ICL: A Business and Technical History

Abstract

Hollerith and the origins, 1880-1907 The British Tabulating Machine Company, 1907-1919 Manufacturing at home, the 1920s Heyday of the punched-card machine industry, the 1930s An interlude: the second World War, 1939-1945 Pent-up demand, 1945-1949 Electronic machines, 1950-1954 Computers and the merger, 1955-1958 The decline of the tabulator, 1959-1961 Negotiations and mergers, 1961-1963 The response to the IBM system/360, 1964-1965 Government relations and the formation of ICL, 1964-1968 ICL and the new range, 1968-1972 Government launching aid for the new range, 1973-1975 Rapid growth in a changing market, 1975-1979 Convergence, the 1980s Summing up: ICL and the evolving information business Notes Appendix 1 The IBM-TMC agreements Appendix 2 List of directors Index