1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:02,840 Speaker 1: Brought to you by the reinvented two thousand twelve camera. 2 00:00:03,160 --> 00:00:08,920 Speaker 1: It's ready. Are you get in touch with technology? With 3 00:00:09,039 --> 00:00:17,880 Speaker 1: tech Stuff from how stuff works dot com. Hello again, everyone, 4 00:00:17,920 --> 00:00:20,279 Speaker 1: Welcome to tech Stuff. My name is Chris Polette and 5 00:00:20,320 --> 00:00:22,600 Speaker 1: I am an editor at how stuff works dot com. 6 00:00:22,600 --> 00:00:24,920 Speaker 1: Sitting across from me as always a senior writer, Jonathan 7 00:00:24,960 --> 00:00:36,480 Speaker 1: Strickland dayzy days. Very nice, Thank you, very nice. Yeah. 8 00:00:36,560 --> 00:00:41,000 Speaker 1: I I that has practically no connection whatsoever to what 9 00:00:41,000 --> 00:00:44,879 Speaker 1: we're going to talk about, but people think it does. Okay, 10 00:00:44,880 --> 00:00:50,680 Speaker 1: because how h a L that's one letter off from IBM. Yeah. 11 00:00:50,760 --> 00:00:53,239 Speaker 1: So this is part two of our episode about the 12 00:00:53,360 --> 00:00:57,120 Speaker 1: history of IBM and it's impact on technology, which I 13 00:00:57,160 --> 00:01:02,720 Speaker 1: think it's safe to say it cannot be understated. Okay, 14 00:01:02,920 --> 00:01:05,959 Speaker 1: So I'm kidding, it can't be overstated. That's where you're 15 00:01:05,959 --> 00:01:08,720 Speaker 1: supposed to jump on me for using the wrong word. Okay. Well, 16 00:01:09,040 --> 00:01:11,080 Speaker 1: it's funny. We we didn't talk about at all, and 17 00:01:11,160 --> 00:01:12,800 Speaker 1: I'm just gonna throw this in as a footnote before 18 00:01:12,800 --> 00:01:14,560 Speaker 1: we get started. We didn't talk about it in the 19 00:01:14,600 --> 00:01:18,440 Speaker 1: first episode. One of the uh reasons that we've got 20 00:01:18,680 --> 00:01:21,920 Speaker 1: three episodes on IBM is because the company has been 21 00:01:21,959 --> 00:01:24,959 Speaker 1: around for a very long time, has done a lot 22 00:01:25,040 --> 00:01:28,800 Speaker 1: of technological innovation, has a very rich company culture, which 23 00:01:28,800 --> 00:01:32,840 Speaker 1: includes music. In fact, is one of the few companies 24 00:01:32,880 --> 00:01:36,160 Speaker 1: that has its own anthem. Um you know. In fact, 25 00:01:36,360 --> 00:01:39,760 Speaker 1: Thomas J. Watson Sr. Who who became we're starting this 26 00:01:39,800 --> 00:01:43,039 Speaker 1: episode in ninety two. He became IBM president in nineteen 27 00:01:43,080 --> 00:01:46,319 Speaker 1: fifty two officially, although he led the company before that. 28 00:01:46,760 --> 00:01:50,440 Speaker 1: Um he established the first company band in nineteen fifteen, 29 00:01:51,240 --> 00:01:54,080 Speaker 1: so all along the entire company hit one on the 30 00:01:54,200 --> 00:01:56,120 Speaker 1: entire company history, but a lot of the company history 31 00:01:56,160 --> 00:01:59,120 Speaker 1: for almost a hundred years now, they've had a company band, 32 00:01:59,200 --> 00:02:02,680 Speaker 1: they have a company anthem, play all their music on 33 00:02:02,760 --> 00:02:07,520 Speaker 1: tabulating machines. It's very rhythmic, but not melodic. The IBM 34 00:02:07,600 --> 00:02:10,640 Speaker 1: Songbook was printed the year after we're starting this, in 35 00:02:10,760 --> 00:02:13,520 Speaker 1: nineteen fifty three. You can actually you can listen to 36 00:02:13,560 --> 00:02:16,639 Speaker 1: this on the at the archives at IBM dot com. 37 00:02:16,680 --> 00:02:18,760 Speaker 1: So if you want to hear the IBM anthem, the 38 00:02:18,800 --> 00:02:22,919 Speaker 1: IBM fight song, the IBM fight song, there is one. Well, 39 00:02:22,960 --> 00:02:25,760 Speaker 1: it's a rally song. It's called ever Onward and the 40 00:02:25,919 --> 00:02:28,800 Speaker 1: I just want it down with you, Apple down with 41 00:02:28,880 --> 00:02:34,440 Speaker 1: you Not then there wasn't because Apple wasn't established until so, yeah, 42 00:02:34,919 --> 00:02:36,959 Speaker 1: it would actually be more like down with you burrows. 43 00:02:38,160 --> 00:02:40,000 Speaker 1: We should do burrows. That would be kind of fun, 44 00:02:40,160 --> 00:02:42,800 Speaker 1: I guess sometimes after we give a definition of the 45 00:02:42,840 --> 00:02:47,119 Speaker 1: word fun. Yes, well, just because they were a computer innovator, Yes, 46 00:02:47,200 --> 00:02:49,480 Speaker 1: this is true. But we decided to start again with 47 00:02:49,600 --> 00:02:54,840 Speaker 1: IBM in nineteen fifty two. Again, Watson, I'm sorry, Watson Jr. 48 00:02:54,880 --> 00:02:58,320 Speaker 1: Became the company president in NIFO. His dad was leading 49 00:02:58,400 --> 00:03:00,960 Speaker 1: the company before that. I was right, I miss spoke earlier, 50 00:03:00,960 --> 00:03:04,120 Speaker 1: and Watson Sr. Was was a chairman of the board. 51 00:03:05,440 --> 00:03:09,600 Speaker 1: That's fine. Not about Sinatra. Oh well, no, he was 52 00:03:09,639 --> 00:03:13,080 Speaker 1: over there with Dino and uh hey, what where am 53 00:03:13,080 --> 00:03:15,040 Speaker 1: I going with this? Ain't that a kick in the head. 54 00:03:15,600 --> 00:03:17,240 Speaker 1: I was listening to that this morning. So you wanted 55 00:03:17,280 --> 00:03:20,320 Speaker 1: to talk about the seven and one, did I? Yes? Yes, 56 00:03:20,600 --> 00:03:25,080 Speaker 1: production computer. Yes. So nineteen fifty two, IBM introduces the 57 00:03:25,200 --> 00:03:29,399 Speaker 1: seven oh one, starting a long line of catchy IBM 58 00:03:29,560 --> 00:03:34,760 Speaker 1: product names. Well, let's let's face it, Okay, we're talking 59 00:03:34,760 --> 00:03:38,840 Speaker 1: about a kind of industry where that it just isn't 60 00:03:39,240 --> 00:03:43,560 Speaker 1: sexy in terms of consumers. People weren't buying computers for 61 00:03:43,560 --> 00:03:46,560 Speaker 1: their homes. The customers here were businesses. So why do 62 00:03:46,640 --> 00:03:48,520 Speaker 1: you need a fancy name. Yeah, you just need something 63 00:03:48,520 --> 00:03:50,600 Speaker 1: that's easy to look up. You don't need something that's 64 00:03:50,680 --> 00:03:53,960 Speaker 1: you know, you don't need the Jaguar. Well, hey, if 65 00:03:54,000 --> 00:03:56,400 Speaker 1: you're if you're going to get right down to it. 66 00:03:55,640 --> 00:04:01,520 Speaker 1: It still works for Peugeot, which sells cars with three 67 00:04:01,560 --> 00:04:04,760 Speaker 1: digit names with zero in the middle, so and then 68 00:04:05,720 --> 00:04:07,800 Speaker 1: would be right up there. So the seven oh one 69 00:04:08,000 --> 00:04:12,960 Speaker 1: comes outwo It is the first IBM large scale electronic 70 00:04:13,120 --> 00:04:18,120 Speaker 1: computer manufactured in mass quantities. It was the first commercially 71 00:04:18,120 --> 00:04:24,040 Speaker 1: available scientific computer and it uh had a program stored 72 00:04:24,120 --> 00:04:27,800 Speaker 1: in an internal addressable electronic memory, which was brand new 73 00:04:27,880 --> 00:04:30,919 Speaker 1: for the time. That's something that we all take for 74 00:04:31,000 --> 00:04:34,680 Speaker 1: granted now because we've had it for decades. But this 75 00:04:34,760 --> 00:04:37,800 Speaker 1: was a brand new idea and it only took two 76 00:04:37,880 --> 00:04:41,200 Speaker 1: years from the time when IBM first sketched out the 77 00:04:41,279 --> 00:04:43,560 Speaker 1: idea for the seven oh one to win it rolled 78 00:04:43,600 --> 00:04:46,400 Speaker 1: off the production lines. So two year development cycle for 79 00:04:46,520 --> 00:04:50,200 Speaker 1: a brand new, groundbreaking computer is phenomenal. That shows that 80 00:04:50,240 --> 00:04:53,640 Speaker 1: IBM was really putting some of their smartest, hardest working 81 00:04:53,680 --> 00:04:56,400 Speaker 1: engineers on this project, and it seems like they had 82 00:04:56,440 --> 00:04:59,440 Speaker 1: taken the IBM motto that you spoke of in the 83 00:04:59,480 --> 00:05:05,040 Speaker 1: last podcast about Thomas J. Watson Senior. I think very 84 00:05:05,080 --> 00:05:08,240 Speaker 1: much too, hearty. Um. It was only a year later 85 00:05:08,240 --> 00:05:09,680 Speaker 1: that they came up with a seven oh two, which 86 00:05:09,720 --> 00:05:12,839 Speaker 1: was a commercial version of the computer, and the six 87 00:05:12,920 --> 00:05:17,080 Speaker 1: fifty magnetic drum calculator, which apparently calculated drums. Yeah, and 88 00:05:17,200 --> 00:05:19,880 Speaker 1: uh wait a minute, no it didn't. No, no, no, 89 00:05:20,360 --> 00:05:24,800 Speaker 1: So anyway that the reason for these um these, one 90 00:05:24,800 --> 00:05:27,320 Speaker 1: of the reasons I should say for the rapid development 91 00:05:27,320 --> 00:05:29,360 Speaker 1: of the seven oh one and the seven oh two 92 00:05:29,839 --> 00:05:33,920 Speaker 1: was actually the outbreak of another conflict. It was the 93 00:05:34,000 --> 00:05:38,320 Speaker 1: Korean War, which broke out in June, and Thomas J. 94 00:05:38,440 --> 00:05:42,080 Speaker 1: Watson Sr. Asked the US government what IBM could do 95 00:05:42,240 --> 00:05:46,039 Speaker 1: to help the war effort, and the government said, build 96 00:05:46,600 --> 00:05:50,320 Speaker 1: us some really powerful scientific computers that we can use 97 00:05:50,800 --> 00:05:55,360 Speaker 1: for our you know, for our strategic needs. And that 98 00:05:55,520 --> 00:05:57,960 Speaker 1: was what got IBM to work. And the seven oh 99 00:05:57,960 --> 00:06:01,080 Speaker 1: one and seven oh two are kind of wrecked results 100 00:06:01,279 --> 00:06:04,440 Speaker 1: of that discussion. It's pretty kind of it's kind of 101 00:06:04,440 --> 00:06:07,280 Speaker 1: an interesting story in the idea that Watson at this 102 00:06:07,320 --> 00:06:11,800 Speaker 1: point is he's offering. He's like, look, I have this 103 00:06:11,960 --> 00:06:16,680 Speaker 1: huge corporation we have all this this uh power of 104 00:06:16,680 --> 00:06:19,320 Speaker 1: of mind. Here, We've got some of the finest engineers 105 00:06:19,320 --> 00:06:22,080 Speaker 1: in all the world working for my company. What can 106 00:06:22,160 --> 00:06:25,360 Speaker 1: I do to help? And that's kind of phenomenal. It's 107 00:06:25,400 --> 00:06:27,400 Speaker 1: not just hey, you know what would make us a 108 00:06:27,440 --> 00:06:30,520 Speaker 1: lot of money, Let's do this. It's I think that's 109 00:06:30,520 --> 00:06:35,200 Speaker 1: a pretty interesting Now. It shows a certain philosophy that 110 00:06:35,240 --> 00:06:38,880 Speaker 1: Watson had that I thought was was pretty interesting. Also 111 00:06:38,960 --> 00:06:42,080 Speaker 1: kind of interesting to note just on a corporate culture side. Uh. 112 00:06:42,120 --> 00:06:45,840 Speaker 1: In nine three, that's when Thomas J. Watson Jr. Wrote 113 00:06:46,000 --> 00:06:50,920 Speaker 1: the first equal opportunity policy for the company, which came 114 00:06:50,920 --> 00:06:53,720 Speaker 1: a full year before Brown versus the Board of Education, 115 00:06:54,320 --> 00:06:59,240 Speaker 1: so before the Supreme Court had even heard that case. Uh, 116 00:06:59,360 --> 00:07:02,640 Speaker 1: Watson j you'r. Was saying that, you know, he was 117 00:07:02,760 --> 00:07:07,440 Speaker 1: establishing that there should be an equal opportunity employment uh 118 00:07:07,480 --> 00:07:11,360 Speaker 1: culture at IBM. So again we're starting to see that 119 00:07:11,440 --> 00:07:14,520 Speaker 1: IBM is not just leading the way technology wise, they're 120 00:07:14,600 --> 00:07:17,680 Speaker 1: leaning the way as far as corporate culture goes. Yes, 121 00:07:17,800 --> 00:07:22,360 Speaker 1: they they are pioneers in multiple avenues. Its kind of interesting. 122 00:07:23,160 --> 00:07:24,840 Speaker 1: So you know, and you know what they did in 123 00:07:24,920 --> 00:07:29,360 Speaker 1: nineteen four, you know what kind of what military computer 124 00:07:29,440 --> 00:07:34,239 Speaker 1: they developed? Then no, what the Naval Ordinance Research Computer 125 00:07:34,520 --> 00:07:39,760 Speaker 1: or Yeah, fastest electronic computer at that time. So again 126 00:07:39,800 --> 00:07:43,040 Speaker 1: IBM working with the United States government on that. Yeah, 127 00:07:43,040 --> 00:07:46,120 Speaker 1: they they says they succeeded the seven oh one with 128 00:07:46,160 --> 00:07:48,400 Speaker 1: the seven oh four and the seven oh two with 129 00:07:48,440 --> 00:07:52,680 Speaker 1: the seven oh five. UM and introduced new like uh 130 00:07:52,880 --> 00:07:58,280 Speaker 1: new typewriters as well, um, including the executive typewriter, except 131 00:07:58,280 --> 00:08:00,960 Speaker 1: they didn't think executives typed back in those days. I 132 00:08:00,960 --> 00:08:02,800 Speaker 1: think they had somebody to do that for them. Yeah, 133 00:08:02,880 --> 00:08:05,520 Speaker 1: the executive assistant typewriters really much should have been called. 134 00:08:06,360 --> 00:08:10,640 Speaker 1: Nineteen fifty five, IBM develops magnetic core storage units, so 135 00:08:10,960 --> 00:08:12,920 Speaker 1: that that research they had been doing a couple of 136 00:08:12,960 --> 00:08:16,360 Speaker 1: years previously, it was starting to pay off. Uh. Ninety 137 00:08:16,440 --> 00:08:19,480 Speaker 1: six was a big year for IBM for a a 138 00:08:19,720 --> 00:08:24,440 Speaker 1: sad reason because that was when Thomas J. Watson Sr. Died. 139 00:08:25,160 --> 00:08:27,440 Speaker 1: He passed away in nineteen fifty six. So at the 140 00:08:27,480 --> 00:08:30,200 Speaker 1: time that that Watson Sr. Passed away, if you remember 141 00:08:30,240 --> 00:08:33,480 Speaker 1: from our previous podcast on IBM, we talked about when 142 00:08:33,480 --> 00:08:38,080 Speaker 1: Watson took control, the gross income was four million dollars 143 00:08:38,080 --> 00:08:41,960 Speaker 1: and the net earnings was one million. Let's compare that 144 00:08:42,000 --> 00:08:44,199 Speaker 1: to when he passed away in nineteen fifty six. At 145 00:08:44,240 --> 00:08:49,160 Speaker 1: that time, IBM's gross income was eight hundred ninety two 146 00:08:49,520 --> 00:08:53,520 Speaker 1: million dollars, the earnings was eighty seven million dollars, and 147 00:08:53,559 --> 00:08:58,360 Speaker 1: they employed seventy two thousand, five hundred four employees even 148 00:08:58,360 --> 00:09:02,080 Speaker 1: adjusted for inflation. That's a significant increase. And you know 149 00:09:02,240 --> 00:09:05,200 Speaker 1: that when when wants into control, there were what six 150 00:09:05,880 --> 00:09:10,960 Speaker 1: employees now and four by the time he passes away. Also, 151 00:09:11,160 --> 00:09:13,120 Speaker 1: I'm sorry, no, go ahead, I was gonna say. Also, 152 00:09:13,559 --> 00:09:16,680 Speaker 1: as their innovation has gone on, they've increased, uh, not 153 00:09:16,800 --> 00:09:20,719 Speaker 1: only the ability for machines to process information, increase the 154 00:09:20,760 --> 00:09:25,320 Speaker 1: speed with which it's processing information, but they're also moving gradually, uh, 155 00:09:25,400 --> 00:09:30,560 Speaker 1: from electro mechanical devices to electronic devices. Yes, by the 156 00:09:30,559 --> 00:09:32,400 Speaker 1: time you're hitting the seven oh one seven or two 157 00:09:32,400 --> 00:09:34,760 Speaker 1: and seven oh four and seven oh five machines, you're 158 00:09:34,760 --> 00:09:38,200 Speaker 1: really moving away from the punch card era. It's there. 159 00:09:38,240 --> 00:09:40,800 Speaker 1: They're starting to be able to phase out punch cards 160 00:09:40,840 --> 00:09:43,120 Speaker 1: to some extent. Now, punch cards would remain an important 161 00:09:43,120 --> 00:09:46,560 Speaker 1: part of IBM for years to come, just because you know, 162 00:09:47,280 --> 00:09:49,840 Speaker 1: just as IBM is developing this new technology, that doesn't 163 00:09:49,920 --> 00:09:53,320 Speaker 1: mean that all the companies that are IBMS customers can 164 00:09:53,360 --> 00:09:58,600 Speaker 1: adopt that that technology immediately. So IBM continued to support 165 00:09:58,640 --> 00:10:02,199 Speaker 1: that older technology for years, although it was also driving 166 00:10:02,280 --> 00:10:05,439 Speaker 1: the innovation that made it possible to move away from 167 00:10:05,440 --> 00:10:08,880 Speaker 1: the old punch card system. Yeah, before before anyone writes 168 00:10:08,920 --> 00:10:11,440 Speaker 1: in to say this, unless, of course, you've paused a podcast, 169 00:10:11,480 --> 00:10:15,640 Speaker 1: in which case you're violating rule number seven of the podcast. Um, Yeah, 170 00:10:15,679 --> 00:10:18,400 Speaker 1: we were aware that that people were still programming with 171 00:10:18,440 --> 00:10:22,360 Speaker 1: punched cards into the seventies and possibilities. I wouldn't be 172 00:10:22,400 --> 00:10:24,800 Speaker 1: surprised that there's not somebody doing it now because they're 173 00:10:24,840 --> 00:10:28,520 Speaker 1: on some legacy system requires you to use this, you know, 174 00:10:28,559 --> 00:10:33,480 Speaker 1: some some antiquated programming language. So don't you know they're 175 00:10:33,520 --> 00:10:36,640 Speaker 1: moving away from it, but they haven't completely. Yeah, like 176 00:10:36,679 --> 00:10:39,320 Speaker 1: I said, they support it, but they don't. It's that's 177 00:10:39,320 --> 00:10:41,640 Speaker 1: not where the innovation is. And also, by the way, 178 00:10:41,720 --> 00:10:44,560 Speaker 1: rule number six of the podcast is there is no 179 00:10:44,679 --> 00:10:47,320 Speaker 1: rule number six of the podcast in case you guys 180 00:10:47,320 --> 00:10:52,280 Speaker 1: are keeping track. Uh So that's when they developed the 181 00:10:52,400 --> 00:10:55,120 Speaker 1: seven O nine computer. That's also do you know what 182 00:10:55,280 --> 00:10:59,360 Speaker 1: language came out in nine? In in that year programming 183 00:10:59,400 --> 00:11:04,800 Speaker 1: language to developed by IBM trans Yes four tran This 184 00:11:05,040 --> 00:11:09,240 Speaker 1: is again a big, big step. IBM makes four Trend 185 00:11:09,320 --> 00:11:14,200 Speaker 1: programming language available to consumers. Uh. Before that, you know, 186 00:11:14,520 --> 00:11:17,320 Speaker 1: you you didn't really have access to a way of 187 00:11:17,320 --> 00:11:20,439 Speaker 1: programming your computer. It pretty much ran on whatever protocols 188 00:11:20,480 --> 00:11:23,120 Speaker 1: you happen to have. Four Trend. Now you can develop 189 00:11:23,120 --> 00:11:26,840 Speaker 1: your own. Uh. Not easy for treand was not necessarily 190 00:11:27,120 --> 00:11:29,520 Speaker 1: something you could just quickly pick up in an afternoon, 191 00:11:30,000 --> 00:11:32,240 Speaker 1: but it still was a big leap as far as 192 00:11:32,240 --> 00:11:35,480 Speaker 1: computers are are concerned. Yeah, it's it's not Python. Let's 193 00:11:35,480 --> 00:11:38,280 Speaker 1: just say that. No. Uh, do you have anything between 194 00:11:38,320 --> 00:11:40,719 Speaker 1: fifty seven and sixty one? Because my next thing that 195 00:11:40,760 --> 00:11:43,320 Speaker 1: I want to really talk about is comes in sixty one. Yes, 196 00:11:43,360 --> 00:11:45,560 Speaker 1: well I have a I have another giggle moment. Okay, 197 00:11:45,720 --> 00:11:47,520 Speaker 1: if you listen to the last podcast. I was giggling 198 00:11:47,559 --> 00:11:50,839 Speaker 1: because originally, when when IBM was founded, it was as 199 00:11:50,880 --> 00:11:55,200 Speaker 1: a merger between three companies making equipment for businesses UM, 200 00:11:55,360 --> 00:11:57,080 Speaker 1: one of which was a scale company, one of which 201 00:11:57,160 --> 00:12:00,760 Speaker 1: was tabulating machine Company, which is essentially a computer part, 202 00:12:01,160 --> 00:12:06,839 Speaker 1: and then the other was a a time recording company. UM. Now, 203 00:12:06,880 --> 00:12:09,840 Speaker 1: of course, you know clock's very important computers, but they 204 00:12:09,880 --> 00:12:12,880 Speaker 1: decided at an earlier point to get rid of the 205 00:12:12,920 --> 00:12:14,880 Speaker 1: Scale company because it just wasn't doing what they thought 206 00:12:14,920 --> 00:12:18,080 Speaker 1: it would. So Mr Watson Senior decided to get rid 207 00:12:18,080 --> 00:12:21,480 Speaker 1: of it and it immediately took off. Was now part 208 00:12:21,480 --> 00:12:24,280 Speaker 1: of a very large company that still sales things, so 209 00:12:24,600 --> 00:12:27,839 Speaker 1: did not fail. Neither did the Time Equipment division when 210 00:12:27,880 --> 00:12:30,520 Speaker 1: they decided to sell it to Simplex Time Recorder Company, 211 00:12:30,520 --> 00:12:35,480 Speaker 1: which is now Simplex Grenell. So they're there. They are 212 00:12:35,840 --> 00:12:38,520 Speaker 1: dividing themselves up. We didn't mention that just as a note. 213 00:12:39,120 --> 00:12:41,440 Speaker 1: As the company is moving on, especially now in the 214 00:12:41,520 --> 00:12:45,000 Speaker 1: nineteen fifties, the company is splitting off divisions. Um. They 215 00:12:45,040 --> 00:12:48,560 Speaker 1: now have a military division even to help develop products 216 00:12:48,559 --> 00:12:51,360 Speaker 1: for the military, UM, as well as you know, different 217 00:12:51,440 --> 00:12:55,440 Speaker 1: kinds of businesses. Uh So, apparently they decided to divest 218 00:12:55,480 --> 00:12:59,000 Speaker 1: themselves at this one which continue to succeed without them. 219 00:12:59,120 --> 00:13:01,960 Speaker 1: But you know what, I think I think that's still 220 00:13:02,120 --> 00:13:04,559 Speaker 1: I think it shows I think it still shows wisdom though, 221 00:13:04,640 --> 00:13:07,760 Speaker 1: right because because there there is the possibility that you're 222 00:13:07,800 --> 00:13:11,640 Speaker 1: let's say you're in you're running an enormous corporation and 223 00:13:11,760 --> 00:13:14,439 Speaker 1: you have a lot of balls to juggle, right, You're 224 00:13:14,480 --> 00:13:16,160 Speaker 1: you're trying to you get a lot of irons in 225 00:13:16,200 --> 00:13:18,280 Speaker 1: the fire, if you prefer that metaphor. So, you got 226 00:13:18,320 --> 00:13:20,400 Speaker 1: all these irons in the fire, and you know you 227 00:13:20,440 --> 00:13:23,840 Speaker 1: may not be able to to push all of them 228 00:13:23,920 --> 00:13:26,040 Speaker 1: the way they need to be in order to succeed. 229 00:13:26,400 --> 00:13:28,960 Speaker 1: There's nothing wrong with that. And selling something off that 230 00:13:29,080 --> 00:13:32,120 Speaker 1: you cannot make succeed and then seeing it succeed, all 231 00:13:32,160 --> 00:13:35,360 Speaker 1: that means is that that the potential was there, you 232 00:13:35,440 --> 00:13:39,079 Speaker 1: just didn't have the resources necessary to make it happen. 233 00:13:39,240 --> 00:13:41,600 Speaker 1: That's true. It could have it could have done poor 234 00:13:41,760 --> 00:13:44,800 Speaker 1: since it's not a core business for IBM at this point. Uh, 235 00:13:44,840 --> 00:13:47,640 Speaker 1: it may actually have been a drag on IBM, and 236 00:13:47,679 --> 00:13:49,560 Speaker 1: IBM may not have been able to put the resources 237 00:13:49,600 --> 00:13:52,160 Speaker 1: behind it that it would take to make it successful. 238 00:13:52,160 --> 00:13:54,720 Speaker 1: So it's just sort of the it turns out that 239 00:13:54,920 --> 00:13:57,439 Speaker 1: that wasn't Yeah, it wasn't. There wasn't anything. Yeah, it 240 00:13:57,559 --> 00:14:00,680 Speaker 1: wasn't anything inherently bad about the division itself. Health Well, 241 00:14:00,960 --> 00:14:04,480 Speaker 1: I personally consider that a success for everybody involved, because 242 00:14:04,720 --> 00:14:07,880 Speaker 1: the alternative was that IBM could have held onto it 243 00:14:08,000 --> 00:14:10,880 Speaker 1: and then could have suffered for it, both the division 244 00:14:10,920 --> 00:14:14,560 Speaker 1: and IBM itself. UM IBM put all its workers on 245 00:14:14,640 --> 00:14:17,680 Speaker 1: salary and introduced to stock purchase plan in which was 246 00:14:18,120 --> 00:14:21,600 Speaker 1: again showing a lot of foresight treating its employees well. 247 00:14:21,640 --> 00:14:26,880 Speaker 1: Corporate cultured pioneers. Uh. The seven thousand series computers were 248 00:14:26,920 --> 00:14:30,560 Speaker 1: introduced in nineteen sixty UM, so the vacuum tube machines, 249 00:14:30,600 --> 00:14:35,120 Speaker 1: the seven series now absolutely so, Yeah, vacuum tubes that 250 00:14:35,320 --> 00:14:37,040 Speaker 1: if you guys aren't familiar, I mean that was the 251 00:14:37,080 --> 00:14:41,120 Speaker 1: precursor to the transistor. So you've got vacuum tubes which 252 00:14:41,240 --> 00:14:45,760 Speaker 1: were very efficient, uh comparatively speaking, but they had other 253 00:14:45,840 --> 00:14:48,560 Speaker 1: problems like, for one, they generated a lot of heat, 254 00:14:49,120 --> 00:14:51,480 Speaker 1: and they took up a lot of space. So we're 255 00:14:51,480 --> 00:14:54,200 Speaker 1: talking when we're talking about computers with IBM, we're talking 256 00:14:54,280 --> 00:14:58,120 Speaker 1: mainframe computers. The early mainframe computers were so large they 257 00:14:58,120 --> 00:15:01,000 Speaker 1: could take up an entire room, uh in a building, 258 00:15:01,080 --> 00:15:03,720 Speaker 1: and in fact, some of the supercomputers of the day 259 00:15:03,720 --> 00:15:06,880 Speaker 1: would take up an entire floor of a building. And 260 00:15:06,920 --> 00:15:08,840 Speaker 1: because we're talking about vacuum tubes, that's part of the 261 00:15:08,880 --> 00:15:10,480 Speaker 1: reason why they were so big. It wasn't that they 262 00:15:10,520 --> 00:15:13,240 Speaker 1: were super super powerful, although they were for the time. 263 00:15:13,640 --> 00:15:16,920 Speaker 1: It was because the the individual components that made up 264 00:15:16,920 --> 00:15:19,320 Speaker 1: the supercomputer were much larger than the ones we have 265 00:15:19,360 --> 00:15:22,840 Speaker 1: in our devices today. Sure, sure, so it would get 266 00:15:22,920 --> 00:15:27,240 Speaker 1: pretty warm and steamy in the supercomputer room with all 267 00:15:27,280 --> 00:15:31,120 Speaker 1: those vacuum tubes going. And it wasn't until IBM really 268 00:15:31,120 --> 00:15:34,480 Speaker 1: started to dedicate itself to solid state electronics when we're 269 00:15:34,480 --> 00:15:37,880 Speaker 1: talking about solid state transistors, that we started to see 270 00:15:37,960 --> 00:15:42,640 Speaker 1: a shift away from vacuum tubes and towards alternative means 271 00:15:42,720 --> 00:15:46,960 Speaker 1: of processing. Now, just quickly in the nineteen sixty you 272 00:15:46,960 --> 00:15:49,520 Speaker 1: could tell that that even back in Herman Hollow a 273 00:15:49,560 --> 00:15:53,680 Speaker 1: state Hollow was the person who created the the tabulating Yes. 274 00:15:54,040 --> 00:15:57,680 Speaker 1: Portion of the original companies that formed IBM, they're still 275 00:15:57,680 --> 00:16:00,520 Speaker 1: doing the same kind of work. UM. The Rio five 276 00:16:00,600 --> 00:16:04,640 Speaker 1: Ramack machine was used to score the Winter Olympic Games 277 00:16:04,680 --> 00:16:08,240 Speaker 1: that year in California, was used at political conventions to 278 00:16:09,200 --> 00:16:15,760 Speaker 1: nine point four and processing for presidential election returns UM 279 00:16:15,840 --> 00:16:20,480 Speaker 1: and UH. IBM was used to launch and track Project Echo, 280 00:16:20,880 --> 00:16:27,000 Speaker 1: which was a space communications experiment. It's Project Echo Echo 281 00:16:29,880 --> 00:16:32,400 Speaker 1: and they were using the Mark two language translator to 282 00:16:32,400 --> 00:16:36,480 Speaker 1: translate Russian into English. Yeah that that here's something else 283 00:16:36,520 --> 00:16:39,320 Speaker 1: that I did not know until I started researching this podcast. 284 00:16:39,640 --> 00:16:42,920 Speaker 1: IBM has pioneered some technologies that we're just starting to 285 00:16:43,000 --> 00:16:47,680 Speaker 1: see benefit us today. But they started decades ago. You 286 00:16:47,720 --> 00:16:49,840 Speaker 1: sit there and you think like, there's no way in 287 00:16:49,880 --> 00:16:54,200 Speaker 1: the early sixties that that could have possibly been there, 288 00:16:54,200 --> 00:16:55,760 Speaker 1: And yeah, you find out, Wait a minute, they were 289 00:16:55,800 --> 00:16:58,080 Speaker 1: working on this. We're just now starting to see things 290 00:16:58,120 --> 00:17:02,720 Speaker 1: like like Google's translate uh software or their applications where 291 00:17:02,760 --> 00:17:06,280 Speaker 1: you can translate languages on the fly. That stuff was 292 00:17:06,840 --> 00:17:09,800 Speaker 1: you know it really it has its history way back 293 00:17:09,800 --> 00:17:15,119 Speaker 1: in these days of development and IBM, this is the 294 00:17:15,119 --> 00:17:16,800 Speaker 1: one that I wanted to talk about. And Chris, I 295 00:17:16,880 --> 00:17:18,320 Speaker 1: know you want to talk about two because he just 296 00:17:18,359 --> 00:17:20,720 Speaker 1: showed me a picture of it. I think he's actually salivating, 297 00:17:20,760 --> 00:17:25,800 Speaker 1: ladies and gentlemen. It's the selectric typewriter. Yes, yes, So 298 00:17:25,920 --> 00:17:29,639 Speaker 1: what was different about this electric than say, older typewriters. Well, 299 00:17:29,680 --> 00:17:31,879 Speaker 1: I can I can be honest with you here. I 300 00:17:31,880 --> 00:17:34,560 Speaker 1: I know this stuff, uh straight away. My mom had 301 00:17:34,720 --> 00:17:37,439 Speaker 1: a selectric typewriter. I just did my dad, which was 302 00:17:37,720 --> 00:17:40,879 Speaker 1: still in the family. I believe I actually have an 303 00:17:40,960 --> 00:17:43,920 Speaker 1: underwood typewriter. And those typewriters these are the old old type, 304 00:17:44,240 --> 00:17:48,159 Speaker 1: which way about seven tons. Yeah they're heavy, um, but 305 00:17:48,200 --> 00:17:51,440 Speaker 1: they also you know, they're very robust. But they used 306 00:17:51,440 --> 00:17:53,959 Speaker 1: to have keys. And each of the keys and I'm 307 00:17:54,000 --> 00:17:55,680 Speaker 1: not talking about the keyboard keys. Each of the keyboard 308 00:17:55,760 --> 00:17:58,600 Speaker 1: keys was linked to a a key with one letter 309 00:17:58,640 --> 00:18:02,160 Speaker 1: on it. So and they were all arranged in an 310 00:18:02,280 --> 00:18:05,680 Speaker 1: arc facing the paper. So as you pressed one key, 311 00:18:05,760 --> 00:18:07,760 Speaker 1: that little arm would reach up and type that letter 312 00:18:07,800 --> 00:18:10,440 Speaker 1: on the paper. So each each key had its each 313 00:18:10,560 --> 00:18:14,520 Speaker 1: letter had its own dedicated arm. And this is all mechanical, right, 314 00:18:14,600 --> 00:18:18,480 Speaker 1: This is all connected through a series of levers and 315 00:18:18,600 --> 00:18:21,520 Speaker 1: little uh pistons that you press. You pressed the D 316 00:18:21,640 --> 00:18:25,720 Speaker 1: button and the D bar goes forward and stamps the 317 00:18:25,720 --> 00:18:29,600 Speaker 1: paper with the D letter on the end. There's actually 318 00:18:29,760 --> 00:18:32,520 Speaker 1: a ribbon there that has the ink, the the key 319 00:18:33,080 --> 00:18:35,560 Speaker 1: the head of it. The arm hits the ink and 320 00:18:35,600 --> 00:18:39,240 Speaker 1: that prints the letter onto the paper. And when you 321 00:18:39,280 --> 00:18:41,119 Speaker 1: got to the end of that. It's a mechanical typer, 322 00:18:41,200 --> 00:18:43,879 Speaker 1: no electricity and needed to make this work. When you 323 00:18:43,920 --> 00:18:45,119 Speaker 1: get to the end of the line, you need to 324 00:18:45,119 --> 00:18:47,919 Speaker 1: make a carriage return to the next line. Jerry Lewis, 325 00:18:48,600 --> 00:18:52,760 Speaker 1: you press the thing, you have to press the lever 326 00:18:52,840 --> 00:18:54,800 Speaker 1: back and it advances you to the next line. Well, 327 00:18:55,000 --> 00:18:58,720 Speaker 1: this electric was an electric typewriter, and electric typewriters have 328 00:18:58,800 --> 00:19:00,720 Speaker 1: been out for a few decades. This was a new 329 00:19:00,840 --> 00:19:05,840 Speaker 1: design yes, which instead of using those little arms, used 330 00:19:05,920 --> 00:19:12,960 Speaker 1: a ball with all the out dented letters on it. Also, 331 00:19:13,720 --> 00:19:17,560 Speaker 1: you yes. The other cool thing about that well, so 332 00:19:17,800 --> 00:19:22,480 Speaker 1: when you type a key, the typewriter knows which where 333 00:19:22,720 --> 00:19:24,879 Speaker 1: on the ball that letter is and will rotate the 334 00:19:24,880 --> 00:19:27,560 Speaker 1: ball and angle it so that it will type that 335 00:19:27,680 --> 00:19:29,920 Speaker 1: letter in the precise alignment with the rest of the 336 00:19:30,000 --> 00:19:32,520 Speaker 1: letters on the page. That's one thing that makes it cool. 337 00:19:32,760 --> 00:19:34,440 Speaker 1: Another thing that makes it cool is you could change 338 00:19:34,440 --> 00:19:37,840 Speaker 1: the ball, so no longer are you limited to typewriter funt. 339 00:19:37,880 --> 00:19:43,280 Speaker 1: You can change the size and the type face because 340 00:19:43,320 --> 00:19:45,639 Speaker 1: it's a fun when it's not on the paper and 341 00:19:45,640 --> 00:19:48,639 Speaker 1: what it is, it's a type face. I yes, so 342 00:19:48,680 --> 00:19:52,480 Speaker 1: you can remove these and change it out if you 343 00:19:52,520 --> 00:19:55,840 Speaker 1: wanted to. Now this benefited people like my mom, who 344 00:19:55,920 --> 00:19:58,240 Speaker 1: this will astonish. You could type a hundred thirty five 345 00:19:58,240 --> 00:20:01,440 Speaker 1: words a minute. When she used the older style typewriters, 346 00:20:01,440 --> 00:20:04,520 Speaker 1: the keys would jam and rub against one another so 347 00:20:04,600 --> 00:20:08,360 Speaker 1: often that she would have to have her typewriter replaced. Also, 348 00:20:08,440 --> 00:20:11,320 Speaker 1: because it would just completely destroy the type. Since it 349 00:20:11,400 --> 00:20:14,359 Speaker 1: required physical force, you had to actually type a little harder, 350 00:20:14,440 --> 00:20:17,040 Speaker 1: especially on older typewriters. I know this from experience too, 351 00:20:17,040 --> 00:20:19,760 Speaker 1: because I've used one of those. Um that if you 352 00:20:19,800 --> 00:20:22,639 Speaker 1: were typing on an old typewriter, you couldn't go as 353 00:20:22,680 --> 00:20:25,399 Speaker 1: fast because you had to use more force per stroke, 354 00:20:25,520 --> 00:20:29,119 Speaker 1: especially if you know you're you're typing lightly, the the 355 00:20:29,280 --> 00:20:31,240 Speaker 1: arm might not strike the paper hard enough to make 356 00:20:31,280 --> 00:20:33,679 Speaker 1: a good impression, and then you've got this kind of 357 00:20:33,720 --> 00:20:36,040 Speaker 1: faded look even though the paper, even though you've just 358 00:20:36,160 --> 00:20:38,080 Speaker 1: typed it right, and it's almost looks like you're running 359 00:20:38,080 --> 00:20:39,639 Speaker 1: out of ink, but really just means you're running out 360 00:20:39,640 --> 00:20:42,880 Speaker 1: of steam. Um. So, yeah, this electric was pretty cool 361 00:20:42,880 --> 00:20:44,679 Speaker 1: that it looks like if you've ever seen one, and 362 00:20:44,680 --> 00:20:46,520 Speaker 1: you would, you would recognize it immediately. It looks like 363 00:20:46,520 --> 00:20:50,560 Speaker 1: a little golf ball. Is the is the typing interface there? 364 00:20:50,920 --> 00:20:55,520 Speaker 1: And um yeah, you're hundred huh types. My top speed 365 00:20:55,520 --> 00:20:58,680 Speaker 1: was a hundred five. My my mom when she got 366 00:20:58,680 --> 00:21:00,840 Speaker 1: going sounded on the select it sounded like a machine 367 00:21:00,880 --> 00:21:03,960 Speaker 1: gun because it was moving so fast. That explains why 368 00:21:03,960 --> 00:21:06,479 Speaker 1: you you duck around corners a lot. And you know, 369 00:21:07,000 --> 00:21:09,080 Speaker 1: do those weird hand signals whenever you want to go 370 00:21:09,119 --> 00:21:11,159 Speaker 1: down the hallway. Yeah, best I can get is around 371 00:21:11,200 --> 00:21:14,600 Speaker 1: sixties so I'm still it still blows me away. But uh, 372 00:21:14,880 --> 00:21:17,359 Speaker 1: this was also the period in time when IBM they 373 00:21:17,400 --> 00:21:20,119 Speaker 1: were still working on Space program. Yes, they created a 374 00:21:20,119 --> 00:21:23,240 Speaker 1: guidance computer for the Saturn series. Yes, and also the 375 00:21:23,359 --> 00:21:27,399 Speaker 1: gem and I or if you prefer Geminy, I cannot 376 00:21:27,480 --> 00:21:30,480 Speaker 1: stand that pronunciation, which which I forgot, which the astronauts. 377 00:21:30,480 --> 00:21:31,960 Speaker 1: We did this so long ago. Yeah, we did the 378 00:21:32,080 --> 00:21:34,159 Speaker 1: We did the gimin E podcast. It was one of 379 00:21:34,200 --> 00:21:36,440 Speaker 1: the Gemini astronauts. It said it that way and it's no. 380 00:21:36,600 --> 00:21:39,119 Speaker 1: That just makes me think of Eddie Carroll, who was 381 00:21:39,160 --> 00:21:42,240 Speaker 1: the voice for Jiminy Cricket Friend of the family anyway. 382 00:21:42,320 --> 00:21:45,159 Speaker 1: So so yeah, yeah, they developed the guidance computers for 383 00:21:45,840 --> 00:21:49,040 Speaker 1: the space program for for both the Saturn and Jiminy. Uh, 384 00:21:50,240 --> 00:21:52,240 Speaker 1: figure might as well, right, just keep going with Saturn 385 00:21:52,280 --> 00:21:55,520 Speaker 1: and jim and I programs. And so that's kind of cool, 386 00:21:55,600 --> 00:21:58,120 Speaker 1: you know, IBM was This was one of those things 387 00:21:58,160 --> 00:22:00,119 Speaker 1: where IBM had to submit a proposal to the ever 388 00:22:00,200 --> 00:22:04,120 Speaker 1: Ment and they were selected to develop these guidance computer systems. 389 00:22:04,240 --> 00:22:09,240 Speaker 1: It's electric. In nineteen sixty four, IBM announced the next 390 00:22:09,400 --> 00:22:13,960 Speaker 1: really really big development, one of the most important developments 391 00:22:14,000 --> 00:22:16,520 Speaker 1: in the company's histories. You could argue it it's the 392 00:22:16,560 --> 00:22:21,000 Speaker 1: most important at this point. Bread Slicer know the system 393 00:22:21,359 --> 00:22:27,119 Speaker 1: Stroke three sixty, Uh, the controversial system Stroke three sixty? 394 00:22:27,400 --> 00:22:32,040 Speaker 1: Was it controversial? It was controversial? Pray elaborate, Mr Pilette 395 00:22:32,160 --> 00:22:37,120 Speaker 1: um well and doing research on IBM. I can tell 396 00:22:37,160 --> 00:22:40,920 Speaker 1: you right now that there is a lot of information 397 00:22:41,040 --> 00:22:44,560 Speaker 1: on IBM, So I don't know everything there is to 398 00:22:44,680 --> 00:22:48,680 Speaker 1: know about the system Stroke three sixty. Uh. There is 399 00:22:48,720 --> 00:22:51,359 Speaker 1: actually if you if you want to go and really 400 00:22:51,359 --> 00:22:53,960 Speaker 1: want to know more about the system, I would suggest 401 00:22:54,000 --> 00:22:57,159 Speaker 1: going to the Computer History Museum computer history dot org. 402 00:22:57,560 --> 00:23:01,960 Speaker 1: They actually have a seminar on the system Stroke three sixty. 403 00:23:02,040 --> 00:23:06,320 Speaker 1: But in a nutshell, it was a mainframe computer and 404 00:23:06,520 --> 00:23:10,960 Speaker 1: it was a huge gamble because it was the system 405 00:23:11,200 --> 00:23:15,280 Speaker 1: that they came up with was so dramatically different. It 406 00:23:15,359 --> 00:23:19,760 Speaker 1: required a massive investment, and they were not a certain 407 00:23:19,800 --> 00:23:22,639 Speaker 1: that it was gonna work, as in, they weren't certain 408 00:23:22,680 --> 00:23:25,119 Speaker 1: that people would adopt this kind of system. So with 409 00:23:25,200 --> 00:23:27,520 Speaker 1: the amount of money that they poured poured into the 410 00:23:27,520 --> 00:23:30,040 Speaker 1: program in a nutshell, billions of dollars, as I recall, 411 00:23:30,080 --> 00:23:32,520 Speaker 1: a whole lot of R and D money they poured 412 00:23:32,560 --> 00:23:35,120 Speaker 1: into this um as a matter of fact, five well 413 00:23:35,400 --> 00:23:38,560 Speaker 1: five billions according the article that I read in Wired 414 00:23:38,600 --> 00:23:43,359 Speaker 1: magazine or online. Um, yeah, they decided to create the system. 415 00:23:43,359 --> 00:23:45,359 Speaker 1: But what made it so different was, you know, we 416 00:23:45,359 --> 00:23:48,600 Speaker 1: were just talking about how large these mainframe computers were. 417 00:23:48,600 --> 00:23:50,800 Speaker 1: They could take up massive amounts of floor space in 418 00:23:50,840 --> 00:23:55,159 Speaker 1: your your business. Well, this was a modular system. Modular 419 00:23:55,760 --> 00:23:58,560 Speaker 1: it could have you you might have the CPU in 420 00:23:58,640 --> 00:24:01,760 Speaker 1: one device, and a display terminal that goes with it, 421 00:24:01,880 --> 00:24:07,520 Speaker 1: and a control unit and data cell storage and drum storage. Um. 422 00:24:07,560 --> 00:24:10,159 Speaker 1: So if you needed more computing power, you just you 423 00:24:10,280 --> 00:24:13,119 Speaker 1: purchase more modules. Right. The card punch unit that's a 424 00:24:13,160 --> 00:24:15,800 Speaker 1: separate device, still had card punch And if you think 425 00:24:15,840 --> 00:24:18,400 Speaker 1: about it, that's pretty much the way we're doing things 426 00:24:18,440 --> 00:24:21,440 Speaker 1: now on a different scale. But I mean again, this 427 00:24:21,520 --> 00:24:24,000 Speaker 1: is before there are a lot of people using computers 428 00:24:24,040 --> 00:24:27,280 Speaker 1: in you know, personally on their desktop at work. But 429 00:24:28,400 --> 00:24:30,359 Speaker 1: I mean now at this point, you have your server, 430 00:24:30,480 --> 00:24:32,879 Speaker 1: and you have you know, when somebody comes into your company, 431 00:24:33,119 --> 00:24:36,639 Speaker 1: they get their own computer and in some cases printer 432 00:24:37,200 --> 00:24:39,480 Speaker 1: and you know, whatever else they happen to need. Sometimes 433 00:24:39,480 --> 00:24:41,000 Speaker 1: a monitor if they want to see what's going on 434 00:24:41,080 --> 00:24:43,520 Speaker 1: external hard drive. You have your server. If you need 435 00:24:43,600 --> 00:24:47,200 Speaker 1: more server space, you add another disk drive to the server. So, 436 00:24:47,240 --> 00:24:51,040 Speaker 1: I mean the model took it really Yeah, it was 437 00:24:51,080 --> 00:24:54,320 Speaker 1: a big gamble, but it ended up being the right one. Also, 438 00:24:54,400 --> 00:24:57,280 Speaker 1: there was another big gamble that they introduced with the 439 00:24:57,440 --> 00:25:01,919 Speaker 1: system Stroke three sixty, which was that they introduced the 440 00:25:02,000 --> 00:25:07,240 Speaker 1: eight bit byte. Before that, there what they really pushed 441 00:25:07,240 --> 00:25:09,400 Speaker 1: the eight bit byte. It was it wasn't the first 442 00:25:09,440 --> 00:25:11,679 Speaker 1: time that that had ever been around, but that's what 443 00:25:11,800 --> 00:25:14,520 Speaker 1: this system used. Now, there were other computers that used 444 00:25:14,600 --> 00:25:18,560 Speaker 1: twelve bit and thirty six bit based computers, so they 445 00:25:18,560 --> 00:25:22,439 Speaker 1: were around. But because IBM pushed this, because it got adopted, 446 00:25:22,560 --> 00:25:26,320 Speaker 1: because the gamble paid off, the eight bit byte became standard, 447 00:25:27,520 --> 00:25:29,960 Speaker 1: and just thinking without this system, we might have a 448 00:25:29,960 --> 00:25:33,480 Speaker 1: lot more confusion in the marketplace. But uh so each 449 00:25:33,480 --> 00:25:35,840 Speaker 1: computer you're do, you know, happen to know how much 450 00:25:35,840 --> 00:25:39,919 Speaker 1: they cost when they started to uh to sell them. Well, 451 00:25:39,960 --> 00:25:43,720 Speaker 1: according to Wired, in nineteen sixty six, IBM was selling 452 00:25:43,760 --> 00:25:46,400 Speaker 1: a thousand of these in a month at about two 453 00:25:46,480 --> 00:25:49,919 Speaker 1: and a half to three million dollars a piece piece. 454 00:25:50,080 --> 00:25:56,960 Speaker 1: Yeah that's a lot, Mullah, even in nineteen sixty Yeah. Yeah, 455 00:25:57,000 --> 00:26:01,000 Speaker 1: So this ended up being the basis for IBM suh, 456 00:26:01,240 --> 00:26:05,879 Speaker 1: most of IBMS computer businesses moving forward. So yeah, like 457 00:26:05,920 --> 00:26:09,199 Speaker 1: we said, big, big gamble, big payoff. Do you have 458 00:26:09,240 --> 00:26:12,480 Speaker 1: anything pre ninety eight, that's the next thing I have 459 00:26:13,200 --> 00:26:17,600 Speaker 1: pre nine, between sixty four and sixty eight. They I 460 00:26:17,600 --> 00:26:19,439 Speaker 1: would like to point out that they are they are 461 00:26:19,480 --> 00:26:24,719 Speaker 1: working with lasers this point. They're using lasers to carry information. 462 00:26:25,359 --> 00:26:27,440 Speaker 1: As a matter of fact, they were also looking into 463 00:26:27,920 --> 00:26:31,720 Speaker 1: storage media using lasers. So this is a precursor to 464 00:26:31,960 --> 00:26:35,520 Speaker 1: compact discs, laser discs, DVDs, that kind of thing. They're 465 00:26:35,520 --> 00:26:39,119 Speaker 1: still they're still working with the Gemini flights. They actually 466 00:26:39,119 --> 00:26:42,840 Speaker 1: have onboard computers. As it is joked very often, a 467 00:26:42,840 --> 00:26:45,240 Speaker 1: common or sixty four was more powerful than these machines. 468 00:26:45,680 --> 00:26:47,760 Speaker 1: But at the time, when you think about it, they 469 00:26:47,760 --> 00:26:51,000 Speaker 1: were going out into space and coming back safely with 470 00:26:51,080 --> 00:26:54,720 Speaker 1: these devices, so they you know, they're pretty sophisticated. Yeah, 471 00:26:54,760 --> 00:26:56,560 Speaker 1: And really, when you get down to it, they were 472 00:26:56,600 --> 00:26:59,280 Speaker 1: able to crunch the numbers, which is what the computers 473 00:26:59,320 --> 00:27:01,240 Speaker 1: had to do, right, they weren't. They didn't have to 474 00:27:01,240 --> 00:27:04,639 Speaker 1: play Hunt the Wumpus. As awesome as that game was. 475 00:27:05,280 --> 00:27:07,240 Speaker 1: I keep bringing it up because it's the first video 476 00:27:07,400 --> 00:27:10,080 Speaker 1: is the first computer game I can remember playing everts. 477 00:27:10,119 --> 00:27:12,359 Speaker 1: The first one I remember having is Hunt the Wumpus, 478 00:27:13,240 --> 00:27:14,520 Speaker 1: a terrible game. By the way, do you know what 479 00:27:14,600 --> 00:27:16,560 Speaker 1: I'm talking about? No, I'll tell you about it after 480 00:27:16,600 --> 00:27:21,080 Speaker 1: the show. In seven they IBM had an exhibited Canada's 481 00:27:21,080 --> 00:27:25,520 Speaker 1: Expo sixty seven. But um, they were also working on 482 00:27:25,960 --> 00:27:31,000 Speaker 1: UM the first monolithic integrated germanium circuits. Is that what 483 00:27:31,119 --> 00:27:33,080 Speaker 1: was in the beginning of two thousand one, the thing 484 00:27:33,119 --> 00:27:34,720 Speaker 1: that fell to earth and all the apes were dancing 485 00:27:34,720 --> 00:27:40,639 Speaker 1: around it? No, that is a monolith. But yes, you 486 00:27:40,640 --> 00:27:44,000 Speaker 1: remember we we talked about germanium before on the podcast. 487 00:27:44,040 --> 00:27:51,840 Speaker 1: When we started talking about semiconductors, I was thinking of flowers, okay, um, 488 00:27:51,920 --> 00:27:53,920 Speaker 1: so yes. And they also had a trillion bit photo 489 00:27:53,960 --> 00:27:57,680 Speaker 1: digital storage system for the Atomic Energy Commission. Uh. It's 490 00:27:57,680 --> 00:28:00,560 Speaker 1: it's funny because the information on i M dot com. 491 00:28:00,560 --> 00:28:05,560 Speaker 1: They have a very very very comprehensive timeline with all 492 00:28:05,640 --> 00:28:08,520 Speaker 1: kinds of stuff. But it's funny because if you look 493 00:28:08,560 --> 00:28:10,280 Speaker 1: at these documents, and I encourage you to do so, 494 00:28:10,400 --> 00:28:13,320 Speaker 1: I mean and free download them at at your leisure, 495 00:28:13,760 --> 00:28:16,720 Speaker 1: but they break it down into Jonathan and I are 496 00:28:16,800 --> 00:28:19,000 Speaker 1: kind of concentrating on the stuff that everyone I mean, 497 00:28:19,040 --> 00:28:20,520 Speaker 1: like the stuff that the public would sort of be 498 00:28:20,520 --> 00:28:25,200 Speaker 1: aware of. So they were making contributions to business in general, 499 00:28:25,400 --> 00:28:29,200 Speaker 1: their business practices, business culture. They were also doing science 500 00:28:29,480 --> 00:28:31,840 Speaker 1: in the background. Look at me still talking when they're 501 00:28:31,840 --> 00:28:39,640 Speaker 1: science to be done. Um so but yeah they uh so, 502 00:28:39,680 --> 00:28:41,480 Speaker 1: they're working on all this stuff in particular. So I 503 00:28:41,600 --> 00:28:43,840 Speaker 1: kind of wanted to note a few of them, like 504 00:28:43,880 --> 00:28:47,640 Speaker 1: the brails hipewriter. That's that's pretty cool. Yeah, nineteen sixty 505 00:28:47,880 --> 00:28:51,000 Speaker 1: was a neat year they started working on the Apollo program. 506 00:28:51,240 --> 00:28:54,400 Speaker 1: I started started to produce computers for the Apollo program. 507 00:28:54,480 --> 00:28:57,440 Speaker 1: In fact, IBM is very proud to to say that 508 00:28:57,560 --> 00:29:02,120 Speaker 1: the IBM computers at the Control center were part of 509 00:29:02,240 --> 00:29:05,600 Speaker 1: the reason why we were able to get our astronauts 510 00:29:05,600 --> 00:29:10,640 Speaker 1: back home safely during the Apollo thirteen near disaster. Could 511 00:29:10,640 --> 00:29:13,760 Speaker 1: have out right, yes, that they that it was IBM 512 00:29:13,800 --> 00:29:18,560 Speaker 1: systems that helped the engineers at back at ground control 513 00:29:18,680 --> 00:29:22,360 Speaker 1: to get the astronauts back to Earth safely. Um and 514 00:29:22,520 --> 00:29:25,400 Speaker 1: uh yeah, that's that's a pretty big deal. They also 515 00:29:25,600 --> 00:29:28,680 Speaker 1: in that's specifically when they started to develop a laser 516 00:29:28,720 --> 00:29:32,640 Speaker 1: optical memory system. Um. We can start jumping forward a 517 00:29:32,640 --> 00:29:35,800 Speaker 1: little bit because like you said, the developments are coming 518 00:29:35,880 --> 00:29:37,920 Speaker 1: fast and furious at this point, and to cover all 519 00:29:37,960 --> 00:29:40,400 Speaker 1: of them we would need an entire afternoon, and we 520 00:29:40,480 --> 00:29:42,360 Speaker 1: just don't have that time. And we haven't even been 521 00:29:42,360 --> 00:29:44,480 Speaker 1: touching on all the scientists who have been awarded the 522 00:29:44,560 --> 00:29:47,480 Speaker 1: National Technology Prize and all sorts of other medals and 523 00:29:47,520 --> 00:29:49,600 Speaker 1: recognitions for the stuff that they've or we haven't talked 524 00:29:49,640 --> 00:29:54,000 Speaker 1: about Endicott. We haven't talked about how IBM was investing 525 00:29:54,120 --> 00:30:01,080 Speaker 1: in scientific uh knowledge and advancements through their own IBM campuses. 526 00:30:01,160 --> 00:30:03,240 Speaker 1: I mean you it wasn't just a place to go 527 00:30:03,280 --> 00:30:06,280 Speaker 1: and work. It was a place to go learn and pioneer. 528 00:30:07,040 --> 00:30:10,720 Speaker 1: Like you know, think that that motto that came from 529 00:30:11,360 --> 00:30:15,880 Speaker 1: Thomas Watson, Sr. I think really did become the central 530 00:30:15,920 --> 00:30:22,719 Speaker 1: foundation for what IBM was all about. So so nineteen seventy, 531 00:30:22,760 --> 00:30:26,280 Speaker 1: IBM announces the system Stroke three seventy, which was the 532 00:30:26,640 --> 00:30:29,840 Speaker 1: of course, the successor to the three sixty. This is 533 00:30:29,880 --> 00:30:33,160 Speaker 1: a small snicker moment because of course the systems Stroke 534 00:30:33,240 --> 00:30:36,200 Speaker 1: three sixty was supposed to be a comprehensive package. So 535 00:30:36,240 --> 00:30:39,320 Speaker 1: you have your sixty degrees, so I guess now you 536 00:30:39,320 --> 00:30:41,680 Speaker 1: have ten more degrees, right, Well, you know. I'm just 537 00:30:41,680 --> 00:30:44,840 Speaker 1: saying it's in case it gets cold, and then there's uh. 538 00:30:45,040 --> 00:30:48,360 Speaker 1: They also introduced in nineteen seventy the first IBM copier, 539 00:30:48,680 --> 00:30:50,960 Speaker 1: which became a bigger business for them. Further down the road, 540 00:30:51,000 --> 00:30:54,640 Speaker 1: the first IBM copier. Yeah, the first IBM copier. The 541 00:30:55,200 --> 00:30:57,760 Speaker 1: and they're supposed to get less strong as you go 542 00:30:57,800 --> 00:31:02,920 Speaker 1: on the first IBM cop here machine. That's true. That's true. 543 00:31:03,120 --> 00:31:05,600 Speaker 1: So in in nineteen seventy one, that's when those rail 544 00:31:05,640 --> 00:31:08,520 Speaker 1: printers really started hitting the market. They started to experiment 545 00:31:08,520 --> 00:31:13,560 Speaker 1: with speech recognition technology and seventy one, again, decades before 546 00:31:13,880 --> 00:31:18,320 Speaker 1: we started seeing this in in applications that we would recognize, right, 547 00:31:18,400 --> 00:31:22,360 Speaker 1: they were working on it in seventy one. Nineteen seventy three. 548 00:31:22,400 --> 00:31:26,680 Speaker 1: I'm jumping much further ahead because this electric too. Well, no, 549 00:31:26,880 --> 00:31:29,480 Speaker 1: because we talked about this electric enough, I thought, and 550 00:31:29,520 --> 00:31:32,560 Speaker 1: we're running out of time. Seventy three they introduced the 551 00:31:32,600 --> 00:31:35,600 Speaker 1: IBM diskette, which was a new storage medium that became 552 00:31:35,680 --> 00:31:39,840 Speaker 1: very important. Yes it is. Yeah, I loved those diskets. 553 00:31:40,040 --> 00:31:43,640 Speaker 1: I'm not I'm not even joking. There's something about being 554 00:31:43,680 --> 00:31:47,080 Speaker 1: able to physically see how much data you have because 555 00:31:47,080 --> 00:31:50,640 Speaker 1: you're looking at the discs. That is really satisfying to me. 556 00:31:51,240 --> 00:31:53,000 Speaker 1: You know, when you look at a hard drive, you 557 00:31:53,040 --> 00:31:55,680 Speaker 1: know how much it can store, But that doesn't you know, 558 00:31:55,720 --> 00:31:58,960 Speaker 1: you don't. It doesn't give you a visual queue of Wow, 559 00:31:59,320 --> 00:32:03,360 Speaker 1: I got a stuff. Are our middle school and junior 560 00:32:03,440 --> 00:32:06,240 Speaker 1: high school student listeners, and we have quite a few 561 00:32:06,240 --> 00:32:08,000 Speaker 1: of them, are going to laugh because they all have 562 00:32:08,640 --> 00:32:12,320 Speaker 1: pocket flash drives with yeh they can hold a hundred times. 563 00:32:12,920 --> 00:32:15,520 Speaker 1: They can hold the entire library I had on diskette 564 00:32:15,560 --> 00:32:18,680 Speaker 1: on one thumb drive. I was I was joking. Don't 565 00:32:18,680 --> 00:32:19,920 Speaker 1: write me in to tell me I was wrong. It 566 00:32:20,000 --> 00:32:23,560 Speaker 1: was just a saying. Nineteen seventy six, IBM computers are 567 00:32:23,680 --> 00:32:27,920 Speaker 1: used on the Space Shuttle Enterprise. I remember that the 568 00:32:27,920 --> 00:32:31,560 Speaker 1: the prototype of the Space Shuttle program, Enterprise, which was 569 00:32:31,680 --> 00:32:34,560 Speaker 1: used to test the model. It was not not meant 570 00:32:34,600 --> 00:32:39,400 Speaker 1: to actually take astronauts into space. Um, but yeah, they 571 00:32:39,680 --> 00:32:42,600 Speaker 1: used the computers aboard that. And jumping all the way 572 00:32:42,680 --> 00:32:46,040 Speaker 1: up to nineteen eighty, We're just gonna end this episode 573 00:32:46,040 --> 00:32:48,600 Speaker 1: on nineteen eighty because nineteen eighty one we enter a 574 00:32:48,640 --> 00:32:53,200 Speaker 1: new era in IBM history. So nineteen eighty the gross 575 00:32:53,280 --> 00:32:57,200 Speaker 1: income for IBM at this point. Keeping in mind when 576 00:32:57,200 --> 00:33:00,240 Speaker 1: it started four million gross income one million or things 577 00:33:01,480 --> 00:33:06,160 Speaker 1: twenty six point to one billion with a B dollars. 578 00:33:06,560 --> 00:33:11,479 Speaker 1: The earnings three point three nine billion, three hundred forty 579 00:33:11,520 --> 00:33:14,800 Speaker 1: one thousand, two hundred seventy nine employees, so more than 580 00:33:14,840 --> 00:33:18,200 Speaker 1: a quarter of a million employees at this point. And 581 00:33:18,240 --> 00:33:21,440 Speaker 1: their products at this time included ultra fast processors for 582 00:33:21,520 --> 00:33:24,800 Speaker 1: business computer systems. They did word processors. They still had 583 00:33:24,800 --> 00:33:27,800 Speaker 1: the typewriters. They were doing data storage media. They had 584 00:33:27,800 --> 00:33:33,360 Speaker 1: analytical instruments for scientific research, development, uh, applications. All of 585 00:33:33,400 --> 00:33:36,400 Speaker 1: this is going on in nineteen eighty and in ninety 586 00:33:36,480 --> 00:33:42,280 Speaker 1: one they really strike a new uh they head into 587 00:33:42,320 --> 00:33:45,040 Speaker 1: a new market. Before we move on to eighty one 588 00:33:45,240 --> 00:33:47,200 Speaker 1: for our next podcast, we have to add a science 589 00:33:47,200 --> 00:33:51,440 Speaker 1: thing that they did. Please do according to the company, Uh, 590 00:33:51,480 --> 00:33:54,960 Speaker 1: they did. Some of the researchers were able to start 591 00:33:55,120 --> 00:34:00,000 Speaker 1: using computers to transcribe human speech with Now we're talking 592 00:34:00,160 --> 00:34:06,640 Speaker 1: rudimentary a thousand word vocabulary here, so it's not like Watson. Uh, 593 00:34:06,680 --> 00:34:10,040 Speaker 1: but it was able to read and convert tech speech 594 00:34:10,080 --> 00:34:15,279 Speaker 1: to print with about accuracy. See they've been walking they've 595 00:34:15,280 --> 00:34:18,120 Speaker 1: been working on Watson for quite some time. Yeah. That 596 00:34:18,200 --> 00:34:21,960 Speaker 1: was that was that was a long tail game right there. Yes, 597 00:34:22,040 --> 00:34:25,040 Speaker 1: but of course it paid off in the end, Yeah, 598 00:34:25,080 --> 00:34:27,640 Speaker 1: by by several thousand dollars as there recall, because it 599 00:34:28,000 --> 00:34:32,520 Speaker 1: won the whole championship, right, I'm sure that that helped 600 00:34:32,560 --> 00:34:36,200 Speaker 1: offset the billions of dollars of research and development. Yes, 601 00:34:36,280 --> 00:34:39,120 Speaker 1: but they do expect that it will have applications. And 602 00:34:39,160 --> 00:34:41,000 Speaker 1: if you wondered where Watson's name came from, if you 603 00:34:41,000 --> 00:34:44,239 Speaker 1: didn't listen to the podcast the machine that we're talking 604 00:34:44,239 --> 00:34:47,160 Speaker 1: about that one Jeopardy be Too Human opponents that the 605 00:34:47,320 --> 00:34:51,240 Speaker 1: game show Jeopardy. Um, it came from the company's founder, 606 00:34:51,480 --> 00:34:54,680 Speaker 1: founder Ish, the guy, the guy who instilled in the 607 00:34:54,719 --> 00:34:58,320 Speaker 1: company all of the philosophies that have guided it since 608 00:34:58,520 --> 00:35:01,359 Speaker 1: then and really built it into a single company from 609 00:35:01,360 --> 00:35:05,760 Speaker 1: the three composit companies, the original Thomas J. Watson Senior. 610 00:35:06,800 --> 00:35:10,040 Speaker 1: Al Right, well, we are going to wrap this part up. 611 00:35:10,080 --> 00:35:13,040 Speaker 1: We have one more part to come about the personal 612 00:35:13,120 --> 00:35:16,040 Speaker 1: computer era of IBM's history. It was it played a 613 00:35:16,160 --> 00:35:19,279 Speaker 1: very important role in that in that whole market, and 614 00:35:19,320 --> 00:35:22,879 Speaker 1: then we're going to get away from IBM after that. 615 00:35:23,160 --> 00:35:26,040 Speaker 1: For those of you who are thinking that three podcasts 616 00:35:26,040 --> 00:35:28,680 Speaker 1: about a company is too much, well, IBM really is 617 00:35:28,880 --> 00:35:31,799 Speaker 1: instrumental in so many areas of tech. It was hard 618 00:35:31,840 --> 00:35:35,160 Speaker 1: to to be able to shrink it into fewer than three. 619 00:35:35,200 --> 00:35:37,960 Speaker 1: In fact, we probably could do four or five, but 620 00:35:38,040 --> 00:35:40,560 Speaker 1: we're not. The third will be our final one, at 621 00:35:40,640 --> 00:35:43,320 Speaker 1: least for the time being. Oh, I forgot one small 622 00:35:43,360 --> 00:35:48,359 Speaker 1: thing you PC codes. So anyway, if you guys want 623 00:35:48,360 --> 00:35:51,279 Speaker 1: to hear more information about a particular favorite company, wait, 624 00:35:51,320 --> 00:35:55,399 Speaker 1: there's another one introduced risk Architecture. Please, for the love 625 00:35:55,480 --> 00:35:58,560 Speaker 1: of all that is good, send us a message on 626 00:35:58,600 --> 00:36:02,719 Speaker 1: Twitter or Facebook. Are handled. There is text stuff hs W, 627 00:36:03,160 --> 00:36:05,879 Speaker 1: or you can shoot us an email that addresses tech 628 00:36:05,920 --> 00:36:08,360 Speaker 1: stuff at how stuff works dot com and Chris and 629 00:36:08,400 --> 00:36:11,920 Speaker 1: I will talk to you again about IBM really soon. 630 00:36:14,080 --> 00:36:16,479 Speaker 1: For more on this and thousands of other topics, visit 631 00:36:16,520 --> 00:36:19,320 Speaker 1: how stuff works dot com. So learn more about the podcast, 632 00:36:19,520 --> 00:36:22,040 Speaker 1: click on the podcast icon in the upper right corner 633 00:36:22,080 --> 00:36:26,240 Speaker 1: of our homepage. The How Stuff Works iPhone app has arrived. 634 00:36:26,320 --> 00:36:33,600 Speaker 1: Download it today on iTunes. Brought to you by the 635 00:36:33,640 --> 00:36:36,960 Speaker 1: reinvented two thousand twelve camera. It's ready, are you