This photo is from "Ferranti-Packard : pioneers in Canadian electrical manufacturing" by Norman R Ball p255. It shows the FP6000#3 at the Toronto Stock Exchange in 1964. Behind the woman in the white sweater, is the TTY KSR 33 used as the operator's console of the FP6000. Note the FP made panel of square buttons on the right side. The device behind the KSR 33 appears to be a paper tape punch probably connected to the FP6000. An Analex high-speed printer is behind the PT punch. The black cabinets with a white top are a mystery but might house CNCP equipment to connect stock broker terminals to the FP6000. The light coloured cabinets at the rear are the FP6000 and peripheral controllers. This machine had custom equipment to connect many broker terminals.
The two teletypes with operators are a mystery but might be broker terminals.
Two articles by Ferranti-Packard employees about the FP6000 are presented here.
TIME-SHARING ON THE FERRANTI-PACKARD FP6000 COMPUTER SYSTEM
by Michael J Marcotty, Fred M Longstaff, and Audrey Sharp (nee Williams)
originally published in Proceedings of the 1963 Spring Joint Computer Conference
The FP6000 was an early multi-programming system. The hardware and software needed to support multiple independent programs is described. Justification for multi-programming is also included (publication was a year before the System/360 announcement).
This paper is part of the history of computing.
AN IMPLEMENTATION OF ALGOL 60 FOR THE FP6000
by Roger D Moore
originally presented at the May 1964 meeting of the Computing and Data Processing Society of Canada (now Canadian Information Processing Society).
This paper describes the object programs of an Algol compiler. There was a banquet at the Chateau Laurier to open the conference. The Deputy Minister of Industry was the speaker. He examined the titles of the papers to be presented and declared that this paper had the least comprehensible title.
Aside from a garbled version of my then employer's name, this paper says nothing about the FP6000. It may be of interest to students of Algol 60.
Technical Memoranda
Several memoranda describing software and hardware have been recently discovered. These memos were provided by the late Michael Swetlow of Saskatchewan Power Corp. Two software memos describe the "binding/linkedit" scheme used to combine compiler output with library subroutines. The hardware memos cover the floating point unit and most of the peripheral controllers attached to later machines.
This photo shows the peripherals (other than drum connected to FP6000#4 at Saskatchewan Power Corp. Although this photo was taken in the room which held the FP6000, it is not shown. The partial machine on the left is a Burroughs/Machines De La Rue Bull 300cpm card punch, next (with rubber mat in front) is Burroughs B124 800 card/minute reader. In the centre (by the magnetic tape cart) is a Burroughs B122 200 cpm reader. There is a Teletype KSR 33 in front of the seated computer operator. Analex high speed printer is on the right. The five tape drives behind the unit record peripherals are Burroughs BC 422 units.
FP6000 at Saskatchewan Power Corp
Observations on how certain features came to be included in the FP6000 may be of interest.
Topics include:
Don Peters' influence on FP6000 features
Automatic Volume Recognition
Algol compiler design considerations
Software testing in Malton
EDP performance issues
use of Algol for EDP
FP6000 tape conventions
Magnetic tape problems
MTU design error
Observations on operating experience
problems with isolation of Regina
Tape Channel Scheduling
Gas Dispatch
Other FP6000 material on WWW
From DATAR to the FP6000
By John Vardalas
This is a history of Ferranti-Packard Electronics with particular emphasis on computing machinery.
Western Development Museum material
This two-page article was written after the Saskatchewan Power Corp machine was donated to the museum in Moose Jaw. It includes a picture of the KSR 33 console and some Burroughs tape drives.