Honeywell - Revision history

Jnc: The DDP-516 came in non-ruggedized form too

2025-01-21T05:50:59Z

The DDP-516 came in non-ruggedized form too

Jnc: /* External links */ +manuals, marketing material and captioned images for several Honeywell computers

2025-01-21T05:37:57Z

‎External links: +manuals, marketing material and captioned images for several Honeywell computers

Jnc: /* External links */ +Honeywell surrenders info group

2024-12-24T07:22:54Z

‎External links: +Honeywell surrenders info group

Jnc: A reasonable start

2024-12-20T15:48:20Z

A reasonable start

New page

'''Honeywell''' is a US conglomerate which also manufactured computers for many years, stating in the late 1950's.

Their initial foray into large computers was via the [[DATAmatic Corporation]], established in Newton Highlands in 1955 as a joint venture with [[Raytheon]]. Honeywell bought out Raytheon shortly thereafter, eventually renaming DATAmatic to 'Honeywell Information Systems' (HIS), after it had moved to Wellesley Hills. Honeywell also had interests in the avionics, and military area, through their Aeronautical Division, in St. Petersburg; that division's Military Products Group produced the ALERT computer, "compact enough for installations in manned aircraft [and] missiles".

A series of acquisitions the increased Honeywell's presence in the computer market. In 1966, Honeywell purchased [[Computer Control Corporation]] of Framingham, makers of the 'DDP' line of [[minicomputer]]s; renaming it to Honeywell's 'Computer Control Division'. Next, in 1970, Honeywell next bought [[General Electric]]'s entire computer business. This brought computers to become a significant part of Honeywell's business (although not without very considerable turbulence, as described below). Finally, in 1975, it also purchased [[Xerox Data Systems]].

Eventually, Honeywell decided (realized?) that the computer business was not for them. [[Groupe Bull]] was a joint venture between Compagnie des Machines Bull (of France, with roots in the electro-mechanical [[punched card]] [[computing device]] era) and [[Nippon Electric Company]] (of Japan); it too had at one point been associated with GE. In 1987, HIS merged with Bull, to become 'Honeywell Bull'. A series of re-organizations followed, and by 1991, Honeywell's connection to Bull was severed; Honeywell was no longer in the computer business.

The [[ARPANET]] was built using DDP-516 'ruggedized' minicomputers; later, Honeywell DDP-316's (the non-ruggedized version of the 516) were used as well. The most widely-used generation of [[Multics]] machines were produced by Honeywell, after the GE buyout.

==See also==

* [[Honeywell 6000 series]]
* [[Interface Message Processor]]

==External links==

* [https://bitsavers.org/pdf/honeywell/ Honeywell]- documents at [[Bitsavers]]
** [https://bitsavers.org/pdf/honeywell/datamatic_1000/ Datamatic 1000]
** [https://bitsavers.org/pdf/honeywell/HoneywellBull_Product_Family_1988.pdf Honeywell Bull Product Family at a Glance]
* [https://bitsavers.org/pdf/computerControlCompany/ Computer Control Corporation] - includes the later machines, produced when it was a Honeywell subsidiary
* [https://www.computerhistory.org/brochures/g-i/honeywell-information-systems-inc/ Honeywell Information Systems, Inc.] - several brochures
* [https://www.honeywell.com/us/en/company/our-history A History Of Meeting New Challenges] - overall company history
* [https://www.multicians.org/hill-mgt.html Honeywell Management] - interesting personal recollections of the politics at the top of the company up to the sale to Bull
* [https://www.smecc.org/honeywell_datamatic_1000.htm Honeywell Datamatic 1000] - Honeywell's first computer product

* [http://www.feb-patrimoine.com/english/gecos_to_gcos8_part_2.htm From GECOS to GCOS8: A History of Large Systems in GE, Honeywell, NEC and Bull - Part 2: The Honeywell years]


[[Category: Manufacturers]]

@@ Line 7: / Line 7: @@
 Eventually, Honeywell decided (realized?) that the computer business was not for them. [[Groupe Bull]] was a joint venture between Compagnie des Machines Bull (of France, with roots in the electro-mechanical [[punched card]] [[computing device]] era) and [[Nippon Electric Company]] (of Japan); it too had at one point been associated with GE. In 1987, HIS merged with Bull, to become 'Honeywell Bull'. A series of re-organizations followed, and by 1991, Honeywell's connection to Bull was severed; Honeywell was no longer in the computer business.
-The [[ARPANET]] was built using DDP-516 'ruggedized' minicomputers; later, Honeywell DDP-316's (the non-ruggedized version of the 516) were used as well. The most widely-used generation of [[Multics]] machines were produced by Honeywell, after the GE buyout.
+The [[ARPANET]] was built using 'ruggedized' DDP-516 minicomputers; later, Honeywell DDP-316's (a slower, and presumably cost-reduced, [[program compatible]] version of the 516) were used as well. The most widely-used generation of [[Multics]] machines were produced by Honeywell, after the GE buyout.
 ==See also==

@@ Line 22: / Line 22: @@
 ** [https://bitsavers.org/pdf/honeywell/HoneywellBull_Product_Family_1988.pdf Honeywell Bull Product Family at a Glance]
 * [https://bitsavers.org/pdf/computerControlCompany/ Computer Control Corporation] - includes the later machines, produced when it was a Honeywell subsidiary
 * [https://www.computerhistory.org/brochures/g-i/honeywell-information-systems-inc/ Honeywell Information Systems, Inc.] - several brochures
 * [https://www.honeywell.com/us/en/company/our-history A History Of Meeting New Challenges] - overall company history

@@ Line 29: / Line 29: @@
 * [http://www.feb-patrimoine.com/english/gecos_to_gcos8_part_2.htm From GECOS to GCOS8: A History of Large Systems in GE, Honeywell, NEC and Bull - Part 2: The Honeywell years]
 <!-- * [http://www.feb-patrimoine.com/english/gecos_to_gcos8_part_3.htm From GECOS to GCOS8: A History of Large Systems in GE, Honeywell, NEC and Bull - Part 3: NEC and Bull] -->
 [[Category: Manufacturers]]