larry@kitty.UUCP (Larry Lippman) (07/30/87)
While I have always had a keen interest in the history and development
of computers, and have collected and read many books on the topic, there is
one area which I have never seen mentioned: the early electronic calculator.
By "early", I am referring to 1966 and prior years.
My first electronic calculator experience was a Wang scientific
calculator in 1965. At the time, this was an impressive device that not
only performed regular operations like +,-,*,/ and sqrt, but did an
extensive amount of exponential, logarithmic and trigonometric functions.
Furthermore, Wang had a version in which one "cpu" (for lack of a better
term) supported up to 3 "terminals" on a time sharing basis.
Does anyone know the architecture behind these Wang calculators?
Did they operate using some form of stored program control, and hence
a "software" algorithm for these exponential, log and trig functions?
Or did they have dedicated hardware logic for each mathematical function?
Also beginning in 1965, I extensively used a Friden calculator
which had a four-line CRT and performed only +,-,*,/ and sqrt. Does anyone
know the architecture behind this early calculator?
<> Larry Lippman @ Recognition Research Corp., Clarence, New York
<> UUCP: {allegra|ames|boulder|decvax|rocksanne|watmath}!sunybcs!kitty!larry
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<> FAX: 716/741-9635 {G1,G2,G3 modes} "Have you hugged your cat today?" lamaster@pioneer.arpa (Hugh LaMaster) (07/30/87)
In article <1893@kitty.UUCP> larry@kitty.UUCP (Larry Lippman) writes: > My first electronic calculator experience was a Wang scientific >calculator in 1965. At the time, this was an impressive device that not >Did they operate using some form of stored program control, and hence >a "software" algorithm for these exponential, log and trig functions? They certainly had stored program control (there may have been direct hardware support for the functions; ) because I remember trying to figure out how to program one in science camp. They had a strange single card punched card reader that you somehow read in one card at a time. If you had a bug in your program, you could tape over a few of the holes to patch it up. I must be dating myself... Hugh LaMaster, m/s 233-9, UUCP {seismo,topaz,lll-crg,ucbvax}! NASA Ames Research Center ames!pioneer!lamaster Moffett Field, CA 94035 ARPA lamaster@ames-pioneer.arpa Phone: (415)694-6117 ARPA lamaster@pioneer.arc.nasa.gov "IBM will have it soon" (Disclaimer: "All opinions solely the author's responsibility")
mjr@osiris.UUCP (Marcus Ranum) (07/31/87)
In article <1893@kitty.UUCP>, larry@kitty.UUCP (Larry Lippman) writes: > > While I have always had a keen interest in the history and development > of computers, and have collected and read many books on the topic, there is > one area which I have never seen mentioned: the early electronic calculator. > By "early", I am referring to 1966 and prior years. 'The Chip' by T.R. Reid has an excellent account of the first days of the development of microchip technology. There's a fascinating chapter about the first hand-held calculator (+,-,*,/) (all integers). Makes me grateful to have been born in this amazing age :-) --mjr(); -- If they think you're crude, go technical; if they think you're technical, go crude. I'm a very technical boy. So I get as crude as possible. These days, though, you have to be pretty technical before you can even aspire to crudeness... -Johnny Mnemonic