IEEE Annals of the History of Computing

To shed light on a lesser-known period of the ENIAC, which was announced to the public exactly 60 years ago, this article describes how the ENIAC underwent the metamorphosis from a static computer - configured and reconfigured by the repetitive plugging of cables - to become a forerunner of today's stored-program computers. View full abstract»

With an interactive simulation of the ENIAC, users can wire complex configurations of the machine's modules. The simulation, written in Java, can be started from an Internet site. The simulation has been tested with a 6-meter-long data wall, which provides the closest available approximation to the look and feel of programming this historical computer. View full abstract»

To put a finer point on the influence of the ENIAC on IBM, engineers from the Endicott, New York, plant, specializing in input/output card equipment, visited the ENIAC while it was under construction and observed the use of a card reader with it. But as a general statement, what the ENIAC did to the office appliance and electrical supply firms during World War II was to call out the possibility th... View full abstract»

This paper describes the experience of author regarding ENIAC. The ENIAC was indeed of very great size and the team, under the leadership of Presper Eckert, began to realize that by taking an improved approach, a much more powerful computer-one-tenth of the size of the ENIAC-could be built. This, as everyone now knows, led to the EDVAC report and, after a long evolution, to the modern computer. View full abstract»

When it made successful use of magnetic tape, the Univac I pioneered the way for federal and commercial applications with extensive files. But pioneering posed many challenges because technology barely supported the production and introduction of electronic computers. This article is a recollection of efforts the US Air Force made to accommodate and use the first Univac moved out of the factory. View full abstract»

A number of cryptanalysis projects were developed in the UK during the postwar years 1945-1955. One of the most significant of these was Oedipus, a special-purpose rapid analytical machine using novel digital storage. Oedipus was developed by GCHQ and the UK companies Elliott and Ferranti. Oedipus contained a large semiconductor associative memory, a magnetic drum with on-the-fly searching, and a ... View full abstract»

This article describes various experiences of a 1950s graduate student who worked at the University of Illinois's Digital Computer Laboratory. Anecdotes recount some of the era's rigorous academic requirements and early work assignments performed for the IBM 701 and Illiac computers. View full abstract»

Examining the use of computing in whole industries sheds considerable new light on the role of IT in modern society. View full abstract»