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Bull Gamma 3

Commercial Computer

The Gamma 3 was an early electronic vacuum-tube computer designed by Compagnie des Machines Bull in Paris, France, and released in 1952. Originally designed as an electronic accelerator for electromechanical tabulating machines, it evolved through later variants into a first-generation stored-program computer, and in its stored-program configurations it mostly competed with the IBM 650. It became a major commercial success, eventually selling more than 1,200 units over about a decade and prompting IBM to release the 1401 as a competitor.

Facts
Year
1952 1
Significance
A commercial success that sold more than 1200 units and prompted IBM to release a competitor. 1
Status
Status
Discontinued 1
FAQs

Could the Bull Gamma 3 store its programs in memory?

The original Gamma 3 was programmed through a connection panel. The later Gamma 3 ET with a drum memory became a true computer.

Not in its original form. The early Gamma 3 was a slave machine that served as a calculating tool for a punched card tabulator and was programmed through a small connection panel rather than from memory. The later Gamma 3 ET, with its magnetic drum memory, became a true computer that used the tabulator as a simple input and output peripheral.
Connections

In Field

Computer Architecture, Fields
Source Bull Gamma 3, Wikipedia
In the Other Atlases

Developed By

Bull

Also in Business Atlas: the developer of this subject.

Sources
1. Bull Gamma 3, Wikipedia
  • Lead, sentence 2
    It was designed by Compagnie des Machines Bull in Paris, France and released in 1952.
  • Lead, commercial success sentence
    The Gamma 3 was a commercial success, eventually selling more than 1200 units and prompting IBM to release the 1401 as a competitor.
  • Infobox: discontinued
    1962
  • Bull Gamma 3, Wikipedia Lead, stored-program competitor sentence
    In its stored-program configurations, the Gamma 3 mostly competed with the IBM 650.
  • In Field: Computer Architecture, Lead sentence
    Gamma 3 was an early electronic vacuum-tube computer.
  • In Group: First-Generation Vacuum-Tube Computers, Lead section
    was an early electronic vacuum-tube computer
View the Source
Wikidata: Bull Gamma 3
Wikidata Q113833918, resolved via en.wikipedia pageprops (wave rule R-L)View the Source
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