Computers & Business Machines
Imagine the loss, 100 years from now, if museums hadn't begun preserving the artifacts of the computer age. The last few decades offer proof positive of why museums must collect continuously—to document technological and social transformations already underway.
The museum's collections contain mainframes, minicomputers, microcomputers, and handheld devices. Computers range from the pioneering ENIAC to microcomputers like the Altair and the Apple I. A Cray2 supercomputer is part of the collections, along with one of the towers of IBM's Deep Blue, the computer that defeated reigning champion Garry Kasparov in a chess match in 1997. Computer components and peripherals, games, software, manuals, and other documents are part of the collections. Some of the instruments of business include adding machines, calculators, typewriters, dictating machines, fax machines, cash registers, and photocopiers
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Engineering Drawing, Actuator-Switch
- Description
- This is one of nine engineering drawings for the Shugart Associates SA400 disk drive received with an example of the disk drive, 1982.0385.01.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1976
- maker
- Shugart Associates
- ID Number
- 1982.0385.08
- catalog number
- 1982.0385.08
- accession number
- 1982.0385
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Engineering Drawing, Baseplate Casting
- Description
- This is one of nine engineering drawings for the Shugart Associates SA400 disk drive received with an example of the disk drive, 1982.0385.01.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1973
- maker
- Shugart Associates
- ID Number
- 1982.0385.09
- catalog number
- 1982.0385.09
- accession number
- 1982.0385
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Engineering Drawing, Head Load Actuator
- Description
- This is one of nine engineering drawings for the Shugart Associates SA400 disk drive received with an example of the disk drive, 1982.0385.01.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1973
- maker
- Shugart Associates
- ID Number
- 1982.0385.10
- catalog number
- 1982.0385.10
- accession number
- 1982.0385
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Documentation, The SA800/801 Floppy Disk Drive
- Description
- This leaflet, received with a Shugart Associates SA900 disk drive, describes a later product of the company.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1978
- maker
- Shugart Associates
- ID Number
- 1980.0612.01.1
- catalog number
- 1980.0612.01.1
- accession number
- 1980.0612
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Sheet, SA800/801 SA800R/SA801R Diskette Storage Drives
- Description
- This illustrated sheet gives specifications for the disk drives mentioned in the title.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1978
- maker
- Shugart Associates
- ID Number
- 1980.0612.01.2
- catalog number
- 1980.0612.01.2
- accession number
- 1980.0612
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Documentation - HP-55 Owner's Handbook
- Description
- This spiral-bound manual has a green and white cover. It describes the use of the HP-55 programmable handheld electronic calculator. This version is dated December 1974. Compare with a slightly later version from February of 1975 (1980.0813.03). For an example of the calculator, see 1980.0813.01.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1974
- maker
- Hewlett-Packard Company
- ID Number
- 1980.0813.02
- catalog number
- 1980.0813.02
- accession number
- 1980.0813
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Documentation, HP-55 Quick Reference Guide
- Description
- This small notebook gives quick information about running the HP-55 programmable handheld electronic calculator. For a related object see 1980.0813.01.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1975
- maker
- Hewlett-Packard Company
- ID Number
- 1980.0813.04
- catalog number
- 1980.0813.04
- accession number
- 1980.0813
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Documentation, SHARP Electronic Calculator with ELSI Compet ELSI-8 Model EL-8 Instruction Manual
- Description
- This thirty-page instruction manual was received with electronic calculator 1981.0922.05. It presents the “space-age miniaturization” of the SHARP as the result of years of pioneering research in electronic engineering. Documents in the back of the calculator indicate that the calculator was purchased October 30, 1971.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1971
- maker
- Sharp Corporation
- ID Number
- 1981.0922.05.2
- catalog number
- 1981.0922.05.02
- accession number
- 1981.0922
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
HP-65 Owner's Handbook, a Manual for the HP-65 Electronic Calculator
- Description
- This small orange spiral-bound notebook offers instructions on using the HP-65 calculator. It was received independent of a calculator. For an example of an HP-65, see 2011.0023.01. For other documentation on this calculator see 2012.3060.07 and 2012.3060.39.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1974
- maker
- Hewlett-Packard Company
- ID Number
- 1982.0222.03
- catalog number
- 1982.0222.03
- accession number
- 1982.0222
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Engineering Drawing, Cam-Actuator
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1976
- maker
- Shugart Associates
- ID Number
- 1982.0385.02
- catalog number
- 1982.0385.02
- accession number
- 1982.0385
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Engineering Drawing, Motor Arm
- Description
- This is one of nine engineering drawings for the Shugart Associates SA400 disk drive received with an example of the disk drive, 1982.0385.01.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1973
- maker
- Shugart Associates
- ID Number
- 1982.0385.05
- catalog number
- 1982.0385.05
- accession number
- 1982.0385
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Engineering Drawing, Motor-Step
- Description
- This is one of nine engineering drawings for the Shugart Associates SA400 disk drive received with an example of the disk drive, 1982.0385.01.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1976
- maker
- Shugart Associates
- ID Number
- 1982.0385.06
- catalog number
- 1982.0385.06
- accession number
- 1982.0385
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Press Release, Shugart Associates
- Description
- This mimeographed press release gives background on Shugart Associates. It includes an image of a Shugart SA800 disk drive.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1979
- maker
- Shugart Associates
- ID Number
- 1980.0612.01.3
- catalog number
- 1980.0612.01.3
- accession number
- 1980.0612
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Documentation - HP-55 Owner's Handbook
- Description
- This spiral-bound manual has a green and white cover. It describes the use of the HP-55 programmable handheld electronic calculator. This version is dated February 1975. Compare with a slightly earlier version from December of 1974 (1980.0813.02). For an example of the calculator, see 1980.0813.01.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1975
- maker
- Hewlett-Packard Company
- ID Number
- 1980.0813.03
- catalog number
- 1980.0813.03
- accession number
- 1980.0813
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Sinclair Cambridge Instructions
- Description
- This small pamphlet of instructions was published by Sinclair Radionics Limited of St. Ives, Huntingdonshire, England, for use with a Sinclair Cambridge handheld electronic calculator. For an example of the calculator, see 1981.0403.01.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1974
- maker
- Sinclair Radionics Ltd.
- ID Number
- 1981.0403.01.2
- catalog number
- 1981.0403.01.2
- accession number
- 1981.0403
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
HP-45 Owner's Handbook, Documentation for the HP-45 Electronic Calculator
- Description
- This fifty-nine-page manual describes the operation of the HP-45 handheld electronic calculator. For an example of the calculator, see 2004.3053.01. For another version of the manual, see 2004.3053.02.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1973
- maker
- Hewlett-Packard Company
- ID Number
- 1982.0222.02
- catalog number
- 1982.0222.02
- accession number
- 1982.0222
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Documentation - HP-67 Owner's Handbook and Programming Guide
- Description
- This spiral-bound 341-page document gives detailed instructions on operating the HP-67 programmable electronic calculator.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1976
- maker
- Hewlett-Packard Company
- ID Number
- 1982.0222.04
- catalog number
- 1982.0222.04
- accession number
- 1982.0222
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
HP-55 Mathematics Programs, Manual
- Description
- This spiral-bound manual contains mathematics programs to be run on the HP-55 electronic calculator. According to the cover, it is a comprehensive guidebook, with “74 common programs in such areas as complex arithmetic and functions, linear algebra, trigonometry, geometry, business, and others.” It cost $10.00. A line on the back page reads in part: Rev C 5/75.
- For an example of the HP-55, see 1980.0813.01.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1975
- maker
- Hewlett-Packard Company
- ID Number
- 1982.0222.05
- catalog number
- 1982.0222.05
- accession number
- 1982.0222
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Texas Instruments Programmable 58/59 Master Library (documentation)
- Description
- This pamphlet has the full title: TI Programmable 58/59 Master Library Using the power of your Solid State Software module. It describes the operation of twenty-five programs sold as modules for the TI 58 and 59 calculators. In addition to the first diagnostic program, programs accomplished a varied of mathematical, statistical, and financial operations, as well conversions of units of measure. Also included was a program for computing the day of the week for any date after the year 1582 (in the Gregorian calendar) and the number of days between any two calendar dates. One program, the HI-LO Game, allowed a player to guess a number between 1 and 1023, given information about whether any guess was too high, too low, or accurate. Received with TI Programmable 59 calculator 1990.0609.01.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1977
- maker
- Texas Instruments
- ID Number
- 1990.3166.02
- catalog number
- 1990.3166.02
- nonaccession number
- 1990.3166
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
-
Documentation, Word Perfect 4.1 by Satellite Software International (SSI)
- Description
- This documentation is for WordPerfect version 4.1, a word processing software package released by SSI of Orem, Utah, in 1985. Included this version were five new features—a built in thesaurus, the ability to view two documents simultaneously made possible by the split screen feature, two versions of text columns, line drawing, and the ability to sort lines or paragraphs. The documentation box includes a binder containing the installation guide and user manual. In 1985, the software sold for $495 (about $1,200 in 2019 dollars).
- The concept for WordPerfect was the work of Dr. Alan Ashton, a computer science professor at Brigham Young University, and came about in 1977. His idea was to create a program that did not require typing function codes and one that would display the text like a printed page with correct line endings and page breaks. During his summer break that year he developed design specifications. To help write the code, he enlisted the help of Dr. Bruce Bastian, a graduate of Brigham Young’s Computer Science Department.
- In the spring of 1979, they completed P-Edit, a very basic word processing program. To promote the software, they contacted Don Owens, a marketing executive. In September, the three of them incorporated the business as Satellite Software International. P-Edit was soon replaced by SSI*WP, a more robust program. When the DOS version of the software for IBM compatible computers was completed in 1982, the product name was changed to WordPerfect. (Briefly, in the mid-1980s, the company distributed the program under the name SSI Software.) In late 1986, the company name changed to WordPerfect Corporation.
- For several years thereafter, it was the best-selling word processing software in the world. However, by the early 1990s the WordPerfect Corporation was struggling to complete a Microsoft’s Windows compatible version. Not only was the WordPerfect windows version delayed, but their WordPerfect Office program had operational problems. In 1994 Novell Inc. purchased WordPerfect and in 1996 they sold it to Corel Corporation. Corel continues to distribute the product as WordPerfect Office X9.
- See related objects: 2009.3071.033-.035; .038-.044; .601; 753 (computer advertising buttons)
- References:
- InfoWorld, November 18, 1985, pg. 70 (advertisement)
- [last accessed 2019-10-22]
- https://www.corel.com/en/our-story/
- https://www.infoworld.com/article/2639497/how-did-wordperfect-go-wrong-.html
- https://www.wordplace.com/ap/ap_0intro.shtml
- https://www.wordplace.com/ap/ap_chap01.shtml
- https://www.wordplace.com/ap/ap_chap03.shtml
- https://www.wordplace.com/ap/ap_chap07.shtml
- https://www.wordplace.com/ap/ap_chap13.shtml
- https://www.wordplace.com/ap/ap_prol.shtml
- Location
- Currently not on view
- date made
- 1985
- ID Number
- 2012.3098.058
- catalog number
- 2012.3098.058
- nonaccession number
- 2012.3098
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
