Yes, the G-15 was definitely a digital computer, but I'm not aware that it had 
any "add-on analog element," at least not any that was a standard Bendix 
product. There was a differential analyzer, the DA-1, that attached to the G-15 
and used some of its drum memory lines for storage, but it was a digital 
differential analyzer, not an analog one.

There was a connector on the back of the G-15 cabinet to which a user could 
attach data collection equipment, but this, too, was digital -- the external 
signals were made available in a one-word "Input Register" the G-15 could 
enable, disable, and read, but any A-to-D had to be done by the external 
interface to the system.

As to the G-15 being a personal computer, I think it was pretty much in the 
same league as the LGP-30 in that respect. They had similar electrical and 
floor-space requirements, and their costs were not all the different, either. 
It was definitely a single-user system, and my impression is that the G-15 was 
typically operated by the people programming it. Its design was not conducive 
to closed-shop operations.

There was at least one person who used a G-15 as their personal computer -- 
Harry Huskey, the designer. Apparently the deal he made with Bendix to do the 
design included him receiving a G-15 for his personal use.

Reply via email to