Fifty Years Ago .... from the pages of Computer Weekly
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May 1976 computing, compiled by TNMOC volunteer archivist, Brian Aldous.
A selection of stories from Computer Weekly from May 1976. 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.
Honeywell expands series 60 range:
Broadening its attack on the medium sized mainframe market, Honeywell has expanded its series 60, level 64 range with two new models. It has also enhanced an existing model, the 64/40. The two new models are the 64/30 and the 64/50, which comes in at the top of the level 64. The 64/30 has a memory ranging from 96 to 256K bytes and the memory on the new 64/50 ranges from 96 to 384 K. The 64/40’s maximum memory has been extended to 320K. The upgrade from one level 64 machine to the next is carried out by on-site adjustments. The 64/30 supports a mass storage processor capable of controlling eight 100 Megabyte disc drives and four drives from “foreign” machines such as a 2000 series computer. It also has a tape processor which can handle eight tape units, and a unit record processor controlling five unit record devices and 14 communications lines, each line serving up to16 terminals. (CW 496 6/5/1976 p3)
UK software gets US boost:
International promotion for a UK software product in association with one of the most widely used database management systems could follow a co-operative move between two software companies, Management Systems and Programming of the UK and Software AG in the US. After evaluating a number of competitive products Software AG’s North American office has adopted MSFs Datamanager as “the sole recommended and endorsed data dictionary” for use with its Adabas DBMS. Negotiations are still under way with view to a similar arrangement in the European and South-East Asian countries where Adabas is also sold. In the face of the confusing terminology of conventional database management systems, many users have expressed a need for a simplified interface to the database, and a number of software companies have responded by releasing data dictionaries either as a substitute for or adjunct to the DBMS. (CW 497 13/5/1976 p1)
2904 carries on the success story:
A new addition to the 2900 series, the 2904, has been introduced by ICL. As the model number suggests, the machine is an upward extension of the 2903 in terms of both price and performance, and with10 orders worth £1.25 million already won, it looks set to continue ICL’s success in the business system market. As well as having 80 per cent more power than the 2903, the 2904 can have up to twice the memory, 96K words, and more than double the disc storage capacity. It can support up to eight EDS 60s and 30 Megabytes of fixed and exchangeable disc store. A 30 Megabyte exchangeable disc unit is also available. New peripherals announced with the 2904 include a 1,500 line per minute printer and a magnetic tape system with data transfer rates of up to 80,000 characters per second. The 2904 has six communications channels, compared with four on the 2903. The possibility of linking more terminals to the system via a 7502 is stressed by ICL. The 7502 was first offered by the company as an extension of the smaller 2900 machines with the 2903 educational system (CW 498 20/5/1976 p1)
Comshare links US and London centres:
With the chief aim of providing a co-ordinated bureau service to multinational companies, Com-Share has installed a transatlantic link between its Xerox processors in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and those in London which serve Europe. The international bureau network, to be known as the Ambassador service, will be particularly useful in connection with the range of corporate planning and other financial software offered by the bureau, Com-Share points out. Apart from enabling various offices of the same company to access common files, it also has the merit of allowing a user to choose from a large number of machines the one most suitable and most readily available for his work. At present, Com-Share operates three Xerox Sigma 9s in London and six Sigma 9s and eight 940s in the US. Offices in Toronto and Tokyo have one Sigma 9 each. Communications are handled by a large network on Inter data 50 communications processors. (CW 499 27/5/1976 p9)
