Ferranti Computers
Ferranti Computers
The title of “first commercially available general-purpose computer” probably goes to Britain’s Ferranti Mark I. About nine of them were sold between 1951 and 1957.
The Mark 1 was a grandchild of the experimental Manchester “Baby” and Manchester Mark 1 at Manchester University. A British government contract spurred its initial development.
Ferranti Manchester Universal Computer
On the recommendation of its Chief Scientist, the British government paid Ferranti to build a production version of the Manchester computer. Nine of the Mark I (and improved Mark I*) computers were delivered between 1951 and 1957.
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Alan Turing inspects Ferranti Mark I console
Ferranti engineers Keith Lonsdale and Brian Pollard demonstrate the Ferranti Mark I to Alan Turing. Turing contributed only slightly to the design, which was based not on his ACE but on the Manchester University computers.
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