Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!mcvax!unido!uklirb!kirchner
From: kirchner@uklirb
Newsgroups: comp.arch
Subject: Re: Computer noises (was Re: Cray archit - (nf)
Message-ID: <1600002@uklirb.UUCP>
Date: 12 Apr 88 15:29:00 GMT
References: <769@kaos.UUCP>
Lines: 39
Nf-ID: #R:kaos:-76900:uklirb:1600002:000:1492
Nf-From: uklirb!kirchner    Apr 12 16:29:00 1988

Hello,
I can't keep quiet when all others make noise-:)

During my time at Karlsruhe University ( appr. 1972 ) i got in touch with
machines from Zuse ( the one who invented , or at least built , the
first computer ), namely a Z22 and a Z23.

On these machines main memory was a drum, rotating at 6000 rpm. The console
had light for all bits in the accu, the instruction register etc.

There was also a loudspeaker which made a pulse for each memory request.

So by listening and looking we could easily see if our programs were
in endless loops, we knew when compilations ( ALGOL60 !! ) were near
to end at specific sounds and blink sequences etc.

It was also possible to play music by writing programs which jumped
in carefull calculated sequences around the drum. I still have papertapes
with christmas songs -:)

BTW: The machine is now in our cellar, perhaps we get time and space sometimes
to build a little museum. There are other nice things too in our store.

Just to correct: the z23 was NOT the university computer of that time,
we just had fun in using it until it was dismantled. At that time the
computing center had a UNIVAC 1108 with 3 processors and we were happy
with it.

  Reinhard Kirchner
  University of Kaiserslautern
  Computer Science
  P.O.Box 3049
  D-6750 Kaiserslautern
  W-Germany

Arpa:   kirchner@uklirb@unido
  or:   kirchner%uklirb.uucp%germany.csnet@RELAY.CS.NET
CSNET:  kirchner%uklirb%uka.csnet@csnet-relay.arpa
UUCP:   ..{mcvax!}unido!uklirb!kirchner