[GreenKeys] Early early computer-created teletype art

[Dave Wade]

Nick,

 

You don’t say what you want “Computer” to mean so I will assume your definition is flexible….

 

I don’t think anyone had a Teleprinter on a computer much before 1950, because there were only a handful of computers before then. The earliest graphical output I know of was on the Manchester Mk1. Alan Turing brought a Creed (so a Teleprinter but not a Teletype) to Manchester in 1949 which they attached to the Manchester Mk1. In the early 1950’s Turing used this to produce contour maps on the TTY and judging from his 1952   paper http://www.dna.caltech.edu/courses/cs191/paperscs191/turing.pdf it must have been early in the life of the digital computer.  I will leave your friend to further research this.

 

Its also interesting that the Kilburn/Williams storage tube which was used as memory in a few early computers, notable the Manchester/Ferranti Mk1s and the IBM701 came out of research into image processing. Kilburn and Williams were radar engineers who wanted to compare consecutive images from a radar system and worked out how to read back electronically what was displayed on a radar screen. There is more info here:-

 

http://curation.cs.manchester.ac.uk/computer50/www.computer50.org/kgill/williams/williams.html

 

The other early memory device , the mercury delay line was also developed for the same purpose, i.e. decluttering Radar.

 

It is possible (I would say likely) that ENIAC was used to produce graphs. Its output was on punched cards which were then printed using a separate machine so it would have been possible to create a graph. The machine, was developed to replace the mechanical analogue computers of Vaneveer Bush which produced mainly graphical output. The copy Differential Analyser Hartree and Porter produced in Manchester did have counters so you could get digital output as well as graphs. You can see the Manchester machine in operation here if you enable flash:-

 

http://www.cs.man.ac.uk/~lindsec/hartree.html 

 

If you are prepared to include special purpose machines, then many of these produced graphs. So for example the Tidal Prediction machines used at Birkenhead 

 

http://www.tide-and-time.uk/exhibition

 

all had a graphical output, in addition to “digital” counters…

 

Dave Wade

G4UGM & EA7KAE

 

This might seem Northwest UK biased, but I live there.  I used to work at Bidston Observatory where the tide machines were used.

I also worked on restoring the Hartree/Porter differential analyser at the Science and Industry Museum, Manchester until they put it in storage.

I now demonstrate the replica “Manchester Baby” on Tuesdays at the above museum….  

 

 

 

 

 

 

From: greenkeys-bounces at mailman.qth.net <greenkeys-bounces at mailman.qth.net> On Behalf Of Nick England
Sent: 10 August 2019 00:04
To: Greenkeys <greenkeys at mailman.qth.net>
Subject: Re: [GreenKeys] Early early computer-created teletype art

 

To be clear, I am specifically looking for two things

1) evidence of teletype images or drawings before WW2

2) evidence of the very earliest computer-generated images or drawings printed on a teletype. Pre-1950. 

 

Thanks

Nick 

 

On Fri, Aug 9, 2019 at 4:50 PM Nick England <navy.radio at gmail.com <mailto:navy.radio at gmail.com> > wrote:

A buddy is writing a history of computer graphics and that got me wondering - I believe that creating artwork (graphs, images, cartoons, weather maps) on teletypes was well known before WW2. Does anyone have any good references?

 

Does anyone know of examples of the Colossus or Eniac printers turning out anything other than straightforward numerical text? Either officially or as the sort of thing a bunch of bright young folks might get up to after hours?

I think even a histogram would count as the first computer generated image.

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Instances of teletype printer artwork from other prehistoric computers are welcome too. Feel free to distribute this plea on any early computer history lists..

Cheers,

Nick England K4NYW
www.navy-radio.com <http://www.navy-radio.com> 

-- 

Nick England K4NYW
www.navy-radio.com <http://www.navy-radio.com> 

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