3 Wegematic 1000 Memories


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Ove Holmström cont.

My general impression was that few real applications were developed. Instead the Computer Center was used to learn about the new technique in order to be ready to go when more suitable computers (own) were available. An even more important factor explaining the pure real use of the computer was its unreliability. I remember securing the result by running repeatedly, until two runs gave identical results.

Once, when finishing a program for The Town of Turku, I was to demonstrate it for high representatives of the Town and the universities. The computer, however, did not work correctly at the demonstration and a new demonstration time was decided upon. At the second demonstration, with considerably reduced dignity of the representatives present, the computer still did not work. The program was however taken in use and was struggled with for some time until it was rewritten for the IBM Service Center's machine 1401.

At some point in time the employees of the Computing Center were the following: Ove Holmström, Alfons Ahlnäs, Anneli Holmström, Mirja Friberg, Terttu Åberg (office and punching), Bror Stenvik (administration), two computer maintenance students from Turun Teknillinen Opisto. The university people including Aarni Perko, Erkki Latvio (later developed a popular program for salary computations: SYSLAT), Jouko Sirkesalo (later Computer Head ...). Company people included Jakko Mört (Huhtamäki), Jorma Sjöman (Kestilä, IBM).