1 Audiocassette of interview with Martin Graham, Berkeley, California, February 19, 1994. All further references will be given as "Graham, 2/19/94".
2 Graham, 2/19/94.
3 Joel Cyprus, conversation, April 21, 1994.
4 Mark Williamson, conversation, April 19, 1994.
5 Graham, 2/19/94.
6 Feustel, E.A. "The Rice Research Computer--A Tagged Architecture". Preprint of a paper presented at the 1972 Spring Joint Computer Conference. January 5, 1972. Published version: ACM Digital Library
7 Audiocassette of interview with Dwayne Chesnut, Berkeley, California, February 19, 1994. All further references will be given as "Chesnut".
8 Graham, 2/19/94.
9 Audiocassete of interview with Sigsby Rusk, Houston, Texas, March 30, 1994. All further references will be given as "Rusk".
10 Levy, Henry M. Capability-Based Computer Systems. Bedford, Mass.: Digital Press, 1984. Page 27. All further references will be given as "Levy" with a page number. https://homes.cs.washington.edu/~levy/capabook/
11 Rice Computer Project. A Manual For The Rice Institute Computer. Houston: Rice Institute: September, 1958. Page 5. All further references will be given as "Rice, 1958" with a page number. Online
12 The 1958 manual specifies a 58-bit memory, with only one error-correction bit acting as a simple parity bit; apparently, during construction it was realized that there was no easy way to build a memory cabinet to hold 58 tubes that would be any smaller, and still maintain a convenient shape, than one to hold 64 tubes.
13 Rusk.
14 Rice, 1958, p. 5.
15 Audiocassette of interview with Martin Graham, Berkeley, California, February 20, 1994. All further references will be given as "Graham, 2/20/94".
16 Dwayne Chesnut points out that this gives the R1, a megacycle machine with 8K of 63-bit words, very nearly the same power as an expanded Apple ][+, a 1 MHz machine with 64K of 8-bit words.
17 Rice, 1958, p. 5.
18 Chesnut.
19 Rice, 1958, p. 63.
20 Rice, 1958, p. 82. "Print right (do not advance paper)" followed by "Print left" would also work.
21 Rice Computer Project. The Assembly Language for the Rice University Computer. Houston: Rice University, April, 1964. "Placer and Assembly Operations", p. 1. All further references will be given as "Assembly" with a section name and page number. Online (PDF page 87); see also PLACER and Assembly Language.
22 Rusk.
23 Rice Computer Project. Basic Machine Operation. Houston: Rice University: January, 1962, Fig. 1 before p. I-I. Online
24 Graham, 2/20/94.
25 Rusk.
26 Rusk.
27 Rice, 1958, p. 66-68.
28 The top bit was a sign bit in ones' complement notation. Rice, 1958, p. 73.
29 Graham, 2/19/94.
30 This section follows Rice, 1958, p. 16-45.
31 The interested reader is referred to either the 1958 or the 1962 Operations manual, both of which are available in the Fondren Library, Rice University, for the complete instruction set description. The call number of the 1958 manual is TK 7889 .R555 W48. The call number of the 1962 manual is TK 7889 .R555 W5.
32 Graham, 2/19/94.
33 Iliffe, e-mail to the author, March 14, 1994. All further references to this letter will be given as "Iliffe 3/14/94".
34 Rice University, The SPIREL System for the Rice University Computer. Houston, Texas: Rice University, April, 1964. "SPIREL System Concepts", p.4. All further references will be given as SPIREL with a section title and page number. Online
35 SPIREL, "Storage Control", 3
36 Iliffe, e-mail to the author, April 5, 1994. All further references to this letter will be given as "Iliffe, 4/5/94"
37 Iliffe, 4/5/94.
38 Levy, 33.
39 A complete description of SPIREL is to be found in The SPIREL System for the Rice University Computer, a copy of which will be made available to Fondren Library.
40 Chesnut.
41 Assembly, "Symbolic Coding", p. 1.
42 A complete description of AP1 and AP2 is available in The Assembly Language for the Rice University Computer, a copy of which will be made available to Fondren Library.
43 Rice University. Notes on the Genie Compiler. Houston: Rice University, January 1964. "Functions", p. 2. All further references will be given as "Genie" with a section name and a page number. Online
44 Genie, "Arithmetic Commands", p. 3.
45 Genie, "Arithmetic Commands", p. 4.
46 Genie, "Transfer Control Commands", p. 1.
47 Genie, "Loop Control Commands", p. 1.
48 Genie, "Functions", p. 1.
49 A complete description of the Genie language is found in: Rice University. Notes on the Genie Compiler. Houston: Rice University, January 1964. This document is available in the Woodson Research Center at Rice, under call number QA 76.8 .R555 W49. Online
50Rice University Presents "The Completed Computer". Houston: KUHT Film Productions, 1961. Kinescope recording print, running time 29:30. This film and a VHS copy thereof will be made available to Fondren Library. Online
51 Chesnut.
52 Graham, 2/20/94. This was apparently the only serious controversy in the entire design of the machine.
53 Rusk.
54 The R2 never worked. The flatpack pins tended to become very brittle with stress and there was no easy way to replace the ECL packages once mounted. In addition, vibration and the inherent springiness of the teeth tended to break contacts; the project was abandoned in the early 1970's.
55 Chesnut.
56 Chesnut.
57 Raymond, Eric S. The New Hacker's Dictionary, Second Edition. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The MIT Press, 1993. Pages 212-213.
58 Graham, 2/19/94.
59 Graham, 2/19/94.
60 It's actually the punch line of an extremely well-known joke revolving around the Lone Ranger television series. If you don't know it, ask around.
61 Graham, 2/19/94.
62 Graham, 2/19/94.
63 Photograph courtesy of Sigsby Rusk.
64 Graham, 2/19/94.
65 Iliffe, 4/5/94.
66 Iliffe, 4/5/94.
67 Iliffe. 4/5/94.