Computer History

I was an early user of computers; my first programs (we called them programmes then) were written for the Ferranti Sirius in the autumn of 1964. I subsequently used:

Atlas at Manchester
KDF9 in Edinburgh
Various PDP8s in Edinburgh
IBM 360 and ICL 4/75 in Edinburgh
CDC 6400 and Univac 1108 on sabbaticals in North America
The Emas system on 4/75 and 2900
Various early personal and `micro' computers:
- Tektonix 4052
- CBM Pet
- HP 85
- Apple II and original Mac
- Plessey Miproc 16

None of my own very early programs have survived.

The earliest program I have been able to find was written by one of my classmates in final year Chemical technology at Edinburgh in 1964/5. It is in Sirius Autocode, written by Stuart Baillie Strong, and a scan is here.

I am currently collecting information particularly on early programming languages and software which I will link from this page in due course.

If you are interested in this or similar subjects I'd be glad to hear from you, especially if you have copies of early software.

Work in Progress

Autocodes: the first high level languages.
Ferranti Mercury: Documentation and emulation.
Ferranti Sirius: Documentation and emulation.

Documentation

I have accumulated, collected or been given quite a large amount of software which is described here.

Hardware Collection

I have kept or salvaged a collection of 1970s and '80s small computer hardware, see here.

Links

Mail me.

Back to my home page.

Edinburgh University Edinburgh University Computer Science history pages and discussion group.

Computer Conservation Society.