Some of the comments received while developing and publishing the ICT/ICL1900 website

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Peter Hall           (7/3/2004)

Dear Virgilio, Thanks for all the papers and your latest email. And

congratulations on producing a very worthwhile document. Must have been hard

work!. Perhaps even more info. will come out of the woodwork to fill in the

few gaps -- particularly on the customer side. One of the major things that

came over to me was the success we had with our very modest resources in

holding off IBM for so long. Tremendous tribute to all concerned

particularly of course the developers -- hard and soft but also I think to

the planners who set the right directions. And we must not forget the hard

pressed sales force!! It was a brave and very perceptive Arthur Humphreys

who pushed through the decision to adopt the FP6000. My only role was to

press him hard to do this as the only way of getting the "rescue us" deal

through for the Ferranti Computer Dept.!! ……………………..

………………………..

Peter

Peter Hall           (26/4/2004)

Dear Virgilio, Just a short note to congratulate you on the 1900 work. It

seems odd that so much of what we were all so totally involved in has

slipped from  our memories. It has been a masterly bit of detective work on

your part to have got it all sorted out. I have nothing to add to the

substantive history -- but I will have another search through my papers to

see if there is anything interesting. I am sure anything I find will only be

corrobative evidence anyway. Well done

Peter

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Simon Lavington  (19/2/2004)

Hello, Virgilio.

 Your 1900 Web site is a most informative thing that will, I'm sure, be useful to countless computer historians as well as doing some flag- waving for the little old UK.  Thanks for putting in a link to the OCH Pilot Study Home Page ………………………………………..

Regards, Simon

Simon Lavington  (8/9/2004)

Thanks, Virgilio, for your continued excellent efforts.  The whole CCS community is indebted to you!

 Best wishes,

Simon.

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Michael Forrest (29/3/2004)

Virgilio,

As others have commented; an astonishing work of love. I congratulate you.

Re the customer list I have added a few points on the extract of my

suggestions you sent me. Attached herewith.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Mike

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John Buckle (19/4/2004)

Great stuff, Virgilio - regardless of what happens to Our Computer Heritage,

I think you have a basis for a book there.  Shall I give you my publisher's

co-ordinates?

John        

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Chris Burton (13/10/2004)

………………………

By the way, you received compliments in the CCS committee meeting

yesterday for the quality and depth of the 1900 work in Simon's pilot

study. It was regarded as outstanding.

Bye,

--

Christopher P Burton - A member of the Computer Conservation Society in the UK

Chris Burton (17/4/2004)

“Customer list”

I have thoroughly enjoyed looking at this excellent material. Well done

Virgilio and all the info providers. The comments are delightful.

Error in Serphukov - "Harlow" surely should be "Harwell"

Tesco - Keith should make it clear that the claim relates to 1900s. Leo

did something similar a bit earlier!

 [.......]

Bye,

--

Christopher P Burton - A member of the Computer Conservation Society in the UK

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Jeff Outram (17/4/2004)

“Customer list”

Hi

This is fascinating stuff! I thoroughly enjoyed reading through it - brought back lots of  memories. A job very well done!

 One small error - Bolden James should be BoldOn James, and they never had a 1900, or any other mainframe. The company didn't exist before 1985. (I am now a director of Boldon James!)

 I'll read some more and let you have any other comments.

Regards to all,

 Jeff Outram

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Frank A Worsfold (27/11/2004)

Salutations Virgilio

Congratulations  and thanks for your excellent  publication.

I can cannot even guess at the time and energy expended.

Regards

Frank

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David Talbot (14/2/2005)

Dear Virgilio,

Good to hear that you are “properly” retired but I am really taken with your hobby; the 1900 web site is excellent and I enjoyed very much my trip back in time, especially as an old PLAN programmer.

I am so pleased to see that important memories are being recorded since I continue to regard ICL, for all its shortcomings, as a remarkable outfit and one that made quite seminal contributions to what used to be called “the computer industry”.

………..

Very best wishes to you and the same to any of the old colleagues with whom you clearly keep in touch,

David

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