GLOSSARY

(compilation in progress)

Hardware is displayed in blue
Software is displayed in red
other products
ACOS 4
  • Advanced Comprehensive Operating System, an operating system derived from GCOS64 by NEC [1973-]
APL General Electric Advanced Product Line (1968)
Aquila
  • code name of a WSI (wafer scale integration project) [1982-1984]
  • code name for NEC ACOS S/750 based system, marketed by Bull as DPS-7-10x7
Ares
  • code name of DPS-7000,  first CMOS technology processor of the DPS-7 line
  • Ares phase 2 code name of the DPS-7000 with paging extension
  • Ares phase 3 code name of a version of DPS-7000 using minicomputers like peripherals.
architecture
  • visibility of the hardware system (including firmware) by the software (operating system and language processor)
  • structure of a system component (processor, software, communications...)
ASTO
  • Advanced Systems Technical Organization,  a team created inside General Electric's Computer Division under John Weil (1966-1970). It was located primarily in  Phoenix. (at Camelback plant).
Auriga code name of CMOS processor of the upper models of the DPS-7000
BFAS Basic File Access Method. First generation of GCOS data organizations regrouping tape sequential, disk sequential, disk indexed sequential (ISAM)   and Queued organizations.
Bull
  • Frederick Rosen Bull, a Norwegian engineer who develops punched card equipments for his Insurance company. His patents were at the origin of Compagnie des Machines Bull.
  • abbreviated name of Compagnie des Machines Bull and of its evolutions under GE, Honeywell,....
  • name of the French computer company after its privatization in 1997
Bull-General Electric name of the French subsidiary of General Electric [1964-1970]
Bull S.A. Bull Société Anonyme, name of the main entity of Groupe Bull [1982-1998]
CAE Compagnie Européenne d'Automatisme Electronique,   a French computer company created as a subsidiary of the electronic consortium CSF. CAE merged eventually into CII with SEA and the computer department of CGE.
calculator fr: calculatrice
CGE Compagnie Générale d'Electricité, a French electrical and telecommunications consortium, that changed name for Alcatel. CGE had been a shareholder of CII and CII-HB.
channel Link between the central processor and the peripherals (see PSI)
CII Compagnie Internationale pour l'Informatique, a French company created to be the industrial arm of French Plan Calcul [1964-1975]
CII-Honeywell Bull French company resulting from the merge between CII and Honeywell-Bull [1975-1982]
CKD format Physical disc format (Count, Key, Data) introduced by IBM with Series/360 2311 disks in 1964. Used in Level 64 and DPS-7 from 1974 to late 1980s
CML Current Mode Logic,  a bipolar technology, variant of ECL used in the 80s for high speed circuits in DPS-7 CPU
collator fr: interclasseuse
Compagnie des Machines Bull
(CMB)
  • a French company created in 1932 to exploit Frederick Rosen Bull's patents about punched cards equipments.[1932-1964].acquired by GE in 1964
  • name of a financial entity representing French interests in Bull-GE, Honeywell Bull, CII-HB, and Groupe Bull [1964-1998]
Computer    fr: ordinateur
CPU Central Processing Unit (fr: processeur central)
CTG
  • a Codasyl Committee Task Group responsible for specifying the use of data comunications in COBOL (1969-1974)
  • the standard produced by that committee
DAPS Direct Access Programming System, an operating system for the GE-400
Datanet
  • Special purpose processor designed for data communications (e.g. GE Datanet 30 or Datanet 355)
  • a data communications hardware adapter (GE)
  • Front-end processor based on Honeywell Level 6 hardware [1978-1993]
decor a marketing name, introduced with the Series 60, specifying the operating architecture of a system. Synonym of emulator.
DNS Distributed network System. The operating system of the DSA Datanet processor.
DOAS Distributed Office Automation System, a generic name federating the office automation projects developed by Bull and Honeywell in the 1980s. The DPS-6 was the primary OA support system of those companies.
DPS-7 name of several  systems marketed by CII-HB, Groupe Bull and Honeywell [1982-1987], running under GCOS-7
DPS-7000 name of several  systems produced by Bull running under GCOS-7[1986- ]
DPS-8 name of several produced by Honeywell, running under GCOS-8
DSA Distributed Systems Architecture : Honeywell and Bull proprietary network architecture [1978-1991]
emulator a package of hardware, firmware, software able to recreate a target machine environment on a new system. A successful emulator package should give equal or superior performances at a cheaper or equal price See "modes"..
FEB Fédération des Equipes Bull, an association of Bull alumni.[1987- current]
Firmware Microcode complementing the hardware to implement the architecture
Front End Processor (FEP) originally, a processor system handling the connection of communication lines, later a network processor (FNP) (see Datanet)
GCOS 62 operating system of Honeywell-Italia Series 60 Level 62, evolved later as GCOS-4 on DPS-4 [1964-1987]
GCOS 64 operating system of Series 60 Level 64, [1974-1980], evolved later as GCOS 7
GCOS 6 operating system on Level-6, (Mini-6), DPS-6 (evolved in HRX)
GCOS 7 operating system of DPS-7 and DPS-7000 [1980-   ]
GCOS 8 operating system of Honeywell DPS-8 [1978- ]
GECOS General Electric Comprehensive Operating System (e.g. GECOSIII, operating system of the GE-600)  [1963-1970]. GECOS lost its E into GCOS after the absorption by Honeywell.
HIS Honeywell Information Services, an EDP division (later subsidiary) of Honeywell
HISI Honeywell Information Service Italia , responsible for Level 62 and DPS-4
Honeywell-Bull name of the French subsidiary of Honeywell, acquired from General Electric [1970-1975]
Honeywell-Bull name taken by Honeywell Information System (North American Operation) after its take-over by Bull [1985-1995]
IDBS Integrated Data Base System, a quasi-relational data base organization developed for GCOS4 .
IDS Integrated Data Store, a data base organization handling complex "network" data sets.
Input reader alias SYSIN, symbiont
interior decor an incarnation of the architecture(s) of Levl64 and DPS-7. The native interior decor is the original architecture, foreign decors are the architecture used by emulators (see mode)
IOC Input-Output Controller (I/O channel multiplexer)
IOF Interactive Operator Facility, a GCOS7 feature allowing user(s) interaction with the control language of the operating system.
ISM Integrated System Management, a, administration set of programs.
ISO
  • International Standard Organization, the international standards body
  • a network architecture developed in the ISO standards committees [1981-1993]
JCL Job Control Language, a term progressively borrowed from IBM by Honeywell. Initially "control cards" on GECOS II and GCOSIII. Later GCL (generalized control language) for GCOS7 IOF.
Leo code name of CML micro packaging DPS-7x0 computer system
Lyra a 4xSMP version of Leo DPS-7 computer system
micro kernel term invented after GCOS-7, but present in the L64 architecture implementing in firmware a part of the operating system (thread dispatcher, thread synchronization, segment access control,...)
mode a name given for the different architectures (and their interpreters) operating under GCOS7 (syn: emulators)
MSD (Honeywell-Bull) Medium System Department, -fr: Département des Systèmes Moyens, responsible for Level64
MPI Magnetic Peripherals Inc. a common subsidiary between Control Data and Honeywell for discs design and manufacturing.
MSC Mass Storage Controller a PCP also named Mass Storage Processor (MSP)
MTC Magnetic tape Controller, a PCP also named MTP
Multics a time-sharing operating system developed by MIT and Honeywell (originally GE and Bell Labs) that was a model for the 1970s-1980s operating systems including GCOS 64 (GCOS-7)
NAO North American Operations, a division of Honeywell Information Systems, responsible for sales (and at some times product development) in USA and Canada.
NEC Nippon Electric Company, (jap: Nihon Denki Kobushiki Kaisha] a Japanese company associated with Honeywell, and a shareholder of Bull since 1990s.
NPL Honeywell New Product Line (1970-1973)
nucleus the inner part of the operating system (syn: kernel)
OLTD On-Line Tests & Diagnostics. Field Engineering hardware tests programs operating simultaneously with other operating system tasks
Operating System fr: système d'exploitation
OSI Open Systems Interconnection, a set of standards established by ISO
Output Writer alias SYSOUT, symbiont
Packard Bell an American personal computer company that joined a common developments with ZDS and that was eventually bought by NEC.
PCP Peripheral Control Processor
process alias "thread",  a MULTICS and GCOS64 term
PSI Peripheral Subsystem Interface, channel link between the IOC and the PCP; PSI operates as a star one-to-one byte parallel connection.
punched cards fr: cartes perforées
REE or R2E Réalisations et Etudes Electroniques, a French company that created the first  microprocessor based computer, and that was acquired by CII-HB and renamed Bull-Micral.
SCP System Control Program, a stand alone operating system of L64 and DPS-7(000) used for ancillary functions.
SCSI Small Computer System Interface, used for connection of industry standard mass storage devices [1988-]
SEA Société d'Electronique et d'Automatisme, a French computer company and a pioneer in the digital computer field.
Segment
  • fr: segment, a logical portion of the virtual memory of an operating system [GCOS64 and GCOS7] [1967-  ]; borrowed from Multics
  • (Marketing) a portion of the market identifiable and reasonably independent from the rest of it.
SEMS a French minicomputer company evolved from the part of CII left apart from Honeywell-Bull in 1975 that rejoined Groupe Bull in 1982 under the Bull-SEMS name.
Siris 3 operating system of the CII Iris-50 a medium size business computer [1967-1974]
Siris 8 operating system of the CII Iris-80 a large scale system derived from SDS Sigma-7 [1967-1976]
SPIX name of UNIX operating system, used on Bull open systems in the late 1980s. Bull avoided to use AT&T copyrighted UNIX brand name.
tabulator fr: tabulatrice
Taurus code name for DPS-7-x5, a CML micro packaging version of Level 64 [1980-1986]
T2L or TTL Transistor Transistor Logic, integrated circuits technology dominant in the 70s (e.g. TI 74N technology of the level64)
TCP/IP a networks architecture developed as part of Internet, it became a de facto standard in the 90s [198x- ]
TDS Transaction Driven System, a subsystem of GCOS
Transac
  • a subsidiary established by CGE Alcatel for building terminals and small systems
  • the same company after its acquisition by Bull-Transac
T&D abbreviation for Tests & Diagnostics
UFAS Unified File Access System, an indexed data access method evolved from IBM VSAM by Honeywell [1973-1985]
Unix an operating system designed at Bell Labs that was the major architecture independent operating system. [1973- ]
URC Unit Record Controller, also performing as an entry-level data communications processor and as service processor [1971-1990]
ZDS Zenith Data Systems, a personal computer company acquired by Bull in 1989 from the Zenith group

   

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Revision : 29 juin 2001.