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IBM 1401 Data Processing System
The IBM 1401 Data Processing System allowed business to automate processes like payroll, inventory, and billing in order to increase the efficiency of these operations.
The IBM 1401 is an example of a computer system being developed in order to serve the needs of industry which, along with the government, was the driving force behind advances in computer technology prior to the development of the personal computer.
In spite of its utilitarian design, the 1401 system had an unexpected feature that lent itself to artistic expression. The 1403 printer that was included in the system produced operational noises that varied with the specific characters and fonts being printed. Frequent users found that with careful selection of characters they could produce a rhythm and variety of sounds that could be described as music. This effect is remarkably reminiscent of that which was envisioned by Ada Lovelace, though the apparatus used to produce it is not what she imagined.
IBM 1401 Data Processing System
The IBM 1401 Data Processing System allowed business to automate processes like payroll, inventory, and billing in order to increase the efficiency of these operations.
The IBM 1401 is an example of a computer system being developed in order to serve the needs of industry which, along with the government, was the driving force behind advances in computer technology prior to the development of the personal computer.
In spite of its utilitarian design, the 1401 system had an unexpected feature that lent itself to artistic expression. The 1403 printer that was included in the system produced operational noises that varied with the specific characters and fonts being printed. Frequent users found that with careful selection of characters they could produce a rhythm and variety of sounds that could be described as music. This effect is remarkably reminiscent of that which was envisioned by Ada Lovelace, though the apparatus used to produce it is not what she imagined.