Hewlett Packard 9100A programmable calculator (computer)
Object No. 86/1459
The Hewlett Packard 9100A is a small computer with a sophisticated instruction set on the keyboard ('software' built in as hardware). Developed from prototype to pilot run of final instruments in 10 months, it was a design project described by those involved as exothermic - which implies the project was not driven as such but simply evolved and came about without great effort. It was the first programmable, self-contained desk top computer unit, and it is regarded as the forerunner to the personal computer. With the appearance of smaller commercial computer products, designers searched for a product styling as there were no prior devices to draw from. This search led many to science fiction illustrations where these futuristic devices did exist and many of the idioms from science fiction were applied to real world products. This influence went both ways -- from commercial object to fiction. Arthur C Clark is quoted as having been influenced by the HP 9100A programmable calculator in his ideas for HAL 9000 in '2001, A Space Odyssey'. The US space program was also a major influence on the design and appearance of high technology products in North America. Campbell Bickerstaff 2013
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Summary
Object Statement
Calculator, 9100A programmable calculator (computer), with power cord, program library and workbook, metal / plastic / electronic components / rubber / paper, designed by Hewlett Packard, made by Hewlett Packard, Palo Alto, California, United States of America, 1968
Physical Description
A stand alone desk top calculator (computer) housed in a cream coloured powder coated aluminium case with a grey inset for the keyboard and display unit. It has a display with three registers and a magnetic card reader above a large key board. The 63 keys are in four groups: scientific functions, memory functions, digits and basic mathematical functions and programming functions, and are ivory, beige and dark brown in colour. Above the keyboard on the right is the magnetic card reader, which takes cards the size and shape of a credit card. Above this is the display screen. There is also a power cord, program library in a ring bound folder and a workbook for the calculator.
DIMENSIONS
Height
210 mm
Width
410 mm
Depth
490 mm
Weight
18 kg
PRODUCTION
Notes
Designed and made by Hewlett Packard Company in the USA in 1968. The cabinet styling was by Roy Ozaki, Don Aupperle and the HP Industrial Design group. Development began in Palo Alto California in 1965 in the Hewlett Packard Laboratories, and transferred at prototype stage to the Loveland Division for further development and manufacture, and was released in 1968. It grew from ideas generated by a prototype of a calcuator invented by Malcolm McMillan "that could calculate all the common transcendental functions." Independently, Tom Osborne built a calculator which was very fast, and 'had a ten digit floating point operation and display'. Read-only memory was under development by Arndt Bergh and Chuck Near, and as time went on these and other ideas were incorporated in the design and development. Taken from 'How the Model 9100A Was Developed, Bernard Oliver, Hewlett Packard, 1968. Hewlett Packard marketed the 9100A as a calculator because at the time the perception was that a computer had to be big to be credible. Bill Hewlett said "If we had called it a computer, it would have been rejected by our customers' computer gurus because it didn't look like an IBM. We, therefore, decided to call it a calculator and all such nonsense disappeared." The 9100A is now recognized throughout the industry as the first desktop computer. Quote taken from the HP Virtual Museum
HISTORY
Notes
Especially imported for the Museum by HP Australia to donate to the Museum. Had been in use until then. The following information and quotation are taken from a web version of the HP Journal 1974/75 The 9100 and a HP 9125 plotter/ printer are used in the 1971 film, The Andromeda Strain and seems to have been the inspiration for HAL in 2001 A Space Odessey. He called his HP 9100 "HAL Junior" Arthur C Clark is quoted as follows: 'In the 1930s I was fascinated when I saw Babbage's computer at the Science Museum in London. It was wonderfully exciting. In the 1960s, I was doing an interview and mentioned that I had just heard about the Hewlett-Packard 9100A, a calculator that had a keyboard like a small typewriter and a three-line dispay. It was really the forerunner of what we now think of as the desktop computer. Soon after the story appeared I got a letter froom Barney Oliver, the famous vice president of engineering at HP, who said, "Arthur, there is a Father Christmas." A 9100A was on its way to me. I suppose that's what I was thinking of when I came up with the HAL 9000 computer. And for 30 years I have been trying to set the story straight about the name HAL coming from IBM with one letter added to each. That was pure coincidence. HAL stands for Heuristic Algorithmic computer. I think IBM rather liked the idea, though. They later gave me a nice ThinkPad. I wrote "3001" on it. I've since defected to Compaq. I use their LTE 5300 laptop, which is several years old but works fine. I also have a desktop that was asembled locally."
SOURCE
Credit Line
Gift of Hewlett Packard Australia, 1986
Acquisition Date
24 October 1986
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