginning with ATLAS, delivered in December 1950 by Engineering Research Associates, and culminating in the massive LIGHTNING research program.
13 citations
TL;DR: The list of printed papers of Charles Babbage that Babbage printed in the back of his partial autobiography, Passages from the Life of a Philosopher (London, 1864) is correct.
Abstract: This paper is intended to correct the list of printed papers of Charles Babbage (1791-1871) that Babbage printed in the back of his partial autobiography, Passages from the Life of a Philosopher (London, 1864). That list has been reprinted in several modern publications, but no attempt has been made to make it accurate or complete until this article. In an effort to make the list more useful to the reader, notes follow many of the items to explain their significance in Babbage's life and work.
12 citations
TL;DR: Some of the issues relating to von Neumann's influence on the Moore School work, on the stored-program concept, and on the future of electronic digital computers in general are considered.
Abstract: The work of John von Neumann is acknowledged to be of singular importance to the computing field. Yet his work has not been studied to any appreciable degree by historians. This paper focuses on von Neumann's early involvement with the ENIAC and the EDVAC during the years 1944 to 1946 while he was a consultant to the Moore School of Electrical Engineering of the University of Pennsylvania. The paper considers some of the issues relating to von Neumann's influence on the Moore School work, on the stored-program concept, and on the future of electronic digital computers in general.
TL;DR: The relay calculator Z4 was designed by Konrad Zuse in Berlin during the last years of World War II and occupies a unique place in the family of early digital computers.
Abstract: The relay calculator Z4 was designed by Konrad Zuse in Berlin during the last years of World War II. It occupies a unique place in the family of early digital computers. Some of the outstanding characteristics of the Z4 were use of the binary system with floating point, mechanical 2048-bit memory, and provision for intermediate data storage on punched tape.
TL;DR: The Southern California area is today generally regarded as a center of activity in high-speed computing, having perhaps the highest density of machines and active, prominent people of any area in the world.
Abstract: This is a written report of a talk given JANUARY-MARCH 17, 1958, at the Digital Computer Association, a local informal group. The Southern California area is today generally regarded as a center of activity in high-speed computing, having perhaps the highest density of machines and active, prominent people of any area in the world; the rise of this intense activity is traced from 1942 to 1957.
TL;DR: This article deals primarily with the early beginnings of electronic computer development within IBM, which starts with the 603 prototype and goes on to cover the major IBM electronic developments up through the 701, including the 6 03, SSEC, 604, CPC, and tape processing machine.
Abstract: This article deals primarily with the early beginnings of electronic computer development within IBM. It starts with the 603 prototype (first operational in 1942) and goes on to cover the major IBM electronic developments up through the 701, including the 603, SSEC, 604, CPC, and tape processing machine. It also briefly outlines early work at RCA and at NCR, based on patents on file in the U.S. Patent Office and on the limited reports publicly available.
TL;DR: The involvement of the National Bureau of Standards in automatic computing prior to 1949 is explained in some detail in order to describe the initiation of the SWAC project at the Institute for Numerical Analysis at UCLA.
Abstract: The involvement of the National Bureau of Standards in automatic computing prior to 1949 is explained in some detail in order to describe the initiation of the SWAC project at the Institute for Numerical Analysis at UCLA. The status of automatic computing in 1948 and 1949 is presented from contemporary documents. Finally, some details of the SWAC design and an extensive bibliography are given.
TL;DR: At the time the ENIAC was completed at the Moore School of Electrical Engineering, Japan was starved for knowledge as well as for food, and some of us who were optimistic enough were inspired by this fascinating new technology.
Abstract: Rapid growth of the computer industry is one of the most striking events in the "miraculous" industrial explosion of postwar Japan. At the time the ENIAC was completed at the Moore School of Electrical Engineering, we were on the verge of starvation in the ruin of our defeated country. When we learned of the astonishing power of the "giant brain," it seemed indeed to be something belonging to another world. We were starved for knowledge as well as for food, and some of us who were optimistic enough were inspired by this fascinating new technology. We decided to make our own computers, and the study of "mechanical brains" got under way in Japan.
TL;DR: The optimum solution to the Boolean expression evaluation is presented for the situation when probabilities are known concerning whether or not the propositional variables evaluate to true (T), and costs are given to determine the evaluation.
Abstract: Boolean expressions play an essential role in all aspects of computer science. Interest in them is rooted in compiler design. Clearly, every compiler must be designed to evaluate Boolean expressions. It is therefore essential that the compiled code be as efficient as possible. Historical developments on this subject and related topics are discussed. Given a Boolean expression, techniques are described to optimize its evaluation. The optimum solution to the Boolean expression evaluation is presented for the situation when probabilities are known concerning whether or not the propositional variables evaluate to true (T), and costs are given to determine the evaluation.
TL;DR: John Mauchly died in Abington, Pennsylvania, on JANUARY-MARCH 8, 1980, and his accomplishments went far beyond that simple description of "co-inventor of the first electronic computer".
Abstract: John Mauchly died in Abington, Pennsylvania, on JANUARY-MARCH 8, 1980. The New York Times obituary (Smolowe 1980) described Mauchly as a "co-inventor of the first electronic computer," but his accomplishments went far beyond that simple description.
TL;DR: John Hamilton Curtiss was chief of the Applied Mathematics Division of the National Bureau of Standards from 1946 to 1953 and was largely responsible for the planning and construction SEAC and SWAC and for the procurement of the first UNIVACs for federal establishments.
Abstract: John Hamilton Curtiss was chief of the Applied Mathematics Division of the National Bureau of Standards from 1946 to 1953 He was largely responsible for the planning and construction SEAC and SWAC and for the procurement of the first UNIVACs for federal establishments
TL;DR: This paper discusses the increasing complexity and sophistication of the Polish computers as they were developed in the 1950s and 1960s.
Abstract: During the 1950s and 1960s the Group for Mathematical Apparatus of the Mathematical Institute in Warsaw designed and built several digital computers. This paper discusses the increasing complexity and sophistication of the Polish computers as they were developed.
TL;DR: Computer developments in Germany before and during World War II were nearly unknown until 1949, when the model Zuse Z4, the only one that could be rescued from Berlin, was leased by Eduard Stiefel for the Eidgenossische Technische Hochschule at Zurich.
Abstract: Computer developments in Germany before and during World War II were nearly unknown until 1949. In 1950 the model Zuse Z4, the only one that could be rescued from Berlin, was leased by Eduard Stiefel for the Eidgenossische Technische Hochschule at Zurich. This was the beginning of a friendly cooperation. Some stories of this pioneer time are reported.