LEO

About this book

This book takes you behind the scenes at the creation of the world's first business computer - the precursor to every computer in every office around the world. It places you in the midst of a dynamic group of creative people - visionaries who were the first to recognize the potential and harness the power of computing for business purposes. Written by the real-life participants in these exciting events, it "depicts the scene frankly, warts and all," as David Caminer, the pioneering team leader, writes in his preface. LEO reveals the strange and remarkable tale of how Lyons - a venerable tea-and-cake company - bred, incubated, and hatched that history-making business computer. In 1951, less than 2 years after the project was initiated, LEO went on-line as the world's first business computer. A forerunner to the IBM mainframes, LEO was the first computer to run a payroll, the first to perform inventories, and the first to track product distribution - as well as the first to calculate the blending of fine, flavorful, and cost-effective cups of tea.