GLOSSARY AEC: Atomic Energy Commission, a US agency AN/FSQ-7: Armv-Navv Fixed Special Equipment,a special-purpose defense computer used in SAGE Architect: Computer system planner and high-level designer of functional specifications Assembler: Software that translates mnemonic codes one-for-one into machine language AWRE: British Atomic Weapons Research Establishment BASIC: Front end of a proposed Stretch design (see 3-in-) BMEWS: Ballistic Missile Early Warning System. Bit: Binary digit, a number that can have only one of two possible values: zero and one Byte: A group of eight contiguous bits. (Before Stretch, it was six bits) BYU: Brigham Young University CDC: Control Data Corporation, an IBM competitor in the 1960's CEA: Commissariat a l'Energie Atomique, the atomic energy agency in France Compiler: Software that translates a high level language into machine language, one-to-many CPU: Central Processing Unit, a computer's engine that performs arithmetic and logical operations and supporting functions CDC 1604: Seymour Cray's first fully transistorized supercomputer, 1960 CPC: Card Programmed Calculator based on the 604. Widely used 1948-53 CRT: Cathode ray tube memory. Used on IBM 701, 702 and other early machines. Datatron Memos: Planning documents by Dunwell, Buchholz, et al, 1954 DPD: Data Processing Division, IBM's sales and marketing arm in the 1950's and 1960's DSD: Data Systems Division, the IBM large computer development and manufacturing arm Fortran: A computer language for scientific and technical people (Formula translating system). First used on IBM 704, 1957 FSD: Federal Systems Division, IBM's group responsible for federal government computers EJCC: Eastern Joint Computer Conference ENIAC: First fully electronic digital computer used 18,000 vacuum tubes. Harvest: Code name of a custom cornputer system developed for NSA on a Stretch platform Headcount: The number of authorized people at work in an organization, both employees and contract staff. An important IBM control metric. I/O: Input/Output. Referring to devices and computer processes that bring data into computers from keyboards, punched cards, magnetic tapes, disks, etc. and send data out of computers to printers, tapes, disks, monitors, etc. IT: Information Technology. An umbrella term for hardware, software and media used in connection with digital (bits and bytes) information IBM NORC: Naval Ordinance Research Calculator. Fast decimal machine, 1955 IBM SSEC: Selective Sequence Electronic Calculator. Had 12,000 tubes, 1948 IBM TPM: Tape Processing Machine. The first magnetic tape system, 1952 IBM 3-in-1 Concept: Proposal having a small commercial Stretch (BASIC) with the either a scientific attachment (SIGMA) or an NSA (Harvest) attachment, 1957 IBM 305 RAMAC: The first magnetic disk storage system, 1957 IBM 604: Plugboard programmed calculator using vacuum tubes, 1948 IBM 701: IBM's first stored-program computer. It is a vacuum tube with CRT memory, 1953 IBM 650: magnetic drum calculator established itself as the first mass- produced computer, with IBM selling 450 in one year, 1954 IBM 1401: Medium-sized accounting machine, 1959. Over 10,000 units were delivered IBM 1620 and 1790: IBM's first transistorized computers, 1959 IBM 7030: Number designating Stretch, starting in 1960 LARC: Livermore Automatic Research Computer, a system procured by LRL, 1955 LASL: Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory, an AEC facility in New Mexico LRL: Lawrence Radiation Laboratory, an AEC facility in Livermore California MCP: Master Control Program. Stretch software that would be called an "operating system" today Mitre Corporation: A national engineering, R&D and IT resource originally associated with MIT NSA: National Security Agency. A cryptologic organization that employs the country's premier code makers and code breakers. Plantation: NSA project for IBM to study computer capabilities that would speed application processing for the Agency, 1955 Silo: An NSA task for the development of fast computer memory, 1955 STRAP: Stretch Assembler Program, language in which other Stretch software such as MCP was written (See "Assembler") Stretch: The name given to the project launched 1955 as well as to the machine delivered to Los Alamos in 1961. The project was tasked with "stretching" technology to its limits SEAC: Standards Eastern Automatic Computer at NBS, Washington, DC SIGMA: High speed floating arithmetic attachment (see 3-in-1) Silo: An NSA fast memory development task SAGE: Semi-Automatic Ground Environment. System developed in the 1950's and deployed in the early 1960's as part of US air defense. It linked hundreds of radar stations in the United States and Canada in the first large-scale computer communications network. SWAC: Standards Western Automatic Computer at UCLA, 1954 System/360: IBM's computer product line announced on April 7, 1964. It comprised a family of compatible machines in a wide range of sizes and prices. The product line incorporated many features that originated in Stretch. TRACTOR: Large automated tape cartridge library for Harvest, 1962 UNIVAC: Remington Rand's Universal Automatic Computer, 1951 Virtual Memory: A term used in Stretch for the buffer between the CPU and storage. Would be called a "Cache" today.