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Fred Saberhagen wrote a short story (Without a Thought) in which this little "computer" played a role. Published in 1963; I always wondered where the idea came

by kabdib 9y ago

Fred Saberhagen wrote a short story (Without a Thought) in which this little "computer" played a role. Published in 1963; I always wondered where the idea came from.

dsr_ 9y ago
Also appears in the classic AI novel The Adolescence of P1 by Thomas Ryan.
- kabdib 9y ago
  That's right, I'd forgotten. Still a good read . . . though I have to keep multiplying the numbers the author throws around for capacity (so many megabytes here and there) by about a billion, to keep from giggling. When the book was written, a megabyte was a really big deal.
  - teddyh 9y ago
    What I usually think is that maybe they change the byte sizes in the future, so that a “byte” is no longer 8 bits. (Historical note: A “word” is nowadays usually four bytes, i.e. 32 bits, but older mainframe computer had varying word sizes; 36 bits for a word was not uncommon.)
    - dsr_ 9y ago
      Sadly, P1 is set in the 1970s and has figures appropriate for IBM systems of that era. Near the end, an experimental cryogenic memory system is attached: * Testing indicated that the results of a live experiment would be a data storage unit with 87 percent addressability and sufficient structural integrity to allow a map of the "dead" areas to be constructed. The interface being designed to link the cryostat to the 360/50 was geared to address just over 16 million bytes. It was understood that this capability would grossly understate the estimated final capacity of the cryogen. Modifications were under way to add eight more addressing bits to the computer. This would allow it to address over 4xl0^9 separate locations, or in excess of 4 billion addresses. This was expected to be more in keeping with the ultimate capacity of the cryogen at 150 millimeters diameter by 400 millimeters high. A six-inch cylinder, sixteen inches tall. * The System/360 series started with 24 bits of addressing and moved to 32 bits later on, so we're looking at a whopping 4GB. Even if the storage system uses 32 bit words, that's just 16GB.

by kabdib 9y ago

Fred Saberhagen wrote a short story (Without a Thought) in which this little "computer" played a role. Published in 1963; I always wondered where the idea came from.

dsr_ 9y ago

Also appears in the classic AI novel The Adolescence of P1 by Thomas Ryan.

kabdib 9y ago
That's right, I'd forgotten. Still a good read . . . though I have to keep multiplying the numbers the author throws around for capacity (so many megabytes here and there) by about a billion, to keep from giggling. When the book was written, a megabyte was a really big deal.
- teddyh 9y ago
  What I usually think is that maybe they change the byte sizes in the future, so that a “byte” is no longer 8 bits. (Historical note: A “word” is nowadays usually four bytes, i.e. 32 bits, but older mainframe computer had varying word sizes; 36 bits for a word was not uncommon.)
  - dsr_ 9y ago
    Sadly, P1 is set in the 1970s and has figures appropriate for IBM systems of that era. Near the end, an experimental cryogenic memory system is attached: * Testing indicated that the results of a live experiment would be a data storage unit with 87 percent addressability and sufficient structural integrity to allow a map of the "dead" areas to be constructed. The interface being designed to link the cryostat to the 360/50 was geared to address just over 16 million bytes. It was understood that this capability would grossly understate the estimated final capacity of the cryogen. Modifications were under way to add eight more addressing bits to the computer. This would allow it to address over 4xl0^9 separate locations, or in excess of 4 billion addresses. This was expected to be more in keeping with the ultimate capacity of the cryogen at 150 millimeters diameter by 400 millimeters high. A six-inch cylinder, sixteen inches tall. * The System/360 series started with 24 bits of addressing and moved to 32 bits later on, so we're looking at a whopping 4GB. Even if the storage system uses 32 bit words, that's just 16GB.