IBM mechnical devices - test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

28 Nov 2007

-----------Original Messages:
Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2007 15:54:54 -0800
From: davis <davis at saw.net>
Subject: Re: IBM mechnical devices

woodelf wrote:
...
  M H Stein wrote:

  But I didn't have anything as modern as a
407; In My Day we only had 
 402s!!!
 BTW, my claim to fame was making it multiply; they said it couldn't 
 be done, so... 
 Has look up " 402 IBM " on the web. That is old stuff, a little more 
 on topic than
 what I have seen lately.

  Haven't seen any with peripherals on eBay
lately though... 
 So how many of the those old beasts are still around?
 Ben alias woodelf.
 PS. How did you get it to multiply?

 How can you do any business work on hardware that can't multiply? The 
mind boggles!
Jim Davis

-------------Reply:
Ah, no, for that there was the 604 Calculating punch, equivalent to 
a numeric co-processor (but in two somewhat larger cabinets !); since 
it was in big demand it made sense to do simple multiplication on the 
402s instead of waiting for your turn.

m