Vintage Computer Federation | IBM 1130 in 1972 at Northampton High School @vcfederation | Uploaded January 2023 | Updated October 2024, 11 hours ago.
A recording of students using an IBM 1130 back in 1972 along with related devices like punch card machines and sorters.
Back in 1972 Northampton was a middle class town. About 30,000 residents, not rich, not poor. This school had FORTRAN on that 1130. The main purpose of that computer was to do the payroll for the city. Using it for education was secondary. The teacher in charge of that class, Mr. Halpern, was in charge and he spent a good amount of his time doing city books and payroll. The student taking the course took the computer course, then he got to know Mr. Halpern and he came in early mornings, went to the computer room during lunch, free periods and after school.
One day the service guy was in and he saw his intense interest. He told him that it would be possible to write a program with differing delays that would make audible notes on an AM radio, and play a song. The student implemented the Star Spangled Banner by the next time he was in! The student wished that he had recorded it!
He's not sure if the payroll program was written in COBOL or FORTRAN? He doesn't think they had COBOL, because if they did, he probably would have learned it, and he didn't. He wrote 90% of my 1130 programs in FORTRAN and the rest in assembler.
A recording of students using an IBM 1130 back in 1972 along with related devices like punch card machines and sorters.
Back in 1972 Northampton was a middle class town. About 30,000 residents, not rich, not poor. This school had FORTRAN on that 1130. The main purpose of that computer was to do the payroll for the city. Using it for education was secondary. The teacher in charge of that class, Mr. Halpern, was in charge and he spent a good amount of his time doing city books and payroll. The student taking the course took the computer course, then he got to know Mr. Halpern and he came in early mornings, went to the computer room during lunch, free periods and after school.
One day the service guy was in and he saw his intense interest. He told him that it would be possible to write a program with differing delays that would make audible notes on an AM radio, and play a song. The student implemented the Star Spangled Banner by the next time he was in! The student wished that he had recorded it!
He's not sure if the payroll program was written in COBOL or FORTRAN? He doesn't think they had COBOL, because if they did, he probably would have learned it, and he didn't. He wrote 90% of my 1130 programs in FORTRAN and the rest in assembler.
