Fifty Years Ago .... from the pages of Computer Weekly

20th September 1973 computing, compiled by TNMOC volunteer archivist, Brian Aldous.

A selection of stories from Computer Weekly from 20th September 1973. The full archive of Computer Weekly can be seen at TNMOC, where there are special rolling displays of front pages from 25 and 40 years ago.

Britships Package Revealed
The nature and the present extent of use of the British Ship Research Association's Britships package was revealed for the first time at the recent conference on “Computer application in the automation of shipyard operation and ship design” in Tokyo. Britships, an integrated production and design system adapted specifically for shipbuilding, is being used in its present form by Swan Hunter, Sunderland Shipbuilders, Austin Pickersgill, Vickers, Govans and Lithgows. These, and other yards using the package, account for the majority of the industry. (CW 20/9/1972 p7)

Marconi’s New Radar Displays
Greater detail of visual information is now obtainable with two new types of radar display announced by Marconi Radar Systems. The S3016 can display live information in three different colours, red, amber and green, and the S3018 incorporates a rear port through which a colour film of maps or charts can be superimposed on live radar. The 3016 incorporates a display screen with two phosphor layers, one behind the other, the front one showing red and the rear green. By varying the anode potential the speed of the electron beam can be adjusted to illuminate either layer or both to give amber. According to Marconi, a live radar scan can be divided by computer into three groups covering friendly aircraft, enemy aircraft and alphanumeric descriptive data, and then displayed on the 3016 screen in three colours. The 3018 display incorporates an optical projection system which can hold over 1,000 separate 35mm frames of film. (CW 20/9/1973 p9)

EMI Looks To Voice Data Input Market
Foreseeing a growing market for voice data input systems, EMI, the £300 million-a-year electronics giant, has signed a letter of intent with a small US firm which has specialised in this area, Threshold Technology of New Jersey. The two companies plan to set up a joint company in Britain in the near future. This company is intended “to market over much of the world electronic systems for recognising spoken words and converting them into signals for controlling machines or instructing computers”. EMI will hold 60 percent of the equity of the new company, which will be headquartered in Hayes, Middlesex. The letter of intent also requires EMI to make a cash investment of $1.2 million (£480,000) in Threshold, in return for which it will acquire just under 25 percent of the equity. The new company will begin by marketing Threshold’s voice recognition systems in the UK. These identify spoken words and convert them into digital signals. A major selling point is that they can eliminate a lot of paperwork. (CW 20/9/1973 p40)