News IBM 7090 Mainframe up for auction with a value up to $60,000 — over 23,000 pounds of transformative transistorized milestone in computing

[Admin]

A transformative transistorized milestone in the history of computing could be yours, as an IBM 7090 Mainframe computer system has gone up for auction at Christie’s.

IBM 7090 Mainframe up for auction with a value up to $60,000 — over 23,000 pounds of transformative transistorized milestone in computing : Read more

 

[Neilbob]

Seems cheap for a machine that, if you fiddle with the knobs in the correct order, can send you travelling through time, turn you invisible, and a multitude of other effects.

At least, I vaguely recall that's how it seemed things like this computer were often portrayed in the films of the time. I can only assume those were completely factual.

 

[Heat_Fan89]

Seems cheap for a machine that, if you fiddle with the knobs in the correct order, can send you travelling through time, turn you invisible, and a multitude of other effects.

At least, I vaguely recall that's how it seemed things like this computer were often portrayed in the films of the time. I can only assume those were completely factual.

Haha, i'm old enough to remember the first season of Mannix on CBS and they used IIRC an IBM mainframe with tape drives and punch-cards in the opening part of each episode. The mainframe was used to identify and catch the crooks.

However the Show's producer decided to scrap the computer bit in Season #2 and thereafter because the producer felt the audience would not relate to a computer, since few had any knowledge of what they did back then.

 

[great Unknown]

Used one of these back in my college days. The air conditioning bill will be murder.

 

[Rob1C]

"Computers" in the old sci-fi shows were often built cheaply from lighted switches and monitors that replayed pre-recorded video.

Example: UFO, 1970 TV series