From Gamma 2 to Gamma E.T.: The Birth of Electronic Computing at Bull

Authors:
Bruno Leclerc
Affiliations:
La Feydelie`re, Paladru, France
Venue:
IEEE Annals of the History of Computing - Special issue on the history of computing in France—machines
Year:
1990

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Abstract

In 1949 the bull company created a team of electronics engineers. Two of them traveled to the U.S.A. in order to become acquainted with recent achievements in electronic computing. In 1951, they developed the Gamma 2 calculator, based on germanium diodes and delay lines and designed to be connected to the Bull BS tabulator for business applications. A commercial version, the Gamma 3, marketed in 1952, became a bestseller. Different models followed, including in 1956 the drum-augmented "Gamma E.T.," Bull's first stored-program computer.