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Univac 494 marketing photographs
I came across this Univac photograph online, showing three people working in a computer room. Using a reverse Google Image Search, it appears that this image and a few others like it were posted online around 2006. From there it looks like the pictures were blogged here and there, recently posted to Pinterest, then making their way to Instagram. I can’t seem to find the original image online, but this one looks like a scan of a partially damaged photo most likely used for marketing. It’s possible that this image could be printed in a brochure other other advertisement.
The image above is a little fuzzy, but the mainframe appears to be a Univac 494. This would date the photograph to 1965 or 1966 or so. The additional photographs below offer a closer view of the mainframe console and its peripherals. There’s also more information on the Univac 494 at Ed Thelen’s website (photos linked below).
(Originally published on my old site, “The Digital Imaginary” [imaginary.digital], on August 8th, 2015 – revised and republished March 30th, 2025.)
Mainframes are so 50 years ago
I came across this tweet as an advertisement in my own Twitter feed. It’s meant to be ironic, mainframes are still around, it’s more so the way they’re perceived that’s changed.
https://twitter.com/hpdiscover/status/453556126043615232
The comments are funny too:
this is SO not true. Shame on you HP.
— Camila Caldas (@camilaclbcaldas)
Another one who will eat his words about the death of the Mainframe. Here we go again !!! Have u even watched Matrix ? LOL!! — DD (@Cojinua77)
(Originally published on my old site, "The Digital Imaginary" [imaginary.digital], on February 25th, 2015 -- revised and republished April 2nd, 2025.)