Vintage computers

[whirlcool]

There is usually an interesting story behind airline reservation systems. Some airlines share them with others (like Sabre) and other airlines have their own.
When I was at North Central they wrote their own inhouse, it was called "ESCORT".
They took 13 station employees and sent them to upstate New York for a year to be trained by IBM. At the end of the year they all were familiar with using BAL to program the system with. Within 2 years ESCORT was up and running. It was the most advanced res system in the business for years.

After United & American were finished with their Incoterm terminals they went to Univac terminals which were much better. North Central ESCORT used them as well. Here is a good photo of one of them. What I thought was strange with these terminals is that the cursor on the Incoterms were a flashing ">". On the Univac systems it was a flashing "¬". I've never seen that on any other terminal.

But the ESCORT system had it all, I could look up flight loading info, destination airport information about Runway Length, weather conditions, etc. It truly "did it all".

 

[whirlcool]

And going back to the early 60's before CRT terminals they had IBM 2741 terminals that used printed I/O with the reservations system.
Here is a photo of a typical 1960 reservation office.

 

[cfz2882]

early computer setups in movies

a couple cool early computer setups i have seen in movies include the computer room in the '64 movie Dr Strangelove with all the big tape drives and their reels jerking and turning back and forth.Another is the computer room briefly seen in the"mad bomber"(1973)

 

[48bencix]

Model 100

I had a Radio Shack model 100 considered to be the first laptop. Software was written largely by Bill Gates. It had Basic, word processing, built in modem. I could log on to Compu-Serve back in 1983. I used it through the 1990's by connecting it to a Sears typewriter with a printer port! Also had a cassette tape drive (external).

I liked it because before I bought it I tried it and was able to use it immediately without looking in a manual.

A few years ago I donated it to a collector.

http://oldcomputers.net/trs100.html

 

[mathewhebailey0]

Found this on Infiltration,fouth pic down.

http://www.uer.ca/forum_showthread.asp?fid=3&threadid=105671

 

[whirlaway]

Great Pictures

Thats something else isnt it,my favorite computer movie is Desk Set,with Tracy and Hepburn made in 1957.

 

[whirlcool]

Speaking of Compu-Serve there also was a Reader's Digest affilliated online system called "The Source". A friend of ours who had an original Apple computer used it.
Lots of fun for the time. I guess it was an internet precursor.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Source_(online_service)

 

[aladude]

Whirlcool how much for the apple airport?

 

[whirlcool]

Apple Airport

I sent you a private e-mail to your e-mail address listed.

 

[aladude]

Ah thanks for the quick reply but that email doesn't work anymore... I updated my profile so if you don't mind using that address instead, that'd be great. Sorry about the inconvenience.