Erich Bloch, Who Helped Develop IBM Mainframe, Dies At 91 (google.com)

shadowknot writes: The New York Times is reporting (Warning: may be paywalled; alternate source) that Erich Bloch who helped to develop the IBM Mainframe has died at the age of 91 as a result of complications from Alzheimer's disease. From the article: "In the 1950s, he developed the first ferrite-core memory storage units to be used in computers commercially and worked on the IBM 7030, known as Stretch, the first transistorized supercomputer. 'Asked what job each of us had, my answer was very simple and very direct,' Mr. Bloch said in 2002. 'Getting that sucker working.' Mr. Bloch's role was to oversee the development of Solid Logic Technology -- half-inch ceramic modules for the microelectronic circuitry that provided the System/360 with superior power, speed and memory, all of which would become fundamental to computing."

Comments

Farewell and Thanks for My First Job!

[Anonymous Coward]

Farewell Erich Bloch, thanks for all your wonderful work but especially thanks for making my first job possible! (operations on IBM 3082 mainframes)

Re: Farewell and Thanks for My First Job!

[hey!]

It's remarkable how young so many of these pioneers were, which is why a few of them are still alive today.

I started mucking around with computers in high school in the 70s and when I got my first job in the 80s some of these guys were still working. I once sat next to a guy at a banquet who was probably only ten years older then than I am now. He regaled me with tales of his lab getting the IBM 701 in the mid 50s, which was exciting because it was, in his words, "a stored program jobbie." We could talk each other's language because the obsolete hardware I learned on wasn't much more advanced than the stuff he worked on as a young man. I look at the front panel of the 701 or the Stretch, and it makes perfect sense to me.

When these guys started dying off in the 90s, I remember a kind of stunned disbelief. Computer guys just didn't die. That was something that happened to old people.

god bless

[Anonymous Coward]

and you will be missed

My, how times have changed

[shanen]

In those days, among the company's other great attributes, the company didn't get involved in politics.

In today's IBM, the CEO just sent Lord Trump a feel-good letter about how to make profits together. At least one employee resigned over it.

The URLs are easily searchable, but I submitted it as a story, so maybe it will come up later? I gotta run now.

Re:My, how times have changed

[Anonymous Coward]

In those days, among the company's other great attributes, the company didn't get involved in politics.

In today's IBM, the CEO just sent Lord Trump a feel-good letter about how to make profits together. At least one employee resigned over it.

The URLs are easily searchable, but I submitted it as a story, so maybe it will come up later? I gotta run now.

- IBM's CEO (actually any CEO but in this case IBM's) sending a formal public letter to the president-elect is a good Slashdot story for discussion.
- One employee quitting in a company of 400k+ employees is a tabloid news story being picked up mainstream media. That is not worthy of discussion on Slashdot.
- Don't kid yourself into thinking politics didn't come up back then.

Hope your submission does go through.

Re:My, how times have changed

[Higaran]

That's right because IBM never sold anything to NAZI Germany before WWII.

He didn't get Alzheimer

[Rosco P. Coltrane]

He suffered a refresh circuitry failure.