Early history: Overview

The set of papers here relate to the early discussion at AEA Harwell concerning the possibility of purchasing an Atlas for Harwell. These were the set of papers kept by Dr Howlett as relevant to the case for purchase.

• Dr Howlett Notes of Important Dates: this was a handwritten list of important dates kept with the early documents
• 3D Computer: paper believed to have been presented at the Harwell Conference in April 1957.
• Harwell specification for Atlas
• Proposal for a NIRNS/Harwell ORION: the research into nuclear science part of AERE had been moved outside the AERE security fence in a new facility, the Rutherford Laboratory, which was erecting a large particle accelerator on the Chilton side of the Harwell site. This paper indicated the need for much more computing power on the Harwell site and suggested a Ferranti Orion (about the same size as an IBM 709) should be installed.
• Preparation for a Possible ATLAS Computer at AERE: by mid-1960 the rapid build up of work suggested the need for the new Ferranti Atlas. The paper makes a strong point that a Fortran compiler would be needed due to Harwell's main work horse at the time being the IBM facilities at AWRE Aldermaston.
• Much discussion was had at AERE and with Ferranti and Manchester University concerning the Atlas Order Code
• AEA Atomic Energy Executive Meeting: AEX(60): The Atomic Energy Authority were planning to rent a new IBM system (Stretch) for Aldermaston and the decision was to purchase the 7090 already at Aldermaston and move it to Risley. The case for an Atlas could not be sustained by one organisation and the aim was to get a consortium of users who between them could make the case.
• AEA Meeting: CO(113): the AEA agreed to go along with the proposals delaying a purchase of a KDF9 for Winfrith until the position on Atlas became clear.
• Working Party on Combined Use of Expensive Research Equipment (CURE): the Turnbull Committee (CURE)'s role was to try and reduce the expenditure on large expensive equipment by getting organisations in the government sector to share expensive resources. The proposal to purchase an Atlas fell in the remit of this Committee. It agreed that a case for an Atlas had been made and that it should be sited at Chilton and run by the National Institute for Research into Nuclear Science (NIRNS). NIRNS would be making the new accelerator, NIMROD, available to university groups free of charge and Atlas would be a similar facility.
• AEA Computer Policy Meeting: the CURE decision was reported back to Harwell. The three main users upon which the case had been based was Harwell, and the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge. Being the main instigator for the machine, Harwell were keen to run it early on. The Harwell Computing Group were likely to be a major source of personnel for the new facility.
• AEA Meeting: AEX (6) 45: Harwell Management approved the project. As they did not believe the requirements listed for either Cambridge or London Universities, they expected to be the largest user of the Atlas and able to soak up any spare time.
• Report to UKAEA Computer Policy Committee: this document is two years after the other documents and is a paper by Dr Howlett to the Atomic Energy Authority's Computer Policy Committee which summarises the state of the project to purchase an Atlas and the management group set up to oversee the running of the Atlas Computer Laboratory as part of NIRNS.