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Lecture 3: The sound of

software

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Overview:
• General remarks
• Computing sounds
• Computing and use of metaphors
• IBM and (European) dwarves
• Chapters 3-8

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General remarks
• Question 1b: “Internet changed our lives
completely” — “life has become so much easier by
computer technology” — “our whole economy has
fundamentally changed by computers”
• Have a narrative
• Have an example! Not: “There are numerous
examples to proof that…”

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General remarks
• Assignment question 2. (mention) Historical mistakes

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General remarks
• Assignment question 2. Historical mistakes

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General remarks
• Historical mistakes refer to mistakes made by the
historian, NOT to people in history.
• See the extra quiz

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General remarks
• Being part of an assignment group (and hand in!)
• NO copying or handing in the same work
• Lecture slides
• Do you have to know everything?
• Rubrics

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Computing sounds
Philips PASCAL (1961)
Philips Technisch Tijdschrift

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Computing sounds
EDSAC: Maurice Wilkes, Cambridge, 1949
Christopher Strachey send a punched card tape
suggesting to execute the code on EDSAC: humming
“God save the queen”.

Similarly, on the
MIRACLE (the
Dutch national
anthem)

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Computing sounds
Wilkes, Wheeler en Gill
(1951): first handbook about
“preparing programs”.

Old machines made noice.

Helped checking how the
machine did.

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Computing sounds
ARRA (1952) relais.
ARRA II (1954) transistors: with speaker
Univac: “stall speaker” button. The speaker was on.

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Computing sounds
Use Z22 (1957)

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Computing sounds
SAGE

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Computing sounds
Soviet Union: BESM 6 (1963)

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Computing sounds
Sounds were used for:
• Announcing the program had terminated
• Auditive monitoring (it works!)
• Specific navigation within a program
(mathematicians knew were the program was at)
• Part of the instruction (program is now here)

external control on execution

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Computing sounds
Philips PASCAL (1961)

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Computing sounds
And soon also the other way around (Jean-Michelle Jarre).

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Use of metaphor
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Use of metaphor
Program: 1946 w.r.t. ENIAC (preparing programs)
Programming used as a verb: 1948
Playing with the automatic calculators
Appropriating the machine started with the arrival of
new machines

Nim on the Ferranti Mark I,

1951

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Use of metaphor

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Use of metaphor
Plugging
Sequencing commands (ASCC
/ SSEC)
Pseudo coding
Assembling; assembly routine
Automatic coding
Autocoding, autocoding systems

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Use of metaphor
1960: programming language
compiler became a translator

Reassuring names for new

things.

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Use of metaphor
Memory

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Use of metaphor
cognitive psychology

Bolter (1984):
“Defining technology”

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Use of metaphor
Electronic brain

Turing’s intelligent machinery

(1948)

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Use of metaphor: AI
Psychology of the brain

Brain mechanisms and intelligence (1929) by Karl

Lashley (1890 - 1958) —> psychometry and (later)
cybernetics: trying to simulate brain functions

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Use of metaphor: AI
Biology (servo-mechanisms, automatic pilot)

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IBM and European dwarves

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IBM and European dwarves

(Philips)
Odhner
St Petersburg (1873)
After 1917 clones all over Europe

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IBM and European dwarves

Sweden: Åtvidaberg Industrie 1920, producer of
successful line of calculating machines: Facit
1970: bankrupt, sold to Electrolux

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IBM and European dwarves

Germany: Konrad Zuse (1910-1995)
1949: Zuse KG begins production of Z4
1967: Siemens AG

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IBM and European dwarves

Great Brittain: Ferranti, commercialising the
Manchester Baby,

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IBM and European dwarves

Bull: 1930 office machinery
Gamma 3 (1952), Gamma 60 (1958) multipurpose
French government “support”
1962: GE
1968: Honeywell

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IBM and European dwarves

Electrologica (1956)

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IBM and European dwarves

Electrologica X1 (1959) produced in Amsterdam

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IBM and European dwarves

Electrologica X1 (1959)

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IBM and European dwarves

Moving to Rijswijk (1964)

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IBM and European dwarves

Electrologica X8 (1964)

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IBM and European dwarves

Bought up by Philips (1966)

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IBM and European dwarves

Regnecentralen (1955, Denmark)
Stockholders
were also
the clients!
1989: ICL

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IBM and European dwarves

International Computers Limited (1968)
Reasonable successful selling IBM compatibles.
Merger of three older computer builders
2002: Fujitsu

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IBM and European dwarves

Eastern Europe: the case of Czechaslovakia. Antonin
Svoboda (1907-1980); Václav Hruška (1888–1954)
1946 Visit UK and US (Bush, Aiken), afterwards
teaching at Prague technical university.
1950 laboratory of Information Processing Machines,
part of mathematics department
1951 design of SAPO
1957 realisation of SAPO, connected to ministry 1958
1959 realisation of EPOS (1)

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IBM and European dwarves

Eastern Europe: the case of Czechaslovakia.
COMECON (1949)
1968: United systems of Electronic Computers
(producing IBM clones), producing EC

Zdenek Trnka (1912-1968) analogons

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IBM and European dwarves

In general:
• Too late taking part in new developments?; political
decisions by European governments 1950 vs 1965
• Economical circumstances
- Rebuilding the economy after the war
- Small markets, limited advertising budgets
• Labour costs relatively high; therefore the costs for
R&D relatively high as well
• pré: anti US (thereby anti IBM) attitude

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IBM and European dwarves

IBM was dominating in the
market of office equipment,
also in Europe

In 1960:
60% machines was IBM
90% non European

 Arnhem
Een IBM 650 bij de Heidemij in 1957. De Nederlandsche
Heidemaatschappij was groot in werkverschaffing, maar
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zag zich toch genoodzaakt zijn omvangrijke en ingewik-
kelde loonadministratie te mechaniseren en vervolgens te
automatiseren. De Heidemij was een grote klant, die door
IBM in ere werd gehouden. De eerste IBM 650 die beschik-

IBM and European dwarves baar kwam in Nederland installeerde IBM niet op haar ei-
gen hoofdkantoor in Amsterdam, maar bij de Heidemij in
Mark 1 in Heidemij, 1957: Alan IBM 650 installed
Arnhem.
Manchester, met rechts

ir een chemische industrie. Het bedrijf

oek in op het beheersen van chemische
atuurlijk uitvloeisel daarvan was er in
een Meet- en Regelclub, die analoge
et besturen van raffinageprocessen ont-
ale rekenmachines kwamen, in tegen-
naloge, niet vanzelf binnen de bedrijfs-
hell-laboratoria tot stand. Toch was het
eg en stelde het zich problemen van vol-
om de aanschaf van een rekenautomaat
n. Het Koninklijke/Shell Laboratorium
A, besloot in 1952 tot de aanschaf van
puter voor wetenschappelijk rekenwerk
en; chemische reacties). De keuze van

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IBM and European dwarves

Sales Strategy: FUD (Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt)

IBM 1401 (1959)

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IBM and European dwarves

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Haigh and Ceruzzi, chapters 3-8

• Ch 3: Data processing (IBM, administration and
management)
• Ch 4: Real time computing
• Ch 5: Time sharing systems, minicomputers, DEC
PDP, Multics, Matlab, UNIX…. (including “software
crisis”)
• Ch 6: mail, ARPANET and other networks
• Ch 7: miniaturisation and rise of personal computers
• Ch 8: pc’s in the office (the downfall of IBM; DOS)

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THE END (for now)

Do not forget to:

● Make the assignment

● Hand in the assignment

● Prepare for next lecture

(see Canvas)