IBM: Once Upon A Punched Card (1964) Vintage computing

before the show begins adjust your sound and focus my voice should be easily heard in all parts of the room beep and Flash should synchronize if they do not recheck the threading directions on your projector most once upon a time stories are itions but this is fact the early part of the 18th century is the Once Upon a Time we refer to in our story it was then that a French engineer invented a new kind of loom for weaving pattern Fabrics the patterns for the Fabrics were stored on punched cards as the cards moved past the needles of the Loom only needles that matched up with holes in the punched cards could get through to plant their threads in the pattern of the cloth thus the tedious repetitive business of setting needles to weave patterns became a machine job instead of a manual job in effect the hole in the card said yes come through and plant a thread no hole meant simply no do not plant a thread that's the yes no language of punched cards words are patterns of a sort and so are numbers any word or number may be translated into yes or no patterns of holes or no holes this is a very simple idea but not for nearly 200 years did men put the idea to work in handling patterns of words and numbers handling information the patterns the facts and the figures of the 1890 census were punched into cards machines designed to handle cards and translate the information of the holes back into the patterns of words and numbers were employed to handle the sensus figures the cards did the job with such speed and ease that census results were available before another census was due since this dramatic demonstration of speed and saving punched cards have become an indispensable business tool information implanted Once Upon A punched card may be used over and over again to handle information economically accurately and fast to give the business men the facts they need when they need them the pattern of words and numbers used by various businesses vary of course with the business insurance men talk in Insurance terms Bankers in banking terms manufacturers in their special language and many businesses speak the language of distribution sales facts and figures are important to most businesses every business large or small keeps records of some sort record keeping is a burdensome task so burdensome and costly that it is sometimes derisively but nevertheless accurately called paper shuffling punched card accounting is simply a matter of letting machines Shuffle the papers a modern punched card system gives a businessman greater efficiency in routine accounting when machines do the adding and subtracting and multiplying and comparing and printing business facts are handled with increased speed and improved accuracy a punched card system takes Peak load in its stride it has the ability to absorb and handle more and more facts as the business grows in addition to handling routine facts the punched card way helps the business to grow by supplying meaningful facts that would be almost impossible to dig out by manual methods firm control of the business demands digging into the records again and again digging for comparative figures how are sales today compared with with yesterday's or last year's sales comparison of costs of All Sorts digging to determine Trends is business moving up or down in which direction are costs going is business better in the city or in the small towns in winter or in summer how are the salesmen doing as of right now where is the business strong and where does it need bolstering in most companies tight control of inventory is vital a punched card inventory system provides rapid and accurate posting plus the ability to evaluate inventory levels and movement management planning in all facets of all businesses is better when more meaningful facts and figures are available three machines are basic to any Dynamic punched card information application a card punch translates word and numbers into the same information in the form of holes in cards a typist with very little extra training can operate the card punch a second machine the sorter automatically arranges or groups cards according to any classification you desire the third basic member of the punched card team is the accounting machine it reads the facts and figures punched into the cards does the necessary arithmetic and translates the holes back into into patterns you can read on a printed form this is the pattern of a business as the businessman sees it it starts with a transaction a customer's order or other information that must be forwarded and acted upon in many areas of the business it's information that makes the business go the credit inventory payroll sales and general accounting departments must have information and act upon it in a manual or key driven operation this can mean duplication of clerical effort delays and posting errors when basic information is recorded in punched cards machines do these tedious repetitive tasks accurately and speedily and it is both possible and practical to get at extra information the credit department can for instance age open accounts automatically for Improv control and followup inventory records can be reviewed by Machine turnover stock levels reorder points valuation Trends all these and more may be analyzed regularly a punched card system does the complete job for salary hourly and incentive payrolls evaluation of incentive structures and distribution of the payroll dollar become a byproduct of the system regularly scheduled or special sales reports can be timely and complete the general accounting department prepares reports of such things as freight costs and taxes in brief a punched card system can sort select compute and Report any information the management needs for better control of the business in manufacturing mobile facts on punched cards can be used to determine material requirements keep track of inventories expedite orders schedule the shop workload and keep management informed of Manpower requirements in time to do something about it the format of the print out on the accounting machine may be altered to produce the information you want on the form you want a payroll check invoices inventory control documents the general ledger account Personnel records and most importantly management reports facts selected to give the businessman better control of his business most businessmen want to handle routine accounting jobs more efficiently and economically and at the same time have better control that's what they can have when they implant each significant bit of business data once upon a punched card [Music]