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From: eugene@nas.nasa.gov (Eugene N. Miya)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.cdc
Subject: Re: Name (mis-)recogition
Message-ID: <1991Jun14.234246.14809@nas.nasa.gov>
Date: 14 Jun 91 23:42:46 GMT
References: <676362452.36@egsgate.FidoNet.Org> <550@equinox.unr.edu> <1991Jun13.025922.10626@news.larc.nasa.gov> <1991Jun14.121219.3395@borage.cc.uwa.oz.au>
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Reply-To: eugene@vax-amelia.nas.nasa.gov (Eugene N. Miya)
Organization: NASA-Ames Research Center
Lines: 23

>Hey, I like the machines.

I liked them at one time, too.  I like them when I was at a site (JPL)
when the 7600 was the fastest thing around, and the Cray-1 was just
taking off.  Instead we had to "fight fires" using Univac 1108s.
I had to try and convince the administration that larger word sizes and
faster machines were directions to proceed (let alone tell them about the
Xerox Altos on the Caltech Campus).  Instead they bought 1100/81s,
and I don't mean Xerox 1100s.

Now, I have an officemate who tells me to read "A Few Good Men from Univac"
(when ERA was bought up by Univac) and "Memories Which Shaped an Industry"
(about the IBM 360).  MIT Press.  So I am starting to re-read (oh a photo
of Cray in front of a 6600).  So consider these two besides reading
Thorndyke's book.

It will be interesting to watch CDC (and CRI and Unisys) as the
computer industry evolves (as you could also include Apple and Xerox).
Case studies of an industry.

--eugene miya, NASA Ames Research Center, eugene@orville.nas.nasa.gov
  Resident Cynic, Rock of Ages Home for Retired Hackers
  {uunet,mailrus,other gateways}!ames!eugene