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.

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

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.

On Tue, 04 Dec 2007 23:56:07 GMT, wrote:

On Tue, 4 Dec 2007 18:21:35 -0500, " JimH" ask wrote:


"Eisboch" wrote in message
om...
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?

At that time, he was exaclty correct.

For about ten minutes. :)

One of the weirdest things I ever heard during the early mini-computer
hey day was Ed DeCastro saying in a meeting that he thought that email
would be strictly limited to inter-office communications and really
wouldn't work outside that setting.

~~ snerk ~~

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.

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

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.

On Tue, 04 Dec 2007 22:33:38 -0500, wrote:

The IBM random access disks used hydraulics to move the heads until
the 3330 came along.

The 2311 and 2314 were hydraulic? If I ever knew that at all, I'd
forgotten. It's hard to believe they could keep it from leaking but
IBM had some amazing stuff. In those days their equipment reliability
was head and shoulders above everyone else.

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

"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.