4 ms·

IBM Punched Card Typography

146 points by masswerk 10y ago

kens 10y ago
Very interesting article. Stepping back, you might wonder why the keypunch uses a metal plate to hold the character bitmaps rather than a ROM or something sensible. Remember that the 026 keypunch was introduced in 1949, so there wasn't really a convenient way to store bits. It's actually pretty clever to use bumps on a metal plate to drive the printing. The other side of this is how they stored the mapping from keys to hole patterns, with each key punching 0 to 3 holes. This was also done mechanically. Each key moved a lever ("bail") with tabs, and the tabs trip contacts that cause the right holes to be punched. But in between is a bunch of relay-based logic to handle shifting for special characters, numeric keypad mode, and so forth. If you want to try out a 026 keypunch yourself, go to the Computer History Museum in Mountain View CA when they are demoing the IBM 1401.
anseljh 10y ago
Don't forget the typography on the SS's IBM Hollerith punch cards, too. Scroll down, 2nd to last image. http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/ibm-and-quot-death-s-calculator-quot http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/ibm-and-quot-death-s-cal...
- sverige 10y ago
  From this reference: "Solipsistic and dazzled by its own swirling universe of technical possibilities, IBM was self-gripped by a special amoral corporate mantra: if it can be done, it should be done. To the blind technocrat, the means were more important than the ends." How much this sounds like Silicon Valley today.
  - Retra 10y ago
    If it can be done someone will eventually do it. Make sure you do it first, or your enemies/competitors will do it first. It's really just a rational survival principle.
    - orbat 10y ago
      The point was that you should be be asking whether you should be doing something in the first place
- agumonkey 10y ago
  While we're at it, I just discovered https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anophthalmus_hitleri https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anophthalmus_hitleri Now a collectable for the potential "fan" ..
  - tilt_error 10y ago
    Not to mention https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neopalpa_donaldtrumpi https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neopalpa_donaldtrumpi
    - cooper12 10y ago
      Here's a whole list: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_organisms_named_after_famous_people https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_organisms_named_after_...
- brotherAB 10y ago
  Holocaust nostalgia? I'll pass. This Teleindicadores font achieves a similar effect, looks better, and it's in the public domain. I once converted it to a web font, and used it on my website for a few years. https://fontlibrary.org/en/font/teleindicadores-1 https://fontlibrary.org/en/font/teleindicadores-1
  - anseljh 10y ago
    Nope. Typography was an excellent vessel for a history lesson here.

146 points by masswerk 10y ago

kens 10y ago

Very interesting article. Stepping back, you might wonder why the keypunch uses a metal plate to hold the character bitmaps rather than a ROM or something sensible. Remember that the 026 keypunch was introduced in 1949, so there wasn't really a convenient way to store bits. It's actually pretty clever to use bumps on a metal plate to drive the printing. The other side of this is how they stored the mapping from keys to hole patterns, with each key punching 0 to 3 holes. This was also done mechanically. Each key moved a lever ("bail") with tabs, and the tabs trip contacts that cause the right holes to be punched. But in between is a bunch of relay-based logic to handle shifting for special characters, numeric keypad mode, and so forth. If you want to try out a 026 keypunch yourself, go to the Computer History Museum in Mountain View CA when they are demoing the IBM 1401.

anseljh 10y ago

Don't forget the typography on the SS's IBM Hollerith punch cards, too. Scroll down, 2nd to last image. http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/ibm-and-quot-death-s-calculator-quot http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/ibm-and-quot-death-s-cal...

sverige 10y ago
From this reference: "Solipsistic and dazzled by its own swirling universe of technical possibilities, IBM was self-gripped by a special amoral corporate mantra: if it can be done, it should be done. To the blind technocrat, the means were more important than the ends." How much this sounds like Silicon Valley today.
- Retra 10y ago
  If it can be done someone will eventually do it. Make sure you do it first, or your enemies/competitors will do it first. It's really just a rational survival principle.
  - orbat 10y ago
    The point was that you should be be asking whether you should be doing something in the first place
agumonkey 10y ago
While we're at it, I just discovered https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anophthalmus_hitleri https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anophthalmus_hitleri Now a collectable for the potential "fan" ..
- tilt_error 10y ago
  Not to mention https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neopalpa_donaldtrumpi https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neopalpa_donaldtrumpi
  - cooper12 10y ago
    Here's a whole list: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_organisms_named_after_famous_people https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_organisms_named_after_...
brotherAB 10y ago
Holocaust nostalgia? I'll pass. This Teleindicadores font achieves a similar effect, looks better, and it's in the public domain. I once converted it to a web font, and used it on my website for a few years. https://fontlibrary.org/en/font/teleindicadores-1 https://fontlibrary.org/en/font/teleindicadores-1
- anseljh 10y ago
  Nope. Typography was an excellent vessel for a history lesson here.