> On Sep 29, 2026, at 1:22 PM, ben via cctalk <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> ... Like what machines other than IBM had binary and decimal computing?
That depends. One answer is "all of them" -- because any general purpose
computer can do both.
If you meant "had machine instructions both for decimal and for binary
arithmetic", the answer includes the PDP-11 and VAX, and I think the Intel 4004
had instructions used as building blocks in decimal arithmetic.
By the way, on the subject of good books, Bell & Newell, "Computer structures:
readings and examples" is very good. It categorizes computers a number of
different ways, and covers a range of examples touching on most of the
categories. The Google search mentions an authorized online copy at Gordon
Bell's website:
https://gordonbell.azurewebsites.net/cgb%20files/computer%20structures%20readings%20and%20examples%201971.pdf
And here is the table of contents:
https://ed-thelen.org/comp-hist/bell-71-t-o-c.html
Apparently there is a second edition. I'm pretty sure I have the first
edition.
Lots of neat machines in there. Mainstream ones like the PDP-8 and IBM 360,
stack machines (Burroughs 5500), vector processing (SIMD) machines (Illiac IV),
and oddballs like the very early Dutch computer ZEBRA (a Dutch acronym for
"extremely simple binary computer"). That one could be considered a
microprogrammed machine where the horizontal microcode is what you use to write
your applications.
Since I learned about printing and typesetting at one point, I found it
fascinating that this book comes in an unusual format: it is only one of two
books I have ever seen that is square (the other being "Powers of ten" --
wonderful also).
paul
