Minimum System
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Minimum System |
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Table of Contents: most recent at far end
Toronto Data Center - Courtesy IBM Corp
- Photographer George Dunbar
"IBM Canada's photographer (1957 to 1989)"
1401_DatamobileEuropeanTravelingExhibit
1401_ManufacturingTestSystems - Endicott Manufacturing Photos 1965
1401 Manufacturing Test Systems - 1401 Manufacturing Testing Lab Pics - Oct 1962
1401 Marketing Press Release Pics
1401 Marketing Press Release Pics - 1401 Satellite Comm Pics
1401 Marketing Press Release Pics - Restored Marketing System Pics
The engineers managed to repair it and it spent the rest of its days in the IBM UK Test Centre
in the basement of the Newman Street office where it was used by 1401 customers to test their
software before their machines were delivered. The only evidence of its misadventure was that,
instead of being square, it had a slight parallelogram look.
1401 at user site in Italy - from Franco Fellico' < franco@ffellico.com > ,
web site
1401 at Hanover Fair 1960 from Chuck Branscomb
This system was our engineering model used for announcement testing and I did not want to send it to Europe but Dick Watson insisted. As you know, engineering models are not exactly "up to spec" in many areas and I was also concerned that shipping it overseas in its somewhat fragile state would result in damage causing demonstration problems. Fortunately the system performed flawlessly throughout the Fair and was a big hit with the Europeans. I should note that IBM Germany send over technicians which we trained to service the system and they did an outstanding job.
A few days after the Fair, I was called by IBM Netherlands saying they had a problem with the system, were installed for demonstration in a CUSTOMER'S office (much to my surprise), and needed help. We put our best person on the plane to help but they corrected the problem before he arrived.
go back to main 1401 Restoration Page
Caution - the following files average 1,500 KBytes each
ClassPresentation
ManagementTraining
Program_c1956
Toronto-KingSt-Datacenter-1963
Toronto-KingSt-Datacenter
Hi Robert,
Using the hint that this pic is from IBM Toronto, I noted that there's a reflection in the glass that says "SHERATON ARD IN" [backwards].
After staring and pondering for a spell, something clicked and I came up with KING EDWARD SHERATON.
According to this olde tyme photo [http://www.flickr.com/photos/hollywoodplace/5966759965/] the Kind Edward Sheraton was at 37 King Street E.
Circling back, it seems IBM Canada maintained an office on King Street E.
"Prior to 1951, IBM Canada offices were located on 300 Campbell Avenue and Dupont Street in the city of Toronto's west end.[1] The plant is now home to Wayspa's Canadian operations (as 298 Campbell Avenue). During this period, and well into the 1950s, the company also maintained a downtown office suite located on King Street East immediately opposite the entrance to the famous "King Eddie" Hotel." <----see the guest list at this link!
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_Canada_Head_Office_Building
Anyway, I offer this as further evidence the showroom depicted is indeed at IBM Toronto.
Cheers,
Dag
Dag/Robert
I reckon that just about proves it. Google Earth shows that the King Edward Hotel at 57 King Street E is now part of the Meridien chain. Right opposite, if it wasn't for the Shred-It truck parked at the kerbside, you'd be able to see that the Data Centre is now a Sushi restaurant. The pillars and first floor windows are those depicted in the colour picture from Kevin Maney's Pioneering the Science of Information.
Well done indeed.
Simon
_A
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_D
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1009_SatelliteComm_
Graphic_1962
1009_Transmission_
Satellite_1962_A
TapeSystemColor
-Adj
TapeSystemColor
-AdjSm
Manufacturing_
Dept863
Manufacturing_
Port_1960
Manufacturing_
Landscape_1960
Model_MauricePapo
_Home
plane_MauricePapo
WWAM_group
to Qatar Petroleum
from Frankfurt
London Data Centre
-1968
Printer Layout pad
another Printer Layout pad
Service Bureau Booklet
UK Form 22-6107
12 page, 1.5 MByte
12 page, 12 MByte
Data Center Booklet
UK Form 22-6101
12 pages, 14 MByte
Ever Onward
12 MBytes
Songs of the IBM
1.3 MBytes
Electromatic
1 MByte
ASCC
3.5 MBytes
Unmarked-01
1.7 MBytes
STRETCH in Factory
370 KBytes
IBM-702-DP-System-1953
400KBytes
HarvardMark-1
500 KBytes
IBM-Type-1-Printing-Tabulator-1921
1 MBytes
IBM-Type-4-DirectSubtractAccountingMachine-1928
2 MBytes
IBM-513-Reproducer-1933
800 KBytes
IBM-405-Tabulator-Maybe
700 KBytes
IBM-405-Tabulator-Maybe-Annotated.jpg
800 KBytes
077 collator (1936) Dev for SocSecurity
080 Card Sortor (1925)
2.2 MBytes
CTR-4-Units - 1914
1.9 MBytes
<= left
- Manual Card Punch
- Hand Gang Punch
- Vertical Sorter (1908)
- Five Counter Tabulator (non-printing)
Seven-Bank
1.8 MBytes
<= left
Seven bank printing and listing machine
with 4 superimposed counters, subtracting
feature, and card summany punch
(Electricity Supply Board, June 1932)
HollerithMachine (1890 ?)
2.7 MBytes
HollerithSorter-w-panel
2.9 MBytes
VerticalCardSorter (1908)
2.9 MBytes
ENIAC.jpg
5.6 MBytes
\
and a section from page 28 of "Data Systems" - there appears to be missing clippings -
"The data processing world is older than one usually thinks.
The Prudential Assurance Company installed their first punch card machines in 1914."
(Note everyone is standing)
4.1 MBytes
(Note everyone is standing)
2.4 MBytes
[Simon Barratt says "And when I worked in the Service Bureau/Data Centre,
we had no chairs except during coffee (yes, coffee) break."]
and ;-))
BTW, did you hear that one of the first 1401 CPUs to be imported into the UK came to a rather
sticky end? As it was being fork-lifted off the aircraft, it fell off and landed on a corner.
"enhanced",
original
web page
with comment "Qui è ben visibile una fila di unità nastro e sulla destra,
ancora parzialmente imballata, è l'unità centrale di un 1401."
"enhanced",
original
web page
with comment "Ed ora in posa vicino all'altro 1401"
... a picture of the 1401 taken in April 1960 at the Hanover Fair. My wife and I were there (that is her in the picture ) and my recollection is that this was taken while the system was being checked out the day before the fair started.
