‘In September 1956 IBM launched the 305 RAMAC, the first ‘SUPER’ computer with a hard disk drive (HDD). The HDD weighed over a ton and stored 5 MB of data.’
What was your first computing experience?
Texomatube via Retronaught (Thanks @Atul)
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Looks like a @BryceBaker packing job to me!
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Likehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tabulating_machine
Hollerith was the inventor of the Punch Card...
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LikeThis 5Mb drive would have replaced about 73,000 punch cards at the time.
These 80 column punch cards were invented by IBM in 1928! And were still in use and still required when I first started programming.
Only 72 columns were usable on these cards, so if one managed to cram each card full that would be 72,818 cards for 5Mb.
This would have been a stack of cards 13 metres high. That’s a building of over 4 storeys! And we had some of these in the store room!
The “minor” problem was that if you did in fact manage to cram the card full it would be so ‘holey’ and flimsy that they would likely buckle and then jam the card reader in the process. Oh, and by the way it would have taken over 4 hours to read these cards into the machine!
Oh I miss the good old days.
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Liketonyb Thanks! I've been attempting to give Middle School kids some perspective regarding the exponential progression of technological change. This is invaluable. @pennypower
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LikePersonally I would have protected it with a shipping crate, not a piece of string.
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LikeI bet it was used to store more original data than most modern phones, tablets or even laptop/desktop computers. Think about it - how much of what is on your hard drive is actually your own creation that doesn't exist anywhere else? Overhead has become the main content a long time ago.
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LikeFriend Less - To say that it was used to store more original data than most modern phones tables or even laptop/desktop computer is really not an accurate portrayal at all. One decent quality photo taken with a consumer digital camera would fill this drive up and possibly some.
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LikePhil TurnerFriend Less You are right Phil, but I wasn't looking from that angle. I wouldn't consider photos strictly original data, even if they are of artistic value.
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Likei wonder what their iPads looked like
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LikeConversation from Twitter
ITCOMS Was de nieuwe harde schijf nodig? Toch wel een OCZ revodrive :P
ITCOMS Was het nodig?
fransimo si alguien les explica en esa época que 5mb es lo q ocupa una canción mp3, nos llamarían idiotas, un vinilo es mucho más eficiente
lignasi sobre todo por el volumen que ocupa :P fransimo
lignasi Me ha encantao eso de "un vinilo es más eficiente" :) \/ fransimo
tobias_feijoo ;-) lignasi inocuo
viralpatelnet I found out that your website account was suspended.
wsaryada Hey thanks :) Ya we are facing some issue since yesterday evening. I am following up with hosting guys. Hope site will be up soon
ksa902
هلا والله ابو عبدالله .. وااااااوووك .. تخيل انك جايبها معك للاجتماع !!!
HelReynolds Agile working would be a challenge for sure. Essential equipment for all staff would be a forklift!!
HelReynolds Amazing how technology has raced ahead, isn't it!
AlexCStanley Yes! I often think that as a teen my mind would've been totally blown at the idea of GPS. I still get lost regularly mind ;-)
spwalker Thanks Steve.
hajak Oh boy! Guess how many friends you gain by just having one of those in your man cave at that time! The glory days of 1956.
hajak gött att tekniken gått framåt :)
clogette Would make a fine bar counter.
RobertAlai amazing hdd!cd easily think its a generator
Charlie_Davis ....this is how we have changed as well with technology.....
prasanthb1979 :-) Happy New Year, my friend. I hear you're back in the Corp saddle. Congrats!
Charlie_Davis http:\/\/t.co\/ugFGWygo
propagare Awesome. Here's the first computer I assembled and operated: http:\/\/t.co\/o7stLKx5
wnliles You are kidding me! :D I started with a 8086 XT later with a 386 inboard card! And be4 this monster a C64 aka 'Brotkasten' ! #FTW
propagare Here was the first one I owned and built, I think I still have it: http:\/\/t.co\/oOWcXQjm
wnliles „This chip was developed for low power applications and was resistant to radiation.“ I really like this sentence :)
nickgenes have a look at this one: http:\/\/t.co\/ubANAkKq
Hey JohnEggers good post. Remembering punch cards, Fortran, cpm, Mag tapes, 8" floppies, storage modules, pdp-11, vampire taps, etc
Samcornwell lmao!
malotki Congrats on your 50★ tweet! http:\/\/t.co\/91ds8rXB
GavRov hilarious!
tallyhochaps wonder what the cost was...
huntadkins Man, can you imagine finding a stylish case for that thing?
marketing28 Just imagine what a Gig would look like back then.
ishotyourband A good reminder of how far we've come, especially in the last 10-20 years.
Heaysmann AL_Chan SkylonRow Figglewatts I have seen that before
mjl40 wow!!!
I wonder what they stored on those precious 5mb.
iamTongueNCheek They were probably working on a prototype of Angry Birds ;-)
#Nowreading 需要起重機xD RT tnw This is what a 5MB hard drive looked like in 1956 (note: required a forklift). http:\/\/t.co\/9YkQz9Ho
whereishawkins That took me a minute. I thought it was a joke about a bunch of little men in a tube.
SonjaMissio Now I have 32gb on my keychain weighing an ounce. How technology changes...
whereishawkins Yup, I have a key on a Swiss Army knife
SonjaMissio very swiss of you!