SA’s first computers

[itareanlnotani]

HPIB was known as IEEE 488 in other realms.
Can still buy the cables new.

 

[Chris.Geerdts]

Democratically elected government can be wrong to the same extent as evil one. Two examples: You had a 'bad' Zuma/Guptas just a moment ago, but now a 'good' Ramaphosa calls openly for a stricter control over a population, as a 'bad' Zuma didn't care and in result "secret service is in a disarray". .LOL.

As for the national ID system, it is neccessary for taxing, controlling migration, supplying social grants and medical care.

This unprecedented attack on IBM and few others is selective. In the same time South African mines were supplying precious minerals to the US, it is why SA government could afford buying such giant machine from IBM. However nobody in US is hunting for punishing 'Openheimers'. At the moment 16 minerals which were neccessary for a strategic war were available only in two places in the world: Russia and SA. US government should perhaps supply minerals from Russia in the preparation to the war with Russia, right?

I agree the US government has a lot to answer for in terms of assisting with apartheid. We were certainly aware at the time that they were assisting and fortunately there was a lobby within the US to turn the tide.

IBM was not the only culprit at all. They did happen to be the largest. In 1978 their SA sales trebled, estimated at $300m dollars. I've just posted an example from ICL a few minutes ago as well.

To quote further on the focus on control over assistance : "In 1982, the East Rand Bantu Administration Board, a board located near Johannesburg, rented computers for which they paid R228,000 per year, a sum totaling over one fourth of what it spent on housing for blacks in an average year"

 

[Chris.Geerdts]

HPIB was known as IEEE 488 in other realms.
Can still buy the cables new.

AFAIR the standard was GP-IP (general purpose interface bus) but HP was so dominant in certain fields (eg medical and science) they could create the HP-IB version

It used to cost a premium but was oh-so-nice to work with