DocumentCode
854556
Title
EDSAC 2
Author
Wilkes, Maurice V.
Author_Institution
Olivetti Res. Ltd., Cambridge, UK
Volume
14
Issue
4
fYear
1992
fDate
6/14/1905 12:00:00 AM
Firstpage
49
Lastpage
56
Abstract
The principal hardware features of EDSAC 2, which was developed in the Cambridge University Mathematical Laboratory, are described. EDSAC 2, which came into operation early in 1958, was the first computer to have a microprogrammed control unit and established the viability of microprogramming as a basis for computer design. At the mechanical level of organization, EDSAC 2 was packaged in a bit-sliced manner, with interchangeable plug-in units. This method of packaging was well matched to the vacuum tube technology of the period, and its expected advantages, arising from the replication of units, were fully realized.<>
Keywords
computer architecture; history; microcomputers; microprogramming; Cambridge University Mathematical Laboratory; EDSAC 2; bit-sliced; computer design; hardware features; microprogrammed control unit; vacuum tube technology; Adders; Arithmetic; Circuits; Design engineering; Electron tubes; Hardware; Laboratories; Microprogramming; Packaging; Registers;
fLanguage
English
Journal_Title
Annals of the History of Computing, IEEE
Publisher
ieee
ISSN
1058-6180
Type
jour
DOI
10.1109/85.194055
Filename
194055
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