1977 · [Ames, IA] and Palo Alto, CA
by Dakins, M.C.; Wayne Elmer Jones; Hamilton Richards, Jr.; A.E. Oldehoeft; C. Wright, Jr.; Eugene Paul Borelon; Robert FRancis Bretl; R. J. Zingg
[Ames, IA] and Palo Alto, CA: Cyclone Computer Laboratory, Iowa State University, and Fairchild Camera and Instrument Corporation, 1977. A collection of 23 rare manuals and documents relating to the SYMBOL 2-R computer, which was operated at the Cyclone Computer Laboratory at Iowa State University. The school library's special collections department writes of the system in its blog:
In 1970, when the computer was purchased, people used terminals that connected to a central mainframe rather than each person having their own computer. Simultaneous users at multiple terminals were accommodated by timesharing – the rapid switching of the computer’s attention between different processing jobs. The claim to fame for SYMBOL was its use of specialized hardware processors that negated the need for layers of software. By doing so, it sped up timesharing.
The materials are bound various ways, including stapled and a single comb-bound book. Condition is Very Good+ overall with light wear and soiling; text free of marking. This collection is a great snapshot of computing in the 1970s, before the rise of the PC.
Iowa State University documents:
1.Richards, Hamilton, Jr. Programming Reference Manual (1973). Comb-bound.
2. Jones, W.E. The Role of the Interface Processor in the Symbol IIR Computer System (1973).
3. Richards, Hamilton, Jr. Controlled Information Sharing in the Symbol 2-R Computer System (1976).
4.Anderberg, J.W. Source Program Analysis and Object String Generation Algorithms and Their Implementation in the SYMBOL 2R Translator (1974).
5. Alarilla, Luis Manuel, Jr. Storage Linking Techniques for the Automatic Management of Dynamically Variable Arrays (1976).
6. Anderberg, J.W. and C.L. Smith. High Level Language Translation in SYMBOL 2R (1973).
7. Richards, H[amilton], Jr. and R.J. Zingg. The Logical Structure of the Memory Resource in the SYMBOL 2R Computer (1973).
8. Oldehoeft, Arthur E., Sharilyn Thoreson, C. Retnadhas, and Roy J. Zingg. The Design of a Software Simulator for a Data Flow Computer (1977).
9. Zingg, R.J. and H. Richards, Jr. SYMBOL: A System Tailored to the Structure of Data (1973).
10.Bretl, Robert Francis. A Hierarchic Control System for User Programs in the SYMBOL System (1976).
11. Wolf, Robert Earl. SYMBOL 2-R Compatible Tree Manipulation (1976).
12. Jones, Wayne Elmer. A Microprocessor-Based Input/Outpout System for an Interactive Computer (1976).
13. Richards, H., Jr. Hard-Software Interactions in SYMBOL-2R's Operating System (1974). Two copies.
14. Richards, H., Jr. Introduction to the SYMBOL 2R Programming Language (1973).
15. Bradley, A.E. An Algorithmic Description of the SYMBOL Arithmetic Processor (1973).
16. Borelon, Eugene Paul. Explicit Declaration of Parameter Directionality in Programming Language Design and Implementation (1976).
17. Black, Rodney Wayne. Structured Programming the SYMBOL-2R Programming Language (1976).
18. Hutchison, P.C. and K. Ethington. Program Execution in the SYMBOL 2R Computer (1973).
19. Sweet, Alan and Arthur E. Oldehoeft. Automated Control of Concurrency in Multi-User Hierarchical Information Systems (1977).
20. Dakins, M.C. Nonnumeric Processing in the SYMBOL-2R Computer System (1974). Two copies.
Fairchild Camera and Instrument Corp. documents, all side-stapled 8.5" x 11" sheets with self- wraps, printed on rectos only:
1. Chesley, Gilman D. and William R. Smith. The Hardware-Implemented High-Level Machine Language for SYMBOL. 31 pp.
2. Smith, William R. et al. SYMBOL: A Large Experimental System Exploring Major Hardware Replacement of Software. 49 pp.
3. Cowart, B.E. et al. The Physical Attributes and Testing Aspects of the SYMBOL System. 34 pp. (Inventory #: 140947179)
In 1970, when the computer was purchased, people used terminals that connected to a central mainframe rather than each person having their own computer. Simultaneous users at multiple terminals were accommodated by timesharing – the rapid switching of the computer’s attention between different processing jobs. The claim to fame for SYMBOL was its use of specialized hardware processors that negated the need for layers of software. By doing so, it sped up timesharing.
The materials are bound various ways, including stapled and a single comb-bound book. Condition is Very Good+ overall with light wear and soiling; text free of marking. This collection is a great snapshot of computing in the 1970s, before the rise of the PC.
Iowa State University documents:
1.Richards, Hamilton, Jr. Programming Reference Manual (1973). Comb-bound.
2. Jones, W.E. The Role of the Interface Processor in the Symbol IIR Computer System (1973).
3. Richards, Hamilton, Jr. Controlled Information Sharing in the Symbol 2-R Computer System (1976).
4.Anderberg, J.W. Source Program Analysis and Object String Generation Algorithms and Their Implementation in the SYMBOL 2R Translator (1974).
5. Alarilla, Luis Manuel, Jr. Storage Linking Techniques for the Automatic Management of Dynamically Variable Arrays (1976).
6. Anderberg, J.W. and C.L. Smith. High Level Language Translation in SYMBOL 2R (1973).
7. Richards, H[amilton], Jr. and R.J. Zingg. The Logical Structure of the Memory Resource in the SYMBOL 2R Computer (1973).
8. Oldehoeft, Arthur E., Sharilyn Thoreson, C. Retnadhas, and Roy J. Zingg. The Design of a Software Simulator for a Data Flow Computer (1977).
9. Zingg, R.J. and H. Richards, Jr. SYMBOL: A System Tailored to the Structure of Data (1973).
10.Bretl, Robert Francis. A Hierarchic Control System for User Programs in the SYMBOL System (1976).
11. Wolf, Robert Earl. SYMBOL 2-R Compatible Tree Manipulation (1976).
12. Jones, Wayne Elmer. A Microprocessor-Based Input/Outpout System for an Interactive Computer (1976).
13. Richards, H., Jr. Hard-Software Interactions in SYMBOL-2R's Operating System (1974). Two copies.
14. Richards, H., Jr. Introduction to the SYMBOL 2R Programming Language (1973).
15. Bradley, A.E. An Algorithmic Description of the SYMBOL Arithmetic Processor (1973).
16. Borelon, Eugene Paul. Explicit Declaration of Parameter Directionality in Programming Language Design and Implementation (1976).
17. Black, Rodney Wayne. Structured Programming the SYMBOL-2R Programming Language (1976).
18. Hutchison, P.C. and K. Ethington. Program Execution in the SYMBOL 2R Computer (1973).
19. Sweet, Alan and Arthur E. Oldehoeft. Automated Control of Concurrency in Multi-User Hierarchical Information Systems (1977).
20. Dakins, M.C. Nonnumeric Processing in the SYMBOL-2R Computer System (1974). Two copies.
Fairchild Camera and Instrument Corp. documents, all side-stapled 8.5" x 11" sheets with self- wraps, printed on rectos only:
1. Chesley, Gilman D. and William R. Smith. The Hardware-Implemented High-Level Machine Language for SYMBOL. 31 pp.
2. Smith, William R. et al. SYMBOL: A Large Experimental System Exploring Major Hardware Replacement of Software. 49 pp.
3. Cowart, B.E. et al. The Physical Attributes and Testing Aspects of the SYMBOL System. 34 pp. (Inventory #: 140947179)