minicomputers
Systems
Engineering Laboratories, Inc. [SEL]
Systems 32/75 IPU - released 1977 ?
- First attempt to create a Co-Processor for the 32/75 system.
- This design was conceived by
Georger Dragner while in the Custom Systems dept as an answer to
losing every benchmark to DEC because they were 10% faster.
- Steve
Heffner did the firmware mods and one of the programmers, John Gatos, split the
benchmark we chose for introduction so that it would use the extra
compute capability.
- SEL used an Air Force benchmark to debut this new configuration.
However, the current management then went bonkers because we sold
something not approved as a product.
- VP of development, Hanan Potash, and
his staff said it couldn’t work and a drum head court-martial was
convened. Bill Hamilton was the prosecutor and under questioning
George Dragner answered every problem they came up with. It ended
with
Hamilton declaring, much to his management’s dismay, it will work
and is really clever. Within a week Hanan and all of his toadies
were gone, and the new engineerng staff were implementing the changes
to make it a new product.