In the late sixties, I worked in the IBM Hartford DataCenter as a computer operator. The DataCenter's primary mission was to assist customers in installing new equipment by providing machine time for testing. On third shift, my job was to run work left by customers during the day and perform routine software maintenance. Only rarely did customers schedule time in my shift, so the workload was generally light. During this time, I took every self-study ("PI" for Programmed Instruction) course in programming that I could find and was extremely fortunate in having S/360 and other computers available for practice. Later, I moved on to better jobs in IBM. Recently, I found this collection of pictures taken during this time and, looking at them now, wonder if the later jobs were really "better".

A few pictures from the 1980's have been added at the end.

Click on a thumbnail to see a larger version. Use your browser's 'Back' button to return.

029 Keyboard

 

029 Keyboard

 

I remember this as a 6400

 

A 6400?

 

A 2311 disk drive with the cover open and a removable 1316 disk pack mounted

2311 Disk Drive

Inside a 2321 data cell

Inside a 2321 data cell.

The Datacenter

System 360 mod 30

A poor photo of the console display

Mod 30 panel

The mod 30 at

System 360 mod 30

The mod 30 running at night

Mod 30 in the dark

This is a 360

A different mod 30

This is a 1419 MICR

A 1419 MICR reader attached to the mod 30 at left.

The 1052a

A 1052 hammering away

The 1052

1052 at rest

An 1130 computer

An 1130 computer

Another shot of the 1130

The same 1130

This is a 2250 graphics display being used as an operator console on a 360

2250 being used as operator console

This is the screen of a 2260 model 2 video terminal

2260 screen

A 1403 model N1 printer with the covers open

1403 printer with covers open

The back of a 1403N1 printer

Rear of 1403 printer

Deteriorated photo of a line of 2400 series tape drives

Two models of 2400 tape drives

A 2402 tape drive during a high

High speed rewind

2400 tape drives at night

2400's in the dark

The inside of a 2403 tape control unit

Inside a tape control unit

A closeup of the panel in the tape control unit

Control panel in a tape control unit.

A bunch of SLT

Chips, boards, machine unknown

Anybody recognize this

?????

[Identified as a 360/30 - thank you]

 

This is

A TOS sysres tape!

These are card decks containing source and object code

Decks of punched cards

Running a new program often produced one of these

Insert the cards at left to produce these. They are called "core dumps"

This is an assembler source listing from some

Source listing showing some bad technique

This is a wiring panel from one of the unit record machines we had

Unit record wiring panel

Pictures below were taken in the 1980's

3250 Graphics Unit

A 3250 vector display at a business show on the day its replacement was announced.

Industrial PC

An early Industrial PC with an 8-inch floppy drive.

5080 Graphical Dsplay

An early 5080 raster display that replaced the 3250, above. The ultimate 2250.

Comments to:  John Coelho

Photos Copyright 2013 NFR Partners Inc.

Updated: 25 November 2013