[inforoots] Eckert ENIAC Interview

[Van Snyder]

On Wed, 2006-02-15 at 12:51 -0500, Barrie Robinson wrote:
> Sorry about the addressing of this missive !
> 
> I bought a USB adapter to give me more 'plugs' and the young shop
> clerk 
> made a comment on how technology had advanced.  He thought it was 
> marvellous that one could just plug into a USB.  I did not have the
> heart 
> to tell him that this technology was used in the early 60's by Elliott
> Bros 
> of the UK.  The computer was the 920C which allowed several CPUs,
> blocks of 
> memory and controllers to be plugged in onto one common bus.  I
> believe it 
> allowed hot swapping too.  It was so rugged (military) and cheap that
> GE 
> Syracuse stopped (1968) development of their similar product

Collins Radio also had a computer of that era in which all (?)
peripherals were connected by a single loop of two coaxial cables.  Thin
ethernet (or was it token ring?), anybody?

-- 
Van Snyder                    |  What fraction of Americans believe 
Van.Snyder at jpl.nasa.gov       |  Wrestling is real and NASA is fake?
Any alleged opinions are my own and have not been approved or
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