Mainframes and Supercomputers

Question 1

How did IBM transition to dominating the supercomputer market

Answer 1

Extensive spending on R&D, which created a high entry barrier to the industry. IBM had 70% of the market share

Question 2

Motivation behind the NORC

Answer 2

IBM wanted to build the fastest machine possible. IBM agreed to build it for their image.

Question 3

Significance of the NORC

Answer 3

1.First supercomputer
2. Improvements in the design of magnetic tape drives (5x)
3. Improvements in the design of memory (“read around problem”)

Question 4

Use of the IBM 701

Answer 4

Targeted towards defense agencies for the Korean War effort

Question 5

Motivation behind the Stretch

Answer 5

IBM wanted to stretch the limits of computation, making a machine 100x faster than current technology

Question 6

Technical improvements in the Stretch

Answer 6

High speed transistors (10x speed), improved high speed core memory (SAGE)

Question 7

Uses of the Stretch

Answer 7

Atomic energy, defense research, and code breaking

Question 8

Who developed the LARC

Answer 8

Developed by UNIVAC for Lawrence Radiation Laboratory

Question 9

Use of the LARC

Answer 9

Atomic research, and used by the US Navy R&D centre

Question 10

Who was the Atlas designed for

Question 11

Peer machines of the Atlas

Answer 11

Greek Series: Mercury, Pegasus, Orion, etc.

Question 12

Impact of the Atlas

Question 13

Motivations for the IBM 360

Answer 13

1. Machines were not backwards compatible
2. Companies needed machines for both data processing and science, but they were designed for one or the other.

Question 14

Benefits/Consequences of the IBM 360 approach

Answer 14

Created many computers that were compatible with the IBM 360, but many copies were made without doing R&D like IBM

Question 15

How the clone market came to be

Answer 15

IBM provided many specifications to customers and software developers

Question 16

IBM 360 clone makers

Answer 16

RCA, UNIVAC, and Soviet Union

Question 17

Motivations for the IBM 370

Answer 17

1. 360 could not take advantage of time sharing
2. Solved the 360 cloning problem

Question 18

Impact of the IBM 370

Answer 18

1. Allowed computer access to groups who could not afford one
2. Reduced inefficient use with time sharing

Question 19

Major computer manufacturers from 60s to 70s

Answer 19

RCA, General Electric, Burrows, UNIVAC, NCR, Control Data, Honeywell

Question 20

Formation of Cray computers

Answer 20

Seymour Cray left the CDC to form his own company. Made computers where IBM couldn’t compete