RE: RE: *** ADMIN: New poll topic on www.midrange.com -- MIDRANGE-L

As I recall SPS was the acronym for Symbolic Programming System.  My first
job out of college in September, 1963, was as a programmer trainee on an
IBM 1401 card system using SPS.  

Back then computer science curricula had not yet been established. 
Programming education was available from IBM, and the cost was bundled into
the price of the hardware.  This was one of the factors that led to the
Justice Department anti-monopoly suit against Big Blue in the late 60's. 
There was a utility language, which was probably a predecessor to RPG.  It
was called FARGO, 1401 Automatic Report Generating Option.

I started programming "small business computers" in 1972 with the System/3.
 I once worked on a S/3 Model 6 with 8K of "core".  Your code became very
concise, and processes were heavily modularized because the operating
system required 2.5K.  I seem to recall that IBM marketed the S/3 and RPG
as not requiring professional programming.  The intent was to teach RPG to
the customer employees.  I wonder how many of them understood the cycle?

Patrick Somers
Computer Systems For Business
Downers Grove, IL
Psomers@csi.com

-----Original Message-----
From:   INTERNET:MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com 
Sent:   Monday, April 12, 1999 1:13 PM
To:     INTERNET:MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com
Subject:        Re: RE: *** ADMIN: New poll topic on www.midrange.com

I may have 99% of the list beat as far as years ago is concerned. Started
programming  on an IBM 1620 computer using SPS in March 1963. First
midrange was November 1981, System 38 model D using COBOL.

Dave Willenborg
MIS Manager
J. C. Robinson Seed 
dwillenborg@jcrob.com


>1971.  That was 28 years ago this past January.
>
>               -----Original Message-----
>               From:   Colin Williams [mailto:Williamsc@technocrats.co.uk]
>               Sent:   Monday, April 12, 1999 9:05 AM
>               To:     'MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com'
>               Subject:        RE: *** ADMIN: New poll topic on
>www.midrange.com
>
>               What year was that, if I may be so bold!
>
>               -----Original Message-----
>               From: Lurton Keel [mailto:Lurton.Keel@serx.com]
>               Sent: Monday, April 12, 1999 2:23 PM
>               To: 'MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com'
>               Subject: RE: *** ADMIN: New poll topic on www.midrange.com
>
>
>                               I didn't see my first system listed either,
>so I picked
>               the
>               Sys/3.
>                               The first system I worked on was an IBM
1130
>with 8k of
>               memory running Fortran with Commercial Subroutines.
>               
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Subject: Re: RE: *** ADMIN: New poll topic on www.midrange.com
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