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The Cray-1 Computer System (1977) [pdf]

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Re: The Cray-1 Computer System (1977) [pdf]

#61

Post by egberts1 »

xattt wrote: post #60
Polizeiposaune wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Cray-1 or Cray-2? IIRC Fluorinert was new with the Cray-2, while wikipedia suggests that the Cray-1 used a freon as coolant.

The GP also mentions X11 Terminals. My wiki-fu shows the X Windowing System came about on or around 1983, while Cray-1 was 1970s vintage. I assume that was an upgrade at some later point.

X Window Release 3 (X11R3) was introduced on Cray into UNICOS (a UNIX variant of Cray OS, COS) in late 1989 using ported 64-bit Xlib. But it was not widely used within small Cray community.

But MIT cooked up X11 "PROTOCOL" of Xlib in late 1985 to 1986 on Univac and Unix in C with many other X libraries written in Common Lisp.

X10R3 mostly stabilized the Xlib around a few platforms and CPU architecture (DDX) in a"long" preparation for X11R1 in September 1987.

https://www.x.org/wiki/X11R1/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Re: The Cray-1 Computer System (1977) [pdf]

#62

Post by bluGill »

xattt wrote: post #60
Polizeiposaune wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Cray-1 or Cray-2? IIRC Fluorinert was new with the Cray-2, while wikipedia suggests that the Cray-1 used a freon as coolant.

The GP also mentions X11 Terminals. My wiki-fu shows the X Windowing System came about on or around 1983, while Cray-1 was 1970s vintage. I assume that was an upgrade at some later point.

Since this was a 2nd hand machine having the upgrades for X11 doesn't seem unlikely.

Re: The Cray-1 Computer System (1977) [pdf]

#63

Post by W-Stool »

If these kinds of machines interest you I highly recommend the book "The Supermen" by Charles Murray. It has all the details you would ever want on Seymour Cray and others in the business.

I was working at a geophysical company in the 80's and we lusted after a Cray-1. Best we could afford where array processors (CSPI) connected to VAX systems.

Re: The Cray-1 Computer System (1977) [pdf]

#64

Post by t1234s »

october8140 wrote: post #9

> The aesthetics of the machine have not been neglected. The CPU is attractively housed in a cylindrical cabinet. The chassis are arranged two per each of the twelve wedge-shaped columns. At the base are the twelve power supplies. The power supply cabinets, which extend outward from the base are vinyl padded to provide seating for computer personnel.

Answers my question.. I always thought they can't possibly want people sitting on something so expensive.

Re: The Cray-1 Computer System (1977) [pdf]

#65

Post by bluGill »

fredoralive wrote: post #47
tvguide61 wrote: post #19

Why the thin black curtain on the window? Thoughts: 1. To block some sunlight from getting in. 2. It’s a secure facility and wanted to prevent people from looking in. 3. To not have to look at something outside. 4. It’s a secure facility and wanted to prevent the chance of taking a picture of someone or something outside that could compromise the location of the computer or someone’s identity; sometimes the first pla…

I suspect the curtains are closed to avoid causing exposure issues etc. in the photos being taken. As for windows in a computer room, seems a bit unusual, but a nicer working environment than the usual windowless box I'd guess...

Many computer rooms had windows. Computers were expensive things that companies often wanted to show off - but they needed special rooms with raised floors, HVAC (which also make them look even more exclusive/impressive and worth showing off), and the cost (millions of dollars when senior operators might be making $50k/year) meant you wanted to be careful who could touch them. Thus a window so that you could bring outsiders by the room on the way to a meeting and they could look in and see that shiny equipment.

Remember in 1980 the modern PC wasn't even invented (Apple II was) yes. Most people didn't have access to any terminal as part of their job, only specialized positions did. Typewriters where was everyone had on their desk. As such a computer was something a company could wow visitors with. Times have changed.

Re: The Cray-1 Computer System (1977) [pdf]

#66

Post by AnimalMuppet »

awacs wrote: post #28

I remember doing a report on this in high school in the late 80s. I'd love to do an order of magnitude comparison to a modern M4 Mac... Amazing how far we've come.

I remember computer magazines of the time talking about "a Cray on a chip" in their April 1st jokes.

Well... we're there. Far past, in fact. We live in the future that then was so far out of reach that people could only joke about it, not consider it a realistic possibility.

In one lifetime.

Re: The Cray-1 Computer System (1977) [pdf]

#67

Post by MonkeyClub »

technofiend wrote: post #45
DonHopkins wrote: post #23

I knew a guy who worked at one of the national labs that had its own Cray supercomputer, in a computer room with a big observation window that visitors could admire it through, of course (all Crays required observations windows to show them off). Just before a tour group came by, he hid inside the Cray, and waited for them to arrive. Then he casually strolled out from the back of the Cray, pulling up the zipper of hi…

The Cray 1-ish machines I had access to at Shell and Chevron were most definitely tucked away in rooms with no visibility into them. In fact the Chevron machine room had pretty stern "no photography" placards, which I took seriously and is sadly why I don't have a photo of sitting on the loveseat of their machine. Getting access took just short an act of God and I was a sysadmin in the central support group! They did…

> a photo of sitting on the loveseat of their machine.

Unsurprisingly, I would say, the Cray is literally the prime example in "A Gallery of Computers as Furniture".[†]

[†] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46601097

Re: The Cray-1 Computer System (1977) [pdf]

#68

Post by wongarsu »

postexitus wrote: post #59
october8140 wrote: post #9

> The aesthetics of the machine have not been neglected. The CPU is attractively housed in a cylindrical cabinet. The chassis are arranged two per each of the twelve wedge-shaped columns. At the base are the twelve power supplies. The power supply cabinets, which extend outward from the base are vinyl padded to provide seating for computer personnel.

It looks really nice - but never understood the seating. Who came up with that?

It ensures the Cray is placed as the centerpiece of the room, not as mere equipment shoved on the wall

Re: The Cray-1 Computer System (1977) [pdf]

#70

Post by TZubiri »

Before IBM's deep blue, apparently there was a chess program called Cray Blitz, I'm sure the cray had the raw power(20MHz? But with 64 parallel operations) needed to beat the top humans, but the software just wasn't there yet.

Blitz was ported to C and continued development FOSS as Crafty, mainly by a U of Alabama professor, but to this day it can't beat top humans on modern cpu (topping at 2650 elo instead of 2850 of, say, carlsen.)

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