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Punched cards were a pain to work with. We used to have a 40,000-card master file that we had to run through twice a day on a Univac 1001, at 1,000 cards/min. p
by GnarfGnarf 10y ago
Punched cards were a pain to work with. We used to have a 40,000-card master file that we had to run through twice a day on a Univac 1001, at 1,000 cards/min. per feed, plus jams. The racket was deafening.
When the card reader jammed, it destroyed the card. We had to retrieve the bits of card, and tediously re-create the card on an IBM 026 keypunch, one column at a time.
One time a card got caught between two pinch rollers, and smoke started billowing from the machine.
IBM sold the "Multi-function Card Machine", or "MFCM". Customers called it the "Mother Fletcher Card Masher", except they had another word for the "F".
The computer's card punch could only do 200 cards/min.
In humid weather, cards would swell and jam the reader's picker knife.
I was so glad when we switched to mag. tape.
- grkvlt 10y ago> except they had another word for the "F" I believe you're allowed to say "Fuck" and it's various declensions on HN now! I'm always particularly intrigued by people who write things like "Sh#t" or "F#ck" because it's unclear who they are censoring for, and indeed why. If it was simple prudishness, I assume they would either use some twee alternative or mis-spelling, but simply eliding one letter suggests they themselves have no problem with expletives. It certainly doesn't protect viewers from seeing the taboo word, as a string of punctuation like "#&$!" might, so that isn't the purpose. Wildly off-topic, so apologies...
- GnarfGnarf 10y agoI was just trying to convey the sensitivities of the era. As a Quebecker, I am not averse to expletives :o)