And the next day they met 50 years since the first computer that operated in the country. Which was called Clementina.
then detailed the story goes.
A TOOL FOR SCIENCE
They called Clementina
first computer was the country's scientific . Was installed at the University of Buenos Aires in late 1960.
Leonardo Correa. Lcorrea@clarin.com are in schools, hospitals and supermarkets. Manage traffic and airports. They are seen everywhere. But even now hard to imagine, once the computers did not organize the world. Simply because they exist.
In Argentina, until the decade of 60, the mathematical calculations could only be done on paper and pencil, even in academia. But in 1961, everything changed.
In the days when the United States broke relations with Cuba, and Argentina Arturo Frondizi walked through the last stages of his government, scientist and creator of the Institute of Computing, Faculty of Sciences of the UBA, Manuel Sadosky , Bernardo Houssay asked an unused credit given to him by the CONICET, the institution presiding Houssay. This was no less than $ 300 000.
Houssay Sadosky accepted the proposal and used the money to bring the country's first computer, scientific and academic purposes: Clementina.
To purchase was a public tender to be submitted to IBM, Sperry Rand, Philco and Ferranti. And won a Ferranti Mercury II model, who came from England.
arrived at the port of Buenos Aires on November 24, 1960, and after an extensive overhaul, months after he began to be used.
Computers that are known today had little or nothing. Operated by about 5 thousand glass valves had a magnetic core memory 5 K, about 50 thousand times less than a home computer these days. To today's eyes seem something big measuring 18 meters long.
also had no monitor or keyboard. The input commands (which today makes the keyboard) was achieved by a reader photoelectric punched paper tape. And the results (which now gives the monitor) were issued by a punch tape fed to a printer that came to nothing less than 100 lines per minute.
As for the software, using the so-called Mercury system, which had several programming languages.
Clementina was the group of so-called first-generation computers, which replaced electromechanical calculating machines.
A special building
was installed in the only building that had at that time, Cidade Universitaria. But for Clementina enter there, they had to modify the building. Given the size of the computer and the important cooling needed, from heat given off by the 5 000 valves.
The computer was used day and night. It occupied about 100 people, including had mathematicians, chemists, engineers and physicists. Clementina
worked for YPF to Argentine Railways, for ECLAC and several universities. Also planned water development in the area used to Cuyo and nuclear physics Emma Pérez Ferreira to make estimates on particulates.
had an ending that did not deserve. Was destroyed. Many of his pieces disappeared after the military intervention to the University of Buenos Aires by the government of General Juan Carlos Ongania, implemented the so-called Night of the Long Canes in 1966.
In 2002, Sadosky told Clarín "We put a cigarette Clementina because modulating emitting the machine, listened to Clementine, a popular English song. After we did that also modulate tangos. But it was the name. "
http://edant.clarin.com/suplementos/informatica/2005/08/17/f-00511.htm
