Bull Gamma 3
The Gamma 3 was an early electronic vacuum-tube computer. It was designed by Compagnie des Machines Bull in Paris, France and released in 1952.
Interior view of the Gamma 3, showing power supplies on the left, and electronic circuit drawers on the right. | |
| Developer | Compagnie des Machines Bull |
|---|---|
| Product family | Computer |
| Type | Programmable electronic computer (Gamma 3, 1952), then stored-program computer (Gamma 3 AET and ET, 1955) |
| Generation | 1st |
| Release date | 1952 |
| Discontinued | 1962 |
| Units sold | More than 1200 |
| CPU | Drawers of vacuum tubes and germanium diodes plugged into a backplane. 48 bits, bit-serial processor @ 281 kHz |
| Memory | 7 registers (48 bits or 12 BCD characters each) using delay line technology. Drum memory (8192 or 16,384 words, 49 to 98 kB) and intermediate memory of 64 or 128 words. |
| Power | 3kW, fed through 3x 220V inputs |
| Dimensions | 155 cm x 150 cm x 68 cm |
| Mass | 900 kg |
| Successor | Gamma 10 (low end), Gamma 30 (mid-end), Gamma 60 (high end) |
Originally designed as an electronic accelerator for electromechanical tabulating machines, similar to the IBM 604, it was gradually enhanced with new features and evolved into a first-generation stored program computer (Gamma AET, 1955, then ET, 1957). In its stored-program configurations, the Gamma 3 mostly competed with the IBM 650.
Over the course of its ten-year availability, this machine facilitated the transition from electromechanical unit records equipment to computers. The Gamma 3 was a commercial success, eventually selling more than 1200 units and prompting IBM to release the 1401 as a competitor.
The Gamma 3 was succeeded by the lower-end Gamma 10, the mid-range Gamma 30, and the large, high-end Gamma 60 mainframe.