| The Control Data 6060 Remote Calculator [message #215428] |
Thu, 02 January 2014 11:07  |
Quadibloc
Messages: 4399
Registered: June 2012
Karma: 0
|
Senior Member |
|
|
I found out the model number for this from Google Books.
While the manual isn't on Bitsavers, I found one source of detailed information on the device: its patent, U.S. patent 3380031.
Given how powerful the chips are in smartphones, while there are some pretty powerful calculators out there already, like the one from TI that does symbolic algebra, it occurred to me that a calculator terminal for a powerful computer such as the Control Data 6600 might contain some ideas for making more powerful calculators with today's technology.
John Savard
|
|
|
|
| Re: The Control Data 6060 Remote Calculator [message #215429 is a reply to message #215428] |
Thu, 02 January 2014 11:15  |
Quadibloc
Messages: 4399
Registered: June 2012
Karma: 0
|
Senior Member |
|
|
The patent does explain what the device does when in use.
In addition to basic scientific calculator functions, it can calculate means and standard deviations, it can calculate the determinant of a matrix up to 10 by 10, and it can do numerical integration.
And it has a bunch of memories for numbers.
But it isn't even a programmable calculator, as far as I could see in a quick reading of the relevant section of the patent.
John Savard
|
|
|
|
| Re: The Control Data 6060 Remote Calculator [message #215466 is a reply to message #215428] |
Thu, 02 January 2014 13:49 |
Rod Speed
Messages: 3507
Registered: January 2012
Karma: 0
|
Senior Member |
|
|
Quadibloc <jsavard@ecn.ab.ca> wrote
> I found out the model number for this from Google Books.
> While the manual isn't on Bitsavers, I found one source of detailed
> information on the device: its patent, U.S. patent 3380031.
> Given how powerful the chips are in smartphones, while
> there are some pretty powerful calculators out there already,
> like the one from TI that does symbolic algebra, it occurred
> to me that a calculator terminal for a powerful computer
> such as the Control Data 6600 might contain some ideas
> for making more powerful calculators with today's technology.
Those who need powerful calculators now generally use
either spreadsheets or the other scientific maths systems.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Re: The Control Data 6060 Remote Calculator [message #348368 is a reply to message #348367] |
Fri, 14 July 2017 13:35 |
Quadibloc
Messages: 4399
Registered: June 2012
Karma: 0
|
Senior Member |
|
|
On Friday, July 14, 2017 at 11:29:43 AM UTC-6, Quadibloc wrote:
> There is a document on the Control Data 6060 Remote Calculator at the Computer History Museum too, so that would be more easily accessible to Al Kossow.
And, for what it's worth, the 6060 Remote Calculator reference manual is Control Data publication number 60147900.
John Savard
|
|
|
|
| Re: The Control Data 6060 Remote Calculator [message #348369 is a reply to message #348367] |
Fri, 14 July 2017 13:50 |
Quadibloc
Messages: 4399
Registered: June 2012
Karma: 0
|
Senior Member |
|
|
On Friday, July 14, 2017 at 11:29:43 AM UTC-6, Quadibloc wrote:
> There is a document on the Control Data 6060 Remote Calculator at the Computer History Museum too, so that would be more easily accessible to Al Kossow.
I've found out a couple of other places it was mentioned.
An employee of Control Data gave a talk about it that was included in the
proceedings of the 1965 IFIP Congress.
Also, the book On-line Computing: Time-shared Computer Systems by Walter J.
Karplus, from 1967, discusses it.
John Savard
|
|
|
|
| Re: The Control Data 6060 Remote Calculator [message #348381 is a reply to message #215428] |
Fri, 14 July 2017 15:05 |
|
|
Originally posted by: Peter Capek
On Thursday, January 2, 2014 at 11:07:57 AM UTC-5, Quadibloc wrote:
>
> While the manual isn't on Bitsavers, I found one source of detailed information on the device: its patent, U.S. patent 3380031.
>
> John Savard
I think it would be a mistake to assume that a patent describes what is in a product. While it's not
impossible, it's unlikely. The patent may, for example, have been filed before the product was developed,
as a way of establishing priority. But the reality of building the device may have taken the developers
in a different direction, or a different distance.
There was a time when CDC was advertising the 6060 very heavily. I may be able to find one of those ads in my files, and will try to do so. Is there any evidence that it was ever delivered to customers?
Peter Capek
|
|
|
|
| Re: The Control Data 6060 Remote Calculator [message #348382 is a reply to message #348381] |
Fri, 14 July 2017 15:12 |
Quadibloc
Messages: 4399
Registered: June 2012
Karma: 0
|
Senior Member |
|
|
On Friday, July 14, 2017 at 1:05:30 PM UTC-6, capek@ieee.org <Peter Capek> wrote:
> There was a time when CDC was advertising the 6060 very heavily. I may be able
> to find one of those ads in my files, and will try to do so. Is there any
> evidence that it was ever delivered to customers?
1) Specimens exist; they appeared in movies as props.
2) I believe that there are in fact references to them being used in published
scientific papers from some of my search results.
I've seen some of the ads online, but the resolution wasn't high enough to read
the legends on the keys.
John Savard
|
|
|
|
| Re: The Control Data 6060 Remote Calculator [message #348383 is a reply to message #348381] |
Fri, 14 July 2017 15:14 |
Quadibloc
Messages: 4399
Registered: June 2012
Karma: 0
|
Senior Member |
|
|
On Friday, July 14, 2017 at 1:05:30 PM UTC-6, capek@ieee.org <Peter Capek> wrote:
> I think it would be a mistake to assume that a patent describes what is in a product. While it's not
> impossible, it's unlikely. The patent may, for example, have been filed before the product was developed,
> as a way of establishing priority. But the reality of building the device may have taken the developers
> in a different direction, or a different distance.
The layout of the keyboard was different on the device as pictured in the
advertisements and in the patent.
John Savard
|
|
|
|
|
|
Members
Search
Help
Register
Login
Home
