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From: hugh@hcrvx1.UUCP (Hugh Redelmeier)
Newsgroups: net.micro
Subject: Re: Computer trivia.
Message-ID: <1312@hcrvx1.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 25-Feb-86 13:06:41 EST
Article-I.D.: hcrvx1.1312
Posted: Tue Feb 25 13:06:41 1986
Date-Received: Thu, 27-Feb-86 05:31:44 EST
References: <1046@loral.UUCP>
Reply-To: hugh@hcrvx1.UUCP (Hugh Redelmeier)
Organization: Human Computing Resources, Toronto
Lines: 24
Summary: IBM 305 RAMAC, not ATLAS

In article <1046@loral.UUCP> miller@loral.UUCP (David P. Miller) writes:
>Computer Trivia tm., by GAMEBRAINS tm. poses a question:
>
>	     1.  Which was the first computer to use magnetic disks ?.
>
>		     A:  Manchester University's "ATLAS".
>
>My question is: Was it really the ATLAS or was it IBM's STRECH ?. Maybe some old
>timers out there can help me out with this question.

All this is from my (faulty) memory.

ATLAS didn't have a disk.  IBM (!) invented the disk.  The first
product with it was the IBM 305 RAMAC (RAndoM ACcess).  The drum
had been around for a while.

Manchester did invent some interesting things: Williams tubes (for
main memory; used in the IBM 701; obsoleted by Jay Forrester's core
memory).  Index registers ("B-lines").  Pages (first on the ATLAS).
Paging (first on the TITAN (second version of ATLAS)).
Micro-programming.

STRETCH did have some novel things: the first BYTE (terminology).
Pipe-lining.