There were two different 3000 series computers from Control Data Corporation, upper and lower. Control Data Corporation, or CDC, was one of the pioneering supercomputer firms. ...
The upper 3000 series were 48 bit word size, and consisted of the CDC 3600 and the CDC 3800. Even though they had higher numbers, they preceded the lower series.
The lower 3000 series used 24 bit word size, using four 6 bit characters. There was the smaller CDC 3100, the larger CDC 3300 and later the CDC 3500, which used integrated circuits instead of discrete components. Optical Microscope image of an integrated circuit showing defects in the aluminium layer deposition. ...
The assembly language for the lower 3000 series was called COMPASS. The premier operating system for the CDC 3300 and CDC 3500 was called Master. All three computers used core memory. Assembly language or simply assembly is a human-readable notation for the machine language that a specific computer architecture uses. ... Compass in a wooden box A compass (or mariners compass) is a navigational instrument for finding directions on the earth. ... In computing, an operating system (OS) is the system software responsible for the direct control and management of hardware and basic system operations. ... A 16×16 cm area core memory plane of 128×128 bits, i. ...
CDC was one of the eight major computer companies through most of the 1960s; along with CDC these were IBM, Burroughs, NCR, General Electric, Honeywell, RCA, and UNIVAC.
Of the members forming CDC, William Norris was the unanimous choice to become CEO of the new company.
New versions of the basic 1604 architecture were re-built into the CDC3000 series, which sold through the early and mid-1960s.