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vasanthz
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Joined: 28 Aug 2007
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Location: Tirupur, India
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April 7, 1964, was the day IBM announced to the world the product of its biggest investment ever, a computer called the System/360.
Our beloved mainframe turns 50 today  |
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Terry Heinze
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Joined: 14 Jul 2008
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Location: Richfield, MN, USA
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| You mean there's something younger than me?! |
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steve-myers
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| vasanthz wrote: |
April 7, 1964, was the day IBM announced to the world the product of its biggest investment ever, a computer called the System/360.
Our beloved mainframe turns 50 today |
Actually, "mainframe" computers existed well before System/360 was announced. They've all gone to wherever mostly forgotten computers go when they died.
The proper subject should be "Happy 50th Birthday System/360." |
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Terry Heinze
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| You're right, Steve. The mainframe I operated in the service was built in 1959 (an NCR 304). I could run only 1 program at a time but it WAS a mainframe. |
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dick scherrer
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Joined: 23 Nov 2006
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Lots of older mainframes were used in the 50's and 60's - many not IBMs.
Before '65 i worked on an IBM 7070 that had only tape i/o (and the console). To feed it, we had Card to tape and tape to card/paper via 14xx "MF"s. Then i used: RCA 301/501 setup, Burroughs 2xx and 3xx machines as well as their newer 3500/5500 series, A Univac that had my one and only experience with drum media. A Honeywell 800/200 setup, and a few others that i've forgotten the id numbers of . . . Spent very little time with them.
But the 360 probably had the single biggest impact of them all . . . And it is still hard for me to get my head around the 360 is now 50 . . . |
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vasanthz
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Location: Tirupur, India
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more than 5 decades of working on mainframes?..
WOW! |
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Rohit Umarjikar
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Joined: 21 Sep 2010
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Location: NYC,USA
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On this forum we could really see a many people who have been worked more than 25+ years on Mainframes. And they must have a great experience to share the Current system Vs earlier one's
And it is our pleasure to have them (Expert's) still sharing a great knowledge as and when someone wants.. |
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Terry Heinze
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steve-myers
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I still remember the 7090 featured Dr. Strangelove, but only as set decoration.
The first computer I actually used was an IBM 7040, the last of the 704/709/709x style machines from the middle 1950s to the early 1060s |
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daveporcelan
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Location: Pennsylvania
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| Seargent Heinze, you looked good back then. |
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steve-myers
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5 decades. Heck, I'm in my 6th: 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s!
When System/360 was originally defined I suspect the engineers that defined it were thinking about extending the viability of the definition to 20 years rather than the 10 years or so that was the accepted norm at the time. I doubt they thought it would still be sort of viable after 50 years! Though I will argue it has been stretched nearly to the breaking point to go to 64-bit. |
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Ed Goodman
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Location: USA
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| I wonder if the people that make the "Candle screen" are doing anything special. |
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PeterHolland
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Are we having a peeing contest here?
Being decades in I(C)T doesnt guarantee someone did learn something. |
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daveporcelan
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Joined: 01 Dec 2006
Posts: 792
Location: Pennsylvania
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| Quote: |
| Being decades in I(C)T doesnt guarantee someone did learn something. |
Must have done something right to last so long.
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| Are we having a peeing contest here? |
Us old folk pee often. |
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don.leahy
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Location: Whitby, ON, Canada
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How many other 50 year olds do you know that are smaller and faster than they were in their youth?  |
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dick scherrer
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Joined: 23 Nov 2006
Posts: 19244
Location: Inside the Matrix
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| Quote: |
| Being decades in I(C)T doesnt guarantee someone did learn something. |
Now that you've found me out, i'll have to decide what i really want to do when i grow up . . . |
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