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From Research Institute to Computer Company: Regnecentralen 1946-1964
April-June 1999 (vol. 21 no. 2)
pp. 31-43
ASCII Text
x 
 
Per V. Klüver, "From Research Institute to Computer Company: Regnecentralen 1946-1964," IEEE Annals of the History of Computing, vol. 21, no. 2, pp. 31-43, April-June, 1999.
 
 
BibTex
x
 
@article{ 10.1109/85.761793,
author = {Per V. Klüver},
title = {From Research Institute to Computer Company: Regnecentralen 1946-1964},
journal ={IEEE Annals of the History of Computing},
volume = {21},
number = {2},
issn = {1058-6180},
year = {1999},
pages = {31-43},
doi = {http://doi.ieeecomputersociety.org/10.1109/85.761793},
publisher = {IEEE Computer Society},
address = {Los Alamitos, CA, USA},
}
 
 
RefWorks Procite/RefMan/Endnote
x 
 
TY - MGZN
JO - IEEE Annals of the History of Computing
TI - From Research Institute to Computer Company: Regnecentralen 1946-1964
IS - 2
SN - 1058-6180
SP31
EP43
EPD - 31-43
A1 - Per V. Klüver,
PY - 1999
VL - 21
JA - IEEE Annals of the History of Computing
ER -
 

Personal contacts between Danish and Swedish scientists played a major role in transferring computer technology to Denmark. The first Danish computer, DASK, was a result of that cooperation. In order to build and run DASK, and for doing research in the computer field, Regnecentralen was founded. Caught between the commercialization of the computer market and the national government's technocratic vision of a controlled development in the use of computers, Regnecentralen managed to survive, unlike most governmental agencies, playing a role in early computer development. This article tries to explain how and why this happened.

1. R.E. Wexelblatt, ed., History of Programming Languages.New York: ACM, 1981, especially pp. 92-172.2. P.O. Pedersen, Akademiet for de tekniske Videnskaber.Copenhagen: Industriraadet, 1938.3. H. De Geer Påväg til datasamhället: Datateknikken i politikken 1946-1963. Stockholm: KTH, 1992.4. Archive of Akademiet for det tekniske Videnskaber (AtV-archive), Box 6a Gr. 1. Erhvervsarkivet (Archive for Trade and Industry). Århus, Denmark, 1937-1946.5. AtV-archive, box 19(B) and Box 6A. Op.cit. Meddelelser fra AtV. Copenhagen, 1948, pp. 196ff.6. It was completed around 1956. See E. Frederiksen, "Den første danske Differential-Analysator," Ingeniøren, nr. 17, Copenhagen, 1952, pp. 280-290 og M. Fordsmand, "Den mekaniske Differential Analysator ved laboratoriet for anvendt matematik, DtH," Ingeniøren, nr. 33, Copenhagen, 1956, pp. 652-656. Letter 3 Feb. 1947, AtV-archive, Box. 76 op cit.7. The most comprehensive account of the International Computation Centre can be found in E.M. Mahoney, Negotiating New Information Technology and National Development: The Role of the Intergovernmental Bureau of Informatics, PhD thesis, Temple University, 1987, especially pp. 54-134. It is also mentioned in H. Goldstine, The Computer From Pascal to von Neumann. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton Univ. Press, 1972, pp. 321ff. UNESCO/NS/ICC/1 and UNESCO E/1694/Add. 1 from the UNESCO archive at the State Library,Århus, Denmark. Letter to H. Bohr from R. Petersen 3 June 1949, AtV-archive, Box 19(B), op cit.8. Minutes from meeting at Regnemaskinudvalget, 20 June 1949, ATV-Archive, Box 19(B), op cit.9. Draft of the proposal to UNESCO by AtV. AtV-archive, Box 19(B), op cit., pp. 2-3. Final version UNESCO/NS/ICC/3, 16 Dec. 1949, p. 2.10. Letter from Matematikmaskinnämnden to AtV, 29 Oct. 1952, AtV-archive, Box 19(B).11. Letter dated 29 Sept. 1952, j. nr. FFR, 31/52, Archive of Forsvarets Forskningsråd, FFR.12. ATV-archive, op cit. Box 216, FFR-archive, letter 29 Sept. 1952.13. P. Naur, "Impressions of the Early Days of Programming," BIT, no. 20, pp. 414-425, 1980.14. Interviews with T. Vejlø, Aug.25 1998, and B.S. Petersen, "Bent Scharøe Petersen: Dask's førsteår," P. Sveistrup et al., ed., Niels Ivar Bech—en epoke i edb-udviklingen i Danmark.Copenhagen: Data, 1976, pp. 15-20.15. ATV-Archive, Box 216 and FFR-archive, J/nr. 17/53.16. Akademiet for de tekniske Videnskaber, Virksomheden inden for AtV. 1955-156'. Copenhagen, 1956, p. 57. B.S. Petersen, 1976, op cit.17. Regrettably, the archive of RC no longer exists. Only one copy of the minutes of the meeting of the Board of RC has been saved by A. Melbye. A copy exists at the Technical Museum in Helsingør, Denmark, and by the author. This archive will be referred to as Melbye-archive. Minutes from the meeting of the board, no. 5, 22 Aug. 1956.18. Regnecentralen, "Rapport From July Quarter 1956," AtV-archive, op cit. Box 216. O. Moller, "Kurserne i DASK-kodning," Svejstrup, 1976, op cit., pp. 29-34.19. List of participants to coding course. Nov. 1955. AtV-archive, op cit. Box 19(B).20. T. Vejlø, "En materialproduktion vokser op," Svejstrup, 1976, op cit., pp. 21-28.21. A. Melbye, "Valgudsendelser i TV," Svejstrup, 1976, op cit., pp. 105-108. A. Melbye, "Bearbejdning af valgresultater påDASK," BIT, 1961, pp. 113-129.22. A. Jensen, "Fra beregner til direktør," Svejstrup, 1976, op cit., pp. 9-14.23. Interview with T. Vejlø, op cit.24. De Geer op cit. s. 42ff, Minutes from the board of Regnecentralen, no. 12, May27 1958, p. 2, Melbye- archive.25. T. Krarup and B. Svejgaard, A Method for Matrix Multiplication, Matrix Inversion, and Problems of Adjustment by Punched Card Equipment.Copenhagen, 1956.26. Descriptions in C. Gram et al., "GIER—A Danish Computer of Medium Size," IEEE Trans Electronic Computers, 1963 pp. 629-650. T. Krarup, "GIER: Den logiske struktur," Ingeniøren, 1961, pp. 716-720. H. Isaksson and B.S. Petersen, "GIER: Systemplanlægning og kredsløb," Ingeniøren, 1961, pp. 721-728. E. Andersen, "Hvordan Gier blev født," Sveistrup, 1976, op cit., pp. 45-50. B.S. Petersen, "GIER," NordSAM 60. Copenhagen: Regnecentralen, 1960, pp. 13.1-13.7. H. Isaksson, "Kredsløbsteknikken i GIER," NordSAM 60, op cit., pp. 14.1.-14.5.27. Minutes of the board of RC, no. 12, 27 May 1958 and no. 13, 1 Oct. 1958. Melbye-archive. Interview with T. Vejlø.28. Interview with T. Vejlø.29. Letter from J.N. Gosselin, IBM Paris, 28 Feb. 1962. Minutes from the meeting of the board, no. 21, 22 Nov. 1960. Melbye-archive.30. The most comprehensive account on the development in the use of punched card machinery and computers in Denamrk can be found in L. Heide, Hulkort og EDB i Danmark 1911-1970.Århus, Denmark: Systime, 1996. On municipal data processing, see pp. 86-96 and pp. 211-219. Also see A. Laursen, ed., Historien om en central. Aalborg, Denmark: Kommunedata, 1991, pp. 13-33.31. J. Brosveet, EDB inn i kommunene! Kommunedatatanken i aktornettverksperspektiv.Trondheim, Norway, 1996.32. The following is primarily based on the following archives: Forvaltningsnævnets Sekretariat—Videnskabeligt Computerudvalg 1946-1965. Rigsarkivet (National Archive), Copenhagen, Budgetdepartementet-Tisynsrådet for Statens Hulkort- og Automatiseringsvæsen, Box 37/1 and 38, Rigsarkivet, Copenhagen.33. S.A Nielsen, "Kildebeskatning og Skattefradrag," Fagskrift for Bankvæsen, vol. 7, pp. 75-79.Copenhagen, 1948. V. Kampmann, "Skal vi have Skat ved Kilden i Danmark?" Danmarks Kommunalforvaltning, vol. 3, pp. 32-35. Copenhagen, 1947.34. On the role of FCR, see W.C. Møller, Obersten og Kommandøren: Efterretningstjeneste, sikkerhedspolitik og socialdemokrati 1945-55.Copenhagen: Gyldendal, 1995, pp. 102f, 145-160.35. Rapport vedr. gennemgangen af hulkortvirksomheden indenfor statsadministrationen. Forvaltningsnævnets sekretariat, Aug. 1957. Tilksynsrådet vedrorende Statens Hulkort- og Automatiseringsvæsen 1958-60. Box 37/1, Part 1. Rigsarkivet s. 28.36. Tilsynsrådet for statens Hulkort- og Automationsvæsen. Minutes from meeting, 19 Apr. 1958, op cit., Box 37/1, part 2.37. Letter from the Board of RC, 11 Nov. 1958, Melbye-archive.38. Tilsynsrådets arbejdsudvalg. Rapport, 28 Jan. 1959, op cit.39. This section is primarily based on the following archives: ATV-archive Box 216. The Melbye-archive. Aarhus University Archive, op cit. Box Regnecentralen. 325/60—NF 22. Forvaltningsnævnets Sekretariat, op cit, and Tilsynsrådet, op cit. A good account on the discussions on the university plan from Aarhus University's point of view can be found in S. Bundgaard, Hvordan EDB kom til Aarhus Universitet. Aarhus, Denmark: DAIMI, 1978. Minutes from meeting between RC og Aarhus University's committee on calculating machinery, 8 June 1961. Aarhus University Archive. Note on the establishment of a branch of RC at Aarhus University, 23 June 1961, op cit.40. On the Copenhagn tradition, see E. Sveinsdottir and E. Frøkjær, "Datalogy—The Copenhagen Tradition of Computer Science," BIT, no. 288, 1988, pp. 450-472.41. From the terms of reference to the committee, 28 Feb. 1961. Copy in Melbye-archive.42. This was the generally held view at this time, sometimes referred to as Grosch's law. H. Grosch, "The Digital Computer as a Research Tool," J. Optical Soc. of Am., vol. 43, no. 4, pp. 306-310, Apr. 1953, especially p. 310.43. Expert opinion given at the first meeting at the Tornehave Committee, 15 Apr. 1961. Cited from Melbye-archive.44. I will not discuss the relationship between analogue and digital approaches here. See L. Owen, "Where Are We Going, Phil Morse? Changing Agendas and the Rhetoric of Obviousness in the Transformation of Computing at MIT, 1939-1957," Annals of the History of Computing, vol. 18, no. 4, 1996, pp. 34-41. A report from the Union of Young Scientists in AtV as late as 1963 concluded that both approaches have their advantages. AtV-archive, Box 192, op cit. 45. Personal contacts may have played a role, since the designer of the TR4, Wolfgang Händler, had worked with the Swedish BESK several times between 1953 and 1956, where he probably met B.S. Petersen. See H. Petzold, Rechnende Maschinen.Düsseldorf, Germany: VDI, 1985, s. 472.46. S. Stigø, Inspiration: Haldor Topsøe: Mod og meninger. Bogan. Lynge, 1988, p. 48f. Interview with H. Topsøe, 19 June 1998.47. Letter from DC to the Ministry of Finance, 6 July 1962. University of Aarhus archive.48. Minutes from the meeting of the board, no. 23, 31 May 1961. Melbye-archive.49. Based on Aarhus University archive, op cit, Melbye-archive, and Budgetdepartementet—Erik Ib Schmidts embedsarkiv, Box 11.50. Minutes from the meeting of the board, 14 Jan. 1963. Melbye-archive.51. Interview with T. Vejlø, 25 Aug. 1998.52. Examples are M. Kyng, EDB-rapporten—studier i datateknikkens indflydelse pådet danske samfund. Copenhagen: DSF, 1974, pp. 71ff, E. Andersen, 1976, op cit., C. Gram, 1976, op cit. There is the same general interpretation on the Swedish development in J. Annerstedt, Datorer och politik, Studier i en ny tekniks politiska effekter pådet svenska samhället. Lund, Sweden: Zenit, 1970.

Citation:
Per V. Klüver, "From Research Institute to Computer Company: Regnecentralen 1946-1964," IEEE Annals of the History of Computing, vol. 21, no. 2, pp. 31-43, Apr.-June 1999, doi:10.1109/85.761793
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