Episode 132 - The PDP-1
May 26, 2024•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 132
Listen to this episode in Metacast mobile app
Don't just listen to podcasts. Learn from them with transcripts, summaries, and chapters for every episode. Skim, search, and bookmark insights. Learn more
Episode description
In 1959 the world bore witness to a new type of computer: the PDP-1. It was the first interactive computer to really make a dent in the market. Some say it was the first minicomputer: a totally new class of machine. But where did this computer come from, and what made it so different from the rest of the digital pack?
Selected sources:
https://americanhistory.si.edu/comphist/olsen.html - Smithsonian interview with Ken Olsen
https://archive.computerhistory.org/resources/access/text/2019/03/102785079-05-01-acc.pdf - Computing in the Middle Ages
https://archive.org/details/bitsavers_decBooksBeng_37322315 - Computer Egnineerling, Bell et al.
For the best experience, listen in Metacast app for iOS or Android