Software Development at the Eckert-Mauchly Computer Company Between 1947 and 1955
Arthur L. Norberg · 2003
Histories of Eckert-Mauchly Computer Company (EMCC) center on the hardware design and development of the BINAC and UNIVAC. Important as this side of the story is, it is not the whole story. Unlike several companies entering the new area, which designed computer systems and left the software development to the customer, EMCC tried to provide more to the customer. In addition to their hardware design and development program, John Mauchly and J. Presper Eckert organized a software development program to educate the customer about the ability and use of a computer system. This software program influenced and was influenced by hardware developments. Mauchly, especially, saw the importance of software needs even before he and Eckert embarked on their industrial adventure and he worked for many years on providing the software customers would need if EMCC were to play a major role in the computer market.