Fifty Years Ago .... from the pages of Computer Weekly
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Summer 1973 computing, compiled by TNMOC volunteer archivist, Brian Aldous.
A selection of stories from Computer Weekly from the Summer of 1973. 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.
CDC enters floppy disc market:
A late but important entrant to the floppy disc drive market is Control Data Corp. which has just announced the CDC 9400 flexible disc drive. Its price-performance is highly competitive, with a capacity of three megabits for £275 or less in OEM quantities. Performance figures include a data transfer rate of 240,000 bits per second, and an average access time for one track of 20 milliseconds. (CW 7/6/1973 p1)
M4 warning signals extended:
Virtually the whole length of the M4 motorway is now equipped with traffic warning signals which are controlled by a dual GEC 905 system installed at a computer centre at Almondsbury near Bristol. A final 50 miles of the road, between Langley, Bucks, and Membury, Wilts, are now equipped with signals which are supervised from police headquarters at Kidlington. This, and three other police headquarters, at Devizes, Almondsbury and Cwmbran, South Wales, are all linked to the Almondsbury centre via teletype terminals. (CW 7/6/1973 p1)
Sperry minis for RAF:
Five inter-linked Sperry 1412 mini-processors are to be provided by Sperry Gyroscope of Bracknell, Berks, as part of a message switching system for the Royal Air Force. Based on the Sperry SCAMP message switching system, which uses the 1412 series of processors and Sperry J101/102 drum storage linked in a special distributed matrix arrangement, the RAF system will be used to investigate the feasibility of employing semiautomatic operation and modular system construction in future relay installations. (CW 7/6/1973 p1)
2100S mini gives more flexibility:
The new 2100S minicomputer from Hewlett-Packard, available in Europe later this year, and priced at upwards of £8,000, offers users both hardware and software for microprogramming. For those accustomed to thinking of microprograms as concise programs hardwired in to the computer, this will sound a contradiction in terms, but Hewlett-Packard seems to be extending the term to cover what might be called “semi-permanent” microprograms. The “micro-programmable software” comes in the form of three writable control store cards, each of which provides enough storage to effectively double the 2100S instruction set. Up to 256 24-bit micro-instructions can be stored on each of the cards, and writable control store modules can be added up to a maximum of three for longer microprograms. (CW 7/6/1973 p5)
Circuit testing with Mod One:
Printed circuit components manufactured by Smiths Industries Aviation Division at Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, are now being designed and tested using a £25,000 Modular One computer system from Computer Technology Ltd. The 32K Modular One at Smiths is controlling automatic circuit component test equipment in real time while being used simultaneously for non-real time applications such as program development. CTL envisage that the Modular One will also be used by Smiths to emulate an ICL 7020 RJE terminal, linking it to their 64K ICL 1905E mainframe computer for computer aided design work. The very big programs used in circuit board CAD will need the large file capacity of the 1905E. The Modular One configuration also includes a one-million-word fixed disc system, a VDU, a plotter, a digital interface and two teletype terminals. (CW 7/6/1973 p14)
When a computer retires:
After 10 years' service in the Mitcham headquarters of SGB Group, the building equipment company has finally decommissioned its ICL 1301. The old computer's workload, dealing with materials control, payrolls, budget forecasting and management control, has passed on to an ICL 1904E in the group's £750,000 computer centre. What will happen to the old computer? What does happen to old computers? An ICL spokesman said: "We don't do much refurbishing in 1301s now, they're simply too old. Even if we give it to a school or college, it means we have to provide a maintenance service. We sometimes use them in the laboratory for testing peripherals. Newer models go to dealers, and often end up on Eastern Europe; but this one will probably be broken up for spare parts and scrap." But maybe not. There's a rumour going around that somebody wants it for a museum. Not everybody at SGB, which prides itself on using automation to a degree "rare in the construction industry", is altogether happy about that idea. Said the girl in the SGB press office: "It makes it sound as if we've been using a museum piece. (CW 7/6/1973 p15)
Bar-code reader breakthrough for UK firm:
A low-cost alphanumeric bar-code reader, claimed to be the first of its kind in the world, has been introduced by a small British company, SB Electronic Systems Ltd, of London, W1. Called Telepen, it is principally intended for source data entry applications that have not previously been automated. The novelty of the system lies in the bar-code structure. Existing bar-coding methods have been limited to a packing density of about three alphanumeric characters per inch, but Telepen will read five characters per inch on normal quality paper. This can be increased to eight if good quality paper and printing is used, and with alterations to the reading electronics, 10 characters per inch have been read. (CW 7/6/1973 p32)
Euclid language aids schematic drawings:
A new language enabling users with no computer experience to write programs for the production of computer-controlled schematic and engineering drawings on graph plotters has been introduced by D-A Computer Services Ltd of Sheffield. Called Euclid (Easily Used any degree of complexity, Computer Language for Illustrations and Drawings), the language, which is supported by a software package which is capable of being easily implemented on all commonly used machines, is aimed at simplifying the production of programs to cope with routine drawing office needs rather than in original design situations. It can be linked into existing computer aided design programs to produce working drawings. Successfully implemented applications include electrical and electronic circuit drawings, logic flow diagrams, printed circuit board layout, instrument dial design and building layout drawings. (CW 14/6/1973 p12)
Argus 700 series launched by Ferranti:
A completely new range of computers, the Argus 700 series, specifically designed for real time information systems and data communications networks, and the associated software which together make up the Argus IS7 system, have been announced by Ferranti. Argus IS7 complements and extends the Argus 500 range, which continues to be available for process control applications. Peripheral equipment is fully compatible between the two ranges. The Argus IS7 system is designed to meet all the computing requirements of a real time information system from the simplest to the most complex, in a single range. The 700 range is designed to be programmed in the Ministry of Defence high level language, CORAL 66. The language is Algol-based, but designed for real time use. It was chosen because its orderly data structure uses computing hardware efficiently, and the Argus 700 range has been designed to minimise the total cost of IS7 systems. There are three processors in the range, T, E and S. All are 16-bit with instruction sets allowing bit, byte, part-word or word working. The Argus 700T is designed for small terminal systems; it is self-contained with processor, up to 24K of 750 nanoseconds core store, power supplies and provision for some input/output equipment in a single unit. The 700E uses the same processor, but has a 64K core store limit and much more I/O capability. The Argus 700S completes the range and is a high-speed machine using emitter-coupled logic, ported stores, and has a maximum capacity of 256K words of main store with 500 nanoseconds cycle time. Facilities include floating point and virtual addressing. (CW 14/6/1973 p40)
Large scale Key-Edit system launched:
A new top-of-the-range key-to-disc system, the Key-Edit 100, has been introduced by ICL. This is a sophisticated system catering for up to 64 key-stations, and fills a gap in the Key-Edit range which was becoming increasingly apparent as more and more large systems were announced. The major characteristic of the new system is its flexibility. In hardware terms this means the key-stations can be located wherever they are required, and in software terms validation can be organised by means of two new user programming languages, UPL1 and UPL2. Facilities include off-line validation and off-line printing, and there is an extensive editing capability to improve throughput. The operating system allows multiprogramming, so on-line and off-line work can take place simultaneously. The power for the system is provided by a Digital Equipment PDP-11/40 with 48K of 16-bit words, expandable to 128K, backed up by a large disc, with a capacity of 29.2 million characters of unformatted data. The key-station, which is known as a key data terminal, consists of a keyboard with keypunch or typewriter layout and a VDU with a display capacity of up to 480 characters. The key-stations are connected to the processor via DTC-8 data concentrators. Each DTC-8 can be up to 6,000 feet from the processor, and controls up to eight key-stations. (CW 21/6/1973 p1)
Ferranti fingerprint system goes on trial:
For some months the Home Office has been evaluating an experimental fingerprint comparison system developed by Ferranti. Based on the Argus 500 with two million bytes of disc store, the system could be part of an extensive database facility. The key part of the system is a flying spot scanner which converts tones of a black and white fingerprint image into electronic signals. Each fingerprint generates about 230,000 bits of data. These are converted to a compact numerical code, and thus a system for both classification and comparison is created. Distorted prints are dealt with by evaluating points of similarity of existing stored prints, and giving them a numeric “score.” Any print not achieving a pre-set total is automatically rejected. In all cases the system provides a selection of fingerprints of varying similarity, so that the final choice is made by a human process. This should quiet any fears of "arrest by computer”, and further fears that the prints of innocent parties may be included in any database, are unfounded in that the information required by the system can only be obtained as the result of a conviction. (CW 21/6/1973 p9)
H-P announces card reader and statistical calculator:
Now available from Hewlett-Packard Ltd is a new 300 cpm card reader that accepts both punched and pencil-marked cards. Called the HP 7260A, this desktop reader is claimed to be able to handle all types of punched or marked IBM standard or specially designed forms. With appropriate clock marks, single cards may be both punched and marked. Data rates are switchable from 110 bauds through five intermediate rates up to 2,400 bauds. Data read from cards is stored in buffers so that card feed rates can be optimised for high transmission efficiency. Any number of columns can be read from one to 80, and with the standard 128-character Hollerith character set, the reader transmits the data in seven-level ASCII code, although options are available. Also available from the company is a desktop calculator, the HP 9805A, for statistical calculations, which incorporates an impact printer. Results are labelled for reference and a total of 10 digits plus the sign can be printed. The calculator is offered as a basic system with four variations, two of which are compatible with an optional plotter. (CW 21/6/1973 p12)
NEL develops N/C system:
A new system for Computer Numerical Control (CNC) has been developed by the National Engineering Laboratory (NEL) of East Kilbride. The research project is based on an 8K Minic computer from Micro Computer Systems Ltd, but almost any minicomputer may be used. The research is aimed chiefly at machine tool numerical control, and it is claimed that the logic of the hard-wired special purpose controller, at present used in those areas, can usefully be replaced by suitable software and a small general-purpose computer. The advantages claimed are that CNC is capable of standardisation, relatively cheap, and more easily updated and configured to differing applications. Thus, the bogey of obsolescence is largely avoided. Considerable versatility is claimed for the system, and this is enhanced by the modular programming system. Actual applications are controlled by a parameter table, and a scheduling algorithm is included for real time applications. Options available, such as tape editing and storage, and multi-machine working, enable one system to control several tools. (CW 21/6/1973 p13)
Big market for new keyboard:
What is claimed to be the first all-solid state non-mechanical alphanumeric keyboard to be produced by a wholly British company is now available on an OEM basis from a new firm, Alphameric Keyboards Ltd, of West Molesey, Surrey. Confidence of Alphameric management in their new product is such that they believe they will have 10 percent of the total world-wide keyboard business by 1975. The Alphameric keyboard has a 68-key layout and its most notable feature is a single MOS LSI multiple character generator module PCB, which carries out all key sensing, logic and encoding operations. Keying involves no mechanical switches, instead depression of a key brings a pad of high conductivity rubber into contact with the PCB. All keys have fully adjustable travel, a feature claimed by Alphameric to be unique, and the keyboard is designed to prevent any major damage from liquid spillage. (CW 21/6/1973 p48)
Prime launches new mini with virtual memory:
Virtual memory has come to the Prime Computers Ltd range of minicomputers with the introduction of its largest system, the Model 300, which starts at a basic system price of £6,250 for 8K words of MOS memory. Other new features of the Prime 300 are 46 new instructions including high-speed floating-point operations, and a writable control store (WCS). Main memory can be expanded in 8 K units up to 256K, with each 8K module on a single board. Memory speed is 600 nanoseconds and the central processor operates at 200 nanoseconds, compared with equivalent times of 750 nanoseconds and 280 nanoseconds for the Prime 200. Maximum disc storage size is 50M words. Virtual memory is achieved by using fixed length 512-word pages with automatic address translation and page turning facilities which enable programs to run in virtual memory mode without any user concern for special paging requirements. Two new operating systems are provided by the Model 300: DOS/VM and RTOS/VM which are virtual memory implementation of the existing Prime Disc Operating System and Real Time Operating System. As one of the aims of the Prime range was to give software design priority over hardware design, there are no software compatibility problems and user programs are transportable throughout the range. The WCS option gives the user the means of implementing in firmware and additional special instructions required. Microcode can be transferred from WCS to the system’s programmable read only memory and, to help users implement this option, Prime offer a course in microprogramming. (CW 5/7/1973 p3)
Fifth operating system for PDP-11 soon from DEC:
The fifth and smallest operating system for the PDP-11 range of minicomputers has been announced by the Laboratory Data Products Group of Digital Equipment Corp. The system, called RT-11, is expected to be available in the UK by September, at a cost of £380. Applications of the system include data handling, on-line data acquisition, computation, and process engineering. Digital expects the main markets for the new system to be in the areas of physical and biological sciences, education, engineering and general industrial fields. The minimum hardware configuration for RT-11 comprises a PDP-11 with 8K of core, dual DEC tapes and a teletype. System programs include an upward compatible PDP-11 assembler, an on-line debugging technique, a linker and overlay builder, a text editor, and optionally (at a cost of £250) RT-11 Basic, an extended version of the Basic language. Control of peripherals by the system is said by Digital to be very versatile. Large programs can be executed in only 8K of memory, using chain and overlay features. With 16K or more, the system can provide real time support for Digital’s general purpose laboratory system, the LPS-11, which includes A/D converters, real time clock, digital I/O and display oscilloscope. (CW 12/7/1973 p5)
Police get on the track of stolen cars:
An experiment using a computer to assist in the identification of stolen cars is being carried out by Q Division of the Metropolitan Police in West London. Under the pilot scheme, a policeman on the beat can radio in the number of a car he suspects to be stolen, and within seconds can be told whether or not the car is on Scotland Yard’s index of stolen vehicles. A limitation of the pilot scheme is that although the stolen car file on the computer is constantly updated, there is no facility for storing queries made to it. Therefore, if a car is subsequently reported stolen, there is no computer record that that car has already been seen and queried. The experiment is part of the build-up to the time when the new Police National Computer at Hendon, a dual Burroughs B6700, goes live next year. The officer operating the systems at Wembley told Computer Weekly: “The computer we’re using belongs to a private firm, but I’m afraid I can’t reveal which firm it is. The experiment is going very well, and we’re probably picking up about half a dozen stolen cars a day”. (CW 12/7/1973 p18)
H-P launches acquisition and control system:
A new real time data acquisition and control system designed for small, dedicated applications in industry and laboratory research and development has been introduced by Hewlett-Packard Ltd, at a cost said to be under £10,000. The system, called the 9600C RTE-C, is a subset of the 9600E disc-based real time executive system, based on the 2100S minicomputer. In the laboratory, the system can be used to record data directly from an experimental apparatus, or to control the functioning of an experiment. This function is also of value in the control of industrial processes. The designers say that the system can be easily interfaced with a variety of instruments. Several researchers (typically four or five) can access the system simultaneously by remote terminals to perform recording, control, or normal data processing functions. The system can also be programmed in real-time Fortran. (CW 19/7/1973 p8)
Light pens cut prices at Argos:
A new form of cut-price supermarket chain went into operation last week when Argos Distributors opened the first of its “catalogue show rooms” equipped with Plessey light pen data capture systems. Argos is the latest venture of Green Shield king Dick Tompkins, and is based on a system where customers choose their goods from mail order-type catalogues, of which 500,000 have been distributed, and then go to an Argos store to get the goods. There, the sales assistant has an identical catalogue but with each item marked with a binary bar code. Using a light pen she identifies the product and the data is transmitted to a Plessey memory unit located in a warehouse behind the shop. If the item is out of stock a light flashes at the sales counter, but if the item is available a label printer produces a sticker with product information, including code number and price. This is stuck on the item which is then sent to the sales counter by conveyor belt. Argos claim that the money saved by using these highly automated techniques enables them to reduce the prices of some items by up to 45 per cent. So far 17 Argos stores have been opened, mainly in the Great London area, and each is equipped with a Plessey system with up to three light pens. No other orders have yet been placed with Plessey but Argos has plans in hand for 50 more stores in the near future and 300 within three years. Plessey light pens are also used by the Sainsbury grocery chain at 200 supermarkets to record shelf stocks, and the unit is used to capture data from library books at 60 public libraries in the UK. (CW 26/7/1973 p1)
Double density version of 3330 available:
A new disc subsystem with a capacity of 200 megabytes per drive has been announced by IBM. Known previously by its code-name, Iceberg, it is a double density version of the 3330, with 808 cylinders instead of 404. This has required different read/write electronics and a different and incompatible disc pack. The access time, 30 milliseconds, and the data transfer rate, 806,000 bytes per second, remain the same. The new subsystem consists of a 3333 Model II, and up to three 3330 Model IIs, and uses two 3336 Model II disc packs. The existing Model I variants can be field-converted, while existing disc packs can be factory-converted. The 3330/3333 Model IIs will only operate under OS/VSI, OS/VS2 and VM/370, unlike the single density version, which can be used with any 370 running under DOS, OS or the virtual memory operating systems. (CW 2/8/1973 p3)
Ferranti’s flicker-free display:
A flicker-free display panel, which is also claimed to be three to 10 times as bright as any comparable display, has been announced by the special components department of Ferranti Ltd. at Oldham Lancs. Operating on direct current the panel utilises a plasma neon matrix display system and can operate on direct binary input. The panel is 22mm thick, and can be purchased either as separate components or complete with a small electronic drive unit. A whole display system can be built to a customer's specification, and it is hoped that it will sell for about the same as a comparable VDU. The display is activated by a voltage being applied along anode and cathode lines at right angles to each other. A neon cell at the intersection is then ignited forming part of a 7x5 matrix character. Up to 40 characters per line are available in a depth of 32 lines. (CW 9/8/1973 p14)
Analysis of census data to aid city planning:
Municipal planners at Hull, responsible for development within the city and in the adjacent Haltemprice region, are to be aided in their work with maps generated from statistical data acquired in the 1971 census. The project for the analysis of the data is being implemented on the city’s ICL 1904E. In addition to the more usual lists, tables and written summaries containing information on the 350,000 population of the area, maps will also be output by the line printer. Data in the format specified can usually be returned within 24 hours of a request from a council department, said a spokesman. The original census tapes, containing a large amount of numerical information on each enumeration district (an area of 150-200 households) were analysed by the ICL Find II package, to extract about 20 variables of particular relevance to local government planning. These were organised into two library tapes, expressing the variables in terms of absolute numbers, and in terms of percentages, in a format particularly suitable for the mapping program. This program, developed by Bradford University, requires input parameters detailing the individual variable required, and the ranges of its value which should be indicated by variously shaded areas. Maps can be supplied to two degrees of definition, showing the value in each enumeration district, or in kilometer squares. Output referring to a variable not included on the library tapes, but available from the original census files, can also be produced, but this necessitates a re-run of the Find program and of a sort to organise the map co-ordinates. Details such as major roads and district names can be superimposed on the generated map by means of clear acetate overlays. An overlay showing the bus and rail routes, with frequency of services indicated by the thickness of the line, has proved particularly useful in transport planning. (CW 16/8/1973 p3)
CAPICS may aid ship design:
At a conference held by the Electrical Research Association (ERA) in Goteburg, representatives of three Swedish shipyards discussed the application of ERA’s CAPICS (Computer Aided Processing of Industrial Cabling Systems) suite of programs to the design and installation of cabling on ships. The delegates were particularly interested in the recent use of CAPICS in the UK by Ewbank and Partners Ltd in the construction of a North Sea oil rig for Shell, and by Cammell-Laird Shipbuilders Ltd in the design of an oil tanker. The latter project should prove significant in the development of CAPICS, as Cammell-Laird have already built a similar vessel using conventional cable design methods which should provide an interesting comparison. CAPICS is also being used in the design of the Inverkip power station for the South of Scotland Electricity Board. This is believed to be the only major power station project currently in progress in the UK. The package is claimed to handle all phases of a cable installation project, including the initial design of the system, analysis of the quantities of materials required and continuous monitoring of any alteration to the original specifications. CAPICS can be run on ICL 1900 and IBM 360 and 370 machines. (CW 23/8/1973 p7)
Multiple engine test system from Ford:
The Ford Motor Co of Britain is claiming a revolution in engine testing methods for a system devised by a research team under Dr John Soliman at the system simulation laboratories at Queen Mary College, London University. Believed to be the world’s first fully-automated multiple engine test system, it can monitor up to six dissimilar petrol and diesel engines at one time; control for the system comes from a 16K General Automation SPC 16/50 with drum backing store and VDU. It is the culmination of three years’ work and arises out of experiments made by Dr Soliman on computer-controlled dynamometers at Queen Mary College in 1970. He developed a single automatic rig, and Ford was sufficiently impressed by the results that the company backed Dr Soliman and his team to take the idea further. Support came, too, from the Science Research Council, and from General Automation, a company particularly involved in the design of computer systems for use in the motor industry, who gave the college the computer. General Automation supplied the system to Ford for checking the electrical circuits on new cars. In traditional engine-testing methods, manual control of the motor and operator reading of instruments are essential, and a life-test takes a minimum 1,500 hours with failure near the completion of the test threatening the whole of a development programme. The computer-controlled system is said to be able to detect early warning signs of impending failure in time to shut the engine down before any damage occurs. (CW 30/8/1973 p28)