Browsing by Subject "Radio Corporation of America"

Now showing 1 - 6 of 6
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Oral history interview with A. Terence Maxwell
    (Charles Babbage Institute, 1980-01-09) Maxwell, A. Terence
    Maxwell recalls the associations among the major British punched card companies in the 1930s: Power-Samas, the British Tabulating Machine Company (BTM), International Business Machines, and Remington Rand. He reports on discussions Powers-Samas had with Ferranti and Remington Rand on the 1958 merger with BTM to form International Computers and Tabulators (ICT). He discusses planning among ICT, English Electric, and Radio Corporation of America in subsequent years to capture European market shares and explains how these plans collapsed. He then discusses the 1963 merger between ICT and Ferranti and the 1968 merger between ICT and English Electric to form International Computers, Ltd.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Oral history interview with Arnold Spielberg
    (Charles Babbage Institute, 1987-06-23) Spielberg, Arnold
    Spielberg, an electronics engineer and manager in Product Technology Operations for Unisys, discusses product development in the computer industry. He describes his work with RCA and General Electric Computer Dept. in the 1950s; IBM, Scientific Data Systems, and Electronic Arrays in the 1960s; and his work with Burroughs (and later Unisys) after 1973. Subjects discussed include: point-of-sale equipment; product development and marketing; GE 225; IBM computers; Burroughs computers; Scientific Data System's SIGMA series; and GP2000 (a cooperative graphics product of Burroughs and Superset).
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Oral history interview with Carl Hammer
    (Charles Babbage Institute, 1983-04-15) Hammer, Carl, 1914-2004
    Hammer reviews his career in the computing industry, including his work for RCA, Sperry, and Sylvania. He begins with his entry into data processing at the Columbia University T. J. Watson Scientific Computing Laboratory and his work under Paul Lazarsfeld as a research associate at the Bureau of Applied Social Research. He turns next to his employment beginning in l950 at the Franklin Institute. He discusses the industrial applications of computers, and collaborations between the Franklin Institute and the government. From 1955 through 1957 Hammer headed the European Univac Computing Center. He discusses interactions with U.S. computer professionals, the peculiarities of installing computers in Europe, and the differing effect of computers on institutions in Europe and the U.S. He reviews Sperry's merger with Remington Rand and the changes in marketing and other operations after the merger. He cites these changes as his reason for leaving Sperry to work for Sylvania on his return from Europe in 1957. Sylvania's MOBIDIC computer and the ballistic missile early warning system are described in detail. In 1959 Hammer joined the Surface Communication Division of RCA. He discusses the in-fighting at RCA after John L. Hammer became president in 1960, the resulting demise of RCA's computer operations, and his own return to Univac in 1962.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Oral history interview with Earl Edgar Masterson
    (Charles Babbage Institute, 1986) Masterson, Earl (Earl Edgar)
    Masterson begins by describing his early life and work with Radio Corporation of America. He then recounts his job interview with J. Presper Eckert and Fraser Welch and his work with the Eckert-Mauchly Computer Corporation, especially his work with the UNIVAC and his design of a functional high-speed printer. He also discusses James H. Rand and Remington-Rand's management of Eckert-Mauchly after the firm's acquisition. He concludes with a review of his work for Honeywell and development of high-speed printers there.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Oral history interview with Saul Amarel
    (Charles Babbage Institute, 1989-10-05) Amarel, Saul
    Amarel begins the interview with a discussion of his interest in artificial intelligence (AI) and his early research in the field while at Radio Corporation of America. He provides a brief overview AI research at Carnegie-Mellon University and Stanford University in the 1960s and his establishment of the computer science program at Rutgers University in the early 1970s. Amarel also discusses the relationship of AI to computer science. The bulk of the interview concerns the Information Processing Techniques Office's (IPTO) support of research in computer science and artificial intelligence. The primary topics of this discussion are IPTO and Amarel's recruitment as director in 1985, the importance of strategic computing, the creation of the Information Science and Technology Office (ISTO) and the budgeting process for ISTO. Amarel concludes with his thoughts on current directions in AI research.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Oral history interview with Willis H. Ware
    (Charles Babbage Institute, 1981-01-19) Ware, Willis H.
    The interview is primarily devoted to Ware's work on the Institute for Advanced Study computer project in the late 1940s. Ware details the contributions of Jules Charney, John von Neumann, Herman Goldstine, and others. He discusses the division of tasks, interaction among project members, design considerations, the pace of work, and patent issues. Ware distinguishes between scientific and commercial computers, and compares the Institute computer to others produced at the time. Associations of the Institute with IBM, RCA, and other companies and with Princeton University is also discussed. Ware also relates his move to the RAND Corporation and RAND's activities in computing.