Att arbeta med 1950-talets matematikmaskiner : Transkript av ett vittnesseminarium vid Tekniska museet i Stockholm den 12 september 2005

• The witness seminar “Att arbeta med 1950-talets matematikmaskiner” [Working with the Computing Machines of the 1950s] was held at Tekniska museet [The National Museum of Science and Technology] in Stockholm on 12 September 2005, and led by Lars Arosenius. At the seminar the development of the first Swedish electronic computer BESK, at the Swedish Board for Computing Machinery (MMN), and the design of the subsequent BESK copies SMIL, at MMN, and Facit EDB, at AB Åtvidabergs Industrier/Facit AB, were discussed. Different design problems were observed, particularly the problem of developing working memories. The problem of the service reliability of the first computers was brought up. Furthermore the seminar discussed the early use of computers, paying special attention to the role of the largest users, the defense and meteorology areas. Problems such as hardware dependence of programming, memory capacity as a limiting factor and the use of subroutines were brought up. Other subjects touched upon included the peripheral equipment, the importance of the visits to study in the USA, the environment around BESK, the organizational problems at MMN, and the recruiting of the BESK group by AB Åtvidabergs Industrier.

Subject headings

HUMANIORA  -- Historia och arkeologi -- Teknikhistoria (hsv//swe)

HUMANITIES  -- History and Archaeology -- History of Technology (hsv//eng)

Keyword

BESK

databehandling

dator

datorhistoria

matematikmaskin

teknikhistoria

vetenskapshistoria

vittnesseminarium

History of technology

Teknikhistoria

Publication and Content Type

vet (subject category)

rap (subject category)