¿the impetus of so called computer open systems? for sure an attempt to circumvent the "onerous pricing policy" of ibm in the mainframe market and it sounds reasonable that it was an effort to reduce the cost of computer equipment for the user - then data processing departments of large companies, but what does it have to do with stereo?

The "plug-compatible" movement eventually wound its way through the market and the courts, but before it concluded it established several of the fundamental concepts that were to drive open systems. To begin, the plug-compatible movement set in place the most enduring mental image of emerging open systems computing: The "stereo concept". Its proponents argued that a component stereo audio system was a model for the design of data processing (dp) systems, since its various components were designed to interoperate, and interoperation was guaranteed by standardized interfaces ... | carl f. cargill, evolution and revolution in open systems, standardview 1994

to annihilate the gap between the machine and you ... and me some months to find out. machine of the year 1982::2006 person of the year

england was the big player with eight different computer manufacturers: ferranti, leo computers, elliott bros, the english electric co., international computers and tabulators (formerly british tabulating machine co. and powers-samas), associated electric industries (metropolitan-vickers), standard telephones&cables, and e.m.i. electronics.

there was a machine called zebra, designed at the netherlands p.t.t. lab but manufactured by stc in england. (how many ptts can say that they have designed a computer?)

thanks to zemanek austria had its own machine: das "mailüfterl", 1958.

in yugoslavia as in roumania, the computer work was done at an institute of nuclear sciences - "the borsi kidrie instititue in vinca, near belgrade".

the most striking difference between the european and american apporaches to computer building lies in the difference in the number of people involved. many european machines were built by a group of no more than five men over the course of one to three years. | nelson m. blachman, the state of digital computer technology in europe, acm 1961.

edit: digital europe 1961 (application/pdf, 2.108 KB) reprint thanks to the permission of nelson blachman: "I'm pleased to give you permission to reprint my 1961 ACM article on the state of computer technology in Europe." (e-mail feb 2008) thanks a lot!