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From: mrb@psuecla.BITNET
Newsgroups: comp.misc
Subject: IBM 1130 Nostalgia
Message-ID: <504@PSUECLA>
Date: Thu, 29-Jan-87 20:40:17 EST
Article-I.D.: PSUECLA.504
Posted: Thu Jan 29 20:40:17 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 31-Jan-87 16:43:24 EST
Organization: Engineering Computer Lab, Pennsylvania State University
Lines: 39


IMM STOP, RESET, PROGRAM LOAD (but don't have any console switches on, or
it won't work)

It was fun to read all the IBM 1130 recollections.  We had an 1130 with 8K
of core, a 1442 card read/punch, an 1132 printer (later upgraded to a 1403),
a Calcomp plotter (or plodder, as it seemed), and the bisync communications
adapter.  It was frequently used as a remote workstation to Univac 1108s or
CDC 6400/6600s, along with an IBM 360/370 every once in a while.

When they changed over to the 1403 printer, IBM had to add a "channel adapter"
to interconnect it.  It was a HUGE cabinet which sat in the next room...we
knocked a hole through the wall in order to feed the cabling to it.  In re-
trospect, it must have made the 1403 think a 360 was talking to it (just
a guess).  In fact, it was bigger than the printer.  What a kluge.

It seems like everyone whoever used the 1130 remains somewhat enamored of it;
it also seems to be the "first" computer for lots of people.  They must have
sold billions of them to high schools & colleges, even though IBM never
wanted to own up to such a success story.  Maybe it did too much for the money
(at that time).  In fact, they never did come up with a reasonable migration
path for 1130 users.  In 1974, they tries to sell us on a 370/115, and it did
not even drive a plotter (well, maybe off-line, but you had to buy a tape
drive and other messy complications).

General Automation was the company that made the 1130 clone....I never saw one
in real life but they sure did try hard to sell them.

By the way, there was no problem changing back to the card reader/printer as
system input/output after you had switched it to the console.  Seems to me
that //CEND would do the trick, althoug the manuals are long since devoured
by mildew and other dampness-loving basement organisms.  The library here
still has a couple 1130 books (the one by Joan K. Hughes was my favorite) and
maybe I'll look it up.

Did any one ever see a real live IBM 1800, which was an 1130 with data acqui-
sition facilities?

Looking forward to more stories......
MRB @ PSU