retroelectro
for their work to be processed and returned. The SDS-930 was a computer designed by Scientific Data Systems in Santa Monica, California. The technical manual includes this description: ‘The 930 Computer is a general- purpose, solid-state, digital computer designed for scientific and engineering computation and real-time applications.’ Weighing up to 2,750 pounds and commanding a nearly 200 square-foot footprint, it was a marvel of human engineering while being a monster of a machine. When it arrived at Berkeley in September 1964, the machine was used to develop the first successful time-sharing system. Figure 2: SDS-930 Front and Rear View Image source: SDS-930 Technical Manual
A time-sharing system is a method that allows many users to share access to a computer system at the same time. It works by rapidly switching between users, assigning each a brief time slot to interact with the computer. This means the system can take instructions from one user, execute them for a few milliseconds, and then move on to the next user, repeating this process so quickly that it seems like all users are working simultaneously. This efficient use of computing resources makes it possible for multiple people to use the same computer without significant delays. In a demonstration, Pirtle typed instructions and queries continuously for forty minutes, but the system only registered
computing resources, enabling rapid data processing and real-time simulations crucial for defense research and development. This technological edge provided the United States with enhanced capabilities in various fields, from cryptography to missile guidance, thus contributing to the critical technological superiority during the Cold War era. 1968 - Berkeley Computer Corporation Once completed, the changes made to the SDS-930 to create the powerful time-share system found their way back to Scientific Data Systems, which implemented them in an upgraded model called the ‘SDS-940’. First shipping in April 1966, this machine became the company’s most successful computer, earning $40 million in sales. This caught the attention of Xerox, which purchased the company in May 1969. Xerox continued to sell this system with the model number ‘XDS- 940’. The VP for Technology Strategy, Robert Spinrad, is quoted as saying, “Project Genie was the earliest useful realization of timesharing on a minicomputer. Their computer differed from earlier systems in that those were built on large, mainframe
Figure 1: Image of the BCC-500 from an unknown time.
Image source: Al Kossow and gunkie.org
Written by: David Ray, Cyber City Circuits
Retro Electro: The ALOHA System: Task II
fifty-six seconds of computer time with dozens of other concurrent users. While this sounds trivial today, this was the real cutting- edge technology. During the Cold War, developing time- sharing systems like Project GENIE had significant strategic importance. It allowed military and research institutions to maximize their
ARPANET node, starting in 1974 until its decommissioning in 1980. This is the story of the BCC-500. 1960s - the GENIE, time share and The Cold War The story of the BCC-500 begins in the 1960s with Project GENIE at the University of California, Berkeley, a system that revolutionized time-share computing and significantly influenced the development of computer networks.
In 1963, J.C.R. Licklider, a director in ARPA (Advanced Research Projects Administration), started funding the electrical engineering department at the University of California, Berkeley under a program called ‘Project GENIE.’ Graduate student Mel Pirtle started the program by developing a way for multiple people to use a computer simultaneously. The issue was that early computers could only have one user at a time. A user would need to submit a batch of requests and wait for their turn
Introduction Modern computing and
networking history is rich with projects and innovations that laid the foundation for the information age, from ARPANET to the World Wide Web. Among these landmark projects, the BCC-500 stands out as a near- forgotten computer that was a key to developing the first wireless packet-switched computer network with the ALOHA system. One of a kind and built by hand, the system was the first wireless access
we get technical
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