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Delay Line Memory

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  Delay Line Memory "Charles Richmond" <numerist@aquaporin4.com> - 2016-02-16 15:21 -0600
    Re: Delay Line Memory Dave Garland <dave.garland@wizinfo.com> - 2016-02-16 15:41 -0600
    Re: Delay Line Memory David Wade <dave.g4ugm@gmail.com> - 2016-02-16 22:18 +0000
    Re: Delay Line Memory Dan Espen <despen@verizon.net> - 2016-02-16 17:36 -0500
    Re: Delay Line Memory Lawrence Statton <lawrence@senguio.mx> - 2016-02-16 16:57 -0600
    Re: Delay Line Memory bert <bert.hutchings@btinternet.com> - 2016-02-16 15:08 -0800
      Re: Delay Line Memory Bob Eager <news0006@eager.cx> - 2016-02-17 01:31 +0000
      Re: Delay Line Memory Charlie Gibbs <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid> - 2016-02-17 03:42 +0000
    Re: Delay Line Memory Morten Reistad <first@last.name.invalid> - 2016-02-17 00:25 +0100
      Re: Delay Line Memory Elliott Roper <nospam@yrl.co.uk> - 2016-02-17 14:03 +0000
    Re: Delay Line Memory Anonymous <no_email@invalid.invalid> - 2016-02-17 00:14 +0000
      Re: Delay Line Memory Quadibloc <jsavard@ecn.ab.ca> - 2016-02-17 11:46 -0800
        Re: Delay Line Memory jhhaynes@earthlink.net - 2016-02-17 18:18 -0800
        Re: Delay Line Memory David Wade <dave.g4ugm@gmail.com> - 2016-02-18 09:44 +0000
    Re: Delay Line Memory hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com - 2016-02-16 16:43 -0800
      Re: Delay Line Memory Anonymous <no_email@invalid.invalid> - 2016-02-17 01:24 +0000
      Re: Delay Line Memory Peter Flass <peter_flass@yahoo.com> - 2016-02-16 18:52 -0700
        Re: Delay Line Memory Michael Black <et472@ncf.ca> - 2016-02-16 22:19 -0500
        Re: Delay Line Memory JimP <solosam90@gmail.com> - 2016-02-17 11:34 -0600
      Re: Delay Line Memory Dave Garland <dave.garland@wizinfo.com> - 2016-02-16 20:06 -0600
      Re: Delay Line Memory Lawrence Statton <lawrence@senguio.mx> - 2016-02-16 20:23 -0600
      Re: Delay Line Memory "hgww" <hgww@gmail.com> - 2016-02-17 14:35 +1100
      Re: Delay Line Memory Charlie Gibbs <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid> - 2016-02-17 04:17 +0000
        Re: Delay Line Memory "Charles Richmond" <numerist@aquaporin4.com> - 2016-02-18 17:14 -0600
          Re: Delay Line Memory Lawrence Statton <lawrence@senguio.mx> - 2016-02-18 19:27 -0600
            Re: Delay Line Memory Charlie Gibbs <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid> - 2016-02-19 04:14 +0000
            Re: Delay Line Memory Michael Black <et472@ncf.ca> - 2016-02-19 19:07 -0500
    Re: Delay Line Memory Bob Eager <news0006@eager.cx> - 2016-02-17 01:30 +0000
      Re: Delay Line Memory "Joe Morris" <j.c.morris@verizon.net> - 2016-02-17 19:11 -0500
        Re: Delay Line Memory Michael Black <et472@ncf.ca> - 2016-02-17 23:13 -0500
          Re: Delay Line Memory Jon Elson <elson@pico-systems.com> - 2016-02-17 22:25 -0600
          Re: Delay Line Memory isw <isw@witzend.com> - 2016-02-17 23:16 -0800
            Re: Delay Line Memory Jon Elson <elson@pico-systems.com> - 2016-02-18 12:01 -0600
              Re: Delay Line Memory Jon Elson <elson@pico-systems.com> - 2016-02-18 12:10 -0600
              Re: Delay Line Memory Lawrence Statton <lawrence@senguio.mx> - 2016-02-18 13:46 -0600
              Re: Delay Line Memory Michael Black <et472@ncf.ca> - 2016-02-19 19:13 -0500
          Re: Delay Line Memory Quadibloc <jsavard@ecn.ab.ca> - 2016-02-18 04:49 -0800
            Re: Delay Line Memory Michael Black <et472@ncf.ca> - 2016-02-19 19:21 -0500
          Re: Delay Line Memory Quadibloc <jsavard@ecn.ab.ca> - 2016-02-18 04:51 -0800
            Re: Delay Line Memory Michael Black <et472@ncf.ca> - 2016-02-19 19:16 -0500
    Re: Delay Line Memory Peter Flass <peter_flass@yahoo.com> - 2016-02-16 18:52 -0700
      Re: Delay Line Memory "Charles Richmond" <numerist@aquaporin4.com> - 2016-02-19 20:50 -0600
        Re: Delay Line Memory Ahem A Rivet's Shot <steveo@eircom.net> - 2016-02-20 06:31 +0000
    Re: Delay Line Memory G. <gerry77@no.spam.mail.com> - 2016-02-17 04:08 +0100
    Re: Delay Line Memory Stan Barr <plan.b@bluesomatic.org> - 2016-02-17 08:19 +0000
      Re: Delay Line Memory Jon Elson <jmelson@wustl.edu> - 2016-02-17 14:57 -0600
      Re: Delay Line Memory "Charles Richmond" <numerist@aquaporin4.com> - 2016-02-19 20:43 -0600
        Re: Delay Line Memory isw <isw@witzend.com> - 2016-02-19 22:13 -0800
        Re: Delay Line Memory Stan Barr <plan.b@bluesomatic.org> - 2016-02-20 08:17 +0000
        Re: Delay Line Memory Lawrence Statton <lawrence@senguio.mx> - 2016-02-20 09:17 -0600
          Re: Delay Line Memory Lawrence Statton <lawrence@senguio.mx> - 2016-02-20 09:20 -0600
        Re: Delay Line Memory Quadibloc <jsavard@ecn.ab.ca> - 2016-02-20 18:49 -0800
          Re: Delay Line Memory isw <isw@witzend.com> - 2016-02-20 21:06 -0800
    Re: Delay Line Memory jhhaynes@earthlink.net - 2016-02-17 18:23 -0800
      Re: Delay Line Memory isw <isw@witzend.com> - 2016-02-17 23:06 -0800

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#159519 — Delay Line Memory

Yesterday I saw a video on YouTube about a delay line memory device.  It did 
*not* use mercury or any liquid to hold and circulate the memory contents. 
Instead it had a *wire*!!!  The wire was physically twisted at one end ot 
input the bit.  The other end "decoded" the bit and also re-circulated the 
bit.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9cUbYII5RY


I'd *never* heard of anything like this!  Is anyone here familiar with this 
type of delay line memory???  What machines used this???

-- 

numerist at aquaporin4 dot com 

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#159521

On 2/16/2016 3:21 PM, Charles Richmond wrote:
> Yesterday I saw a video on YouTube about a delay line memory device.
> It did *not* use mercury or any liquid to hold and circulate the
> memory contents. Instead it had a *wire*!!!  The wire was physically
> twisted at one end ot input the bit.  The other end "decoded" the bit
> and also re-circulated the bit.
>
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9cUbYII5RY
>
>
> I'd *never* heard of anything like this!  Is anyone here familiar with
> this type of delay line memory???  What machines used this???
>

Neat. Kinda like the mechanical reverb on an old musical instrument 
amp. I've got a piano amp with one of those, if you jar it when the 
reverb is on it sounds like an earthquake in a spring factory. Bet the 
computer version was very sensitive to mechanical noise, too.

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#159522

On 16/02/2016 21:21, Charles Richmond wrote:
> Yesterday I saw a video on YouTube about a delay line memory device.  It
> did *not* use mercury or any liquid to hold and circulate the memory
> contents. Instead it had a *wire*!!!  The wire was physically twisted at
> one end ot input the bit.  The other end "decoded" the bit and also
> re-circulated the bit.
>
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9cUbYII5RY
>
>
> I'd *never* heard of anything like this!  Is anyone here familiar with
> this type of delay line memory???  What machines used this???
>
The Ferranti Pegasus used similar delay line stores as its main memory. 
This one is one of the short stores...

http://www.zdnet.com/pictures/bletchley-museum-treasures-vintage-tech/6/

.. the larger ones had a longer coil and held a word of memory plus 
parity...

I believe early IBM displays used this system as well....

Dave
G4UGM

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#159523

"Charles Richmond" <numerist@aquaporin4.com> writes:

> Yesterday I saw a video on YouTube about a delay line memory device.
> It did *not* use mercury or any liquid to hold and circulate the
> memory contents. Instead it had a *wire*!!!  The wire was physically
> twisted at one end ot input the bit.  The other end "decoded" the bit
> and also re-circulated the bit.
>
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9cUbYII5RY
>
> I'd *never* heard of anything like this!  Is anyone here familiar with
> this type of delay line memory???  What machines used this???

I'm not familiar with the device, but it looks like I did use one.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delay_line_memory

See the part about Magnetostrictive delay lines where they mention
the 2848, the controller for 2260 terminals.

The same article estimates the storage on a device like this as 1000
bits.  You'd need more bits than that for a bunch of 2260s.
One would require (24x80x8 = 15360).

-- 
Dan Espen

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#159525

"Charles Richmond" <numerist@aquaporin4.com> writes:

> Yesterday I saw a video on YouTube about a delay line memory device.
> It did *not* use mercury or any liquid to hold and circulate the
> memory contents. Instead it had a *wire*!!!  The wire was physically
> twisted at one end ot input the bit.  The other end "decoded" the bit
> and also re-circulated the bit.
>
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9cUbYII5RY
>
>
> I'd *never* heard of anything like this!  Is anyone here familiar with
> this type of delay line memory???  What machines used this???

I had a terminal that used one -- the wire was in a giant coil in the
base of the terminal.  I can't for the *life* of me remember the
manufacturer's name.

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#159526

On Tuesday, 16 February 2016 21:21:16 UTC, Charles Richmond  wrote:
> Yesterday I saw a video on YouTube about a delay line 
> memory device.  It did *not* use mercury or any liquid 
> to hold and circulate the memory contents.  Instead 
> it had a *wire*!!!  The wire was physically twisted 
> at one end to input the bit.  The other end "decoded" 
> the bit and also re-circulated the bit.  I'd *never* 
> heard of anything like this!  Is anyone here familiar 
> with this type of delay line memory???  What machines 
> used this???

Yes, it's a neat idea.  A piezo-electric crystal at each 
end of the wire converts an electrical pulse to a torsion 
wave, and vice versa.  Nickel wire delay lines had already 
been used in some earlier radar equipment, then in 1952 in 
two one-off computers SNARK (short nickel line accumulating 
register calculator) and Nicholas, both at Borehamwood in 
the UK.  The Elliott 401 and the Ferranti Pegasus followed, 
Pegasus being in service from 1956-68 approximately.

Pegasus had eight short single-word wires for its registers, 
and six longer eight-word wires for blocks of current code 
and data.  These eight-word blocks were the units of transfer 
to and from the main drum memory.  Happy memories!

Information condensed from "The Pegasus Story" by Simon 
Lavington, published by the (Kensington) Science Museum.
-- 

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#159538

On Tue, 16 Feb 2016 15:08:34 -0800, bert wrote:

> On Tuesday, 16 February 2016 21:21:16 UTC, Charles Richmond  wrote:
>> Yesterday I saw a video on YouTube about a delay line memory device. 
>> It did *not* use mercury or any liquid to hold and circulate the memory
>> contents.  Instead it had a *wire*!!!  The wire was physically twisted
>> at one end to input the bit.  The other end "decoded" the bit and also
>> re-circulated the bit.  I'd *never* heard of anything like this!  Is
>> anyone here familiar with this type of delay line memory???  What
>> machines used this???
> 
> Yes, it's a neat idea.  A piezo-electric crystal at each end of the wire
> converts an electrical pulse to a torsion wave, and vice versa.  Nickel
> wire delay lines had already been used in some earlier radar equipment,
> then in 1952 in two one-off computers SNARK (short nickel line
> accumulating register calculator) and Nicholas, both at Borehamwood in
> the UK.  The Elliott 401 and the Ferranti Pegasus followed, Pegasus
> being in service from 1956-68 approximately.
> 
> Pegasus had eight short single-word wires for its registers,
> and six longer eight-word wires for blocks of current code and data. 
> These eight-word blocks were the units of transfer to and from the main
> drum memory.  Happy memories!
> 
> Information condensed from "The Pegasus Story" by Simon Lavington,
> published by the (Kensington) Science Museum.

I shall have to ask Simon when I see him on Thursday!




-- 
Using UNIX since v6 (1975)...

Use the BIG mirror service in the UK:
 http://www.mirrorservice.org

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#159562

On 2016-02-16, bert <bert.hutchings@btinternet.com> wrote:

> Pegasus had eight short single-word wires for its registers, 
> and six longer eight-word wires for blocks of current code 
> and data.  These eight-word blocks were the units of transfer 
> to and from the main drum memory.  Happy memories!

Cache!

-- 
/~\  cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid (Charlie Gibbs)
\ /  I'm really at ac.dekanfrus if you read it the right way.
 X   Top-posted messages will probably be ignored.  See RFC1855.
/ \  HTML will DEFINITELY be ignored.  Join the ASCII ribbon campaign!

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#159528

In article <na03mr$ttc$1@dont-email.me>,
Charles Richmond <numerist@aquaporin4.com> wrote:
>Yesterday I saw a video on YouTube about a delay line memory device.  It did 
>*not* use mercury or any liquid to hold and circulate the memory contents. 
>Instead it had a *wire*!!!  The wire was physically twisted at one end ot 
>input the bit.  The other end "decoded" the bit and also re-circulated the 
>bit.
>
>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9cUbYII5RY
>
>
>I'd *never* heard of anything like this!  Is anyone here familiar with this 
>type of delay line memory???  What machines used this???

Tat14? 

160 colours of 10 gigabits times 6 paris with 72 ms delay; that should
be able to store 160 x 10G x 6 x 72/1000 / 8 = 72 gigabytes.

It stretches from Oud Bevervijk to Long Island.

-- mrr

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#159583

On 16 Feb 2016, Morten Reistad wrote
(in article <ioncpc-n4s.ln1@sambook.reistad.name>):

> In article<na03mr$ttc$1@dont-email.me>,
> Charles Richmond <numerist@aquaporin4.com> wrote:
> > Yesterday I saw a video on YouTube about a delay line memory device. It did
> > *not* use mercury or any liquid to hold and circulate the memory contents.
> > Instead it had a *wire*!!! The wire was physically twisted at one end ot
> > input the bit. The other end "decoded" the bit and also re-circulated the
> > bit.
> > 
> > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9cUbYII5RY
> > 
> > 
> > I'd *never* heard of anything like this! Is anyone here familiar with this
> > type of delay line memory??? What machines used this???
> 
> Tat14?
> 
> 160 colours of 10 gigabits times 6 paris with 72 ms delay; that should
> be able to store 160 x 10G x 6 x 72/1000 / 8 = 72 gigabytes.
> 
> It stretches from Oud Bevervijk to Long Island.

Heh! Nice one.
-- 
To de-mung my e-mail address:- fsnospam$elliott$$ PGP Fingerprint: 1A96 3CF7 
637F 896B C810 E199 7E5C A9E4 8E59 E248

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#159531

Charles Richmond <numerist@aquaporin4.com> wrote:
> Yesterday I saw a video on YouTube about a delay line memory device.  It did 
> *not* use mercury or any liquid to hold and circulate the memory contents. 
> Instead it had a *wire*!!!  The wire was physically twisted at one end ot 
> input the bit.  The other end "decoded" the bit and also re-circulated the 
> bit.
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9cUbYII5RY
> 
> 
> I'd *never* heard of anything like this!  Is anyone here familiar with this 
> type of delay line memory???  What machines used this???
> 

The first program I ever wrote and ran, in 1966, was a Turing Machine
simulator
written for a Ferranti Sirius, which had just such a store.

I remember seeing the wire coils when an engineer was fixing a fault.  

The Ferranti Pegasus and Perseus were among others with that store
technology.

-- 
Bill Findlay

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#159603

On Tuesday, February 16, 2016 at 5:14:38 PM UTC-7, Anonymous wrote:

> The Ferranti Pegasus and Perseus were among others with that store
> technology.

Much later, magnetostrictive delay lines were used on the Packard-Bell pb250, a 
relatively compact and inexpensive computer that predated the PDP-8.

John Savard

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#159629

On Wednesday, February 17, 2016 at 1:46:14 PM UTC-6, Quadibloc wrote:
> On Tuesday, February 16, 2016 at 5:14:38 PM UTC-7, Anonymous wrote:
> 
> > The Ferranti Pegasus and Perseus were among others with that store
> > technology.
> 
> Much later, magnetostrictive delay lines were used on the Packard-Bell pb250, a 
> relatively compact and inexpensive computer that predated the PDP-8.
> 
> John Savard

Yep, I worked on one of those machines when I was in the Air Force in 1962.

There was also a Royal Precision computer which was to have used delay
line memory - RPC-9000 or something like that.  I don't think the machines
were ever produced, but a bunch of the delay lines turned up in the C&H
surplus store in Pasadena.  

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#159650

On 17/02/2016 19:46, Quadibloc wrote:
> On Tuesday, February 16, 2016 at 5:14:38 PM UTC-7, Anonymous wrote:
>
>> The Ferranti Pegasus and Perseus were among others with that store
>> technology.
>
> Much later, magnetostrictive delay lines were used on the Packard-Bell pb250, a
> relatively compact and inexpensive computer that predated the PDP-8.
>
> John Savard
>
The experimental MU5 computer at Manchester used plated wire store...

http://www.cs.manchester.ac.uk/about-us/history/mu5/

Dave
G4UGM

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#159533

On Tuesday, February 16, 2016 at 4:21:16 PM UTC-5, Charles Richmond wrote:
> Yesterday I saw a video on YouTube about a delay line memory device.  It did 
> *not* use mercury or any liquid to hold and circulate the memory contents. 
> Instead it had a *wire*!!!  The wire was physically twisted at one end ot 
> input the bit.  The other end "decoded" the bit and also re-circulated the 
> bit.

As someone else mentioned, there was probably some sort of electrical
component to receive and then pass on each bit.  The delay in doing so
allowed for the memory.

Old issues of C&A had ads for "pulse transformers", which may have been
used for delay line memory.

Today, it's hard to believe that core memory was once so expensive that
cheaper alternatives were sought.  

When IBM introduced the 650, which used a magnetic drum for memory,
I think core was available, but the drum was cheaper.  Later variants
of the 650 had a tiny bit of core for buffers.  As just discussed,
the low end 1401 had only 1,400 characters of memory in it.

Question:  when IBM introduced its PC, it had up to 640k of memory.
I think smaller amounts were available, with a cheaper price.  Did
customers actually want to save a few bucks and go for the cheaper
and smaller PC?  (To me, it seemed people couldn't wait for expanded
and extended memory to come out so the PC could get up to 1 meg and
even beyond, so it's hard to believe people would accept less than 640k.)

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#159536

<hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com> wrote:
> On Tuesday, February 16, 2016 at 4:21:16 PM UTC-5, Charles Richmond wrote:
>> Yesterday I saw a video on YouTube about a delay line memory device.  It did 
>> *not* use mercury or any liquid to hold and circulate the memory contents. 
>> Instead it had a *wire*!!! 
...
> 
> Old issues of C&A had ads for "pulse transformers", which may have been
> used for delay line memory.

Nope, they are logic elements.
See section 6 of
http://www.findlayw.plus.com/KDF9/The%20Hardware%20of%20the%20KDF9.pdf

-- 
Bill Findlay

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#159547

<hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com> wrote:
> On Tuesday, February 16, 2016 at 4:21:16 PM UTC-5, Charles Richmond wrote:
>> Yesterday I saw a video on YouTube about a delay line memory device.  It did 
>> *not* use mercury or any liquid to hold and circulate the memory contents. 
>> Instead it had a *wire*!!!  The wire was physically twisted at one end ot 
>> input the bit.  The other end "decoded" the bit and also re-circulated the 
>> bit.
> 
> As someone else mentioned, there was probably some sort of electrical
> component to receive and then pass on each bit.  The delay in doing so
> allowed for the memory.
> 
> Old issues of C&A had ads for "pulse transformers", which may have been
> used for delay line memory.
> 
> Today, it's hard to believe that core memory was once so expensive that
> cheaper alternatives were sought.  
> 
> When IBM introduced the 650, which used a magnetic drum for memory,
> I think core was available, but the drum was cheaper.  Later variants
> of the 650 had a tiny bit of core for buffers.  As just discussed,
> the low end 1401 had only 1,400 characters of memory in it.
> 
> Question:  when IBM introduced its PC, it had up to 640k of memory.
> I think smaller amounts were available, with a cheaper price.  Did
> customers actually want to save a few bucks and go for the cheaper
> and smaller PC?  (To me, it seemed people couldn't wait for expanded
> and extended memory to come out so the PC could get up to 1 meg and
> even beyond, so it's hard to believe people would accept less than 640k.)
> 

Memory was expensive, you bought what you needed.  Many people bought
whatever Lotus 1-2-3 wanted, maybe 128K?

-- 
Pete

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#159556

On Tue, 16 Feb 2016, Peter Flass wrote:

> <hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com> wrote:
>> On Tuesday, February 16, 2016 at 4:21:16 PM UTC-5, Charles Richmond wrote:
>>> Yesterday I saw a video on YouTube about a delay line memory device.  It did
>>> *not* use mercury or any liquid to hold and circulate the memory contents.
>>> Instead it had a *wire*!!!  The wire was physically twisted at one end ot
>>> input the bit.  The other end "decoded" the bit and also re-circulated the
>>> bit.
>>
>> As someone else mentioned, there was probably some sort of electrical
>> component to receive and then pass on each bit.  The delay in doing so
>> allowed for the memory.
>>
>> Old issues of C&A had ads for "pulse transformers", which may have been
>> used for delay line memory.
>>
>> Today, it's hard to believe that core memory was once so expensive that
>> cheaper alternatives were sought.
>>
>> When IBM introduced the 650, which used a magnetic drum for memory,
>> I think core was available, but the drum was cheaper.  Later variants
>> of the 650 had a tiny bit of core for buffers.  As just discussed,
>> the low end 1401 had only 1,400 characters of memory in it.
>>
>> Question:  when IBM introduced its PC, it had up to 640k of memory.
>> I think smaller amounts were available, with a cheaper price.  Did
>> customers actually want to save a few bucks and go for the cheaper
>> and smaller PC?  (To me, it seemed people couldn't wait for expanded
>> and extended memory to come out so the PC could get up to 1 meg and
>> even beyond, so it's hard to believe people would accept less than 640k.)
>>
>
> Memory was expensive, you bought what you needed.  Many people bought
> whatever Lotus 1-2-3 wanted, maybe 128K?
>
And I seem to recall IBM wanted more for the memory than other companies.

So it often was cheaper to buy a barebones IBM, and then load it up with 
memory and even a floppy drive or two, than pay IBM prices.  It even got 
better as third party companies started selling IBM bits, so you could buy 
that Hercules video card that was better than what IBM offered originally.

   Michael

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#159593

On Tue, 16 Feb 2016 18:52:36 -0700, Peter Flass
<peter_flass@yahoo.com> wrote:

><hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com> wrote:
>> On Tuesday, February 16, 2016 at 4:21:16 PM UTC-5, Charles Richmond wrote:
>>> Yesterday I saw a video on YouTube about a delay line memory device.  It did 
>>> *not* use mercury or any liquid to hold and circulate the memory contents. 
>>> Instead it had a *wire*!!!  The wire was physically twisted at one end ot 
>>> input the bit.  The other end "decoded" the bit and also re-circulated the 
>>> bit.
>> 
>> As someone else mentioned, there was probably some sort of electrical
>> component to receive and then pass on each bit.  The delay in doing so
>> allowed for the memory.
>> 
>> Old issues of C&A had ads for "pulse transformers", which may have been
>> used for delay line memory.
>> 
>> Today, it's hard to believe that core memory was once so expensive that
>> cheaper alternatives were sought.  
>> 
>> When IBM introduced the 650, which used a magnetic drum for memory,
>> I think core was available, but the drum was cheaper.  Later variants
>> of the 650 had a tiny bit of core for buffers.  As just discussed,
>> the low end 1401 had only 1,400 characters of memory in it.
>> 
>> Question:  when IBM introduced its PC, it had up to 640k of memory.
>> I think smaller amounts were available, with a cheaper price.  Did
>> customers actually want to save a few bucks and go for the cheaper
>> and smaller PC?  (To me, it seemed people couldn't wait for expanded
>> and extended memory to come out so the PC could get up to 1 meg and
>> even beyond, so it's hard to believe people would accept less than 640k.)
>> 
>
>Memory was expensive, you bought what you needed.  Many people bought
>whatever Lotus 1-2-3 wanted, maybe 128K?

When we first got desktop computers at the university, we had to buy
them with 384KB and 2 floppy drives for Lotus 1-2-3. Tandy 1000s, SX
compatibles.

-- 
JimP.

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#159548

On 2/16/2016 6:43 PM, hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com wrote:

> Question:  when IBM introduced its PC, it had up to 640k of memory.
> I think smaller amounts were available, with a cheaper price.  Did
> customers actually want to save a few bucks and go for the cheaper
> and smaller PC?  (To me, it seemed people couldn't wait for expanded
> and extended memory to come out so the PC could get up to 1 meg and
> even beyond, so it's hard to believe people would accept less than 640k.)
>

Depends on what they were going to do. The people I dealt with mostly 
got... 128K? (I remember a board from Symantec that combined more 
memory with a parallel port.) The primary uses were 1) word 
processing, and 2) spreadsheet. When the clones started appearing, 
those were cheap enough so that more memory became common. ISTM that 
the Sperry/Corona/Cordata that I bought at a hamfest had 128K or maybe 
256K and sockets for up to 512K (I do remember stuffing sockets, and 
replacing the CPU with a V20 for a little performance boost).

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