Unisys Computers: An Introductory History
by George T. Gray and Ronald Q. Smith

The companies that are encompassed within Unisys were among the pioneers in the field. They rank just behind IBM in the impact they had in the early years of the computer industry. Unisys was formed in 1986 by the merger of Burroughs and Sperry, two companies that had themselves grown through acquisitions and mergers. The first two U.S. companies to build a computer, Eckert-Mauchly Computer Corporation and Engineering Research Associates, were both acquired by Remington Rand Corporation (in 1950 and 1952) which, in turn, merged with Sperry in 1956 to become Sperry Rand Corporation. In 1956 Burroughs added to its own computer development efforts by acquiring Electrodata Corporation whose Datatron computer line became the company's principal computer product. This heritage of innovative design was carried on into the Sperry, Burroughs, and Unisys computers developed in the last three decades of the 20th century. You may order this book at http://www.lulu.com.

About the Authors:

George T. Gray is Deputy Chief Operations Officer at the Georgia Technology Authority. Earlier, in the course of his work as a systems programmer for the Georgia Department of Administrative Services, he became interestd in the history of computing. George received a BA and an MA in history from the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Michigan and an MS in urban and regional planning from the University of Wisconsin. He has always been a part-time instructor in computer programming at Georgia State University and DeKalb Technology College.

Ronald Q. Smith is a Distinguished Engineer with the Unisys Systems & Technology division in Roseville, Minnesota. Ron has worked in the computing field for over 40 years. He graduated from the University of California at Berkeley in 1964 and has been working in real time applications, operations systems, and system artchitechure ever since.