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1956 IBM hard drive
JimH wrote:
"Eisboch" wrote in message ... http://www.neatorama.com/images/2006...puter-1956.jpg In September 1956 IBM launched the 305 RAMAC, the first computer with a hard disk drive(HDD). The HDD weighed over a ton and stored 5MB of data. That's not a typo ..... 5MB of data. Eisboch Leap ahead 25 years.............. Bill Gates, 1981: "640K (roughly 1/2 of a megabyte) ought to be enough for anybody." Leap ahead? That was before under-educated college graduates started writing applications at Microsoft. |
1956 IBM hard drive
wrote in message ... On Tue, 4 Dec 2007 17:09:22 -0500, "D.Duck" wrote: The IBM 350 disk system stored 5 million 8-bit (7-bits plus 1 odd parity bit) characters (about 4.4 MB). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_305 Somebody needs to fix the Wiki. It was 7 bits (remember the "odd parity"?) The bits are 1, 2, 4, 6, A, B and parity. It goes with "7 track tape" etc. Here's from the horse's mouth: "The 305 RAMAC is an entirely new machine which contains its own input and output devices and processing unit as well as a built-in 5-million-digit disk memory. Both machines operate according to a program of electronically stored instructions." http://www-03.ibm.com/ibm/history/ex...0/650_pr2.html |
1956 IBM hard drive
On Tue, 04 Dec 2007 20:22:06 -0500, Wayne.B
wrote: On Tue, 04 Dec 2007 23:13:55 GMT, Short Wave Sportfishing wrote: My first computer had a paper tape reader and I had to cold start boot strap it. The first computer I ever programmed was like that: Summer of 1967, Control Data 160A, 4K 12 bit words, as big as a large desk, cost approx $80K, paper tape in, paper tape out, environmental requirements: 72 degrees F +/- 2 degrees, 50% humidity +/- 10%. We copied the cold boot tape onto metalic mylar to keep it from wearing out quite as fast. Bear in mind that $80K then was like $500K now. Surprisingly enough we actually got some useful work out of the machine and I launched my entire adult career with it. Technically, I suppose my first "personal" compuer was an original Roberts calculator kit. One of the AF Captains in the survival course at Kessler knew him and we got to talking and he obtained one for me. Pretty cool deal. Next up was an Altair 8800 when I went to work for DG - basically the front panel was a duplicate of the original Nova computer. I know I've told the story about programming the computer at Sylvania with phone jacks. |
1956 IBM hard drive
On Tue, 4 Dec 2007 08:29:22 -0500, "Eisboch" wrote:
http://www.neatorama.com/images/2006...puter-1956.jpg In September 1956 IBM launched the 305 RAMAC, the first computer with a hard disk drive(HDD). The HDD weighed over a ton and stored 5MB of data. That's not a typo ..... 5MB of data. If I remember correctly, the ones that DEC and DG built used head motors that weighed 160 pounds and were made out of cast aluminum. Damned things were bigger than washing macines. |
1956 IBM hard drive
On Wed, 05 Dec 2007 02:50:25 GMT, Short Wave Sportfishing
wrote: On Tue, 4 Dec 2007 08:29:22 -0500, "Eisboch" wrote: http://www.neatorama.com/images/2006...puter-1956.jpg In September 1956 IBM launched the 305 RAMAC, the first computer with a hard disk drive(HDD). The HDD weighed over a ton and stored 5MB of data. That's not a typo ..... 5MB of data. If I remember correctly, the ones that DEC and DG built used head motors that weighed 160 pounds and were made out of cast aluminum. Damned things were bigger than washing macines. Had an Acme calculator back in '53. Took up the entire garage and had to run a 440V service to heat up the tubes. Probably weighed 8 tons total. The biggest part was the "keyboard," which had pneumatically assisted cast iron foot pedals in a 12" steel I-beam framework. The servo cylinders for the "2" pedal always acted up, so I got a wrong answer to the grocery list. Wife convinced me just use paper and pencil so we could put the cars back in there. Said she was also getting tired of me always having a crew of ironworkers around to fix the thing. Those were the days, eh? --Vic |
1956 IBM hard drive
Short Wave Sportfishing wrote:
On Tue, 04 Dec 2007 20:22:06 -0500, Wayne.B wrote: On Tue, 04 Dec 2007 23:13:55 GMT, Short Wave Sportfishing wrote: My first computer had a paper tape reader and I had to cold start boot strap it. The first computer I ever programmed was like that: Summer of 1967, Control Data 160A, 4K 12 bit words, as big as a large desk, cost approx $80K, paper tape in, paper tape out, environmental requirements: 72 degrees F +/- 2 degrees, 50% humidity +/- 10%. We copied the cold boot tape onto metalic mylar to keep it from wearing out quite as fast. Bear in mind that $80K then was like $500K now. Surprisingly enough we actually got some useful work out of the machine and I launched my entire adult career with it. Technically, I suppose my first "personal" compuer was an original Roberts calculator kit. One of the AF Captains in the survival course at Kessler knew him and we got to talking and he obtained one for me. Pretty cool deal. Next up was an Altair 8800 when I went to work for DG - basically the front panel was a duplicate of the original Nova computer. You have to love good old Ed, he store it fair and square and wasn't going to let anybody steal it from him! I know I've told the story about programming the computer at Sylvania with phone jacks. |
1956 IBM hard drive
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1956 IBM hard drive
wrote in message ... On Tue, 4 Dec 2007 17:09:22 -0500, "D.Duck" wrote: The IBM 350 disk system stored 5 million 8-bit (7-bits plus 1 odd parity bit) characters (about 4.4 MB). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_305 Somebody needs to fix the Wiki. It was 7 bits (remember the "odd parity"?) The bits are 1, 2, 4, 6, A, B and parity. It goes with "7 track tape" etc. The most popular military teletype machines (Mod 28 ASR33) were 7 bit ASCI with an 8th parity or "stop" bit. Eisboch Eisboch |
1956 IBM hard drive
"Short Wave Sportfishing" wrote in message ... On Tue, 04 Dec 2007 20:22:06 -0500, Wayne.B wrote: On Tue, 04 Dec 2007 23:13:55 GMT, Short Wave Sportfishing wrote: My first computer had a paper tape reader and I had to cold start boot strap it. The first computer I ever programmed was like that: Summer of 1967, Control Data 160A, 4K 12 bit words, as big as a large desk, cost approx $80K, paper tape in, paper tape out, environmental requirements: 72 degrees F +/- 2 degrees, 50% humidity +/- 10%. We copied the cold boot tape onto metalic mylar to keep it from wearing out quite as fast. Bear in mind that $80K then was like $500K now. Surprisingly enough we actually got some useful work out of the machine and I launched my entire adult career with it. Technically, I suppose my first "personal" compuer was an original Roberts calculator kit. One of the AF Captains in the survival course at Kessler knew him and we got to talking and he obtained one for me. Pretty cool deal. Next up was an Altair 8800 when I went to work for DG - basically the front panel was a duplicate of the original Nova computer. I know I've told the story about programming the computer at Sylvania with phone jacks. My first computer was an NCR 315 series mainframe. Paper tape, cards in and out, as well as tape drives and CRAM units. Mag Card Random Access Memory units. RCA tried to copy it with RACE and IBM tried the Data Cell. CRAM was the only one that really worked. 256 magnetic cards that you could select any one and have it read and write. 10,000 addresses. Not 10K binary, decimal 10K of 12 bit memory. Usable as 3 hex characters or 2 6 bit characters which allowed for printing uppercase and special characters on a drum printer. NCR sent to to 36 weeks of paid school to repair and program it. About $110,000 in 1964 dollars. |
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