A Complete History Of Mainframe Computing

[Roger Holmes]

> From: Liam Proven <lproven at gmail.com>
>
> 2009/7/1 Rich Alderson <RichA at vulcan.com>:
>>> From: Liam Proven
>>> Sent: Tuesday, June 30, 2009 5:00 PM
>>
>>> Tom's Hardware - a popular site for PC hardware tweakers and
>>> overclockers - has done an ambitious article on the development of  
>>> the
>>> mainframe:
>>
>>> http://www.tomshardware.com/picturestory/508-mainframe-computer-history.html
>>
>>> It's a little American-centric but it's not at all bad.
>>
>> *American*-centric!?! ?How about *IBM*-centric?!?
>>
>> After the 1960s, the only non-IBM product mentioned is the  
>> (minicomputer)
>> VAX-11/780. ?(OK, *super*minicomputer, but even so...)
>>
>> And in the 1960s, the only other DEC product mentioned is *the  
>> PDP-8*????
>> (with a brushoff for several years of successful sales prior to the  
>> -8, no
>> less.) ?Another mini, and no acknowledgement of the PDP-10  
>> mainframe on which
>> the bulk of the development of the modern Internet took place.
>>
>> It would be nice if they knew what they were talking about.
>>
>> IMAO,
>> Rich
>
> Ohboy. Can't deny any of your observations, but I though that for a
> site from a world that barely knows that anything other than x86
> exists or ever has, it wasn't too bad!

The title was disgraceful. I don't mind US sources favouring US  
machines but calling it a complete history is akin to the Soviet state  
claiming every worthwhile invention was made by their citizens.

> But don't tell us - tell them, in their comments boards, or mail the  
> author.

I did but they can't take criticism and pulled my comments.

> Or better still, write a complementary piece - hell, perhaps we could
> do it collectively on the list as a group effort? - and submit it to
> Tom's HW as a follow-on, filling in the gaps...?

Yes it would have to be a joint effort. None of us can ever know it  
all, but can we cover enough? An approximate count up of 'big computer  
list' up to 1980 is about 7 to 8 hundred machines. I think this is too  
many. Should we perhaps limit it to production machines made in  
quantities of at least, say ten, or a hundred. But then would we want  
to omit machines like Atlas? Probably not. Any ideas on a more useful  
measure of what should be included?

Roger Holmes.
Who can write only the ICT 1300/1301/1302 series sections, complete  
with modern pictures. I've programmed other mainframes IBM 7094/CDC  
6600/ICL 1905E/ICL 1904S/CDC SC17/CDC 7600/ICL 1906S but in most cases  
never got near them more than once each, and knew very little about  
the internal architecture.