[Wylug-discuss] Thos. W. Ward

[John R. Hudson]

On Thu, 2013-06-27 at 21:38 +0100, Richard Ibbotson wrote:
> > It was only with the arrival of software that was independent of the
> > hardware in the 1970s that closed source became the norm.
> > 
> > Or have I missed something?
> 
> Dunno.. what I experienced was that most of the software that was 
> around in the 70's was so closed source that if you mentioned software 
> to anyone then you got a Special Branch officer following you around 
> immediately.  Almost as if the word software was officially secret in 
> itself. So, there was a realisation in academic circles that something 
> open source was required to replace the old order of secrecy.
> 
> What do I mean by that ?  The people I knew in Manchester who worked 
> for ICL told me that any software was produced by a Government 
> department.  Which was ICL  They said.  That because of this there 
> were two issues.  One of them was that you couldn't do anything 
> without MI5 and MI6 recording everything that you were doing.  Other 
> thing was that if you were a trusted ICL employee in Manchester you 
> could do what you liked.  One is a contrast and a contradiction of the 
> other but there ya go.  At a later time ICL empoyees were arrested for 
> running their own businesses around despartments which didn't exist. 
> Another tax free swindle.  Courtesy of Harold Wilson and James 
> Callaghan
> 
> An example ?  Mark Ashton.  Who is no longer with us due to drugs and 
> alcohol and other nasties.  Mark fixed his own social security records.  
> At that time 1974-1978 all civil service records were kept at ICL in 
> Manchester. So Mark was working for ICL in Manchester and was never 
> seen there due to the fact that he was claiming unemployment and 
> disability benefit at the same time as working for ICL.  I was stood 
> next to him at Derbyshire and Lancashire Gliding Club all of that 
> time.  He spent his £1000 a week of tax free tax payers money on flying 
> gliders.  He paid his doctor for regular back injury claims so that 
> the whole scam held itself together.  Mark was the son of Ken Ashton 
> the NUJ secretary
> 
> http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2002/sep/30/nationalunionofjournalists.mediaunions

Interesting. Sounds like there were two cultures of computing. My
brother didn't go to university to study computing but encountered them
at the time you are describing and went straight on to work on IBM
computers at Boots. He gave me the impression of working in a much more
open environment than you experienced.

John
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