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A tape cartridge from the HARVEST computer.

Top caption reads:

The computer system known as Harvest was designed by IBM specifically to meet the needs of NSA and the Atomic Energy Commission but with an eye on the commercial market.

Completed and installed in 1962, Harvest was without question the most sophisticated computer of its time. An evaluation conducted at the time by an NSA team concluded that Harvest was more powerful than the best commercially available computer by a factor of from 50 to 200, depending on the particular application.

Harvest's Streaming Processor and associated controls made possible many types of jobs never before undertaken. The TRACTOR magnetic tape storage system was the world's first completely automatic tape system and in itself advanced the state of the art in computer speed, capacity and flexibility.

The immense size of Harvest pointed clearly to the need for the development of smaller component parts if the computer was ever to reach its full potential.

Source: NSA website.

This article or image contains materials that originally came from a National Security Agency (NSA) website or publication. It is believed that this information is not classified, and hence as a work of the United States Government is in the public domain. See the privacy and security information.

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• (del) (cur) 11:26, 13 December 2004 . . Matt Crypto (Talk | contribs) . . 640×480 (362,378 bytes) (A tape cartridge from the HARVEST computer. {{PD-USGov-NSA}}.)

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• IBM 7950 Harvest

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