Vintage Computer 1957: SYSTEM TECHNOLOGY System Development Corp. (Cold War, Defense, SAGE, Radar)

[@DK640OBrianYT]

*WOW* I'm rarely impressed, but here we have an extraordinary example in living imagery of how and when The United States were so far ahead of all other countries, that it takes your breath away. We're talking decades and decades ahead of all others on Planet Earth. I'm watching fully integrated second generation computer technology solutions on many levels of the American society in the late 1950's and this film was even finished a whole year before Denmark on private initiative got its first computer, a first generation called DASK, Danish Arithmetric Sequence Calculator and its national birth so to speak came in late 1960, where it was used to foresee the result of the national election based on exitpolls. Automated payments with creditcards became common in Denmark 30 years later during the second half of the 1980's. Where the American customer could redirect telephone calls, having conference calls and having speeddial from the middle of the 1960's, this was introduced in Denmark during the 1990's. Wow. Wow. Just wow.

[@ComputerHistoryArchivesProject]

Hi Brian, thank you very much for your comments, and for the info on the DASK machine. Quite fascinating. Glad you are enjoying this early material. ~ Victor, at CHAP

[@joojoojeejee6058]

Finland also got its first computer in 1958, the IBM 650 for bank. However, a domestic computer was being developed in the University of Technology already from 1954, but it wasn't finished until 1960.

[@DK640OBrianYT]

@@ComputerHistoryArchivesProject You know. In my initial excitement there two years ago, I actually managed to leave out the most important piece of this presentation: The spectacular simulation of an attack and/or assault, all prepared manually and then carried out in real-time by computer using various graphical output means. Oh, mama.

[@soyunkim5380]

Honor for medicine consumption data and tech development

[@KeritechElectronics]

"Let's play a Global Thermonuclear War." A futuristic vision of the fifties and a reality of this century. Makes me wish I could lay my hands on these old systems... That Space Age tech was waaaaaaaaaaay too cool. 23:43 just look at them dekatrons!

[@TaxPayingContributor]

"Open the pod bay doors HAL" / "*Sorry, Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that.*"

[@JeffersonMartinSynfluent]

People hanging tapes. Makes me feel really, really old!

[@josephgaviota]

Same here ... 600' reels, 1200' reels, 2400' feels, 800bpi, 1600bpi ... and if we got a 3620bpi, we had to send it out to be converted to 1600 bpi. Crummy: Pertec tape drive; Good: DG tape drive, Excellent, Kennedy Tape drive. (Now I've _proved_ my age!)

[@kdkatz-ef2us]

I did the same job wearing cut-offs and T-shirts. I'd hate to get my necktie stuck in a high speed line printer!

[@ComputerHistoryArchivesProject]

Ouch! yes, agreed!

[@josephgaviota]

I actually _DID_ get a necktie caught in a line printer. I panicked, and stood bolt upright, and _lifted_ the line printer off the floor (I was young and strong). Luckily for me, someone came over QUICKLY, and unplugged the printer, and got scissors and cut my tie in half. That was actually kind of close; as my face inched closer to the type bars.

[@5argetech56]

No home computers. Only computers for large corporations that cost more than people's houses.

[@miles2378]

Is this a update because I think I have seen this documentary before?

[@ComputerHistoryArchivesProject]

Hi Christopher, this is the first time we have uploaded this film. It is a slightly digitally enhanced version. I am sure there are older copies of this on the Net, uploaded by others. ~ Victor, CHAP

[@jozefbania]

Cigarettes everywhere.

[@josephgaviota]

_Cigarettes everywhere._ I remember as a [non smoking] teen, coming home from work, pulling my T-shirt over my head, and _smelling_ the cigarette smoke on it. Also, as the shift wore on, if you stood up, you could _see_ a cloud of smoke hovering over the entire production area.

[@matambale]

MEMORANDUM Use the word SYSTEM as much as possible, until it loses all meaning.