Macquarie’s ‘new’ computer

In 1979 Macquarie purchased a new, cutting-edge computer. At the time, the Vax-11/780 was “one of the latest, largest and fastest mini-computers”.

The primary memory was one million characters. It sounds impressive, and certainly was for the 1970s, but for those who aren’t fluent in antique computer-speak, that’s just short of 1MB. If you have an iPhone 5, you’re carrying around 1000 times that computing power in your pocket.

The storage capacity of 200 million characters would mean that a few holiday snaps from 2014 would max out the memory in no time. And all with the price tag of $250,000. When the median Sydney house price for 1979 was just over $50,000 it was certainly a sizeable investment!

But cost is relative. This was, after all, front-line technology in the late 1970s and from all accounts was highly-utilised by staff and postgrad students for a range of applications including mathematical model simulations, word-processing and even early email. Our 50 year history has shown that Macquarie prides itself on being innovative and industry leaders when it comes to having the latest and greatest technology.

Fast forward to 2014, and while devices have gotten smaller, memory requirements have increased a million-fold. Yes, we can store a library in a machine the size of a single book, but with our lives dominated by technology our thirst for digital storage is almost unquenchable. Machines the size of the old Vax-11/780 now exist by the dozen on campus. You would know them as servers. And they serve (and protect) our everyday data needs. Just one tiny slot in the newer servers can hold thousands more memory than its digital ancestor.

The Vax-11/780 was the first of Macquarie’s ‘mini-computers’ that was followed by a series of smaller, faster and cheaper VAX machines. They were eventually decommissioned sometime in the late 1980s or early 1990s to be replaced by more powerful Sun Microsystems machines that have now, too, long since departed.

While we’re not entirely sure the exact fate of this original pricey technology asset, we can be confident that it steered many students and staff alike to develop a passion for computing and technology in those early days, before it moved on to silicone heaven.

Editor’s postscript:
In researching this article I contacted the Computing Head of Department, Dr Christophe Doche, who in turn reached out to a number of staff members, past and present, who were at Macquarie around the time in question. I was astounded by the level of corporate knowledge still retained from this era, both mentally and in physical resources kept from that time!

While not 100% sure of what became of this particular machine pictured in this University News article from 1979, I have gained quite an insight into the world of computing in those early days, and the evolution that followed on from that first VAX.

Only a fraction of the knowledge gleaned from them was able to be included in this article. However, in a year that is all about celebrating our stories, it is exciting that our current and former staff are still connected as it appears we have many more stories left to tell.