Mailinglist Archive: opensuse (4020 mails)

[Allen <gorebofh@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Wed, Oct 27, 2004 at 10:08:09AM -0700, Robert A. Rawlinson wrote:
> Richard wrote:
> 
> >On Monday 25 October 2004 05:32 pm, Bruce Marshall wrote:
> > 
> >
> >>My first computer experience was with a IBM 650.   The memory was on a
> >>rotating belt-driven drum.   Sometimes with a power spike, the belt
> >>would snap.....   :-)
> >>   
> >>
> >
> >Didja ever see what happens to a 6 foot drum with fixed heads when there 
> >is a sudden phase reversal?   The drum, rotating at 3600 rpm, stops in a 
> >fraction of a rotation as it slams into the heads.  
> >
> >I doubt if many here have ever heard of, much less worked on a serial drum 
> >machine using ac logic.  That was the first Process Control Computer, a 
> >RW/BR-300 invented around 1957 and still controlling the original process 
> >at the Texaco refinery when I left the company in 1973. You had to speak 
> >machine language on that one, assembly came later.
> >ra
> > 
> >
> The first computer I worked on had them and lots of vacuum tubes. It had 
> the power of one of the first radio shack computers. It took up one 
> story of a five story building and had an interlock with the air 
> conditioning system as they claimed that if the air cond failed the 
> computer would reach the combustion temp of paper in five minutes. I 
> don't know if they were exaggerating or not.
> Bob

Heh, was it powered by AMD? ;)

 
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