Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!mailrus!ncar!ico!ism780c!news
From: news@ism780c.isc.com (News system)
Newsgroups: comp.misc
Subject: Re: Punched Card Annecdote (was: C obfuscator)
Message-ID: <43343@ism780c.isc.com>
Date: 4 Jun 90 20:42:47 GMT
References: <61208@sgi.sgi.com> <1600003@aspen.IAG.HP.COM>
Reply-To: marv@ism780.UUCP (Marvin Rubenstein)
Organization: Interactive Systems Corp., Santa Monica CA
Lines: 23

In article <1600003@aspen.IAG.HP.COM> jacka@aspen.IAG.HP.COM (Jack C. Armstrong) writes:
>At one point (in the '50s), IBM made a beast called a CPC (Card Programmed
>Calculator).  Instead of programming steps with a plugboard panel (don't
>get me started!), instructions were punched into cards, interspersed with
>data.  Loops were 'programmed' by duplicating the cards containing the
>steps of the loop!

I actually used a CPC for wind tunnel data processing in the early 50's.
An interesting part of the system was that the data cards were interdigitated
with the program cards.  This was done using a 056 collator.  (a machine that
could merge two decks to form a single one.)  There were typically one or two
data cards for every several hundred program cards.  After running a batch of
code and data through the machine, the data were removed so the code could be
reused with new data.  The way we did this was to punch the program on cards
with the left hand top corner cut off.  The data were punched on cards with
the right hand top corner cut off.  Thus the data could be easily removed
from the program by hand.

We replaced the CPC with an IBM/650 in about 1955.  The 650 was a stored
program machine but it was called a calculating punch by IBM.  I was told it
had that designation (instead of computer) for tax reasons.

    Marv Rubinstein -- The old days were BAD.