Laboratory instrument computer


computer
(LINC) A computer which was originally designed in 1962 by Wesley Clark, Charles Molnar, Severo Ornstein and others at the Lincoln Laboratory Group, to facilitate scientific research. With its digital logic and stored programs, the LINC is accepted by the IEEE Computer Society to be the World’s first interactive personal computer.
The machine was developed to fulfil a need for better laboratory tools by doctors and medical researchers. It would supplant the 1958 Average Response Computer, and was designed for individual use.
Led by William N. Papian and mainly funded by the National Institute of Health, Wesley Clark designed the logic while Charles Molnar did the engineering. The first LINC was finished in March 1962.
In January 1963, the project moved to MIT, and then to Washington University (in St. Louis) in 1964.
The LINC had a simple operating system, four “knobs” (which was used like a mouse), a Soroban keyboard (for alpha-numeric data entry), two LINCtape drives and a small CRT display. It originally had one kilobit of core memory, but this was expanded to 2 Kb later. The computer was made out of Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) hardware modules.
Over 24 LINC systems had been built before late 1964 when DEC began to sell the LINC commercially.
After the introduction of the PDP-8, Dick Clayton at DEC produced a rather frightening hybrid of the LINC and PDP-8 called a LINC-8. This really was not a very satisfactory machine, but it used the new PDP-8 style DEC cards and was cheaper and easier to produce. It still didn’t sell that well.
In the late 1960s, Clayton brought the design to its pinnacle with the PDP-12, an amazing tour de force of the LINC concept; along with about as seamless a merger as could be done with the PDP-8. This attempted to incorporate TTL logic into the machine. The end of the LINC line had been reached.
Due to the success of the LINC-8, Spear, Inc. produced a LINC clone (since the design was in the public domain). The interesting thing about the Spear micro-LINC 300 was that it used MECL II logic. MECL logic was known for its blazing speed (at the time!), but the Spear computer ran at very modest rates.
In 1995 the last of the classic LINCs was turned off for the final time after 28 years of service. This LINC had been in use in the Eaton-Peabody Laboratory of Auditory Physiology (EPL) of the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary.
On 15 August 1995, it was transferred to the MIT Computer Museum where it was put on display.
LINC/8, PDP-12 (http://faqs.org/faqs/dec-faq/pdp8/section-7.html).
Lights out for last LINC (http://rleweb.mit.edu/publications/currents/6-1linc.HTM).
[“Computers and Automation”, Nov. 1964, page 43].
(1999-05-20)

Read Also:

  • Laboratory-school

    noun 1. a school maintained by a college or university for the training of student teachers.

  • Labor-camp

    noun 1. Also called slave labor camp. a penal colony where inmates are forced to work. 2. a camp for the shelter of migratory farm workers. noun accommodations provided to migratory labor

  • Labor-day

    noun 1. (in the U.S.) a legal holiday, commonly the first Monday in September, in honor of labor. noun 1. (in the US and Canada) a public holiday in honour of labour, held on the first Monday in September 2. (in Australia) a public holiday observed on different days in different states A national holiday […]

  • Labored

    [ley-berd] /ˈleɪ bərd/ adjective 1. done or made with difficulty; heavy: labored breathing. 2. exhibiting a great deal of effort; lacking grace, fluency, or spontaneity: a labored prose style. [ley-ber] /ˈleɪ bər/ noun 1. productive activity, especially for the sake of economic gain. 2. the body of persons engaged in such activity, especially those working […]

  • Labor-force

    noun 1. . 2. (in the U.S.) the body of people who are at least 14 years old and are either employed or available for employment.


Disclaimer: Laboratory instrument computer definition / meaning should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional. All content on this website is for informational purposes only.