[sailor4321]

I remember the 1401. We used it to replace IBM 402 and 407 accounting machines (and for a million other things).

Anybody out there remember wiring boards?

[sinkspur]

Remember when memory was called "core"?

[NCjim]

We used to use the accumulators in the 407 to punch sequence numbers in columns 73-80 on the 514... 'real programming'

[forsnax5]

Anybody out there remember wiring boards?

Yep. 402, 403, 407, 514, 519, 108 statistical sorter. ;)

I even had an old 602a for a while -- it had a card reader/punch unit from a really old keypunch machine. It would throw cards across the room when it jammed.

I learned to program SPS and Autocoder on a 1401-G. It had 8k of memory, and multiply-divide was an optional hardware feature (which we didn't have).

Still working in Cobol today on the AS/400...

[Varmint Al]

In 1965 I was going to San Jose State studying General Engineering. I worked full time (till the last semester) as a mechanical technician at the Lawrence Livermore National Lab (where we WON the Cold War). The lab, in those days, had a couple of IBM 7094's, The Stretch, and an IBM 1401. Each night at mid-night, they turned off the IBM 1401. Its price tag was about $1,000,000 and it had 5 big floor mounted tape drives and could only read tape or punched cards. The output was punched cards or an impact line-printer with a metal belt and hammers that hit the correct letter as it went by. The memory was 4k of 64 bit words and it had a FORTRAN compiler on tape. To start the computer, one had to hand program the first few instructions to start reading the system tape. There was no EPROM or BIOS in those days. They allowed me to use the IBM 1401 from midnight until 6:00AM for about 6 months and I did all my engineering lab reports in FORTRAN. I lived with that machine for 6 months, in 1965. I received a BS in General Engineering in 1967.

Good Hunting... from Varmint Al

[stylin19a]

Good Grief ! good memories wiring boards.(sometimes gotta leave that sequence check plug out)..I started on TAB machines...sort needles; zip strips;51 column half cards.worked my way through 1440's & 1401. Then 360's
Operators were GODS back then. GODS I TELL YA!

Took 2 years out for Uncle Sam. I come back from the service, they have a 370 and rows & rows of tape drives/diskdrives/printers. And they have CRT's.

I go from a GOD to a disk puller & a tape & paper hanger.

Now on the software side for the last 20 years. Still developing on CICS boxes. The mainframe just doesn't know it's suppose to be dead.

[Bobibutu]

"Anybody out there remember wiring boards?"

Yes - Brrrrrrrrrrrr

Ever see the inside of the 407 test board? So much spagetti the cover would hardly close (painted red) ah memories :-)

[Bad Dog2]

Yes,

Especially coupling counters (don't forget your carry-back wire) and multiple x and digit selection. Also the joy of summary punching.

[Bad Dog2]

Yes,

Especially coupling counters (don't forget your carry-back wire) and multiple x and digit selection. Also the joy of summary punching.