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paulg's profile
Paul Graham
Paul Graham
Paul Graham
Verified account
@paulg

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Paul GrahamVerified account

@paulg

paulgraham.com
Joined August 2010

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    1. Ken Shirriff‏ @kenshirriff Mar 3

      In 1959, the IBM 1401 computer was built from boards called SMS cards. A single board might hold just 3 logic gates so the computer needed thousands of boards. Silicon transistors weren't popular yet, so they used germanium transistors. https://www.righto.com/2021/03/germanium-transistors-logic-circuits-in.html …pic.twitter.com/1GsbLgZJtP

      The IBM 1401 computer has two cabinets the size of refrigerators, with blue trim. A console with lights and switches is at one end. A panel is opened, showing the circuit cards inside.
      A circuit card, about the size of a playing card. It is a tan printed-circuit board with components mounted on it: inductors, resistors, transistors, diodes, and a jumper bar.
      The back of the board shows the metal printed-circuit board traces and a gold-plated edge connector at one end.
      A closeup of the computer showing about 150 cards plugged into a backplane, forming a tight grid of cards. Multi-colored cables at the top go into the computer.
      23 replies 302 retweets 1,103 likes
      Show this thread
      Paul Graham‏Verified account @paulg Mar 3
      Replying to @kenshirriff

      I remember peering through the gaps between the front panels of our 1401 and seeing donut memory.

      11:31 AM - 3 Mar 2021
      • 22 Likes
      • 🔴🔴🔴 🔋 Arthur Dent #! 🔋 🔌🚘 (🏡) 🌱𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐜𝐞𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐲 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐲𝐬𝐨𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐞🌱 Moritz Lehmann Daniel Medrano Huerta 👨🏻‍💻 🅰🆁🆃🅷🆄🆁​​​​​ 🟥🟧🟨🟩💙🟪 pocketpc_ Eric Ericson {…} Ray Mullins—IBM Z Champion ⭕️BAZILLENSCHLEUDER WILLEH LUMP-LUMP
      4 replies 0 retweets 22 likes
        1. Raphaël Jacquot  🔻‏ @sxpert1 Mar 3
          Replying to @paulg

          pic.twitter.com/29M4x988ov

          0 replies 0 retweets 0 likes
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        1. Kent Pitman‏ @KentPitman Mar 3
          Replying to @paulg @kenshirriff

          Yeah, just imagine, with the amount of memory that we use now, how big the memory enclosure would have to be if memory was still visible to the eye. :) Not to mention how slow it would be as a result of its size.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eyFDBPk4Yw …

          0 replies 0 retweets 3 likes
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        1. New conversation
        2. Ken Shirriff‏ @kenshirriff Mar 3
          Replying to @paulg

          Here are some photos of the IBM 1401's core memory. First photo: it's the block behind the yellow/black wires. Second: the 4000 character module. Third: closeup. Fourth: 12,000 char expansion box, the size of a washing machine and literally twice the price of an SF house.pic.twitter.com/LVyR3pMSVs

          Looking in the side of the IBM 1401 computer. Many yellow and black wires. The core memory module is a large block behind the wires. Two odometer-style counters are at the top. Some circuit boards are visible.
          The core memory unit. On one side, a core plane is visible with tiny ferrite cores on red wires. The unit consists of multiple core planes stacked together and wired with thick bundles of yellow wire.
          A closeup of the core plane shows black ferrite rings in a matrix with red wires threaded horizontally and vertically through them. The rings are at an angle, sloping left and right alternately.
          A washing-machine-sized metal box. The gray front panel is removed, showing the core memory module and circuit boards inside. It has circuitry on the left and right sides, but is empty in the middle. A furnace-style air filter is on the bottom. The box has a sloping blue panel on top.
          1 reply 5 retweets 59 likes
        3. Ross Youngblood‏ @rossy65 Mar 4
          Replying to @kenshirriff @Kristennetten @paulg

          Be careful in there, you could easily drop your Samsung 64Gig memory stick and never find it in there.

          0 replies 0 retweets 1 like
        4. End of conversation
        1. SimonChristopherBuck‏ @spacemannorbear Mar 4
          Replying to @paulg @kenshirriff

          same here with Elliot 803

          0 replies 0 retweets 1 like
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