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![Specification
Transistor circuits
Ferrite core store
4K words
40-bit word [39 bits plus parity bit] (~20K bytes)
5-hole paper tape
imuse.org.uk
#rdgctg50](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/readingcomputingis50-120415133439-phpapp01/85/Reading-computingis50-8-320.jpg)
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Reading computingis50
- 1. Reading Computing 50 years old on Friday 13 April 2012 imuse.org.uk #rdgctg50
- 2. Up to 1962 EmeritusProfessor Alan Lidiard (Physics) recalls: • Reading computing was done at other centres (mainly Southampton (Pegasus), but also N.P.L. and Manchester (Mercury) and anywhere else it could be scrounged), • In 1960 we started to agitate for our own computer. I got together with Ian Mills (Chemistry) and Leonard Dresel (Mathematics) and with one or two others we worked up a case which in the following year we persuaded Guggenheim, Ditchburn and Rado to take to the V.C. for submission to the U.G.C. • The bid was for an Elliott 803 (fully transistorised, at a cost of £30,000 - which was a lot of money. imuse.org.uk #rdgctg50
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- 4. Timeline British Computing 1944 Colossus Bletchley 1948 Baby Manchester ?1st stored program 1949 EDSAC Cambridge 1st service m/c 1951 Leo 1 Lyons, London 1st commercial m/c 1956 Pegasus Ferranti Still a valve m/c 1959 Elliott 803 Borehamwood Transistorised;mt/film 1962 Elliott 803 Tony Hoare 1st commercial Algol 13 April 1962 an Elliott 803 delivered to UoR 1962 Atlas Manchester Ferranti 1964 1900 ICT Series launched 1966 BCPL Cambridge 1st curly bracket lang! 1974 2900 ICT Series launched 1981 BBC Micro +Open Univ ‘mass’ training via TV 1992 WWW Everywhere imuse.org.uk #rdgctg50
- 5. Elliott 800 series 1957 801 one-off test machine 1958-61 802 production model - seven sold 1959-60 803A short-lived 1961- 803B more internal parallel paths larger memory hardware floating point ~250 built >200 delivered ~£29,000 each =~£530,000 today Many universities got one via grant (UGC/Computer Board?) imuse.org.uk #rdgctg50
- 6. What it +academics & students looked like A cheap 1962 m/c, the Monrobot, was advertised as ‘no bigger than your secretary’s desk’. Above, the desk houses the console, the 803 is at the back. imuse.org.uk #rdgctg50
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- 8. Specification Transistor circuits Ferrite corestore 4K words 40-bit word [39 bits plus parity bit] (~20K bytes) 5-hole paper tape imuse.org.uk #rdgctg50
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- 11. Other early initiatives imuse.org.uk #rdgctg50
- 12. UoR computing servicetimeline 1962 Elliott 803 Physics bdg->Maths->Physics 103/4 soundproofed 1967 Elliott 4130 Upgraded 16K->32K for Algol compiler BCS Local branch Dr Leonard Dresel Chair ICT Card punches (more noise) 1968 Evening shifts introduced 1970 Elliott 803 ->Earley Gate Cybernetics maintenance stopped… 1970 DEC PDP8 Frontend-online teletypes Maths 100 1973 ICL 1904S m/c room built for 25 years life… CTL Mod1 Frontend plus BASIC teaching service. 10MB disc 1979/? Norsk Data Teaching service 1984 Amdahl 470 Mainframe service + Norsk frontend mid 80s PC labs Gradually introduced 1989 Amdahl 580 Distributed system/ethernet +Suns coloured books X25 v TCP/IP 1992 Auspex Dedicated central fileserver 1993 Amdahl retired End of ‘mainframe’ computing
- 13. ICL 1904S Amdahl 580 imuse.org.uk #rdgctg50
- 14. ..and what happenedafter that? More machine rooms, aircon, batteries… more store, more network, more… Move from shared (S@il etc) to BYOD How much store on campus in term? 15K people ?GB each -> >> 10**9*Elliott 803 Now full circle. M’frame=n*Virtl m/cs->Cloud imuse.org.uk #rdgctg50
- 15. April 1962 20KB April 2012 16GB imuse.org.uk #rdgctg50
- 16. Elliott 4130 m/c Room In Maths Bdg. 1967- 1973 ICL 1904S m/c room in new bdg 1973- imuse.org.uk #rdgctg50