Computer History: Memory & Storage 1950-1985 - (Core, disc, vacuum tube, etc.)

Computer History: Memory and Storage: 1950-1985: A very enjoyable talk about the early evolution of computer memory and storage with lots of examples. Well paced, good explanations. (Excerpt from British TV series “Micro Live” one of several very professional British TV programs from the 1980’s that focused on educating the public about computers.)

This very brief minute clip also mentions the LEO 1 computer by Lyons Company and the ICT 1300 computer of 1962. Provided for historical review and comment only.

(Micro Live was produced by David Allen as part of the BBC's Computer Literacy Project, and followed on from earlier series such as The Computer Programme, Computers In Control, and Making the Most of the Micro.)

* * Related Videos and Articles:

Early Vacuum Tube Computers

IBM Magnetic Disc Pack Production

Computer Delay Line Memory

[shinoobie]

This video on the history of computing is now itself part of the history of computing

[patturk]

I babysat a disc setup similar to the one at 5:04 while going for a CS degree in the early 1980s.

[Argoon]

I'm sad not existing when this analog way of running computing was happening, I find analog stuff so cool but was still fortunate enough to have born in the 80's, at the time where the personal computer evolution was still going strong, still exciting, today imo not so much.

[lidarman]

Just think, you can watch this video on a watch these days.

[scubaspi]

Watching this on a 65" TV and internet connected video player (Chromecast) that I can carry by myself while trying to imagine the absurdity of it all being explained to any single person in that video. Also imagining how they would respond to being told that in the year 2020, just about any person under 55 in even a modestly developed country would be lying if they said they'd never used a computer more powerful than even their mightiest mainframe while sitting on the can.

[James_Knott]

Back in the 70's & 80's I was a computer technician, working on a variety of systems. I worked on DEC, Data General, Collins and Pr1me gear, including tape & disk drives, core memory, punch card systems and more. I even worked on one system that used vacuum tubes & relays and had a drum. I still have a core memory plane from a Collins computer.

[theonecommenter]

think about this
4KB in a floppy disk was crazy back then
but now they can make 4TB hard drives easily

[josephgaviota]

Very Nice Vid. I enjoy seeing how we got to where we are today.
Thank you for posting this.

[Moody]

I remember watching this and others on the BBC. Incidentally I worked for Digital Equipment Corporation during the 80's and 90's. You don't seem to have any videos covering the development and contribution made by this initiative company and their PDPs or VAX

[Mutlap]

I remember seeing those platers in the computer room. In 1980, There was a memory device called core storage. Two wires went through the center, and the wires crossed making an X shape. The box was about a 4X4X4 box.

[victorpinasarnault]

I watched a live with Bob Martin yesterday and he talked about the delay coils used in the early days of computing (1946).

[LeviDSmith]

5:14 Kids today: What's a telephone book?

[captainkeyboard]

Data storage is my main feature of the computer. Since I had exposure to the IBM PC in 1988, I wanted a computer that has an internal disk, until 2002 when I bought my first one, running Microsoft Windows. I agree that this video show about the history of computing is now itself part of the history of computing. Computer technology is the only history I ever watch.

[Bianchi]

Nice video, thanks for sharing it, well done :)

[jrgboy]

The first computers I worked on were an English Electric KDF9 and an Elliot 806 circa 1968

[Niei]

5:07
My friend's dad used to work at the computer center of an insurance company and would bring these discs (faulty ones) home for us to play with. They were huge and quite heavy. Never knew they were only 10MB 😂

[michaelangeloabarreto]

Lol love how back in the day the analog to how much data it could store was always in how many books can it save.

[DataWaveTaGo]

At 2:52 - Core Memory - I did circuit design for mini-computers in 1972 to 1978 which used core memory. Fast core memory had a cycle time of about one microsecond (1000 nanoseconds). I began designing Z80 based systems in 1979. The memory cycle for a 4 MHz chip was 0.75 microseconds. Soon enough the Z80 was available in 6, 8 & 10 MHz parts.

[johnneal]

as the song says "I remember it well"

[frankowalker]

Exelent. Any chance of the full documentary?