Fifty Years Ago .... from the pages of Computer Weekly (Copy)
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October 1975 computing, compiled by TNMOC volunteer archivist, Brian Aldous.
A selection of stories from Computer Weekly from October 1975. 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.
Univac's bid for the middle market: Downward extension of Univac’s new 1100 computer series has come about with the expected arrival of the 1100/10, which was launched yesterday at Datafair. A magnetic tape subsystem, the Uniservo 14, has also been announced for the series, and for 90/30users there is a new disc drive. The 1100/10 is likely to be the lowest entry system in the medium-to-large-scale series, which already includes the 1100/20 and the 1100/40. It is simply a smaller version of the existing machines, utilising the same peripheral equipment, communications subsystems, and software. In price, it competes with the IBM 370/135, the ICL1903T and the Honeywell 66/20, but Univac claims that the 1100/10 gives greater performance than a 370/145, 1904S or, 66/40. The computer is not aimed at replacing any current model, says Univac, but as it gives more power than an 1106 for less money, it is improbable that Univac will sell anymore 1106s. The 1100/10’s main memory can be expanded from the basic 128K words to 512K in 128K modules. Alternatively, a 256K starting module can be augmented to 512K with the addition of a single module. The system is said to achieve an average execution time of 1.468 microseconds at 0.68 million instructions per second, and can be upgraded to an 1100/20. (CW 465 2/10/1975 p3)
Sea Harrier system: Under a £1 million contract from the Ministry of Defence, the inertia systems department of Ferranti in Edinburgh is to develop a heading and attitude reference system, HARS, for the Sea Harrier aircraft. HARS will also provide data for the aircraft’s weapon aiming system. The system will be based on a stable platform similar to the existing Ferranti inertial navigation platform. In addition it will utilise two oscillo-gyro-scopes and three accelerometers together with a mysterious “digital sensor computer”, DISC. A spokesman for the company could disclose few details of the DISC unit, except to say that it was fed heading attitude and velocity signals from the platform and velocity data from a Doppler system. First development models of HARS are scheduled for next autumn. (CW 465 2/10/1975 p7 )
EMI wins £2m NHS order for scanner: A world leader with its computer controlled brain scanner system, EMI has scored its latest sales success in the UK, securing an order for 15 systems, worth £2 million, from 15 hospitals in England and Scotland. Meanwhile, in the US, where 200 of the 250 scanners sold to date by EMI have gone, the company has set up a company, EMI Medical Inc, in Chicago to specialise in marketing the scanner. EMI Medical is formed from a division previously known as EMItronics Inc, and is part of EMI Technology Inc, set up to unify all EMI electronic interests in North America. In the UK and the rest of Europe, scanner sales will now be handled by an autonomous company within the EMI group, EMI Medical Ltd. Total sales of EMI-Scanners to date amount to £40 million, of which £38 million worth have gone for export. EMI estimates that the world market for scanners will be worth £100 million a year by 1980, and it includes body scanners in that figure. EMI has produced a prototype body scanner, based, like the brain scanner, on a Data General mini, and the system, called the C 75000, is currently being field tested at the Northwick Park Hospital at Harrow, Middlesex, and at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota. (CW 466 9/10/1975 p4)
System for mobile radio operators:
With the installation of its system for selecting transmission frequencies for private mobile radio operators almost complete, the Home Office has again called in PMA Consultants to advise on the computerisation of the administrative procedures for issuing licences. At present the issuing of licences to mobile radio operators, such as taxi firms, can take up to four months. A computerised system is expected not only to reduce this time, but also to provide inquiry facilities and savings in clerical staff. PMA Consultants has considered the extension of the new frequency selection system, the installation of a stand-alone system and a number of intermediate configurations to handle the administrative work. The Home Office has not yet decided which system to adopt, but PMA must stand a good chance of securing the development contract. The frequency selection system currently being installed was developed by PMA under a £100,000 contract. It is based on three Control Data 1700 computers which access a database of almost 300 Megabytes. The system selects the most suitable radio frequencies for a potential user, basing its calculations on such factors as geographic location and height of aerials, from which it works out a pattern of signal reception. (CW 466 9/10/1975 p13)
Micro family from Texas Instruments:
A family of 16-bit microprocessors and microprocessor-based computers, together with fully compatible software, has been announced by Texas Instruments. Known as the 990/9900 family, the units were developed at the company’s Houston location and are scheduled for first deliveries in the UK from next March onwards. On a separate front, Texas Instruments is to introduce the industry’s first 16K-bit RAM next summer. The total world micro/minicomputer market over the next 10 years has been estimated to be worth some £15,000 million with16-bit processors taking the largest slice, says Texas. In introducing its TMS 9900 third generation NMOS microprocessor, Texas is expecting the unit to become the industry standard through the 1980s. The 990/9900 family is initially to comprise the TMS 9900, the Model 990/4 microcomputer and Model 990/10 minicomputer. In addition, there are software development systems, a prototyping system and cross support software on the CSS International, Tymshare and Honeywell Mark III time sharing networks. (CW 467 16/10/1975 p3)
Alternative memory system:
A memory system designed to be cheaper, faster and more reliable alternative to drum and disc storage systems is now available in the UK from Intel. Known as the in-65, the one Megabit unit is based on Intel’s 2416 16K charge coupled device. The in-65 is made up of three boards, namely the memory unit, a control unit and a buffer unit. The memory unit can be organised in 128K words by eight or nine bits with a total capacity of 1,179,648 bits, and the system can be expanded by combining memory boards. Each buffer unit is capable of driving up to eight memory unit boards. It is possible to expand the system from nine to18-bit operation, enabling a 1,024K by 18-bit world device, for example, to be constructed. Such a unit would incorporate 16 memory unit boards. (CW 467 16/10/1975 p31)
ICL goes for the small systems market:
In a bid to win a share of the potentially lucrative market for small business systems, ICL plans to launch a machine known as the 2903/20 next month. Aimed essentially at the small first time users, the new system is a considerably scaled down version of the highly successful 2903, which now gets the designation 2903/40. It is just a year since ICL introduced the large 2900 machines, and the announcement of the 2903/20 at the end of November will coincide with installation and commissioning of the first 2970s. So far, few details about the 2903/20 are available. (CW 468 23/10/1975 p1)
Plessey building £2m ATC radar project:
A major air traffic control contract, involving some 60 Digital Equipment PDP-11 minicomputers, and worth £2 million, has been awarded to Plessey by the Civil Aviation Authority. The contract is for a Processed Radar Display System, PRDS, to interface the air traffic controller’s displays to the central IBM 9020D system at West Drayton, and follows an evaluation contract placed with Plessey some two years ago. Implementation of the system began in May, and will take about 18 months to complete. Plessey is due to hand it over early in 1977, and the Civil Aviation Authority anticipates that it will take about a year of further development and testing before the system goes into full service. Primary and secondary radar data giving details of aircraft flight paths, call signs and heights from six enroute radar stations will be fed to the 9020D, and the purpose of the PRDS is to take this information from the mainframe complex and process it into a form suitable for display on the high definition screens used by the traffic controllers. (CW 468 23/10/1975 p40)
Airways pick Incoterm:
One of the biggest end-use orders ever received by Incoterm of Uxbridge, Middlesex has come from British Airways. The contract, estimated to be worth well over £250,000, calls for 5 intelligent terminals to be installed between now and April in the Overseas Division’s engineering base in Hatton Cross. The terminals will emulate IBM 3270 information display systems and give on-line access to a real time component control system based on the airline’s IBM 370/168 set-up. (CW 469 30/10/1975 p1)
On-line TOPS keeps the freight trains rolling:
One of the most extensive and comprehensive computerised freight management systems in the world is now fully operational. This week British Rail officially inaugurated its Total Operations Processing System, TOPS, on schedule, four years after placing the first contracts. TOPS is an on-line real time system based on an IBM 370/168 at Marylebone, London, linked to 200 centres within British Rail’s 11,500 route mile national network. The system provides information on the whereabouts of the 303.600 wagons in the authority’s fleet. including such details as whether loaded, empty, moving, contents, point of origin and destination. When the project was initiated a budget of £32 million was allocated until 1980. So far, just over £16 million has been spent. Early predictions by British Rail of the benefits that will accrue from TOPS look like being indicated. (CW 469 30/10/1975 p11)
