Vince Coen wrote in a message to Bill Birrell:

 VC> Hello Bill!

 VC> 30 Oct 03 23:36, you wrote to Winston Smith:

 BB>     Since you have already conceded that ForTran preceded the IBM 360,
 BB> I do not see why this is important.

 VC> My memory reminds me that Fortran was avail on the IBM 1401, 3094
 VC> (not a 360  variant), ICL 19xx, 1501, Leo 3, NCR 90x, Dec 8 & 11
 VC> and many others and this was early 1960's.

 VC> Cobol was avail (to my direct knowledge) on ICL 190xx, 1501, Leo.
 VC> Don't think it was, for the IBM 1401 (small core sizes & 3094
 VC> (scientific although the  3094 was also used for std DP).

 VC> 1401 and 3094 I used for CEIR at Berners St, London  later renamed
 VC> SICON (or some such initials).

I wonder how many people reading this realize that back then there were
"business" computers and "scientific" computers,  with
rather different hardware.  

That's something I'd only read about,  of course,  at the age when I got
seriously interested in such stuff I wouldn't be let anywhere near those
machines!

 VC> Somewhere in my library I still have original Cobol and Fortran
 VC> manuals (both  about 40-50 A4 pages) for the ICT (->ICL) 1501, 1901
 VC> and up, as well as 19xx  PLAN assembler (somewhat thicker).

 VC> Can't bring myself to throw them although the wife wants me to
 VC> along with all  the other old manuals.

I've gotten to the point where that kind of thing is getting out of hand, 
so I got a scanner.  Now to find the time to actually weed some of this
stuff out,  scan it in,  and make sure it's backed up at least once before
I toss the paper.  Got two file cabinets in the room here,  and I'm getting
awfully tired of moving this stuff around,  over the years...

---