Whirlwind
Whirlwind was one of the very first computers; it was enormously influential, for several reasons. It was the first real-time computer, unlike all the other first-generation computers, which were intended only for large-scale computations for numerical applications. It was also the first computer with core memory, which was invented for it.
It was built out of vacuum tubes, and used a predecessor to microcode for internal control logic. (It used a sequence of hard-wired control words for control, effectively ROM, but did not include any ability to alter the order of execution.) It had neither interrupts or traps (but could be caused to halt on an arithmetic overflow).
The standard input/output device was a Flexowriter (very similar to a Teletype); it functioned as a printing terminal (initially only for output), and could also read and punch paper tapes. (A high-speed Ferranti photo-electric paper tape reader was also added later.) Eventually, the system was enhanced with a magnetic tape drive and a drum. A vector video display and a light pen input pointing device were also added.
Whirlwind was orginally built at MIT (MIT's first computer) for use in a flight simulator, but wound up being used to prototype the SAGE air defence system.
External links
- Project Whirlwind - large collection of contemporary documents; e.g. bi-weekly progress reports
- MIT/CHM Whirlwind Software Recovery
