IBM STRETCH - A Technology Link Between Yesterday & Tomorrow

IBM's STRETCH program for the Government's Los Alamos lab, later named the IBM 7030 when sold commercially, was IBM's audacious gamble at creating the world's most advanced computing system: about 100 times faster than the most advanced computer working today, according to then IBM chairman Tom Watson, Jr.

Design of the IBM STRETCH began in the summer of 1956, with a project team that eventually grew to 300 by 1959. When introduced, the STRETCH was considered a failure within IBM as it did not meet advertised expectations: though it was indeed the fastest computer then available, it was only 30 to 40 times faster than other systems (not 100 times as advertised).

The Success of STRETCH: Even though initial commercial expectations were not fully met, the technical, manufacturing, and managerial experience that came from creating STRETCH fed directly into other IBM projects, including its later System/360 - the single most successful family of computers (by revenue) of all time.

Concepts pioneered for STRETCH are now used in the world's most advanced microprocessors. These include:
- Multiprogramming, enabling a computer to juggle more than one job at a time
- Memory protection, preventing unauthorized memory access
- Memory interleaving, breaking up memory into chunks for much higher bandwidth
- Pipelining, lining up instructions in a queue, so that the computer doesn't have to wait between operations

This historic film was produced in 1981 by Brigham Young University to document the story and technical features of the IBM 7030 (STRETCH) System as well as the University's accomplishments using the system. The film was donated to the Computer History Museum along with the University's Stretch system when it was decommissioned.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Computer
• History
• Museum
• IBM
• STRETCH
• 7030
• Mainframe
• Bringham
• Young
• University
• BYU
• Historical

[katayamma]

Now that's some serious history. My father used to talk about working on the Stretch when he was at IBM. Definitely wild times.

[leowalding]

I worked as an electronic tech at Control Data and know I spied some Control Data big iron hooked up to the wonderful stretch machine. Long live IBM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 9760 was the storage I believe.

[Ghandi1998]

Its funny cause im watching this on my ipod

[Robbob9933]

Funny that this was a 64bit machine and it took eons in the microprocessors arena to get this far.

[MissouriMatt54]

wow!

[dimbulb23]

If nothing else this film demonstrates just what a huge and varied field computer science is. This 1981 film shows how that particular project was seen by one segment of the "Computer World". To the producers of this video Stretch was significant and major player in their computer world. I was also in my own computer world at that time having worked for IBM from 68 till 98, but I never heard of Stretch. I learn something new every day.

[Dms12444]

A great era of computer history. Had the Stretch never existed I would not be sitting here today typing this message. One great computer, a truly sad moment when the last one was shut down.

[lemonlimestiv]

ya but can it play space war?