The Evolution to the Computer History Museum

The Evolution to the Computer History Museum … Out of the Closet http: //research. microsoft. com/en-us/um/people/gbell/tcmwebpage/outoftheclosetv 2. 3. pdf describes the evolution of The Computer Museum to the Computer History Museum Gordon Bell Vanguard, San Jose 22 February 2012

Outline • Background: History of the museums. • On collecting artifacts and stories… Just before it is put in the junque and the pioneer’s decease. The 15 pioneers and pioneer computers • Three stories about the artifacts • Tour: Alcoves, Docents, and Mona Lisa's

Computer Structures Book • Bell and Newell, 1971 • A “Linnaean” taxonomy for computer types • PMS for Processor-Memory-Switch: A functional notation and structure for naming and describing all information processing systems including computers, networks, etc.

Six Phases: Serendipity “On building a Museum, time is your friend. Just wait. ” gbell “Chance Favors the Prepared Mind” – Pasteur 1. Concept and seed: Collectors and Preservers (xxx 1975) Founded on collecting: Smithsonian was inadequate. Science & Deutsches Museums. Belief that we could build the world’s best Computer Museum. 2. Alpha: The Museum in a Closet Project, Digital (1975) 3. Beta: The Digital Computer Museum, Digital (19791984) Maurice Wilkes Opening Lecture, followed by 15 Pioneers

The Digital Computer Museum, Marlboro MA 6, 000 sq. ft. of exhibits

The Digital Computer Museum Five founding principles from 1983 Report 1. Historical preservation. “To that end, the P, M, S notation forms the basis of the taxonomy determining the extent of the kingdom of computing and providing guidelines for exhibits. ” 2. A lecture series for the computing pioneers and contributors to record their stories. “Thus, we are giving the podium to people who can give first-hand biographies of machines, programs and languages they have known. ” 3. “The focal point of the Museum is the machines themselves. ” Frank Oppenheimer stated: "Well-engineered machines speak eloquently …. Museum designers can't equal them" 4. A main “audience of computer scientists, programmers, history buffs, and those with a curiosity about computer evolution” 5. “Broad-based involvement by maintaining a working relationship between the enthusiastic volunteers, donors of artifacts, patrons, students, scholars and a staff that can keep stirring the soup”.

The Computer Museum Report, Summer 1983

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. First 15 of the 45 Marlboro lectures Italics denote artifact acquisition VIDEO CAPTURE Was ESSENTIAL… We did too few…. Maurice Wilkes: The Design and Use of EDSAC, Sept. 24 th, 1979 George Stibitz The Development, Design and Use of the Bells Labs Relay Calculators, May 8 th, 1980 … Jay Forrester: The Design Environment and Innovations of Project Whirlwind June 2 nd, 1980 John Vincent Atanasoff: The Forces the Led to the Design of ABC, the Atanasoff-Berry Electronic Computer November 11 th, 1980 Konrad Zuse: Designing and Developing the Z 1 -Z 4 March 4 th, 1981 James Wilkinson: The Design and Use of the Pilot Ace April 14 th, 1981 John Brainerd: Development of the ENIAC Project June 25 th, 1981 David Edwards: The Evolution of the Early Manchester Machines Sept. 9 th, 1981 Tommy H. Flowers: Design and Use of Colossus October 15 th, 1981 Arthur Burks: The Origin of the Stored Program February 18 th, 1982 Harry Huskey: From Pilot Ace to G-15 November 18 th, 1982 Grace Hopper, The Harvard Mark I. April 14 th, 1983 Donald Davies: Early History of Cipher Machines April 24 th, 1983 Robert V. D. Campbell on the Harvard Mark I-IV October 23 rd, 1983 J. Presper Eckert: ENIAC’s 40 th Birthday February 13 th, 1986 (at Boston)

Artifacts in the Marlboro Exhibit Data-operation components e. g. arithmetic units, logic circuitry, a valve from Manchester Mark I; Data-operations aka calculators e. g. abaci, slide rules, printed tables, sectors and other Navigational instruments, the Lehmer Number Sieves, a Hollerith system replica, a Napier’s Bones, a Pascaline replica, Hillis’s Tinker Toy Computer; Transducers e. g. telegraphy equipment, typewriters (subsequently discontinued), light pen, plotters; Memories e. g. Atanasoff capacitor store drum, core memories, delay lines, drums, handbooks, player piano disk, tapes, Williams tube. Computers e. g. Brigham Young U. Stretch. Bendix G-15, Burroughs ILLIAC IV, CDC 160 and 6600, Data General Nova, DEC PDP-1, 5, 7, 8, 11 (3 models), 12, Fairchild Symbol pioneered dual in-line IC, Honeywell ARPA IMP, IBM 1130, 1620, 7030 (Stretch), and 360/195 console, LGP-30, Lincoln Laboratory LINC and TX-0, MITS Altair, MIT Whirlwind, NASA Apollo Guidance Computer, Philco 212, Raytheon Polaris Guidance Computer, RR Solid State 80, Siemens 2002, Sperry Univac NTDS (Seymour Cray design), TI Advanced Scientific Computer, Viatron System 21, and Xerox Alto. Working: restored TX-0, PDP-1, and Marlboro’s VAX computer installation.

The Digital Computer Museum Board 18 member board. Six from DEC including Olsen and Bell Charlie Bachman, inventor of the Integrated Data Store Harvey Cragon, designed TI Advanced Scientific Computer Bob Everett, CEO of MITRE Corp. Les Hogan, CEO, Fairchild John Lacey, CDC Pat Mc. Govern, founder, Computer. World George Michael, Livermore Computer Scientist Bob Noyce, the inventor of the IC and Intel founder Brian Randell of the University of Newcastle Mike Spock, Founder and Director of the Boston Children’s Museum • Erwin Tomash of the Babbage Institute • Massachusetts Senator Paul Tsongas • • •

Six Phases: Serendipity “On building a Museum, time is your friend. Just wait. ” gbell “Chance Favors the Prepared Mind” – Pasteur 1. Concept and seed: Collectors and Preservers (xxx 1975) Founded on collecting: Smithsonian was inadequate. Science & Deutsches Museums. Belief that we could build the world’s best Computer Museum. 2. Alpha: The Museum in a Closet Project, Digital (1975) 3. Beta: The Digital Computer Museum, Digital (19791984) Maurice Wilkes Opening Lecture, followed by 15 Pioneers 4. Going Public I: The Computer Museum, Boston (1984 -1999) Bob Noyce pre-opening lecture; J. Prespert Eckert Opened

The Computer Museum, Boston 1984 Annual Attendance: 135, 000 Collection of over 500 of “first and early PCs” Pioneer lectures serie > Industry breakfast series Dozen major exhibits e. g. Walk Through Computer Clubhouse w/MIT It didn’t die

The Computer Museum Boston, 13 Nov. 1984 12, 000 sq. ft. Exhibit Walk-through Computer Robot Gallery, Timeline Games, Networks, Children’s Software Virtual Fish tank

Six Phases: Serendipity “On building a Museum, time is your friend. Just wait. ” gbell “Chance Favors the Prepared Mind” – Pasteur 1. Concept and seed: Collectors and Preservers (xxx -1975) Founded on collecting: Smithsonian was inadequate. Science & Deutsches Museums. Belief that we could build the world’s best Computer Museum. 2. Alpha: The Museum in a Closet Project, Digital (1975) 3. Beta: The Digital Computer Museum, Digital (1979 -1984) Maurice Wilkes Opening Lecture, followed by 15 Pioneers 4. Going Public I: The Computer Museum, Boston (1984 -1999) Bob Noyce pre-opening lecture; J. Prespert Eckert Opened 5. The Computer Museum Board tires & decides to fold. 1. Acquisition: Boston Museum of Science July 1999 acquires cash, name, and a few board members; and 2. Spinout: Artifacts move to Silicon Valley, forming The Computer Museum History Center, Moffett Field, CA (19952000)… Plan a building for a Silicon Valley Center. Sell High! (pre-. com, get commitments for $55 M)

The Computer Museum History Center 1996 -2002 Moffett Field, CA

Six Phases: Serendipity “On building a Museum, time is your friend. Just wait. ” gbell “Chance Favors the Prepared Mind” – Pasteur 1. Concept and seed: Collectors and Preservers (xxx -1975) Founded on collecting: Smithsonian was inadequate. Science & Deutsches Museums. Belief that we could build the world’s best Computer Museum. 2. Alpha: The Museum in a Closet Project, Digital (1975) 3. Beta: The Digital Computer Museum, Digital (1979 -1984) Maurice Wilkes Opening Lecture, followed by 15 Pioneers 4. Going Public I: The Computer Museum, Boston (1984 -1999) Bob Noyce pre-opening lecture; J. Prespert Eckert Opened 5. Acquisition: Boston Museum of Science July 1999; and Spinout: The Computer Museum History Center, Moffett Field, CA (1995 -2000)… Plan a building for a Silicon Valley Center. Sell High! (pre-. com, get commitments for $55 M) 6. Going Public II: The Computer History Museum, Mountain View, (2000 - present) 2002: get SGI building. Buy Low! (Get 3 x the building at 1/3 rd the cost) January 10, 2011 R|Evolution Timeline Opens

Computer History Museum, 2002 119, 000 sq. ft.

Yosemite Warehouse, 2007 25, 000 sq. ft. warehouse Purchased for the purpose of storing the Museum’s Collection. Located in Milpitas, CA

Web Youtube KQED/NPR Education outreach The Computer Museum Report, Summer 1983

Ike Nassi Federico Faggin Dally, Smarr Len Shustek, Chairman Feigenbaum, Lenat Negroponte, Hawley Alan Kay Dave Patterson Dave Reed Peter Cochrane John Gustafson Chuck Thacker Dubinsky, Culler Kleinrock, Lucky John Hollar, CEO Babbage DE 2 Working Exhibit Tim Robinson The Computer History Museum R|Evolution Exhibit, 25, 000 sq. ft. 10 January 2011 Gordon Bell

Three stories • John Vincent Atanasoff and the ABC: How JVA disinvented the computer and made the recipe open source • Lee Boysel’s company, Four Phase Systems: How one demo was able to thwart the work of 100 s of lawyers and make the microprocessor royalty-free • Johnniac: How one museum’s trash became a Computer History Museum treasure

Story of the ABC Atanasoff-Berry Computer The “first” electronic digital computer…

What Does It Mean to be the First Computer? An Historian’s View Michael R. Williams Served as curator at Computer History Museum July 22, 2009 COMPSAC 2009 Seattle Professor Michael R. Williams 27

Historians seldom use the word “first” • Project xxxxx was the first mechanical, analog, automatic, nonprogrammable, fully operational, calculating machine available in Northwest Washington. • Use enough adjectives and you can usually be sure that whatever you create can be a “first” July 22, 2009 COMPSAC 2009 Seattle Professor Michael R. Williams 28

First electronic machines • ENIAC (1944) “First large scale, general purpose, digital, electronic, calculating machine” • Military project • 17, 000 vacuum tubes • Built at the Moore School of Electrical Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania July 22, 2009 COMPSAC 2009 Seattle Professor Michael R. Williams 35

First electronic machines • The ABC is known as “The First Electronic Digital Computer” • Designation given in 1973 by a US judge in a patent lawsuit (overturned ENIAC patent) • Needs and views of patent lawyers are different from those of historians July 22, 2009 COMPSAC 2009 Seattle Professor Michael R. Williams 36

Who gets credit? The main thing that historians will do is: Document the situation but NOT ANSWER THE QUESTION! July 22, 2009 COMPSAC 2009 Seattle Professor Michael R. Williams 41

But who owns the computer? ENIAC Rand Kardex 1927 1950 1952 1966 IBM 1955 es! Su ENIAC patent filed 1957, issued 1964

Uh-oh: Another Unknown Pioneer Atanasoff - Berry Computer (1939 -1942) The ABC was the “disinvention” of the computer” – Gordon Bell

ABC Reconstruction: It worked! DOE Ames Lab. Led by John Gustafson

The first Microprocessor …make that the “first commercially available” i. e. sold as a component, microprocessor • 1971 Intel establishes the market • 1995 TI asserts its patents for the invention of the microprocessor, cross licensed to Intel • Lee Boysel prepares to demo the Four Phase single processor chip c 1969. TI folds.

The First Microprocessor: The microprocessor’s disinvention 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. “One demo trumps a thousand lawyers”--Bell 1969 Four Phase Systems ships a byte sliced microprocessor! Board member Bob Noyce acts to interest Intel in approach. 1971 Intel 4004 establishes the market for component micros 1995 TI asserts its patents for the invention of the microprocessor, cross licensed to Intel Lee Boysel prepares to demo the Four Phase single processor c 1969 running as a one chip micro at TI versus Everybody trial TI folds Friday before the trial, at “demo threat” Four Phase story and its “first” dis-invention http: //www. computerhistory. org/revolution/digitallogic/12/282/2291 Lee Boysel story as told by Bell Intel now, usually claims “the 4004 is the first commercially available microprocessor sold as a component”

From The Dump: Johnniac

Ike Nassi Federico Faggin Dally, Smarr Len Shustek, Chairman Feigenbaum, Lenat Negroponte, Hawley Alan Kay Dave Patterson Dave Reed Peter Cochrane John Gustafson Chuck Thacker Dubinsky, Culler Kleinrock, Lucky John Hollar, CEO Babbage DE 2 Working Exhibit Tim Robinson The Computer History Museum R|Evolution Exhibit, 25, 000 sq. ft. 10 January 2011 Gordon Bell

The Mona Lisa’s Industrial seminals (18) One of a kind (12) • ENIAC, JOHNNIAC, UNIVAC • Napier’s Bones • LINC … first PC • Jacquard Loom model • PDP-1 “Spacewar”, PDP-8 • Pascaline replica • IBM System/360 • Babbage DE 2 Reconstruction • ARPA IMP • Hollerith replica • PC Collection: Apple 1. . MAC, • ABC Reconstruction IBM PC… another 500+ • Core Memory #1 • Cray’s (RR, LC, 6600, Cray 1, 2) • IBM RAMAC #1, 5 MB Disk • Cal Tech Cosmic Cube Cluster • Sqee; SRI Shakey robot • Google Search Engine • Four Phase “The 1 st micro” • Xerox PARC Alto, …Ethernet

Alcove By Time: Pre-Computing and Pre-Computer Industry A Calculators … (D’s) C Analog Computers D’s no storage B Punched Cards (M’s & Processing) D Birth of the Computer (integrating M, D, and K to P) E Early Computer Companies By Information Processing (P, M, S) Functions H Memory and Storage (M-memory) I Software Theater (K-control) L Digital Logic (Processing, Computers) N Input and Output (T) Transducers 0 Computer Graphics, Music and Art … these are also I/O (T and K) S Networking and the Web Object “Mona Lisa” in the exhibit Lots of early artifacts, especially Babbage DE 2; HP 35 or Bowmar Norden Bombsight Hollerith repro ABC Reconstruction; ENIAC, Johnniac UNIVAC or Leo (the first) Core, RAMAC, Relational Database 1 st Monolithic IC; 1 st Micro; MOS memory SAGE and Light Pen, Mouse, WIMP Teapot BBN IMP; Ethernet; Internet; web &

By Computer Class (Size x function) F Real Time Computers i. e. embedded (The invisible computer – function: K/Control) R Mobile Computing (These includes Links aka wireless) P Computer Games… Spacewar; PONG; Odyessy Q Personal Computers LINC; MAC; CTSS; UNIX; NT K Minicomputers 8 G Mainframe Computers 360 or UNIVAC I J Supercomputers FORTRAN, Cray-1 (Goliath) Cosmic Cube (“Killer Micros” are David to undo Cray), PDP-8; and Intel 4004 Every computer you never see! Pacemaker, clock, process control, automotive, etc. M Artificial intelligence (algorithms) Unimate, Shaky, Squee; a different and Robotics (things) kind of machine T What's Next?

Napier’s Bones c 1700

Jacquard Loom Model & Weaving of Inventor

Pascaline Replica Arithomometer

It works! Difference Engine No. 2 Photo: Doron Swade

Hollerith Solves the Census problem (Robeto Guatelli, Replica_

An Enigma “collected” for TCM opening

Edmund C. Berkeley’s Squee Robot

Norden Bombsight

Manchester Mark I, Williams Tube

Whirlwind Exhibit from TCM, c 1990

Whirlwind filled a very large room

Whirlwind uses core memory

32 x 32 Core Plane from Whirlwind c 1952

DIY computers: the WISC Gene Amdahl University of Wisconsin-Madison 1951 -1954

IBM 305: First Disk (5 Megabytes) c 1957

SAGE filled a big room

SAGE’s UI

Lincoln Laboratory, LINC, c 1962 (turned 50) 1 st Computer with all the PC attributes

CDC 6600

Cray-1

Heuristics for building a museum 1. A couple of people do it. Gwen Bell & Len Shustek … with a help. 2. Hang in … just don’t let it die!!! A couple of people can also kill it. i. Luck and serendipity favor prepared mind. ii. CHM won with sell high, buy low stategy. iii. Wait for opportunities. iv. Don’t wait: collect before its lost, person dies, or a competitor 3. A museum runs on support… it often takes years to build support 4. Boards are $critical$. a. 3 G’s: Glory, Give-Back, and Greed; Or: Give, get, or get off. b. Support varies with the proximity to the object creation i. Stauches supporters are the creators-- founding creators, engineers, marketing, sales, etc. ii. Venture Capitalists bankers, PR, Marcom, accounting, legal, etc. iii. Researchers and academicians including historians iv. Major users v. Communities where museums live vi. Museum goers.

References for The Computer Museum (TCM) Paper from Brian Randell’s Festschrift: http: //research. microsoft. com/enus/um/people/gbell/tcmwebpage/outoftheclosetv 2. 3. pdf Web site for TCM: http: //research. microsoft. com/enus/um/people/gbell/TCMwebpage/index. html TCM Annual Report Compilation 1975 -1988: http: //research. microsoft. com/enus/um/people/gbell/TCMwebpage/reports/Report. Compilation. pdf Some Cyber. Museum Content from Gbell Collection: http: //research. microsoft. com/en-us/um/people/gbell/Cyber. Museum. Pubs. htm • Computer Pioneers – Pioneer Computers (Part 1): http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=qundvme 1 Tik • Computer Pioneers – Pioneer Computers (Part 2): http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=wsir. YCAoc. Zk • Report of the 15 pioneer talks (from Atanasoff to Zuse) at the museum: http: //research. microsoft. com/enus/um/people/gbell/Cyber. Museum_contents/TCMR 1983_Winter_A_Companion_to_the_Computer_Pioneer_Timeline. pdf • Hollerith Patent: http: //research. microsoft. com/enus/um/people/gbell/Hollerith%20 patent%201889. pdf • The Ethernet Announcement, Feb 1982. “the network becomes the system” http: //research. microsoft. com/enus/um/people/gbell/Ethernet_Seminar_Announcement_NYC_820210 a. PDF

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