And for extra credit, what will be the major problem for mainframes in 2031?
  Answer #1.  How to find a mainframe if you drop it on the floor.
  Answer #2.  How to avoid fires if you drop off to sleep while using a
mainframe one bed.

What will be the major problem for Main Battle Tanks in 2031?
  Answer #1.  After including all the smart guidance in the munitions, where
will the explosives go?
  Answer #2.  After the first one is built there will not be enough left in
the military budget to top off the fuel.

And finally;

Which requires a higher air flow for air conditioning, a 1964 Univac 1050 II
mainframe or an Abrams M1A2 Main Battle Tank?  The 1964 Univac 1050 II
mainframe, at 16,000 SFC per minute, vs. the Abrams M1A2 in NBC mode at 200
SFC per minute.

Which requires a larger crew?
The Univac 1050 II mainframe:   2 supervisors
                                                  1 analyst
                                                  3 programmers
                                                  1 librarian
                                                  1 operator
                                                  1  input-output operator
                                                  9 TOTAL
M1A2 Abrams:    1 driver
                            1 commander
                            1 gunner
                            1 loader.
                            4 TOTAL

Which costs more, in today's dollars?

Quantity 1, 1964 Univac 1050 II at $1,000,000 US in 1964 dollars, or about
$4,000,000 US in 2001.
Quantity 1, M1A2 Abrams:  $4,300,000 US in 2001.

But of course, the Univac 1050 II is just a mid '60's medium sized business
mainframe limited to 32 Kbytes.

Here are the figures for a really BIG mainframe of the late '50's, the
AN/FSQ 7 An/FSQ 8 SAGE:
 Power consumption, computer:  1500 KWatts
 Power consumption, air-conditioning:  288 KWatts
 Total power consumption: 1788 KWatts..................M1A2 Abrams:  1200
KWatts peak shaft power
 Weight, computer:  113.1 Tons................................M1A2 Abrams:
69 Tons
 Crew, computer:  12 supervisors..............................Crew, M1A2
Abrams:  1 driver
                             10 analysts
1 commander
                           500 programmers
1 gunner
                             11 clerks
1 loader
                               7 operators
4 TOTAL
                              10 engineers
                            550 TOTAL
Average error free running time: 13 hours
Cost, in 1957 dollars, $8,000,000 US; in today's dollars, $30,000,000 US
Circuit elements:  50,000 vacuum tubes
                          170,000 diodes
                                  703 transistors
                         4,693,904 magnetic cores
Computer speed:  register to register add, 32 bit: 6 microseconds
M1A2 Abrams speed:  cross country, > 30 miles per hour

Most of the mainframe information, other than that on the Univac 1050 II, is
from a very interesting survey of early computers.
    Almost all of this survey is on line at
  http://www.*-*-*.com/ #TOC .
    The Abrams M1A2 info is from all over the place.

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