What a trip back to pre-history. The 803 was may introduction to computers and Algol at RMIT in 1967. With a three week turn around on program tests and perpetual paper tape punch errors it took the full year to get the simplest program running, but learning to think Algol was an enormous advantage over those,as Dikstra put it, "mentally mutilated beyond hope of redemption" whose introduction to programming was Basic. I have fond memories of that machine.
I learned to program on an 803 using Autocode(1964), did my Grad work using and inside the Algol compiler system(68-71), and managed an 803 for several years as a faculty member (at a profit)...
Memories, memories! I wonder how many times I ran that Algol compiler at Hatfield Tech before I graduated to machine code? To my knowledge, nobody ever found a bug in it. How times have changed.
As the chairman of the Elliott 803 users' group in the mid 1970s I was in charge of Braintree College's Elliott. We ran maths courses using Algol. I am now a volunteer at Bletchley Park's National Museum of Computing and the video brings back amazing memories. Do come to Bletchley's Vintage Compute
Festival in June and see the 803 amongst other early computers.
Lovely old machine, glad this one is now restored and working. I used to service and occasionally operate an 803B at the National Gas Turbine Establishment Pyestock. In slack operation times it's party piece was to play classical tunes.
What a trip back to pre-history. The 803 was may introduction to computers and Algol at RMIT in 1967. With a three week turn around on program tests and perpetual paper tape punch errors it took the full year to get the simplest program running, but learning to think Algol was an enormous advantage over those,as Dikstra put it, "mentally mutilated beyond hope of redemption" whose introduction to programming was Basic. I have fond memories of that machine.
nuattainium 2 weeks ago
Yep. I got my A level in Comp Sci programming an 803 at Swindon Tech in 68/69.
wwwhatsup 11 months ago
I learned to program on an 803 using Autocode(1964), did my Grad work using and inside the Algol compiler system(68-71), and managed an 803 for several years as a faculty member (at a profit)...
RJBotting 1 year ago
Memories, memories! I wonder how many times I ran that Algol compiler at Hatfield Tech before I graduated to machine code? To my knowledge, nobody ever found a bug in it. How times have changed.
pleriche 1 year ago
@pleriche It was reputed to have 13 known bugs. For example the word HOOK was reserved but did not work like the implication operator in Algol 60.
RJBotting 1 year ago
As the chairman of the Elliott 803 users' group in the mid 1970s I was in charge of Braintree College's Elliott. We ran maths courses using Algol. I am now a volunteer at Bletchley Park's National Museum of Computing and the video brings back amazing memories. Do come to Bletchley's Vintage Compute
Festival in June and see the 803 amongst other early computers.
shindles308 1 year ago
Lovely old machine, glad this one is now restored and working. I used to service and occasionally operate an 803B at the National Gas Turbine Establishment Pyestock. In slack operation times it's party piece was to play classical tunes.
soemtron220 2 years ago
@soemtron220 You should come and visit us at The National Museum of Computing. It's always nice to talk to people who used the 803 for real.
PeterOGB 2 years ago
Brilliant, excellent work. Almost a music video :)
pixelh8 2 years ago