Term of the Moment
Boomerang
Definition: Spectra 70
A line of IBM-compatible mainframes from RCA introduced in the mid-1960s. The Spectra 70 was the first non-IBM machine to execute programs written for IBM's 360 mainframes. The CPU architecture was very innovative, but the hardware was not terribly reliable, especially RCA's system of magnetic-card storage (see RACE). See System/360.
A Spectra 70 System
The unit on the right in front of the tape drives is the punch card reader. Like all computers in the 1960s, the Spectra 70 was very impressive; however, it did not make major inroads, and RCA sold its computer division to Sperry Rand in 1971. (Image courtesy of RCA Corporation.)