Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!lll-tis!ames!amdahl!rtech!mtxinu!unisoft!paul
From: paul@unisoft.UUCP (n)
Newsgroups: comp.arch
Subject: Re: Superoptimiser.
Message-ID: <1207@unisoft.UUCP>
Date: 7 Jul 88 16:39:22 GMT
References: <28200172@urbsdc> <11458@steinmetz.ge.com> <1300@ucsfcca.ucsf.edu>
Reply-To: paul@unisoft.UUCP (Paul Campbell)
Lines: 26

In article <1300@ucsfcca.ucsf.edu> root@cca.ucsf.edu (Computer Center) writes:
>
>The Stretch was the 7030; it established technology which later appeared
>in the 7090 and 7094. This was several years before the 360 series and
>"Solid Logic Technology" (SLT). The 7000 series machines were discrete
>transistor based.
>

	One of the best stories about the Stretch (I think I read about it
in CACM maybe 5 years ago) was about an early problem in the core memory:
I order to keep the temperature down the core stacks were embedded in
moving oil for cooling, an engineer was trying to find an intermittent
failure, this lasted for several weeks untill finally someone noticed that
the failure tended to move through memory addresses sequentially, finally
the problem was diagnosed - a piece of solder in the oil. This was the
first (and probably last) computer to be repaired by giving it an oil 
change .....


		Paul


-- 
Paul Campbell, UniSoft Corp. 6121 Hollis, Emeryville, Ca
	E-mail:		..!{ucbvax,hoptoad}!unisoft!paul  
Nothing here represents the opinions of UniSoft or its employees (except me)
"Nuclear war doesn't prove who's Right, just who's Left" (ABC news 10/13/87)