1 | <?php |
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2 | $seiten_id = 'kommerzielle'; |
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3 | $version = '$Id: commercial.php 356 2013-03-08 12:51:02Z heribert $'; |
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4 | $title = 'Early commercial computers'; |
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5 | |
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6 | require "../../lib/technikum29.php"; |
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7 | ?> |
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8 | <h2>Early commercial computers</h2> |
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9 | |
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10 | <p>In contrast to computers used for scientific applications, commercial data processing systems have a different structure, since they are optimized to support large storage systems and to process lots of data, as in payroll applications and the like. Sometimes the distinction between scientific and commercial systems is not a clear one. The examples below are typical small to medium systems for commercial applications.</p> |
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11 | |
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12 | <h3>Olivetti P 203</h3> |
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13 | <div class="box right clear-after"> |
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14 | <img src="/shared/photos/rechnertechnik/olivetti_p203.jpg" alt="Olivetti P203" width="406" height="378" /> |
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15 | <div class="bildtext"> |
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16 | <p>In 1968 the Olivetti P 101 with enlarged memory capacity was coupled with an electric typewriter which led to a system capable of printing the results of computations directly. This system is of a remarkable design and won quite some prizes for Olivetti in its time. Later machines made by Olivetti departed from that and were packaged in simple cubic enclosures.</p> |
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17 | </div> |
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18 | </div> |
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19 | |
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20 | <h3>NCR 446</h3> |
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21 | <div class="box center"> |
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22 | <a href="/en/devices/ncr446.php" name="ncr-backlink"><img src="/shared/photos/rechnertechnik/ncr-446.jpg" alt="Photography of the NCR 446" width="694" height="520" /></a> |
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23 | </div> |
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24 | |
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25 | The <b>NCR 446</b> is a typical example of a 2nd generation computer |
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26 | (transistorized). |
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27 | It was developed 1966/67 in Germany at the "National Registrier Kassen GmbH" |
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28 | in Augsburg by four engineers fresh from the university. One year later their |
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29 | development was finished and the system announced.<br> |
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30 | |
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31 | The architecture is rather unique. Programs are stored on a paper tape while |
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32 | operations are controlled by means of a threaded wire ROM. The system was |
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33 | sold as a accounting machine but was not limited to that area of application.<br> |
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34 | |
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35 | The system not only contains the paper tape reader for the program control, |
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36 | but also two paper tape readers for input data, one paper tape punch, a |
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37 | keyboard, and an IBM ball-head typewriter. <br> |
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38 | |
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39 | This system was quite expensive. The basic model without a paper tape punch |
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40 | and without the additional paper tape readers for data input was sold for about |
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41 | 35,000 DM (about 18,000 EUR) - about as much as three mid-class cars would |
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42 | have cost at the same time.<br> |
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43 | |
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44 | The NCR 446 was the first "small" commercial system which was able to print |
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45 | text as well as numerical values. Such a machine was used by structural |
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46 | engineers to perform the necessary calculations and directly generate a |
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47 | printout that could be used by the customer. (Competing systems like the |
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48 | Olivetti Programma 101, 203 could only print plain numbers on a small strip |
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49 | of paper.)<br> |
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50 | |
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51 | Watching the operation of the machine is a great experience. Things like the |
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52 | calculation of a square root allow the viewer to get an idea of the |
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53 | underlying algorithm. Since the program is stored on a paper tape, every step performed |
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54 | by the machine can be seen.<br> |
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55 | |
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56 | <!-- A glimpse of the internal structure of the machine can be seen |
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57 | <a href="...">here</a>. --> |
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58 | |
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59 | |
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60 | <br/>Clicking on the picture yields a <href="/en/devices/ncr446.php">more detailed picture</a></p> |
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61 | <!-- das war B.Ulmann. Meine Übersetzung (alt): |
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62 | <img src="/shared/photos/start/ncr_rechner.jpg" alt="NCR-Rechner" style="margin-right: 25px" /> |
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63 | <div class="bildtext">As an alternative to the desktop calculators, small installations |
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64 | etablished in the market, used for special purpose. The NCR 446 (the picture on the left) |
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65 | was called an "electronically invoicing machine". The installation features three paper tape |
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66 | readers, paper tape punchers, a keyboard and an IBM spherical printhead machine as a printer. |
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67 | Year of manufacture 1968 in Germany. It features as well a core memory and threaded ROM to |
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68 | program freely (even scienteficially).</div> |
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69 | --> |
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70 | |
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71 | <h3>NIXDORF 820</h3> |
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72 | <div class="box center auto-bildbreite"> |
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73 | <a href="/en/devices/nixdorf820.php" name="backlink-nixdorf" title="Zur Detailaufnahme der Nixdorf 820-Anlage"><img src="/shared/photos/start/nixdorf_820.jpg" alt="Nixdorf 820 Computer" width="670" height="270" /></a> |
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74 | <p class="bildtext"><b>Nixdorf 820</b> with card puncher and printer</p> |
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75 | </div> |
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76 | |
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77 | <p>A typical small to medium data processing system is the <b>NIXDORF 820</b> built in 1969/1970. This system is built entirely from modules, has a magnetic account reader and a <a href="storage-media.php#Threaded_ROM">threaded ROM</a> which was user modifiable. The console consists of a typewriter, the magnetic account reader and two punch card readers. In addition to this the system supports a card punching unit, a high speed matrix printer (visible on the right), two cassette tape drives and a stand alone card puncher (IBM or YUKI, see above). Clicking on the picture will yield <a class="go" href="/en/devices/nixdorf820.php">a more detailed version</a> of it.</p> |
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