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⟶ ACD ⟶ ICF ⟶ Multi User Minis
⟶ ACD ⟶ ICF ⟶ Multi User Minis
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Further reading ⇓

□ Overview □ Project
GEC
□ Overview □ 4000 Series □ GEC 4070 Operating System □ Installation □ Communications □ GEC 4000 family □ Nucleus □ Functional spec. □ Babbage assembler □ Instruction set manual □ Nucleus manual
Prime
□ Overview □ The company □ Primos Operating System □ Systems □ Communications □ Software □ Prime and UMIST □ Office Automation □ The Schools Project □ Prime 750 □ FOREST preprocessor □ META II TWS □ META II definition □ FINGS graphics system □ ROOTS extended FORTRAN □ Prime User Manual

ICF: Multi User Minis

GEC 4070 on the left, Prime 400 at the back. Richard Hilken, Len Ford and Dale Sutcliffe.

GEC 4070 on the left, Prime 400 at the back. Richard Hilken, Len Ford and Dale Sutcliffe.
Full image ⇗
© UKRI Science and Technology Facilities Council

The Rosenbrock Report had recommended the purchase of two multi-user minis for evaluation:

Two multi-user minis should be purchased for development purposes. The Rutherford Laboratory should be responsible for this development in conjunction with university groups. The aim of this work should be to assess accurately the future capability of such systems rather than to provide facilities in the short term.

Based on the benchmarking of various multi-user minis, two systems were purchased for evaluation:

The Prime 400 was delivered on 2 December 1976 and the GEC 4070 on 14 April 1977. Both had to pass a set of acceptance tests including the interactive benchmark. The Prime passed its acceptance test on 4 March 1977:

FR80 output of the acceptance tests. From L to R: Richard Hilken (Operations Manager for the two systems), Cliff Pavelin and David Thornley (Prime UK) with output, Dale Sutcliffe (graphics software), Rob Witty (Software Tools), Len Ford (Systems Programmer), Rex Blagg (Prime), Bob Hopgood (Manager) and Eric Thomas (graphics and other applications).

FR80 output of the acceptance tests. From L to R: Richard Hilken (Operations Manager for the two systems), Cliff Pavelin and David Thornley (Prime UK) with output, Dale Sutcliffe (graphics software), Rob Witty (Software Tools), Len Ford (Systems Programmer), Rex Blagg (Prime), Bob Hopgood (Manager) and Eric Thomas (graphics and other applications).
Full image ⇗
© UKRI Science and Technology Facilities Council

The GEC passed its acceptance test on 14 April 1977:

Paul Bryant, Alan Tupman (GEC) and Jim Nisbet (GEC) examining benchmark results; David Duce in the foreground.

Paul Bryant, Alan Tupman (GEC) and Jim Nisbet (GEC) examining benchmark results; David Duce in the foreground.
Full image ⇗
© UKRI Science and Technology Facilities Council

Paul Bryant and Dave Toll became the main support team for the GEC 4070. The period between October 1978 and October 1980 was Phase 2 of ICF with the deployment of Prime and GEC systems throughout the UK University's Engineering Departments.

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