Golden Anniversary Conference

June 17th, 18th & 19th 1998

Lecture Theatre 1.1
Department of Computer Science

Program details

This conference was held to celebrate the successful operating on June 21st 1948 of the world's first stored-program computer. The so-called "Baby" proved the effectiveness of the digital random-access storage system designed at the University of Manchester by Professor F.C. Williams and Tom Kilburn, and showed that it could be used to hold a computer program as 'software' within the memory of the machine.

There was a prelude to the conference on Wednesday June 17th, the Launch Event for the Celebrations.

Day 1 of the conference proper, Thursday June 18th, reviewed the achievement of the Baby and the Mark 1, and the continuing pioneering computer developments that have followed in the intervening years at the University of Manchester.

Day 2, Friday June 19th, looked at state-of-the-art research today at Manchester and elsewhere, and looked towards the future.

(Contact Details)

Day 1: Thursday June 18th 1998

The program considered the many exciting and innovative computer developments pioneered at the University of Manchester.

9.00	-	9.40	Opening Address	Gordon Bell
9.40	-	10.10	The First stored program computer	Tom Kilburn
			Coffee Break
10.40	-	12.00	Extensions leading to the Manchester Mark 1	Geoff Tootill Laurie Allard Alec Robinson Tommy Thomas Dai Edwards
12.00	-	12.20	Making the Ferranti Mark 1	Keith Lonsdale
12.20	-	12.40	Using the Mark 1	Fred Bushby
			Lunch, Poster Session and Demonstrations
			Progression from the Mark 1 :
2.00	-	2.20	Mercury	Charlie Portman
2.20	-	2.40	MetroVic	Dick Grimsdale
2.40	-	3.00	Atlas	Frank Sumner
			Break
			Software :
3.10	-	3.30	High Level Languages Mark 1 to Atlas	Tony Brooker
3.30	-	3.50	Operating Systems Mark 1 to Atlas	David Howarth
3.50	-	4.10	Software Influences on the Design of MU5	Jeff Rohl
			Tea Break
4.40	-	5.00	MU5	Roland Ibbett
5.00	-	5.20	Dataflow, Flagship and beyond	Ian Watson
5.20	-	5.40	Continuing the Manchester Connection	Brian Procter
			Light Refreshments
6.20	-	6.50	SSEM Rebuild	Chris Burton

Day 2: Friday June 19th 1998

This day looked at the state-of-the-art research in Manchester and elsewhere. There was a variety of poster displays and demonstrations illustrating the current research in the Department of Computer Science.

09.00 to 13.00

Opening Address: The National Research Role in a Global Economy: Professor Richard Brook, Chief Executive EPSRC

Departmental Research: Professor John Gurd, The University of Manchester

Computing without Clocks: Professor Steve Furber, The University of Manchester

Creating a Global Business: Robin Saxby, ARM Limited

Break: Poster Session and Demonstrations

Cheap at any Price: Professor Roger Needham, The University of Cambridge

Computing and Communication: What's the Difference?: Professor Robin Milner, The University of Cambridge

Lunch:Poster Session and Demonstrations

14.30 to 17.40

Teaching Computing in the Future: Professor Mike Brady, The University of Oxford

Engineering Simulation - An Emerging Reality: Professor Peter Stow, Rolls Royce