Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!clyde.concordia.ca!uunet!hsi!stpstn!lerman From: lerman@stpstn.UUCP (Ken Lerman) Newsgroups: comp.misc Subject: Re: Punched Cards Message-ID: <5161@stpstn.UUCP> Date: 5 Jun 90 21:43:09 GMT References: <12546@netcom.UUCP> <220@taumet.COM> <12573@netcom.UUCP> <898@nlsun1.oracle.nl> <1990May29.132631.2253@pdn.paradyne.com> <1990May30.065025.25861@diku.dk> <1990Jun1.211352.4749@unhtel.uucp> <5157@stpstn.UUCP> <124@bohra.cpg.oz> Reply-To: lerman@stpstn.UUCP (Ken Lerman) Organization: The Stepstone Corporation, Sandy Hook, CT 06482 Lines: 60 In article <124@bohra.cpg.oz> ejp@bohra.cpg.oz.au (Esmond Pitt) writes: >In article <5157@stpstn.UUCP> lerman@stpstn.UUCP (Ken Lerman) writes: >>In the "Good Old Days", Fortran was punched in columns 1-72 of the 80 >>column card with 73-80 used for (an optional) sequence number. > >So was COBOL, assembler, ... It was a Hollerith card convention. > >>As I recall, the 7090 class machine had a 36 bit word and could thus >>contain 24 words of data (in binary mode) plus have an 8 character >>sequence number. > >I do not understand this statement. > >Anyway, as the 36 bits were divided into 6 6-bit (EBCDIC) characters, >the arithmetic is really 72 columns = 12 words, 8 columns = 1.3333... words . > >>Does anyone out there know if these two "facts" are related? > >Doesn't sound like it. > > >-- >Esmond Pitt, Computer Power Group >ejp@bohra.cpg.oz >D Nope, EBCDIC hadn't even been invented then. But on the machines I used (if I recall correctly), the cards were read "broadside". This was called the twelve edge. _____________________________________________________________________ / | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------- And this the nine edge. Typically the input hopper on a card reader would be labeled with the direction: "12 edge face down" Then, you could fit 2 36 bit words across the card -- the first in columns 1-36 and the second in columns 37-72. Since there are twelve rows (called 12, 11, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 in sequence) that means that you could fit 2 x 12 = 24 words on a card. Another set of names for the 12 and 11 rows was plus and minus, respectively, because that is now you indicated the sign of a number (at least on the IBM 650 that I used). More that you really wanted to know, I'm sure. Sorry about that. Ken