Regnecentralen

Regnecentralen was the first Danish computer manufacturer. The company built from 1957 on a computer using vacuum tubes and 1962 different models of the computer GREED with transistors. Since it was known in Germany only this latter type of computer, the eight German branches of the A / S Regnecentralen were conducted under the umbrella of greed Electronics GmbH. From the mid- 1960s, the company introduced a larger number of other computer models on the market, all with RC and a number - were called - usually four digits. Beyond Denmark Regnecentralen was especially known for its paper tape reader, where the company was the world leader.

History

In 1947 a working group was set up by the Danish Academy of Technical Sciences, which should be observed for government, military, industry and academia, the development of computers abroad. 1952, this working group was in a computer service bureau with the name Regnecentralen (translated data center ) transformed in order to keep pace with the development of data processing in other countries can step. Head of the institution was Niels Ivar Bech. Regnecentralen had access to the draft for a Swedish computer BESK, which had been developed by a Swedish " math machines" working group. Bech decided that Denmark should continue to develop the BESK. Purpose, the computer service bureau was transformed with capital from the Marshall Plan into a joint stock company A / S Regnecentralen in October 1955. 1958 computer DASK ( Dansk Algoritmisk Sekvens calculator, Danish algorithmic sequence calculator ) was completed. 1959 joined Regnecentralen in the ALCOR Group, a network of computer manufacturers, universities and research institutions with the goal of uniform as possible implementation of Algol on computers from different manufacturers. This was the DASK one of the first computer, could be worked on with the programming language ALGOL. This was also due to the Regnecentralen Leaders Peter Naur especially.

Starting in 1960, developed the Regnecentralen DASK successor GREED (short for Geodætisk Institute Elektroniske Regnemaskine, abacus of the geodetic institute after the first customer for this product), in which, instead of vacuum tubes transistors were used. From this computer about 60 pieces were made, it also became known outside Denmark, sometimes even exported to the CMEA. This calculator also was a strong focus of ALGOL as a programming language and therefore mainly be found in the academic environment.

In 1963, Regnecentralen the Tape Reader RC2000 on the market, which was considered the fastest in the world with a read speed of 2000 characters per second and has been marketed by many different computer manufacturers as an OEM device.

In the following years Regnecentralen brought various other computer systems on the market, including process computer, which were specially successful in telecommunications companies, as well as PC -like devices. Also, a system was presented, which was designed for the UNIX operating system.

This leads up to the year 1980 to a strong growth in the company, which employed about 800 people at this time. Then Regnecentralen could no longer keep pace with the accelerating technological development. In 1989 the company was taken over by the British ICL. In 1993 the company name (company) was not continued.

Computer

  • DASK, a 40 -bit machine with 1 K words memory as magnetic core memory having a cycle time of 5 microseconds and 8 K words backing store on a magnetic drum. The unit working with vacuum tubes 2500 and required about 15 kW of electrical power at a weight of about 3.5 tons.
  • GREED, a redesign of the DASK discrete transistor technology, the drum memory has been increased by 50 %, there was a magnetic disk storage with a capacity of about 2 MB and an additional core memory of 4K words as a buffer between main memory on the one hand and drum, magnetic disk or magnetic tape devices ( Manufacturer Ampex ) on the other.
  • RC4000, one developed in the years 1966/67, 24 -bit machine. Essential role in the development was Per Brinch Hansen, who introduced this innovative operating system concepts.
  • RC6000
  • RC7000, a licensed replica of the Nova by Data General in a case of Regnecentralen
  • RC8000, an " application- compatible " successor to the RC4000, also a 24 -bit machine
  • RC9000, in 1988 introduced computer with a processor of the company MIPS Technologies, which was delivered with the UNIX operating system ( comparable to the Ultrix systems of the company DEC)
  • RC700 Piccolo, PC with Zilog Z80A CPU
  • RC759 Piccoline, PC with an Intel 80186 CPU

Peripherals

  • RC2000 tape reader (1963, reading speed to 2000 characters per second)
  • RC2500 tape reader ( 1971/72, read speed of 2500 characters per second)
  • RC500 tape reader (1972 /73 low price model, reading speed of 500 characters per second)
Types of business entity International Computers Limited
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