Talk:LINC - Revision history

Larsbrinkhoff: Wording.

2025-11-10T08:59:02Z

Wording.

← Older revision		Revision as of 08:59, 10 November 2025
Line 20:		Line 20:
	== μ-LINC and micro-LINC ==		== μ-LINC and micro-LINC ==

	The Finnish μ-LINC front panel says "μ-LINC". ~~Photos~~ of the micro-LINC 300 front panels says "micro-LINC 300". The article currently honors this usage. [[User:Larsbrinkhoff\|Larsbrinkhoff]] ([[User talk:Larsbrinkhoff\|talk]]) 08:40, 10 November 2025 (UTC)		The Finnish μ-LINC front panel says "μ-LINC". The Computer Design photo of the micro-LINC 300 front panels says "micro-LINC 300". The article currently honors this usage. [[User:Larsbrinkhoff\|Larsbrinkhoff]] ([[User talk:Larsbrinkhoff\|talk]]) 08:40, 10 November 2025 (UTC)

Larsbrinkhoff: /* μ-LINC and micro-LINC */ new section

2025-11-10T08:40:41Z

μ-LINC and micro-LINC: new section

← Older revision		Revision as of 08:40, 10 November 2025
Line 17:		Line 17:
	SPEaR apparently means "SIGNAL PROCESSING EQUIPMENT and RESEARCH"		SPEaR apparently means "SIGNAL PROCESSING EQUIPMENT and RESEARCH"
	[[User:Larsbrinkhoff\|Larsbrinkhoff]] ([[User talk:Larsbrinkhoff\|talk]]) 08:29, 7 November 2025 (UTC)		[[User:Larsbrinkhoff\|Larsbrinkhoff]] ([[User talk:Larsbrinkhoff\|talk]]) 08:29, 7 November 2025 (UTC)

			== μ-LINC and micro-LINC ==

			The Finnish μ-LINC front panel says "μ-LINC". Photos of the micro-LINC 300 front panels says "micro-LINC 300". The article currently honors this usage. [[User:Larsbrinkhoff\|Larsbrinkhoff]] ([[User talk:Larsbrinkhoff\|talk]]) 08:40, 10 November 2025 (UTC)

Larsbrinkhoff: /* Spear, Inc */ "SIGNAL PROCESSING EQUIPMENT and RESEARCH"

2025-11-07T10:26:19Z

Spear, Inc: "SIGNAL PROCESSING EQUIPMENT and RESEARCH"

← Older revision		Revision as of 10:26, 7 November 2025
Line 15:		Line 15:
	What's your source for spelling it "SPear"? This document has it "SPEaR"		What's your source for spelling it "SPear"? This document has it "SPEaR"
	https://archive.computerhistory.org/resources/access/text/2024/06/102785480-05-0001-acc.pdf		https://archive.computerhistory.org/resources/access/text/2024/06/102785480-05-0001-acc.pdf
			SPEaR apparently means "SIGNAL PROCESSING EQUIPMENT and RESEARCH"
	[[User:Larsbrinkhoff\|Larsbrinkhoff]] ([[User talk:Larsbrinkhoff\|talk]]) 08:29, 7 November 2025 (UTC)		[[User:Larsbrinkhoff\|Larsbrinkhoff]] ([[User talk:Larsbrinkhoff\|talk]]) 08:29, 7 November 2025 (UTC)

Larsbrinkhoff: /* Spear, Inc */ new section

2025-11-07T08:29:57Z

Spear, Inc: new section

← Older revision		Revision as of 08:29, 7 November 2025
Line 10:		Line 10:
	: Texts vary between Greek α or spelled out alpha or Alpha. It's unclear to me whether "Alpha Linc" was the initial name for the computers in general, or if it was only applied to the first prototype machine as in "alpha version".		: Texts vary between Greek α or spelled out alpha or Alpha. It's unclear to me whether "Alpha Linc" was the initial name for the computers in general, or if it was only applied to the first prototype machine as in "alpha version".
	: There's a similar variation in micro-LINC = μ-LINC = μLINC. [[User:Larsbrinkhoff\|Larsbrinkhoff]] ([[User talk:Larsbrinkhoff\|talk]]) 08:08, 1 November 2025 (UTC)		: There's a similar variation in micro-LINC = μ-LINC = μLINC. [[User:Larsbrinkhoff\|Larsbrinkhoff]] ([[User talk:Larsbrinkhoff\|talk]]) 08:08, 1 November 2025 (UTC)

			== Spear, Inc ==

			What's your source for spelling it "SPear"? This document has it "SPEaR"
			https://archive.computerhistory.org/resources/access/text/2024/06/102785480-05-0001-acc.pdf
			[[User:Larsbrinkhoff\|Larsbrinkhoff]] ([[User talk:Larsbrinkhoff\|talk]]) 08:29, 7 November 2025 (UTC)

Larsbrinkhoff: /* Early history and names */ I suggest Early and Small.

2025-11-01T08:08:38Z

Early history and names: I suggest Early and Small.

← Older revision		Revision as of 08:08, 1 November 2025
Line 6:		Line 6:

	'Computing in the Middle Ages' confirms that the machine was initially named the 'α-Linc'. However, it insists that the name then became 'LINC' at Lincoln, shortly later (pg. 140 of the PDF). What else can I look at? [[User:Jnc\|Jnc]] ([[User talk:Jnc\|talk]]) 09:39, 29 October 2025 (UTC)		'Computing in the Middle Ages' confirms that the machine was initially named the 'α-Linc'. However, it insists that the name then became 'LINC' at Lincoln, shortly later (pg. 140 of the PDF). What else can I look at? [[User:Jnc\|Jnc]] ([[User talk:Jnc\|talk]]) 09:39, 29 October 2025 (UTC)

			: I think "Early and Small" is the premier reference for LINC history. For one, it was written by Wes Clark referring to his notebooks, and second, it was written in 1986 which is closer in time than "Middle Ages". Direct link: https://dl.acm.org/doi/pdf/10.1145/12178.12187
			: Texts vary between Greek α or spelled out alpha or Alpha. It's unclear to me whether "Alpha Linc" was the initial name for the computers in general, or if it was only applied to the first prototype machine as in "alpha version".
			: There's a similar variation in micro-LINC = μ-LINC = μLINC. [[User:Larsbrinkhoff\|Larsbrinkhoff]] ([[User talk:Larsbrinkhoff\|talk]]) 08:08, 1 November 2025 (UTC)

Jnc: /* Early history and names*/ - The source(s) for the changes to the name?

2025-10-29T09:39:52Z

Early history and names: - The source(s) for the changes to the name?

New page

==Early history and names==

I'm curious about the source for the changes to the name.

I would tend to put a fair amount of faith in Severo Ornstein's [https://archive.computerhistory.org/resources/access/text/2019/03/102785079-05-01-acc.pdf ''Computing in the Middle Ages''], since he was there at the time. On the other hand, that as written decades later, and his memory might have dropped a few bits. Are there some contemporary documents from Lincoln and MIT that you are relying on? I took a quick look on Bitsavers, but didn't see anything.

'Computing in the Middle Ages' confirms that the machine was initially named the 'α-Linc'. However, it insists that the name then became 'LINC' at Lincoln, shortly later (pg. 140 of the PDF). What else can I look at? [[User:Jnc|Jnc]] ([[User talk:Jnc|talk]]) 09:39, 29 October 2025 (UTC)