The Burroughs B5900 and E-Mode
A bridge to 21st
Century Computing
By
My name is Jack A. Allweiss, also known as “The
Father of the B5900 System”.
I did not give myself that title, my friends and co-workers at Burroughs
Corporation did, and I consider it a great honor.
This true story is about the B5900, and why it was an important
milestone for Burroughs and later Unisys, as well as the computer
industry in general.
Index by Topic
B5900 History - 2010 Preface
About Me and Burroughs
Why the B5900 was Important
Before the B5900
The Soul of the new Machines
A Brief History of Burroughs Corporate Leadership
My First Job at MV - B6900 System Management
My “First Contact” with Burroughs
Rescue Piscataway
B6900 Backup Plan goes Main Line
Genesis of the B5900 – Entry Level System
Defining E-Mode and the B5900
Beginning to Design the B5900
Design Decisions
Building the Team
End of the Fellowship of the B5900?
Debug Begins
The Common Console
More about E-mode compiler
Midland Bank – Summer of 1979
The Software Equation
Trouble in Software Land
Disaster Strikes – The Backplane problem
Backplane Problem Solved
The Christmas Party, 1980
Back to the Future
Times, they are a’changein
Evolution of Burroughs Stack Architecture
Technical Details of the Design
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