for the first time a full line of computers covering a wide range of performances had been made compatible, a user with increasing computer requirements could move up from one machine to the next without discarding or rewriting the software. system/360 was equipped with the largest and most versatile operating system ever devised[up to that time]. the i/o equipment had standard interfaces so that they could be connected to systems of differing performance. the hardware used entirely new semiconductor circuitry developed by ibm, and the central processing units had the lowest-cost main memories ever produced.
although ibm introduced the 360 series in 1964, the first models did not become available until 1965. the 360 series was an unmitigated success, and allowed ibm to achieve complete hegemony in the mainframe computer field.
user comments 11 comment(s)
|wow… (3:34pm est mon apr 12 2004)
i think i just shed a few tears.
– by william g.
|i think i've seen these… (3:43pm est mon apr 12 2004)
aren't these the machines you saw on shows like the 6-million dollar man that had the blinking lights and the reel-to-reel tapes going back and forth. the ui was the greatest… you walked up to it, asked it a question and it printed the answer on a slip of paper (or was the “get smart”… maybe star trek)… either way, i've seen these machines in action. they were sweet!
and no, i had nothing better to add. sorry.
– by archerb
|6 million dollar man too recent (4:54pm est mon apr 12 2004)
those were either honywell or univac.
maybe you were thinking of “collosus: the forbin project”…
the 360 also had the first microcode memory.
|well. (5:21pm est mon apr 12 2004)
amazing, ibm. – by irritatedpotato
|market driven (6:57pm est mon apr 12 2004)
the 360 is an example of how market driven the computer industry is. the 360 failed at least one major design goal (position independant code) but still took the market by storm.
the pic failure just gave ibm a reason to build the ibm 370 series.
the sgemented architecture of 360/370 series was on of ibm's deciding factors in picking the 8086 family over the 68000 family for the ibm pc.
the sgement registers were implemented for two purposes, #1 ability to write pic code, and reduce the von neumann bottle neck. the first only works if you don't do any arithmatic using the base register (except offset) the second only works on very small code sets,otherwise it makes the code bigger and the bottleneck worse. – by old time architect
|s/360 (7:05pm est mon apr 12 2004)
it had a principles of operation (pops) manual less than half-an-inch thick and the sweetest instruction set one could imagine. contrast with today's z/architecture with a 2 inch pops.
– by joe
|goat guy (9:41pm est mon apr 12 2004)
if this subject doesn't get a goatguy post, i don't know what will.
“i remember back when…”
c'mon goat. – by not sick/not well
|movie computers (11:21pm est mon apr 12 2004)
“maybe you were thinking of “collosus: the forbin project”…”
colossus had all cdc equipment and stage fakes.
jeez i need to get a life… – by jim
|hmmmm (8:06am est tue apr 13 2004)
damn old time architect, you sound like my uni lecturer.
i have never seen a pic of the 360, but it does sound pretty revolutionary :)
|pictures of the 360 (10:32am est tue apr 13 2004)
the processor front is about 1/3 lights (flashlight filament – no leds here!)
– by old sampler
|typo (11:47am est tue apr 13 2004)
not on geek… but on the 360 link.
'at the beginning on 1964 there were fewer than 17,000 computers installed in businesses. by the end of 1969, there were 90,0000.'
how do you pronounce 90,0000, anyways? ninety-ten thousand? – by johny-d(ick)