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Random facts about IBM I found intresting.....

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Vlad

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IBM (International Business Machines) has been in operation since 1888, and was incorporated June 15, 1911. So they have been in the business for 117 years. 5 IBM employees have won Nobel Prizes. They also make the Power Processors. You know, Power PC that Apple USED to use. Also IBM Toshiba and Sony are working togather to make a Cell processor. (A processor with more than 2 cores) They made the ENIAC in 1943.
(ENIAC means Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer)
I never knew that stood for anything.....

-Vlad
 
Re: Random facts about IBM I found intresting.....

"vlad" wrote:

-> IBM (International Business Machines) has been in operation since
-> 1888, and was incorporated June 15, 1911. [snip]

I recall somewhere 'bout how the life of IBM started under a different
name & that IBM came about some time later. But for the life of me - I
can't remember when they name came into play. I thought it might of
been 1928 - but I'm just not sure.

Can't remember where I read it now, must be in one of my computer
books (which have so neatly been packed away as storage) or on the 'net
itself (which would be on my ol' computer). Obviously it was something
which had a story about Computers & companies - might of even been in
one of my magazines.

CP/M User.
 
It was Computing Tabulating Recording. They changed to International Business Machines February 14, 1924.

mbbruteman, When are you getting your Nobel Prize for your work on the Blue Gene? :)
 
vlad said:
It was Computing Tabulating Recording. They changed to International Business Machines February 14, 1924.

mbbruteman, When are you getting your Nobel Prize for your work on the Blue Gene? :)
Click to expand...

I'd nominate him just for his hacks on the PCjr.

--T
 
Does a PCjr hack qualify as physics, chemistry, medicine, litterature, economy or perhaps peace?

PowerPC was a co-op between IBM, Motorola and I believe a third party. Apple used to buy their processors from Motorola, but surprised the world when they moved from G4 to the IBM 970 (?) processor a few years, and now again take an even greater step and goes Intel X86. Motorola had a roadmap for G5 and in the long run even G6 and G7, but I don't know if they had any customers to make it worthwhile to continue the development.

What I've heard about the Cell project, it will be more revolutionalizing than just two cores on one chip - that has already been done, in experimental stage I believe up to 8 or 16 cores. One day we'll see exactly how much process synthesizing and other buzz words means in reality to programmers and users.
 
I'm flattered you guys thought of me but my piece of BlueGene/L is very small compared to the whole program. I've had the priviledge of working with some wonderful people though. (I'm in the process of changing assignments, so it's soon to be history for me.) If you google on Brutman and BlueGene/L you can get an idea ...

As for PCjrs, that's a piece of IBM history most would rather forget. I like the machine because unlike a PC or AT, doing anything to a PCjr is a major challenge. Things like adding hard drives and network adapters are not easy.

There is a book called 'IBMs Early Computers' published by the MIT press. There are five authors - Bashe is the name of one of them in case you go looking for the book. It is a fascinating read, from the card tabulator era up to the 1960s. It describes IBMs experiments in developing and working with technology such as Williams CRT memory (Cathode Ray Tube - that's right!), core memory, tape drives, magnetic drum memory, paper tape, etc. It gave me a tremendous amount of respect for the guys pioneering the technology 60 or 70 years ago.
 
carlsson said:
Does a PCjr hack qualify as physics, chemistry, medicine, litterature, economy or perhaps peace?
Click to expand...

Peace, of course, or at least, domestic tranquility within the households of numerous collectors, who can now prove to the significant other that the ol' Peanut is not junk, but still useful after all these years.

--T
 
The book has a good discussion of Herman Hollerith's contributions to the early IBM. Hollerith was strictly a tabulator guy, and as his health declined he was more of a consultant than an active force inside of IBM.

Here is another good source, of course:

http://www-03.ibm.com/ibm/history/

An of course, I have access to the old crusties who've been working there for other 25 years. (I'm a young whippersnapper, with only 13 years in.)
 
Terry Yager said:
vlad said:
It was Computing Tabulating Recording. They changed to International Business Machines February 14, 1924.

mbbruteman, When are you getting your Nobel Prize for your work on the Blue Gene? :)
Click to expand...

I'd nominate him just for his hacks on the PCjr.

--T
Click to expand...

I'd second that nomination. I have several IBMjr systems and I'm always blown away by his work on the jr.

I've been a fan of the quality of the IBM PC line and the MCA models ever since I got my first 8580. IBMs constitute a major part of my collection and I'm posting this on a PC350 which is my main puter even tho I have other faster clones.

BTW, does anyone have a MCA Piper sound card that's available ?

Lawrence
 
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