←back to thread

Building the System/360 Mainframe Nearly Destroyed IBM

(spectrum.ieee.org)
169 points rbanffy | 2 comments | 08 Apr 25 07:30 UTC | HN request time: 0s | source
Show context
EncomLab ◴[08 Apr 25 11:20 UTC] No.43620394[source]▶
Alan Kay has promulgated many famous truths about computer science - one of them being that among all fields of study, it has the least regard for the people and discoveries that brought it to where it is today. Maybe it's just my own sense of history as I move into my 4th and likely last decade of working with computers, but I find this to be both true and lamentable.

This was a great article - thanks for sharing!

replies(3): >>43621464 #>>43624141 #>>43624240 #
1. wglb ◴[08 Apr 25 17:24 UTC] No.43624240[source]▶
One example of this was the concept of virtual memory, which was invented by Burroughs, not by IBM.

> as I move into my 4th and likely last decade of working with computers

Don't despair--I am in my sixth and still program every day.

replies(1): >>43637410 #
2. datavirtue ◴[09 Apr 25 20:21 UTC] No.43637410[source]▶
Yeah, programming is rewarding. I just got tapped for CTO and basically fell into a pit of depression.