Original DATA processing?

Question

Have you ever wondered where all that old Data Processing equipment from the early 60's, 70's and even 80's went to? The old 024, 026, 059, Univac machines---that all required boxes and boxes of cards that at the time was called KEY PUNCH...now in the 90's and 2000's it's called DATA ENTRY?

I've often wondered where all this equipment went too. Did they put all this equipment in some recyle bin and crush it all. What about all the boxes and boxes of DATA on those punched cards. Did someone put this up in a big inferno?

Answer 1

I worked with some of those antiques a long time ago. I think a few machines are in museums. The rest might have been sold to Hollywood for movie sets.

Some organizations may still have those cards and tabulators in storage somewhere.

The data which needed to be stored went to tape after the cards were used and then on to hard drives later. Some of those hard drives were monsters themselves.