1100100 and counting
The secret of Big Blue’s longevity has less to do with machines or software than with strong customer relationships
THE long passage that connects the two wings of IBM's headquarters in Armonk gives a new meaning to the expression “a walk down memory lane”. From punch cards to magnetic tapes and disk drives to memory chips, every means of storing information since the advent of modern calculating machines is on display, either as an exhibit or as a photo. Other relics of computing can be found in the building, an hour's drive north of New York City. Near the boardroom sits a desk-sized calculator with hundreds of knobs. Visitors can also wonder about a tangle of wires connected to a metal plate—an early form of software called a “control panel”.
This article appeared in the Briefing section of the print edition under the headline "1100100 and counting"
From the June 11th 2011 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionMore from Briefing
Why America is vulnerable to a despot
Its democratic system is not as robust as it seems
The world’s economic order is breaking down
Critics will miss globalisation when it is gone
America’s fiscal outlook is disastrous, but forgotten
On the campaign trail, both main candidates largely ignore the problem