IBM 1401: Первый массовый электронный компьютер десятичного типа.

1960s decimal computer

The IBM 1401 is a variable wordlength decimal computer that was announced by IBM on October 5, 1959. The first member of the highly successful IBM 1400 series, it was aimed at replacing unit record equipment for processing data stored on punched cards and at providing peripheral services for larger computers. The 1401 is considered by IBM to be the Ford Model T of the computer industry due to its mass appeal. Over 12,000 units were produced and many were leased or resold after they were replaced with newer technology. The 1401 was withdrawn on February 8, 1971.

The 1401 project evolved from an IBM project named "World Wide Accounting Machine" (WWAM), which in turn was a reaction to the success of the Bull Gamma 3. The 1401 was used as an independent system in conjunction with IBM punched card equipment. It was also operated as auxiliary equipment to IBM 700 or 7000 series systems. Monthly rental for 1401 configurations started at US$2,500 (worth about $ today). Demand exceeded expectations. "IBM was pleasantly surprised (perhaps shocked) to receive 5,200 orders in just the first five weeks – more than predicted for the entire life of the machine!" By late 1961, the 2000 units installed in the USA were about one quarter of all electronic stored program computers by all manufacturers. The number of installed 1401s peaked above 10,000 in the mid 1960s. "In all, by the mid 1960s nearly half of all computer systems in the world were 1401 type systems." Commonly used by small businesses as their primary data processing machines, the 1401 was also frequently used as an off line peripheral controller for mainframe computers. In such installations, with an IBM 7090 for example, the mainframe computers used only magnetic tape for input output. It was the 1401 that transferred input data from slow peripherals (such as the IBM 1402 Card Read Punch) to tape, and transferred output data from tape to the card punch, the IBM 1403 Printer, or other peripherals. This allowed the mainframe's throughput to not be limited by the speed of a card reader or printer. (For more information, see spooling.) Some later installations (e. g., at NASA) included the 1401 as a front end peripherals controller to an IBM 7094 in a Direct Coupled System (DCS). Elements within IBM, notably John Haanstra, an executive in charge of 1401 deployment, supported its continuation in larger models for evolving needs (e. g., the IBM 1410) but the 1964 decision at the top to focus resources on the System/360 ended these efforts rather suddenly. IBM was facing a competitive threat from the Honeywell 200 and the 360's incompatibility with the 1401 design. IBM pioneered the use of microcode emulation, in the form of ROM, so that some System/360 models could run 1401 programs. Due to its popularity and mass production, the IBM 1401 was often considered to be the first electronic mainframe computer to be introduced in various countries, such as Singapore (1963; for the Central Provident Fund Board) and South Korea (1967; for the Economic Planning Board). During the 1970s, IBM installed many 1401s in India and Pakistan where they were in use well into the 1980s. Two 1401 systems have been restored to operating order at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California.

The IBM 1401G was sold in six models: (G1 and G11: 1,400 storage positions; G2 and G12 for 2,000; G3 and G13 for 4,000). One difference between the 1401 and 1401G is how the reader punch is controlled.

The IBM 1403 printer was introduced in October 1959 with the 1401 Data Processing System. The printer was a completely new development.

The Select Stacker (K) instruction sent commands to various devices. It was named for its relevance to the 1402 reader/punch. BCD Character Unit Meaning Blank 1401 set program activity recording at BBB only if A is, dd 1 1402 select last card read to stacker 1 if within 10 ms 2 1402 select last card read to stacker 8/2 if within 10 ms 4 1402 select previous card punched to stacker 4 8 1402 select previous card punched to stacker 8/2 = or # 1444 select previous card punched to stacker 2 L 1009 operate in load mode $ 1402 overlap on A 1009 suppress 3 second alarm C DDC read request D 1009 set direction to receive   DDC write request E 1009 set direction to transmit   DDC reset F 1009 send EOF 1402 overlap off ) 1402 reset overlap

In October 2006, Icelandic avant garde musician Jóhann Jóhannsson released the album IBM 1401, A User's Manual through music publisher 4AD. The concept is based upon work done in 1964 by his father, Jóhann Gunnarsson, chief maintenance engineer of one of the country's first computers, and Elías Daviðsson, one of the first programmers in the country. The album was originally written for a string quartet, organ and electronics and to accompany a dance piece by long standing collaborator friend, Erna Ómarsdóttir. For the album recording, Jóhann has rewritten it for a sixty piece string orchestra, adding a new final movement and incorporating electronics and vintage reel to reel recordings of a singing 1401 found in his father's attic. and computer "art", mostly kitschy pictures printed using Xs and 0s on chain printers. An IBM 1401 was the first computer introduced in Nepal for the census purpose in 1971. It took about one year to take the census of the country. At that time the population of Nepal was about 10,000,000. Other programs would generate music by having the printer print particular groups/sequences of characters using the impact of the printer hammers to generate tones.

A truck based IBM 1401 configured in 1960 for military use was designated a portable computer, and nicknamed a DataMobile.