🚀 go-pugleaf

hanc...@bbs.cpcn.com writes:
> The IBM Early Computers history talks about the development
> of what eventually became the 1401.  One of the goals was to
> develop kind of a 'super' 407 tabulator.  For that, not a
> whole memory was required, though I would think only 1,400
> characters was awfully low.  The 407 manual is on bitsavers
> and it is amazing how much functionality that machine had.
>
> I wish I remembered the exact numbers, but the history said
> memory would be very expensive.  So, a lot of customers would
> want the lowest amount they could get away with.
>
> The 1401 evolved.  Tape and disk support were added, which
> greatly enhanced its value.  I suspect that as IBM ramped
> up its core production in that era (early 1960s--they came
> up with better ways to make and string cores), the memory
> costs went down.

somebody at univ. wrote a 709 cobol program that emulated 407 "plug
board" application ... which was eventually coverted to 360 cobol. The
cobol program at the end would even print out the 407 sense switch
values. One day, the 360 program printed out some values that had never
been seen before. everything stopped while operations decided what to
do, they tried contacting the person in the administration responsible
for the program, to see if they knew what to do. after an hour or so
... when the 360 (360/67 running with os/360 in 360/65 mode) sitting
idle, they decided to rerun the program and see if it came out with the
same values. They then sent both outputs on to person in administration.


407 reference
https://www.revolvy.com/main/index.php?s=IBM+407&item_type=topic&nojs=1
has several URL references, ibm vintage
http://www-03.ibm.com/ibm/history/exhibits/vintage/vintage_4506VV4007.html
and bitsavers
http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/ibm/punchedCard/
http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/ibm/punchedCard/AccountingMachine/
http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/ibm/punchedCard/Training/
this has ... wiring plug board
http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/ibm/punchedCard/Training/A24-1007-1_IBM_Functional_Wiring_Principles_Feb66.pdf


past tales of cobol simulate 407
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2002d.html#21 Mainframers: Take back the light (spotlight, that is)
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2006b.html#5 IBM 610 workstation computer
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2007j.html#78 IBM 360 Model 20 Questions
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2009b.html#76 IBM tried to kill VM?
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2010f.html#23 history of RPG and other languages, was search engine history
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2010o.html#34 origin of 'fields'?
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2011b.html#75 If IBM Hadn't Bet the Company
http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012i.html#12 IEBPTPCH questions

-- 
virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970