The interface

What Hacker News says

1. jonjackyAug 2020
   There is a whole book online about IBM's design in that era: The Interface: IBM and the Transformation of Corporate Design, 1945 -- 1976 by John Harwood

   https://muse.jhu.edu/book/24792

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2. jonjackyAug 2020
   You can't understand the logos out of context. Rand's IBM logo (and probably many of his others), was designed along with everything from the architecture of the buildings, through the computer cabinets, to the letterhead stationery. It all had a consistent look that was instantly recognizable as IBM. That was the logo's purpose, not to be splashy and memorable by itself.

   There is a whole book about this: The Interface: IBM and the Transformation of Corporate Design, 1945 -- 1976 by John Harwood. It's online:

   https://muse.jhu.edu/book/24792

   On the importance of IBM's design, Paul Rand wrote, "IBM's products are too complex to be understood by the average buyer. [They] must rely on IBM's reputable name." (quoted in Ch 1, p. 27 in Harwood).

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3. jonjackyJul 2020
   On IBM's architecture around the world, see chapter 3 in The Interface: IBM and the Transformation of Corporate Design, 1945 -- 1976 by John Harwood. The book is about how architects and designers Eliot Noyes, Edgar Kaufmann Jr., Paul Rand, Charles and Ray Eames, Eero Saarinen and many others gave IBM products a consistent look that expressed the corporate philosophy, from buildings and exhibits through computers and typewriters to publications and letterhead. The book is online at:

   https://muse.jhu.edu/book/24792

   The IBM building in downtown Seattle was built in 1963. Designed by Minoru Yamasaki, who also designed the Pacific Science Center for the Seattle World's Fair in 1962 and the original World Trade Center towers in New York City. During the 1960s, IBM had a working System/360 machine room behind the glass windows facing the plaza, where the computer and its operators could be seen by shoppers and passers by.

   https://unicoprop.com/properties/ibm-building/

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4. ryanSrichOct 2016
   Here's a list of all design books that I give to new hires:

   Branded Interactions: Creating the Digital Experience - (https://www.amazon.com/Branded-Interactions-Creating-Digital...)

   The Visual Display of Quantitative Information - https://www.amazon.com/Visual-Display-Quantitative-Informati...

   Universal Principles of Design - https://www.amazon.com/Universal-Principles-Design-Revised-U...

   The Interface: IBM and the Transformation of Corporate Design, 1945-1976 - https://www.amazon.com/Interface-Transformation-Corporate-19...

   Multiple Signatures: On Designers, Authors, Readers and Users - https://www.amazon.com/Multiple-Signatures-Designers-Authors...

   Change by Design: How Design Thinking Transforms Organizations and Inspires Innovation - https://www.amazon.com/Change-Design-Transforms-Organization...

   Thoughts on Design - https://www.amazon.com/Thoughts-Design-Paul-Rand/dp/08118754...

   Notes on the Synthesis of Form - https://www.amazon.com/Notes-Synthesis-Form-Harvard-Paperbac...

   ..and a list of ones I'm considering adding:

   Unflattening - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0674744438/ref=oh_aui_deta...

   Creative Confidence: Unleashing the Creative Potential Within Us All - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/038534936X/ref=oh_aui_deta...

   The Design Method - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0321928849/ref=oh_aui_deta...

   Product Design for the Web: Principles of Designing and Releasing Web Products- https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0321929039/ref=oh_aui_deta...

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5. guru_meditationMar 2015
   The footnotes in this article are fantastic.

   I used the inflation calculator [1] to convert 1960s prices to today's dollars:

   - Rental price: ~$20,000 / month

   - Purchase price: ~$1,000,000 (yes, a million dollars).

   So what you're looking at is what used to be a million dollar computer. You could buy a car for every month you pay to use this machine, so you better had really useful programming ideas or it's back to pen & paper :)

   As the author points out, this was considered the model T of computers because of how affordable it was compared to what sold before.

   The attention to detail is tremendous.

   I never paid much attention to the design of old IBM mainframes, but now I can see how profoundly it influenced our perception of computing. I love the author's phrase "inherent drama of computing." and how it became a trope. The IBM industrial design book [2] he recommends is now going on my to-read list..

   [1] http://www.usinflationcalculator.com/

   [2] The Interface: IBM and the Transformation of Corporate Design http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0816670390/ref=as_li_tl?ie=...

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6. walterbellJun 2014
   A few books on computer / computing / internet history:

   1953, Faster Than Thought, B.V. Bowden (British 1940s & 50s) https://archive.org/details/FasterThanThought

   1984, The Home Computer Wars (Commodore, Atari, Apple) https://archive.org/details/The_Home_Computer_Wars http://www.amazon.com/The-Home-Computer-Wars-Commodore/dp/09...

   1985, History of Computing Technology, Michael Williams (Abacus to IBM360) http://www.amazon.com/History-Computing-Technology-2nd-Editi...

   1985, The Great Telecom Meltdown, Fred Goldstein (USA deregulation) http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/TELECOM_Digest_On...

   2001, The Universal History of Computing, Georges Ifrah (Egypt to 1970s) http://www.amazon.com/The-Universal-History-Computing-Comput...

   2002, Electronic Brains (UK, US & Ukraine soon after WWII) http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/science/electronicbrains.shtml http://www.amazon.com/Electronic-Brains-Stories-Dawn-Compute...

   2008, Geeks Bearing Gifts, Ted Nelson (rants & factoids) http://www.amazon.com/Geeks-Bearing-Gifts-Ted-Nelson/dp/0578...

   2010, Commodore, A Company on the Edge, Brian Bagnall (war stories from 6502 through C64, no Amiga) http://retroasylum.com/commodore-a-company-on-the-edge-revie... http://www.amazon.com/Commodore-Company-Edge-Brian-Bagnall/d...

   2011, The Interface: IBM and the Transformation of Corporate Design, 1945–1976, John Harwood http://www.west86th.bgc.bard.edu/book-reviews/interface-ibm....

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