Early Programming

IBM "Plug-board" report calculator and generator:

• http://www.columbia.edu/acis/history/plugboard.html
• http://www.computer-museum.org/collections/ibm-073.html
• http://www.columbia.edu/acis/history/course.html

Early GraphicalProgramming with a "plug-panel":

Excerpt: Starting in 1906, tabulators were made more flexible by addition of a wiring panel to let users control their actions to some degree, thus allowing the same machine to be sold into different markets (government, railroad, etc) and used for different purposes. But this also meant that if one machine were to be used for different jobs, it would have to be rewired between each job, often a lengthy process that kept the machine offline for extended periods. In 1928, IBM began to manufacture machines with removeable wiring panels, or "plugboards", so programs could be prewired and swapped in and out instantly to change jobs. The plugboard fits into a receptacle in the machine...

Thus, "programmers" existed as a "standard" career at least back to 1928, and perhaps earlier if you don't include removable panels.

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First Pong-like video game?

http://www.osti.gov/accomplishments/videogame.html

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CategoryHistory