The history of computing at CERN is about hardware, software, people, network, communications, accelerators, data-handling...
This section is an eclectic stockpile of material covering various aspects of the computing history at CERN. It is by no means a complete history, and new elements are added all the time as they come to light.
For photographs, see the IT Archive Galleries and the 'Photos from..." (in the column to the right of this page). The "IT Archive Galleries" is work-in-progress; more material is being added all the time as we dig deep into forgotten archives.
For more information on CERN's computing history, contact Cath Noble for help.
Overview
See the excellent presentation by David Williams from CHEP 2004 for a comprehensive and revealing look at Computing at CERN since CERN's inception in 1954.
Video/Film
In the Heart of CERN, 1967 (14mins onwards for computing-specific perspective)
Control Data 6600, 1965
Data Communications at CERN in 1974 (official)
Day to Day Communications at CERN in 1974 (unofficial)
SPS control system showing the first touch-screen, 1975
Wim Klein (CERN's "Human Computer") 1976
Data Processing at CERN, 1988
(more films from CDS and some vintage History of CERN 1952-2004)
"From the time" - selected newletters and reports
CERN Computer Newsletter, no. 1, 15 February 1966
The CERN Computer Centre, 1974 (CERN Computer Newsletter)
CERNet - a computer-to-computer communications network, 1977
CERNET and the Computer Centre, 1978
Data Handling, 1979
By the people who were there
"50 years of Computing at CERN" by David Williams, CHEP2004
"SHIFT: IBM and Cray mainframes replaced by nasty distributed Unix boxes" by Ben Segal, 2001
"The Control Data 6600" by Julian Blake, 2001
"Programming languages over the years" by Julian Blake, 2001
"Once upon a time... The Mainframe Era" by Eric Macintosh, 2001
"Nostalgia for the Computer Centre", Roger Woolnough, 2001
History of databases in HEP Jamie Shiers, 2008
The first capacitative touch screens, Bent Stumpe and Christine Sutton
Computer Operations at CERN 1962-1970, Neil Spoonley, 2013
Invention of the World Wide Web, and development of the Internet
CERN's contribution to the Internet, Francois Fluckiger, 2009
The European Researchers' Network, Francois Fluckiger in "La Recherche", Issue no. 328, February 2000
"History of Internet Protocols at CERN" by Ben Segal, 1995
CERNet - a computer-to-computer communications network, 1977
CERNET and the Computer Centre, 1978
Internet Pre-history at CERN, Ben Segal, 2014
How the Internet Came to CERN, Francois Fluckiger, 2013
Internet Hall of Fame nominations: Ben Segal and Francois Fluckiger
See also the Internet Hall of Fame for a global view of the history of the internet.