West coast contributions to the development of the general-purpose computer: Building maddida and the founding of computer research corporation

IEEE Annals of the History of Computing

Volumn 25, Issue 1, 2003, Pages 4-33

  Eckdahl, Donald E ^c   Reed, Irving S ^a,b   Sarkissian, Hrant H ^c  

^a University of Southern California   (United States)

^b UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA   (United States)

^c NONE

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

AIRCRAFT; MISSILES; RESEARCH;

COMPUTER RESEARCH;

GENERAL PURPOSE COMPUTERS;

EID: 0037230015     PISSN: 10586180     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1109/MAHC.2003.1179869     Document Type: Review

References (16)

1. T.C. Bartee, I.L. Lebow, and I.S. Reed, Theory and Design of Digital Machines, McCraw-Hill, 1962.
2. T.J. Bergin, ed., 50 Years of Army Computing: From Eniac to MSRC, Army Research Laboratories and U.S. Army Ordnance Center and School, 2000.
3. Unless noted otherwise, all quoted material is from the Computer Oral History Collection of the National Museum of American History.
4. T.C. Bartee, I.L. Lebow, and I.S. Reed, Theory and Design of Digital Machines, McCraw-Hill, 1962, sections 10-8, 10-9, and 10-10.
5. O. Morgenstern and J. von Neumann, Theory of Games and Economic Behavior, Princeton Univ. Press, 1944.
6. Copies of the papers apparently do not exist; I believe they never existed as I remember giving my paper from notes, save for a projected transparency that contained examples of a portion of the Boolean algebra equations that defined the Maddida.-D. Eckdahl.
7. J.E. Sammet, "Answers to Self-Study Questions," Annals of the History of Computing, vol. 11, no. 1, 1989, p. 43. Sammet writes: "As can be clearly seen in the list ⋯ the most common computer in 1951-1952 was the Maddida, not the Univac."
8. Cadac was the name given to the CRC102 computer developed under contract for the Air Force and the CRC102/Cadac was the prototype for a subsequent commercial version of the computer called the CRC102A.
9. R. Sprague, "A Western View of Computer History," Comm. ACM, vol. 15, no. 7, July 1972, pp. 691-692.
10. R. Sprague, "A Western View of Computer History," Comm. ACM, vol. 15, no. 7, July 1972, pp. 690-691.
11. D. Spicer, "Maddida: Bridge Between Worlds," CORE: A Publication of the Computer Museum History Center, vol. 1.3, Sept. 2000, pp. 2-5.
12. But several years later, when the investment community began to understand that there might be some demand for these "giant brains" or "digital computers," American Research and Development financed the start-up computer company Digital Equipment Corporation.
13. Consolidated Electrodynamics subsequently created its own computer company, Electro-Data, which later became the basis of Burroughs Corporation's entry into digital computers.
14. Tibor Fabian recalled a visit to the CRC facility made with UCLA Management Sciences Research Project "cubby-mate" Dick Canning in late 1952 or early 1953. "After security arrangements, we were led into a large industrial area, a relatively empty structure. On one side stood metal frames, similar to industrial metal shelves, in a long row, one behind the other. Those in the front were fairly well filled with electronic equipment and a great deal of wiring; those toward the middle were gradually emptier, while those toward the end were almost empty. It was clear that this was an assembly process, in which the assemblers moved gradually from the first to the last of the metal frames and added the electronics and wiring in the step-wise fashion of an assembly line. As Dick explained, the racks were computers-to-be." From E. Weiss, "Roger Sisson Biography," IEEE Annals of the History of Computing, vol. 18, no. 2, Summer 1996, pp. 67-76.
15. Northrop Aircraft, Maddida (Preliminary Report), Project MX-775, report no. CM-545, 26 May 1950.
16. F.J. Cruenberger, "A Short History of Digital Computing in Southern California," Annals of the History of Computing, vol. 2, no. 3, July 1980, p. 248