IBM 1401 (source code)

= IBM 1401
{c}

The <IBM 1401> is a transistorized data-processing <computer> introduced in 1959, used for business workloads involving punched cards, printing and magnetic tape. Its stored <computer programs>[programs] transformed records and coordinated <input-output>[input/output] devices, making it a historically important example of computing organized around data processing.<The IBM 1401 by IBM>[manufacturer history, introduction and technology]{ref}

It also provides a concrete scientific-computing benchmark. Bresenham reported a 333-core-location IBM 1401 program controlling an <IBM 1627> <Plotter>, with approximately1.5 milliseconds of computation between successive plotted increments.<Algorithm for computer control of a digital plotter by Jack Bresenham>[printed p.29]{ref} The report connects an algorithm's arithmetic choices to actual program storage and timing. These are measurements for that implementation and task, rather than universal instruction timings for every 1401 program.