Computing History - matrixed computing - anyone remember?

[awemawson]

I've just been buying used parts to build a standby for my accounting PC system, and in choosing between multiple cores, clock speeds etc a dim memory was jogged of a chip manufacturer who developed a microprocessor that was intended to be matrixed so many of them could run code at the same time. In fact just like the individual cores on a modern cpu chip but at board level rather than internal to the chip.

Wanting to do a bit of reading up on this I can't remember the manufacturer or indeed enough to start unlocking information via Google searches.

. . . so please if anyone remembers what I'm on about tell me so that I can read more !



 

[awemawson]

Found it !


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ICL_Distributed_Array_Processor

[Sea.dog]

You certainly like your antique technology Andrew. Are you going to raid the Science Museum stores? 

[awemawson]

The Science Museum Stores already hold one of our family artifacts I have you know !

My Mother bought a knitting machine back in the late 1950's from a very venerable old lady living in Skipton (Yorkshire) - it was a work of engineering art - entirely steel and cast iron, and once set up it was worked by cranking a handle. All our (me and my two brothers) school jumpers scarfs etc were made on that machine.

But when we went to collect it the old lady offered another 'circular sewing machine' again crank operated that could knit tubes and by not completing the circle also 'flat knitting'. Dating from the 1860's it came with maintenance instructions and whale oil for lubrication AND a pattern for socks with individual toes 

It is that later machine that the Science Museum have in their reserve stock.

They DO however have computers on display ( or they were when last I went) that I've worked on