CSIRO Computing History
Last updated: 4 July 2022.
Added Sidebar 8, and updated.
Robert C. Bell
These pages attempt to give some of the history of CSIRO’s use of computing in its research, focussing mainly on the large shared systems and services. The pages do not cover the myriad applications that were run on the systems through the era, although the book “The Last of the First” does have extensive accounts of applications run on CSIRAC.
See the page for an entry to Computer Museums.
Chapter 1. CSIR Mk 1 (CSIRAC) and Trevor Pearcey. 1945-64
Chapter 4. Csironet – later 1980s – privatisation and decline: growth of local computing:
Chapter 5. Joint Supercomputing Facility – the Cray Research era. 1990-92
Chapter 7. The HPCCC – Bureau of Meteorology
Chapter 8. CSIRO HPSC
Chapter 9. CSIRO ASC, and Pawsey Supercomputing Centre
Chapter 10. CSIRO IM&T Scientific Computing
Sidebar 1: The start of on-line data and the management of shared storage
Sidebar 2: The start of the on-line network
Sidebar 3: Recollections of CSIRO CRS/DCR/Csironet staff
Sidebar 4: Applications Software
Sidebar 5: eResearch Collaboration Projects
Sidebar 6: Robert Bell personal computing history
Sidebar 8: CDC Cybers, operating systems, utilities and manuals; Cray
Appendix 1: Timeline
Appendix 2: Organisations
Appendix 3: Staff
Appendix 4: Opportunities
Appendix 5: References
(continuing)
Appendix 6: Resources
(continuing)
