THE
AUSTRALIAN
Motto:
Control-Alt-Preserve
The computer industry is
now old enough to have a
history. If we do not
preserve that history it will
disappear forever.
COMPUTER
MUSEUM
SOCIETY
- Graham Phillipson
Sydney Morning Herald
ORIGINS
Members of the Australian Computer Museum Society have been collecting our computing
history since the 1960s. The ACMS was created in 1994 to preserve, and restore, this historic
collection, and to make it available to future Australians.
We have a physical and document record of Australia's part in exploiting, and developing,
the defining technology of today as well as the people who pioneered this endeavour. Computing is
so pervasive, and is changing so fast, that even its recent history seems positively bizarre.
We have provided copies of IBM manuals and circuit diagrams for the US Computer
History Museum, and copies of Ferranti, Elliott Bros and English Electric documents for the UK
Computer Conservation Society. We have provided advice and support for the Sydney Powerhouse
Museum, University of NSW and Sydney University.
ACMS supports local movie making too, with a DEC PDP-9 computer for The Dish, a
1960s computer room for Bad Eggs, and another computer room in Syntax Error!
OBJECTIVES
We aim to provide an educational and research resource for today’s defining technology and demonstrate Australia's part in its development.
ACMS
publications
& some members:
John Geremin
John Deane
David Hawley
John Webster
ACMS Inc.
www.acms.org.au
The ACMS is a Tax Office endorsed Charity and Deductible Gift Recipient
ABN 89 972 080 502
● John Deane (President)
Email [email protected]
Phone 0427 404 429
● Keith Titmuss (Secretary)
Email [email protected]
Phone (02) 9890 5810
● Correspondence:
50/40 Strathalbyn Drv
Oatlands NSW 2117
ACMS' COLLECTION
KEY: A Australian, B Book available, C Complete item, D Documentation, P Partial item
We have many examples of pre-electronic computing including slide rules,
mechanical calculators, punched card equipment etc.
Mechanical computing
1907 Millionaire calculator
1920 Julius Totalisator (adder pic)
1930 Comptometer
1930 NCR Accounting Machine
1950 Relay computer
(C)
(AP)
(C)
(C)
(C)
Australia built one of the world’s first computers, CSIRAC, and made a rapid
start to using and understanding the technology.
First generation computers
1949 CSIRAC
1956 WREDAC
1956 UTECOM
1956 SILLIAC (1K bit memory pic)
(ABD)
(AD)
(ABP)
(ABP)
When transistors replaced valves an era of reliable and widespread computing began.
Mainframe computers
1959 IBM 1401 (pic)
1962 CIRRUS
1963 English Electric KDF9
1964 IBM 360
(CD)
(AD)
(DP)
(DP)
Digital Equipment created a new class of affordable computers, used by a
single person!
Mini-computers
1967 DEC PDP-8 (pic)
1969 Data General Nova
1970 DEC PDP-11
1970 Singer System Ten
1978 DEC VAX-11/780
(CD)
(DP)
(CD)
(CD)
also
Compucorp,
HP,
Philips,
Wang
etc
(CD)
Did Intel have any idea what they were starting with the first processor on a chip in 1971?
Micro-computers
1977 Tandy TRS-80
1977 Apple II
1978 Microbee (pic)
1982 Commodore 64
(CD)
(CD)
(ACD)
(CD)
IBM’s decision to build a computer round the Intel 8086 chip produced the
defining artifact of the end of the 20th century.
Personal computers
1981 IBM PC (pic)
1981 Osborne luggable PC
1984 HP 150 Touchscreen
1984 Apple Macintosh
(CD)
(C)
(C)
(CD)
also
Amstrad,
Compaq,
Samtron,
Toshiba
etc
The items mentioned here represent a fraction of ACMS’ collection
Also: Analogue computing, Paper Tape gear, Teletypes, Printers, Calculators, Games,
Workstations, Servers, Network equipment, Media, Manuals...