In 1927, the Minneapolis Honeywell Regulator Company was formed as a merger of Alfred Butz' temperature control company (1885) and Mark Honeywell's water heater company (1906). In 1957, Honeywell, along with Ratheon, introduced one of the first computers in the U.S., the Datamatic 1000. Two years later, Honeywell's 800 and 400 models earned a solid reputation for advanced features.
In the mid-1960s, Honeywell's 200 series gave IBM serious competition. It outperformed IBM's very successful 1401 computer, which it emulated, causing IBM to accelerate its introduction of its System/360. In 1966, Honeywell acquired Computer Control Company's minicomputer line, and in 1970, it acquired the assets of GE's computer business. The computer division was renamed Honeywell Information Systems, Inc.
Through Honeywell's association with Groupe Bull in Europe and Bull's association with NEC in Japan, research and development were mutually explored and products were jointly developed. In the late 1980s, the three companies formed Honeywell Bull, and later Bull acquired the majority interest, renaming the organization Bull HN. The famous Honeywell name, having been identified with the most advanced computers, remained only as the "H" in Bull HN.
The Datamatic 1000
Introduced in 1957, the Datamatic 1000 was a monstrous, tube-driven computer that was very sophisticated for its time. One of them was still in commercial use up until the late 1960s. (Image courtesy of Honeywell Inc.)
Honeywell Minicomputer
This is a Honeywell minicomputer of the 1970s. Honeywell produced a variety of computers over the years. (Image courtesy of Honeywell Inc.)
In the mid-1960s, Honeywell's 200 series gave IBM serious competition. It outperformed IBM's very successful 1401 computer, which it emulated, causing IBM to accelerate its introduction of its System/360. In 1966, Honeywell acquired Computer Control Company's minicomputer line, and in 1970, it acquired the assets of GE's computer business. The computer division was renamed Honeywell Information Systems, Inc.
Through Honeywell's association with Groupe Bull in Europe and Bull's association with NEC in Japan, research and development were mutually explored and products were jointly developed. In the late 1980s, the three companies formed Honeywell Bull, and later Bull acquired the majority interest, renaming the organization Bull HN. The famous Honeywell name, having been identified with the most advanced computers, remained only as the "H" in Bull HN.
The Datamatic 1000
Introduced in 1957, the Datamatic 1000 was a monstrous, tube-driven computer that was very sophisticated for its time. One of them was still in commercial use up until the late 1960s. (Image courtesy of Honeywell Inc.)
Honeywell Minicomputer
This is a Honeywell minicomputer of the 1970s. Honeywell produced a variety of computers over the years. (Image courtesy of Honeywell Inc.)
 | Reproduced with permission from Computer Desktop Encyclopedia. Copyright (c) 1981-2008 The Computer Language Company Inc. All rights reserved. |
Additional Resources
- Intel productizes health monitoring
- Intel productizes health monitoringThat's what I've long thoughtI think this is a bigger deal than the release of the Apple iPhone 3G. But that's just me.WOW...finally something USEFUL.......instead of just hosing us for music, movies and games.Intel productizes health monitoringDana, just need a bit of clarification. Would this replace...
- Discussion threads 2008-07-11
- BIt: From Chapter one: Data Processing and the IBM Mainframe
- BIt: From Chapter one: Data Processing and the IBM MainframeReading this gives me the shakes......by bringing back my days at the Chubb Institute in 1991, learning BASIC, OS JCL & COBOL. MANY hours of flow charting...WITH PENCIL & PAPER...and many more hours at a terminal trying to get what I...
- Discussion threads 2008-06-06
- BIT: From Chapter one: Data Processing and the IBM Mainframe
- BIT: From Chapter one: Data Processing and the IBM MainframeThe function, then the how.A discussion beginning: State population totals were derived from individual census tract results by... would create a context. As a narrative strategy, reaching a goal is more organized, satisfying, than describing a process and giving...
- Discussion threads 2008-05-30
- Brain waves used for faster image sorting
- Computers are fast for many tasks, but humans are faster for identifying objects or people in images. But is it possible to combine the speed of a computer with the sensitivity of the human brain? According to a IEEE Spectrum Online article, 'A Brainy Approach to Image Sorting,' several teams...
- Blog posts 2008-05-04
- ProtoTest readying open source commercial alternative to IBM Rational, HP's Mercury tools
- One startup I bumped into at OSBC is quietly carving out a solid if not sexy open source niche -- in automated test tools. ProtoTest, a services provider in Centennial, Colo., plans to launch later this year its first commercial software product based on the open source...
- Blog posts 2008-03-27
- Peek into the 'third wave of wireless' with GreenPeak
- OK, this one might seem a little obscure at first, so bear with me. There are two threads involved: the role of wireless technology in energy conservation, interspersed with some intrigue around energy harvesting. The company in question is GreenPeak, which is creating what it calls ultra...
- Blog posts 2008-03-13
- IBM experimenting with DNA to build chips
- IBM experimenting with DNA to build chipsDNA computingThe NY Times ran a piece in 1995 on DNA computing using DNA pairs as stand-ins for the 0's and 1's of binary code. The NSA is into this big time.http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=990CEFD91338F932A25757C0A963958260RE: IBM experimenting with DNA to build chipsThis sounds like the basis for...
- Discussion threads 2008-02-20
- Honeywell Uses Smart Tags to Improve Interoperability, Save $1.5 Million Annually
- Honeywell Transportation Systems employs thousands of engineers who design engine-boosting systems and other automotive products. Early in the design phase, they consult parts data that resides in an SAP R/3 ERP system, and parts drawings that reside in a Linux-based Product Data Management PDM application. Engineers spent hours each week...
- Case studies 2008-02-01
- Dovico Timesheet (zip)
- A powerful timesheet software that monitors project costs, employee timesheets, and expenses. This software has been tested and proven by thousands of companies like IBM, Honeywell, Blue Cross and Motorola. Whether you're a leader in your field today or just on your way to becoming one, Dovico Timesheet can help...
- Software downloads 2008-01-11
- Microsoft to build an 'Emacs.Net' text editor
- Microsoft to build an 'Emacs.Net' text editorIts a terminal-based multifunction text editorI think it is going to be advanced text editor which is extendable.What Microsoft really lack is a decent text editor that can be run inside the four wall of the terminal console/Command Prompt. As sysadmin do more and...
- Discussion threads 2007-12-31
- User precision
- User precisionZZzzzzzz....“The red car came through the light, hit the yellow one, and bounced into the power pole”“The guy in the yellow car was definitely speeding when he hit that light pole and kind of glanced off...Once I read this far I realised that I had given this blog too...
- Discussion threads 2007-11-06
- SAP's growth spurt: $6.8 billion for Business Objects
- SAP's growth spurt: $6.8 billion for Business ObjectsSAP is great if you want to shut your business down for 6 monthsHoneywell implemented SAP a few years ago to control not only inventory but also manufacturing operations. We had so many problems that we where bascially shut down for 6 months...
- Discussion threads 2007-10-08
- NASA fights wildfires from the sky
- Last week, I wrote that NASA was checking coastal waters from space. It seems that NASA wants to appear as a very environmental-friendly organization. It is helping the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration NOAA with airplanes monitoring great lakes algae. It also is collaborating with the U.S. Forest Service...
- Blog posts 2007-09-03
- Making green on helping buildings get green
- Phase one of the Clinton Climate Initiative CCI is a program called the Energy Efficiency Building Retrofit, under a group of designated "energy service companies" have been charged (get it?) with assessing buildings in 40 cities around the world, figuring out their energy-efficiency IQ, and making improvements. ...
- Blog posts 2007-08-30
- How the 'Milan' table PC was born
- How the 'Milan' table PC was borntable PC? What will they think of next :-)Ah well, better late than never... just for the record: my first PC (Godbout S-100 bus based, with Z80B CPU) I built into a purpose-designed desk in the early 1980s, complete with twin Qume 8in floppy...
- Discussion threads 2007-05-29
- Supreme Court sides with Microsoft in patent spat
- Supreme Court sides with Microsoft in patent spatEC Looks at Breaking Up Microsofthttp://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/djf500/200704231401DOWJONESDJONLINE000574_FORTUNE5.htmThe Supreme Court is giving LOUD signals that they intend to limit patentsAnd this is VERY good news! Their will likely be more challenges to overreaching IP claims and this court appears prepared to pare them down...
- Discussion threads 2007-04-30
- Under the Radar: del.icio.us for the enterprise
- At the Under the Radar event showcasing Office 2.0 (Work 2.0), two companies demoed enterprise social bookmarking and tagging services. Cogenz bills itself as del.icio.us for the enterprise, targeting companies with 1,500 to 2,000 employees with a desperate need to collaborate, according to company co-founder Niall Cook. The on demand...
- Blog posts 2007-03-23
- Oracle sues SAP; alleges 'corporate theft on a grand scale'
- The war between Oracle and SAP is about to move beyond enterprise applications to the courtroom. Oracle said Wednesday that it has sued SAP "about corporate theft on a grand scale" seeking undisclosed damages. Oracle also argues that the theft formed the basis of SAPs "Safe Passage" program, which is...
- Blog posts 2007-03-22
- DST - Happy or headaches?
- DST - Happy or headaches?Votes %?Happy: 100%Not-Happy: 50%Total votes: 2How does that work? Some kind of 'new math'? ;)No problem, but who expected any?What a non-event.Whats the big DealMaybe I am missing something but I was able to patch my Windows Servers (actually they patched themselves. I manually patched...
- Discussion threads 2007-03-12
- Oracle eyes vertical warfare; search gains
- Oracle CEO Larry Ellison is banking on two things for the future growth in the company's applications business: Winning battles among various verticals such as retail and telecom billing and betting heavily on search. Oracle, which reported second quarter earnings earlier today, projected third quarter results in line with current...
- Blog posts 2006-12-18
Neighboring Terms
Premier Vendor Content Whitepapers, webcasts & resources from our Power Center Sponsors
- ZDNet News Videos
-
Tech news covering the latest in products, conferences and blog commentary, from ZDNet video.
- Watch the latest video >>
- Access the latest Intel and industry best practices
-
Designed specifically to address the concerns of senior IT managers at organizations with more than 100 employees, the Intel Premier IT Professional Program provides best practices via local and e-Seminars and a members-only Web site.
- View the Intel Premier IT Professional web-site tour >>
