Fifty Years Ago .... from the pages of Computer Weekly
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Summer 1972 computing, compiled by TNMOC volunteer archivist, Brian Aldous.
A selection of stories from Computer Weekly from the Summer of 1972. The full archive of Computer Weekly can be seen at TNMOC, where there are special rolling displays of front pages from 25 and 40 years ago.
Bank network to cover US, Europe:
An international message switching network which is likely to generate over £1 million worth of equipment and software orders, is to be developed for 73 banks in the UK, Europe and the US. The decision was taken a few weeks ago at a meeting in Miami of the project steering committee for the banks involved, which include all the London and Scottish clearing banks, and was based on the results of the design study commissioned last year from Logica. The network is required to speed up the growing volume of international payments, currently averaging over 250,000 messages a day, which are at present transmitted via telex services. The changeover to the network is provisionally set for 1975-6. (CW 1/6/72 p1)
Herbert-BSA launches Minic-based N/C lathes:
A subsidiary of Alfred Herbert, Europe’s largest machine tool group, and Micro Computer Systems, one of the George Kent Group of companies, have collaborated to produce a range of complex numerically controlled turning lathes using a Micro Computer Systems Minic minicomputer. The range, called Batchmatic, is designed for small batch production, and is claimed to be both more reliable and cheaper than other N/C equipment. In contrast to the relatively inflexible traditional hard-wired numerically controlled systems, the controller for the Batchmatic range has been designed so that it can be wheeled up and plugged into any one of the two-, three- or four-axis turning lathes without the need to do more than insert an appropriate program tape for the particular lathe. (CW 1/6/72 p1)
905 aids net results:
Improved design and more ergonomic use of trawl nets is expected to result from an experiment undertaken by the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation based in Rome. A telemetry system has been designed to measure the behaviour of the nets in operation, and the results will be processed by a GEC-Elliott 905 computer on board ship. GEC-Elliott will also supply a Hydroplot system to monitor the depth and position of the trawl net. Other components of the system will be manufactured and supplied by Micro Consultants of Caterham, Surrey. The guts of the set-up is a high integrity multichannel analogue-to-digital measurement system utilising a multi-comparator technique, which will convert the signals discharged from pressure transducers attached to the net. This measurement system is known as AN-D1 1210M, and is similar to the system used by Redifon Simulators in its Category A flight simulators. All the electronics will be encapsulated in waterproof pontoons which can be up to 2,000 metres from the towing ship, and connected to it by means of a four-core armoured cable. Various automatic monitoring devices have been incorporated into the system to ensure integrity of data. Work has been progressing on the system for two years and is now nearing completion, with field tests scheduled for this month in the Polish fisheries research vessel Gdynia. (CW 1/6/72 p3)
BEA’s development IMPACT leads world:
Following some six years of development and the use of hardware with a capital value of £11.4 million, BEA is now operating one of the world’s most advanced airline management systems. Known as IMPACT, standing for Integrated Management Planning and Control Techniques, the system has emerged as a result of an explicit strategy by the airline to guide all its computer development projects to produce a truly integrated system of computer aided planning and control for managing its business. BEA’s original objective was and still is to gain maximum benefit for the use of its computers. When IMPACT was first conceived in June, 1966, BEA was already using the first fully automatic seat reservations system in Europe, BEACON. Many of its administrative tasks such as revenue and ticket sales accounting, interline billing and traffic analysis had also been computerised. However, there was still a need to integrate both existing and projected computer operations into a total system which was given the designation IMPACT.
In the management area BEA had seen the principal scope for development in two main directions; basic airline operations in addition to seat reservations, and strategic and operational planning involved in the conduct of the airline business. In the planning area computer models were used to either predict the likely outcome of alternative courses of action or to determine the action needed to optimise results. The advantages of linking automatic control systems and computerised decision models with systems for handling the routine collection and processing of data, were also considered to be significant. (CW 15/6/72 p1)
DEC launches ECG analysis systems:
Local or remote on-line analysis of electrocardiograms is possible with all three models of a new ECG system based on PDP-15 computers, announced by Digital Equipment Co. ECG-1570, which is the smallest of the three ECG-1500 systems and is DECtape based with a 16K PDP-15 processor, has a minimum price of £41,000, and can analyse data from a single ECG machine at the rate of 60 ECGs an hour. The two larger systems, ECG-1580 with a 24K processor and ECG-1590 with 32K, are both disc-based, and are designed for operation with respectively two and four ECG machines, at rates of 120 and 250 ECGs an hour. ECG machines which are used remotely from the computer can transmit data over telephone lines, while local ECG units can be directly plugged into a computer interface. Output from the systems includes measurements from all 12 of the leads on a standard electroradiograph, cardiac axis deviation, wave findings and evaluation of the total ECG. The report also includes a classification of the ECG into one of four categories indicating the likelihood of the patient to be suffering from heart disease. (CW 22/6/72 p2)
Jobbers’ workload handled on NDPS centre’s Leo 326:
The increase in business on the London Stock Exchange in the past year has been so great that member firms, even using computers rather than traditional clerical methods, are having considerable difficulty in meeting data processing demands. One of the largest firms of jobbers, Wedd Durlacher Mordaunt Ltd, made plans some time ago to transfer its requirements to the ICL 1904A of Datasolve International Ltd in August this year, but even they have been overtaken by events and their own Leo 3 is now unable to cope. In this predicament the firm looked around for a fairy godmother and found one in the National Data Processing Service of the Post Office, wellknown Leo users. The result was a decision to close down Wedd Durlacher’s Leo 3 ahead of schedule and to mount a large-scale bridging operation, transferring the entire workload to one of the Leo 326s in the NDPS Kensington Computer Centre. This was done in March with no break in Wedd Durlacher’s operations, and in fact use of the faster machine has given the firm “a vast improvement in the turnround of information”. Paper tape from Wedd Durlacher’s office is delivered nightly to Kensington, the work is processed overnight and the results available for the start of business the following morning. The NDPS is at present running three Leo 326s with a fourth expected to start operations at the end of this month. This is a new machine, the last of the five produced by ICL for the NDPS on specially reopened production lines at Kidsgrove, and brings the total Post Office strength up to 10. Of the others, two are installed in Derby and one each at Portsmouth, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Bristol. (CW 22/6/72 p16)
Low-cost memory series from DEC:
Two established memory products for Digital Equipment minis have been superseded by newer models. The new RK05 DECpack cartridge disc file is manufactured by DEC, unlike its predecessor, and this has resulted in an enormous price reduction from £4,030 to £2,460. The ME11-L core memory unit, which has been redesigned, is also reduced in price, from £3,510 to £2,510 for 8K, with supplementary add-on units of 8K at £2,120 each up to the maximum 24K. The RK05, which can be used with both PDP-8 and PDP-11, is a moving head disc system with a capacity of 2.45 million bytes per cartridge, this being easily removable for storage. Up to eight units can be handled by the same controller. Data transfer rate is 1.44 million bits per second, and average access time 50 milliseconds, compared to 70 for the earlier version. If more than one drive is in use, access time is decreased because of an overlapping feature that allows one drive to seek a new position while another is reading data from an already selected position. Heads are positioned by a voice coil linear motor with an optical position transducer accurate to within 100 millionths of an inch of true position. The absence of mechanical detents in the positioning mechanism eliminates a major source of wear and critical adjustment. The ME11-L is a self-contained core memory system for the PDP-11 mounted in a separate box and so freeing processor space and power for other uses such as peripheral interfaces. It connects directly to the Unibus. Cycle time is 900 nanoseconds, and the ME11-L is available in 8K, 16K and 24K sizes. (CW 29/6/72 p3)
Flat screen terminal introduced by Burroughs:
A miniature visual display terminal which uses a revolutionary flat screen with a dot matrix has been announced in the UK by Burroughs. Known as the TD 700 Self Scan Terminal system, the unit is claimed to use 90 per cent less ‘drive’ electronics than a conventional VDU. The TD 700 is the result of some three years development work by Burroughs in a bid to get away from the traditional cathode ray tube display. With the new unit Burroughs hopes to make a considerable impact on the rapidly expanding terminal market which has been estimated as being worth £42 million a year by 1975 and £95 million by 1980. Price of the TD 700 ranges from £1,200 and the unit will be available for delivery in the autumn. The TD 700 comprises three modular components, the display panel, a keyboard and a control unit. The display and keyboard are in fact no larger than the average office intercom device, making the unit ideally suited to use on the executive’s desk. The display uses an adaptation of the dot matrix technique with an array of gas filled cells arranged in a glass honeycomb configuration. Individual cells may be selectively ionised and illuminated to display the characters of a message. The display screen capacity is 256 characters in horizontal rows of 22 characters. The character size is 0.20 inches wide and 0.28 inches high, built on a dot matrix of five by seven dots each 0.024 inches in diameter. Characters are spaced by two blank columns of dots and character rows are spaced by the three blank rows of dots. No focusing is required with this gas filled screen and characters are large, bright and distortion free. Data storage is in MOS/LSI random access memory with a capacity equal to the size of the panel in use. A blinking cursor is available which advances to the next character position as each location is filled, unless modified by the control keys. An extended memory option is available which permits the storage or transmission of four pages of data. Three possible keyboard options are available, an alphanumeric typewriter, alphanumeric data entry and 10 key numeric. Alternatively, the display can be used as a receive only device without a keyboard. (CW 29/6/72 p20)
SPL system cuts cost of storage:
A shorthand system for computerised data designed to reduce data storage costs, known as file compaction, has been developed by SPL International, together with a range of hardware devices for use with the system which are being patented. It is believed to be the first time that a British software house has applied for hardware patents. The basic principle involves the substitution in software of single characters for bigrams and multigrams, ie regularly recurring groups of letters or symbols such as (in English plain language) TH, ING, TON, HAM, etc. Thus Northampton can be reduced from 12 symbols to seven as in NOR(TH)(HAM)P(TON). This system is particularly useful in address lists. The hardware developed by SPL is intended for use in data transmission, to precede the output modem and follow the receiver, thus enabling both modems and transmission line to work at a reduced data rate with an appreciable saving in costs. No quantification of the saving is yet available, but in one case history SPL claims to have reduced the file requirements of its client by 52.2 per cent. (CW 13/7/72 p1)
Data logger for aircraft:
A contract worth over £7,000 to supply a 1,000 channel data logging system to the British Aircraft Corporation has been won by IDM Electronics Ltd, of Reading. The logger will be part of a system being used for the static testing of the MultiRole Combat Aircraft airframe at the Warton Aerodrome Division of BAC. The function of the logger is to multiplex the 1,000 two pole strain gauge inputs and to provide power supply reference lead switching to the various groups of gauges being interrogated. The multiplexer has been developed from IDM's stepping scanner and adopts a two stage approach, whereby the 1,000 inputs are multiplexed into 10 outputs which are in turn switched using a slightly modified TS50 unit to provide a single two pole output. According to IDM, this method is more economical of space and cost than other methods. The complete system provides for operation in either single or continuous scan modes at speeds of up to 10 channels per second. Output is onto paper tape which will be fed directly into the BAC data processing centre. (CW 13/7/72 p7)
Newspaper-oriented systems announced:
Two American systems of direct interest to newspaper producers have been announced - one by Univac in the US, the other by Harris Intertype in the UK.
Univac has brought out a complete computerised typesetting system for newspapers, which is designed to produce error-free news, classified and display advertisement copy. The system, known as Newscomp, has been developed by Univac’s Industry Marketing Group in conjunction with Stauffer Publications of Topeka, Kansas. The Newscomp system is based on Uniscope 100 visual display terminals and a Univac 9000 series processor. The Uniscopes, located near the news or advertising departments, are used to enter text into the 9000 in real time. Copy in justified form for editing and proof-reading is displayed on the terminals and additions, corrections and insertions are then typed in via the keyboard. After proof-reading the text is then processed and output in justified, formatted paper tape form for hot linecasting or photocomposition. The Newscomp system, already in use at Stauffer Publications, has a 32K byte Univac 9300 and 12 Uniscope 100s. Eight of the displays are used for text entry, three for proof reading and editing, and one is a control unit used by the production manager. Seven standard Univac programs are available with the system. These include Unicom (for text entry, proofreading and alterations), specially adapted versions of the Linco II typesetting software, Classad (which creates and maintains a sorted file of classified advertisements) and Equalib (which creates and maintains a library of style formats).
In Europe, a purpose-built video display terminal system which has been designed to speed up newspaper advertisement composition by allowing newspaper staff to prepare display advertisements on its screen, has been announced by Harris Intertype of Slough. Known as the Harris 2200 Video Layout System, the new system also produces error-free punched tape to drive phototypesetting machines and gets rid of the need for specialist subeditors to ‘mark-up’ the advertiser’s copy before typesetting. Two basic units make up the 2200 system; a CRT display terminal costing about £8,000 and a central control unit costing around £12,000. Each control unit is capable of handling up to four terminals. The 2200 permits headlines, blocks of copy and other type components of an advertisement to be arranged on the screen straight from an advertiser’s rough layout. A terminal user can move elements of copy about, enlarge them or reduce them as he wishes. Although the system, was originally designed for newspaper display advertising, it can be modified for magazine work, catalogues, timetables and other work. (CW 13/7/72 p12)
OMR techniques for new hospital:
Optical mark reading techniques are being developed for the hospital environment by the Department of Medical Computing at the new Charing Cross Hospital, where the first patients are being admitted later this year. A pilot scheme has already been successfully carried out involving the data entry procedures associated with requesting and reporting laboratory tests, and the possibility of using OMR for drug prescriptions is now being studied. These two applications together account for 80 per cent of the total amount of information about patients that must be communicated between the wards and the service departments of any modern hospital, and so the improvements in efficiency have a fairly radical effect on the performance of the hospital as a whole. Benefits from the OMR system fall into three main areas. Some direct cost savings are achieved, more information is handled in a shorter time, and a broader based and more detailed statistical analysis of patient records and hospital services is produced. These lead to improvements in patient care with a reduction in the patients stay in hospital, and better clinical management, with side benefits such as better costing. The OMR reader used is a Dataterm 3 terminal from Data Recognition Ltd. At present this produces paper tape which is processed via a terminal by the Leasco time sharing service, but it is hoped later, if government sanction is forthcoming, to run it on-line to an on-site computer. (CW 27/7/72 p23)
Infra-red Data Link goes into Operation:
The first infra-red data transmission link in the UK, and possibly Europe, is now in operation between Cambridge University Engineering Department in Trumpington Street, and the Computer Laboratory in Corn Exchange Street. The link covers half a mile as the crow flies over the Cambridge rooftops and is based on Optran terminals which were supplied and installed by K& N Electronics Ltd, of Maidenhead, Berks, UK agents for the makers, Computer Transmission Corp, of Los Angeles, California. Using an infra-red beam the system is being used to transmit data between the Engineering Department’s IBM 1130 computer and the Laboratory’s IBM 370/165 through a PDP-11/20 acting as a front-end processor. Optran acts as a high speed data link which at first will be operating at 4.8 kilobauds. It is planned to increase this to 9.6 kilobauds in the near future. The Optran range has the capability of data speeds up to one megabaud, and has an accuracy of one part in 10,000 million. (CW 3/8/72 p1)
Drugwatch at the Olympics:
Any Olympic competitor trying to get a boost through the use of illegal stimulants will have to contend with a £40,000 Hewlett Packard gas chromatograph drug detection system incorporating a 16K HP 2116C computer. Eight HP gas chromatographs will be used to monitor competitors. Each chromatograph consists of a long column filled with an inert material. Components of the sample under test are isolated because they travel through the column at different speeds. Information from several chromatographs operating simultaneously can be analysed by the 2116C to identify any drugs which may appear during an analysis. Olympic officials are hoping that the fully automatic analysis will provide an accurate and speedy deterrent to the use of drugs. Any medal winner found using a drug will be disqualified and an entire team could be banned if any one member partakes of illegal substances. (CW 17/8/72 p1)