As CERN looks back over 50 years of history, we recall some of the moments in the life of CERN's computer newsletter.
35 years ago: multitasking CPU
What is taken for granted today, was a novelty in the 1960s.
"The CERN Computing Service has the responsibility of providing a general facility that satisfies the varied requirements of the users throughout the laboratory. CERN is equipped with large general-purpose computers that provide a 24 hour service, seven days a week.
"The principal computer is the CDC 6600, which was delivered to CERN at the beginning of 1965. The machine comprises a very fast central processor (CPU) and 10 smaller peripheral processors (PPU).
"The peripheral equipment comprises 16 magnetic tape units, 2 large disk files, 3 line printers, a card reader, punch, plotter and console. The CPU is capable of handling more than one job at a time as the monitoring PPU can direct its attention to any one of the programs in the central memory.
"In this multiprogramming mode more than one job can be in simultaneous operation, and the total resources of the computer are shared amongst the programs contained in the memory."
• CNL 47, 25 October 1969.