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computation.html
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<html>
<head>
<title>Computation Department</title>
</head>
<body bgcolor="#ffffff" link="#555555" vlink="#000000" alink="#000000">
<h1><a href="index.html"><img src="folklore-icon.gif" alt="Folklore" align="bottom" width="31" height="33"></a>
Computation Department</h1>
<p>These days there are two distinct computer organisations on Campus, the
Computer Science Department, who carry out teaching and research; and
Computing Services, who provide computing facilities for the entire
university. Back at the dawn of computing, however, all this came under
the remit of one Department. And when we start our story, it didn't
even exist yet...</p>
<hr>
<blockquote>
<p><i>Nouse</i> No. 18 Thursday, 23rd June 1966</p>
<p><strong>Computation Dept.</strong></p>
<p>The University's Department of Computation will be set up in October, in
order to provide a computing service for the university and to carry
out teaching and research in computation. Its director is to be
Mr D.G. Burnett-Hall, at present at Hull University. Construction on
the department's buildings will start at the beginning of August and
should be complete by April 1967. The buildings will be two single-story
blocks; one housing the computer and the other a lecture room and
offices and they will be constructed on either side
of the covered-way leading from the library to college V.</p>
<p>The computer, which is due to be delivered in June 1967, will be
an Elliot 4130 and it will be possible to prepare programmes and
data on either punch cards or on paper tape. In the meantime, use
is being made of outside computers such as those at Chilton and at
Imperial College, London.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>College V is now Vanbrugh college, I'm not sure which of the two
blocks was the one with <strong>the</strong> computer in it.</p>
<blockquote>
<p><i>Nouse</i> Thurs, Nov 9th 1967</p>
<p><strong>Computer lies idle
<br>Elliott take fuses</strong></p>
<p>Because it has not been fully paid for yet, the suppliers of the £90000
computer delivered to the computer building during September have taken
away its fuses.</p>
<p>Instead of mid-October as was hoped, the machine will not be fully
working until four weeks before the end of term. When it would have
started was ``unpredictable'' anyway, said Mr D G Burnett-Hall,
Director of Computation.</p>
<p>Elliott-Automation Ltd. took the fuses because the machine still
belonged to them, and York could not use it even with the fuses.</p>
<strong>`Cynical'</strong>
<p>The government is waiting until a four-day trial-run by a branch of the
Ministry of Technology before paying for the machine, and this cannot be
done before mid-November. Two causes of delay are the large amount of
testing necessary and the number of original faults.</p>
<p>Mr Burnett-Hall had no specific criticisms of Elliott. ``When you've
dealt with firms before you soon become cynical about them.''</p>
<p>The machine's original Fortran compiler is unable to translate punch
cards, a common way of giving computers information. One that will,
however is expected in December.</p>
<strong>Week's Delay</strong>
<p>Programmes for university needs will continue to be sent with a week's
delay, to Harwell, Berks, until our computer starts work, when Mr
Burnett-Hall hopes to deal with each project in 12 hours. He expects,
too, enough work to occupy the machine for eight hours a day, thus
justifying the £3000 maintenance costs. Eventually there will be 16
hours' work daily.</p>
</blockquote>
<p><strong>More Information:</strong></p>
<blockquote>
<img src="/icons/greendot.gif" alt="*">
<a href="elliott.html">Elliott Automation history</a><br>
<img src="/icons/greendot.gif" alt="*">
<a href="compserv.html">Computer History on campus</a><br>
<img src="/icons/greendot.gif" alt="*">
<a href="compcomps.html">Computing Science-related history</a>
</blockquote>
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