Start of an era - Manchester - Contractor UK Bulletin Board

Visitors can check out the Forum FAQ by clicking this link. You have to register before you can post: click the REGISTER link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. View our Forum Privacy Policy.
Want to receive the latest contracting news and advice straight to your inbox? Sign up to the ContractorUK newsletter here. Every sign up will also be entered into a draw to WIN £100 Amazon vouchers!

You are not logged in or you do not have permission to access this page. This could be due to one of several reasons:

You are not logged in. If you are already registered, fill in the form below to log in, or follow the "Sign Up" link to register a new account.
You may not have sufficient privileges to access this page. Are you trying to edit someone else's post, access administrative features or some other privileged system?
If you are trying to post, the administrator may have disabled your account, or it may be awaiting activation.

zeitghost replied

7 January 2011, 10:21
Originally posted by RichardCranium View Post

More information:
From May 2009: "A short history of computers"

Surely this is wrong?

1972 - the compact disc is invented in the United States, though it is many years before it takes over from the floppy disc as the standard portable format for computers

The first optical format was the LaserDisk, which was invented by Philips.

And laser disks are not compact, since they're the same size as an LP record.

The CD format was originated in 1977/8 ish in a collaboration between Philips & Sony.

It also leaves out CP/M, which was ripped off & sold to M$ for PCDOS.

Last edited by zeitghost; 7 January 2011, 10:24.
Leave a comment:
RichardCranium started a topic Start of an era - Manchester

6 January 2011, 21:49
Start of an era - Manchester

I caught a snippet of a story on BBC Radio Manchester today which I now cannot find. It was something to do with the Manchester Baby being re-housed in a better venue in Manchester city centre.

Anyway, from 60 years ago this month, here's Alan Turing with two colleagues and the Ferranti Mark I computer in January 1951:

Link:

The Ferranti Mark I computer installed (sic) at the University of Manchester in February 1951 was the world's first commercial computer. It was based on the Small Scale Experimental Machine (nicknamed the 'Baby') and the full-scale Manchester Mark I computer, both developed at the University. The Baby was the world's first stored-program computer.

It was actually installed earlier than February; it took many months to set up and configure. (Some tosser had lost the Windows licence key.)

More information:
From May 2009: "A short history of computers"

Computers have been on something of a miraculous journey since the Small-Scale Experimental Machine (SSEM) or 'Baby' ran its first program in Manchester in 1948.

October 1950 – Alan Turing is in Manchester working on the Manchester Mark 1, the next generation of 'Baby'.

1951 - The first commercial computer, the 'Ferranti MARK I' is functional at the University of Manchester.

Quite remarkable: from 17 June 2008 :"'Oldest' computer music unveiled"

Documentary evidence of the Manchester machine's musical abilities exists thanks to a BBC outside broadcasting team who had gone to the University to record an edition of Children's Hour. At the time Manchester was home to a Ferranti Mark 1, the first commercially available general purpose computer.

Links for your own research:
Early computers at Manchester University
The Manchester Mark I
Tags: None