1401? Neither big nor first. It primarily served two markets:
Entry level computer for small shops
Offline tape-unit record transfers to support larger machines.
FORTRAN? Not the first, but the first to gain traction.
IBM and GE had compatible families before S/360.
byte-addressable storage? A step back from 7030 (Stretch), CDC 3600 and DEC
PDP-6. "Any size you want as long as it's 8"
Disk? Yes, it was first.
DRAM? Do delay lines count? William Tubes? IBM used both, but did not pioneer.
long term compatibility? Burroughs B6500, GE 6xx, UNIVAC 1107.
--
Shmuel (Seymour J.) Metz
http://mason.gmu.edu/~smetz3
עַם יִשְׂרָאֵל חַי
נֵ֣צַח יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל לֹ֥א יְשַׁקֵּ֖ר
________________________________________
From: IBM Mainframe Discussion List on behalf of Rupert Reynolds
Sent: Friday, April 25, 2025 8:14 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: What has IBM ever done for us? (probably more than I know)
External Message: Use Caution
Since it's Friday, would anyone care to contribute an opinion, or just an
item for the list?
(I've been asked to give an informal talk to a small group of enthusiasts.
The idea is to look at where we've come from, where we are now, and take a
few guesses at what's next).
Off the top of my head, IBM either innovated, or helped to promote in a big
way, things we take for granted :-
. 1401, the first big stored program computer
. 1403 a fast chain printer
' FORTRAN, which I think was one of the first high level language compilers
. s/360 (and family) with its flexible & compatible architecture
. Hard disc drives (was RAMAC the first?)
. DRAM
. byte-addressable storage (rather than only being able to address
word-by-word)
. 8 bits in a byte
. word sizes a power of 2
. long term compatibility, where a 1970s program will still run and
assemble/compile
. 3270 data stream protocol, an efficient way to drive displays without
flooding the network with unnecessary data, and still used today in tn3270.
. the ATM (Automated Teller Machine, for the avoidance of doubt!). Lloyds
Bank asked, and IBM delivered it (in UK, I think)
Have I blundered?
Roops :-)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions,
send email to [email protected] with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
----------------------------------------------------------------------
For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions,
send email to [email protected] with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
