Fifty Years Ago .... from the pages of Computer Weekly

22nd May 1975 computing, compiled by TNMOC volunteer archivist, Brian Aldous.

A selection of stories from Computer Weekly from 22nd May 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.

Travel ticket system for UK: The new Datasaab back-office system for handling accounts and ticketing for travel agents and tour operators, announced at the Hanover Fair, is now available in the UK. The system is built around a 32K-byte D5/20 minicomputer, and includes ticket and invoice printers, keyboard and display, and can support up to four workstations. The screen is used to display invoice formats and standard holiday packages, which are called up by means of a three-character key. The operator then keys in the details of the particular customer. Once these have been checked, the system prints out the invoice and the tickets, and a key feature of the system is that it is impossible to issue a ticket without preparing an invoice at the same time, and thus overcomes a problem which apparently bedevils the travel trade. (CW 446 22/5/1975 p1).

Muirhead launches voice data unit: A US-built voice recognition system with a 2,000 word vocabulary is to be marketed in the UK by Muirhead. The company has also launched several other DP products including a key-to-cassette data capture terminal. The voice recognition system, the Voicepack 2000, is built by Periphonics Inc, and Muirhead says the system is similar in operation to the EMI-Threshold Voice Information Processor, but with a much bigger vocabulary. Muirhead is already talking to prospective customers in the UK, including a large retail and distribution group, which could place an order in the near future, and also hopes to get European marketing rights. The Data Acquisition and Control Equipment division, DACE, now offers a desk top key-to-cassette data capture terminal called Datalink. This incorporates, in one unit, a full alphanumeric ASR keyboard, a 10-character display, a 10-column thermal matrix printer, and a cassette data recorder. A V24 standard interface enables serial data to be transmitted at 110 baud. (CW 446 22/5/1975 p32)