Why the Real Thing Is Essential for Telling Our Stories - History of Computing: Learning from the Past - page 14

knowledge embedded in the hieroglyphs than was expected when the analysis was
initiated. In the same way, preserving the real thing may enable future generations
with insights that are beyond our current state of knowledge.
We need real objects in combination with historical and contemporary knowledge
to develop our understanding of the past. Our understanding of the past prepares us
better to deal with the present and the future.
2 CSIRAC
Examples will be given from the work done with CSIRAC and its archive that illus-
trate the value of preserving the real thing compared to replicas and facsimiles. Repli-
cas and facsimiles generally reproduce only a few aspects of an item and even those
are not necessarily reproduced accurately or completely.
The work referred to was carried out by the CSIRAC History Team 1 , which in-
cludes former operators and users of CSIRAC. The examples involve the extensive
paper tape archive of mainly 12-hole and 5-hole punched paper tapes. This includes
the CSIRAC Library tapes, which held a group of tried, tested and documented pro-
grams. There are program listings for each tape in the CSIRAC paper tape Library but
other tapes were not so well blessed as regards testing and documentation.
The first example of the value of the real thing deals with the translation into elec-
tronic form of the programs punched into the original paper tapes, whether they were
part of the Library or not. The equipment to do this archival work was specially de-
signed to read the original programs (punched into the paper tape); the equipment to
read paper tape was calibrated using an original manual paper tape punch, part of the
CSIRAC museum collection. The existence of the original tapes and/or listing en-
sured accuracy of the content of the tapes. One of the incentives for this work was the
desire to recreate the music of CSIRAC. CSIRAC was the first electronic computer to
be programmed to generate music, in 1951.
The second example involves an accidental discovery. A further tape that was
acquired fortuitously from the private collection of one of the CSIRAC pioneers, 2
provided the basis for the rewriting of an existing incomplete (and in part erroneous)
program. The result was a correct and executable program. This would not have been
possible without that tape. This shows that a combination of original artifacts, exper-
tise and historical records can provide new insights.
The important thing is that these examples show that information can be resur-
rected rather than indicating the value of the information. The value of an original
item may not be apparent initially; indeed one can never be sure what insights it may
later provide.
The presentation will also include a history of CSIRAC from its development
phase in Sydney through its operational phase in Melbourne to its current role as an
1 The CSIRAC History Team is part of The University of Melbourne and works closely with
Museum Victoria.
2 The pioneer referred to was Dr. Frank Hirst, who headed the Computational Laboratory at the
University of Melbourne. CSIRAC was transferred to The University of Melbourne in 1955
under the care of Dr Hirst. Its arrival enabled the University to establish one of the earliest
Computer Science departments in the world.