The computer comes of age : the people, the hardware, and the software

236 Pages·1984·73.937 MB·English

by  René Moreau

Computer of
The Comes Age
The: MIT Prc:aa Series in the H"utory of Ccnnputing
J.B ernard Cohene.d itWoilr.li am Aspraays.s ocieadtiet or
TheC ompCoumteeojsrA ge. R. Moreau. 1984
Memories 'ThSahta pane Idn dwtryE,m ersoWn. Pugh. 1984
Computer oCfo mes
The Age
ThPee optlhHeea� r dwaanrde S�oft ware
the
R. Moreau
Translabtye d1- Howlett
The MPIrTe ss
CambridMgaes,s achusetts
LondonE,n gland
Engliedsihti on© 1984 by The MassachuosfeT tetcshn orlnosgyti tute
AU righrtse serveNdo. part of this bookr emparyod ubec ine dan y form or by
any means, electroorm necihcanic al,in cludpinhogt opcyoing,r ecordinorg b.y
any informations torage and retrievwailth osuyptse trmisesmi,o nin writing from
thep ublisher.
Original edition c©o p1yri98g1h tb y Bordpausb,li sPhuaenridds e,r the title
AinsTUJljUii t l'inJormaliqtu.
This boowka s set in Baskerville by PTrheessC oMmITp utergraphics
Department and printed and boW1d by The Murray Printing Co. in the United
Statoefs America.
Library of Congreu Caitnal oPugibnligc aDtaitoan
MoreauR,e ne.
Thec omputceorme s of age.
(The MIT Press serihisetso ryin othf ec puotinmg)
naquilt' informatique.
Translatioonf. Ainsi
Bibliography:
p.
Includinesd ex.
I.C omputers-2H.i sProtgramomiryng. l anguages
(Eleccroconimcp uters>-HIi.s tTiotlrye.. II. Series.
Q.,A76.17.M1968741 300 1.64'0893 -9424
ISBN 0-262-13194-3
ISB0N- 262-63(1p0a3-p2e r back)
Contents
SeriFeosr ewordv ii
Priface
ix
Introduct1i on
1
ThBei roftht hCeo mput4 er
1
ProblSeoml vainngd MIetcsh anizati4o n
2
MechaniMcaaclh ines1 0
8
ElectromeMcahcanhiicnale 21s
4-
ElectroMniacc hines 33
5
Conclusio4n6
2
ThFier sGte nerat1i9o5n0:- 195498
1
1950-195E4v:o lution4 9
2
TheD eveplmoenotfO theIrn fonnatSiuopnp or6t9s
8
Conclusio8n7
vi Content.>
3
TheS ecoGnedn erat9i;9o -n9i:6 3i 89
1
Meetingth eN eedosfth eU sers9 2
2
BatcPh rocess1in0g8
8
Direct-SAhcacreesdsS- yUssteem s 121
4
Conclusio1n3 1
4
ProgramLmainnggu ag1e4s8
1
The Low-LevLanegula ges 150
2
TheF irsHti gh-Level Langu1a5g9e s
8
FormalDleyfi nedH igh-LeLvanegula ges1 67
4
FunctionLanaglu ages 178
5
Conclusi1o8n2
5
Conclusion18s6
AppenEdaixr:l y on WCoromkput ers int he USSR1 97
AuthNoort'ess 2 03
TranslaNtootre'ss2 09
Bibliog2ra1p1h y
index 219
SerFioerse word
ReneM oreau'sb ookin auguratesa news erideesv otteodt heh istory
ofco mputearn dd aptrao cessFinugt.u vroleum es wdilelal w itvha rious
aspecotfst hede velopmento fs ystemhsa,r dwaraen,ds oftwaanrde ,
therweil lb eb othge neral workansd specialmiozneodgra phs. Some
worksb eingp lannefdo rt hes eriweilslb eo fa biographanidc eavle n
autobiograpnhaitcuarlae n,d o thersw illc oncentorna etiet hae prar ­
ticuldaerv elopmesnutca,hs m agnetimce mory,o r thet echnicalhi story
ofa nin dustricaolm pany.
Thefi rsbto okin thsee rieissb yR eneM oreaum,a nageorfs cientific
developmfeonrIt B MF rancHee.i sth ea uthoorfa g eneraclo mputer­
oriented worko n thet heoryo fl anguages( l95 )a7 n do fc omputer­
based analyseofst he languagoef G eneraDle Gaullean d oft he
languagues eidn t hee lectcioanm paigbnys G iscaDr'dE staainngd
Mitterrand.
Theh istooryf c ompusta enrdd atparo cessing isa relatinveewl y
subjeTchte.r aer enu merous specialhiizsetdo ripcrale sentawtiitohnins
thiasr eab,u tt hiisst hefi rsbto okt oa ttemtpotm akea ynsthesiso f
thew holseu bjeRcetn.e M oreahua sg iveuns a technichiaslt ortyh at
centerso n probleamnsd t heri solutisotnasgb,ey s tagfer,o mt he
beingningosf t hiss ubjeucntt itlh ey ea1r9 63,w hent heI BMS eries
360co m putersin trodaun ceewa dg ein thehi stooryf t echnology.
Int hibso okea ch oft hem ajcoonrce pst andd evicesi se xplained
ord escriinb eidth si stocriocnatlAe cxctor.d intghlibyso, o ks houlbde
ofs ignificfaonanrc ye readweirs hingt ou ndersttanhded evelopment
ofi nformaptroiceossnin g andin formatiothne ory (orin formatics).
ReneM orehaausenl arged ouru nderstanodftin hge de velopmento f
technoalnodgyo ft hero leo fm achineins moderns ociety. All readers
vi/t FSoerrieeswo rd
wills tbiem ulbaythi esdf repsohin t voifea wn dh is dineseipg ihntt o
thsei gnificaonfinc feo rmatitoend mology.
1.B ernard Cohen
William Aspray
Preface
Iti sn otWlC ommon tor eatd hathte firstc omputwears t heM ARK
I,o rt heH antard-lBmaMc hine, orp erhaENIApC;s buti t siesl dom
statethda tth eI BMS electiSeqvuee nce-ControllEleedc troniCalccula tor
(SSEalCo)n ecan claitmhis distinction. Teh etisrh es ameun certainyt
in datitnhgefi rsotnn ulfations ofth e mainc oncepts ofw hatw e now
calcolm putesrc ience-mpulrtiogramming,o peratings ystemtse,l e­
processingp,r ogramminlanggu agesa,n ds oo n.T heraer ea tl east
twor easofnosrt hiTsh.e d efinitionosf t heco ncepts can varyf rom
onewri tert oan otheran,d iisto ftedni fficultt os elecfrto mth em ultitude
off acrtesl atintgo t hesceo nceptthseo neo rth ef ewth ati ndicthaet e
originosft hemo sts gniificadnet velopments.
Its eemetdo m e thati tw oulbde in teresgtin togi vean accouonft
theh istoofryt heco mputaenrd o fc omputsecri entchea wthil,e ad­
dressteot dh neo nspecialwiosutld,d e finteh esceo nceapstp sr ecisely
asp ossiabnldet, a kingth em ajorivtiye owf th ekn owledgeawrbiltee rs.
would assidgna tetsofi rsfto rmulatioTnhsu.sth ebo ok isn ots imply
a histooryfo nep articulatre chnoloigyti; sal soa n expositioofnth e
main ideanas d conpctetso w hichthi s technolohgyas givenris e.A s
awlo rko fp opulariziatmti aoyngi ,v et ot her eadwehro d oenso tw ork
in thefi elodfc omputesormse f amiliaritwyi tthhe s ubjAsea chitst.o ry,
itm aygi vet hesp ecialai sbte tfteeerlin gf othre o riginso fthi s subject.
Theb ibliograopfsh oyb roaad s ubject couldfi lls evervaoll umes;
theb ibliographiecanlt riegsi vehne rea rew orkasc tuallciyt eind or
havinag d irebceta ringo n the text.
Translatnoort'e:sC ertacino nventionsb eheanav deo ptedt hfieosdr i tioFni.r st,
authonro'tse arse citeds ubpye rscri1p,ts2 ,8 ,. . .; tr anslatnoort'esbs y,
superscari,pb t,cs ,. . .j b oth authoran'ds translatonrot'essa ppeaatr th e back
ofth e book. Secontde,xt in squarbera ckiestsan insertion by trthanes lator.
;If Preface
Befocroen cluthisdin g prefaIcs eh,o ulikled t ot hank allth osew ho
havgie vemne so much helpw,h etheinr readinangd criticizing my
texto rin providinmeg with documents.