Debugging computers in the 1950s sounds like it wasn’t an easy task. That’s one of the interesting facts from this fascinating talk by [Guy Fedorkow] about the Whirlwind, one of the first digital computers ever built. The development of this remarkable computer started at MIT (Funded by the US Navy) in 1949 as a flight simulator but pivoted to plotting interceptions in the early 1950s. That was because the USSR had just set off their first boosted nuclear bomb, which could be mounted on a missile or bomber. So, the threat of incoming missiles and atomic bombers became real, and the need arose to intercept nuclear bombers.
As a real-time computer, Whirlwind received radar data from radar stations around the US that showed the location of the interceptor and the incoming bogey, then calculated the vector for the two to meet up and, erm, have a frank exchange of views. So, how do you debug one of the first real-time computers? Carefully, it seems.
The GUI aspect of the Whirlwind was a cathode ray tube (CRT) display and a light gun that could be used to select a spot on the screen. Point the gun at the screen, press the button, and the computer plotted the chosen spot. It could also be used more like a mouse: you could select a program to run by pointing the light gun at a menu of numbers on the screen. In its intended use, the operator would use the light gun to designate the interceptor and ..
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