ACHTUNG: Sie befinden sich im Museum-Online-Archiv 2000. Die Inhalte dieser Seite sind unter Umständen nicht mehr aktuell.ACHTUNG: Sie befinden sich im Museum-Online-Archiv 2000. Die Inhalte dieser Seite sind unter Umständen nicht mehr aktuell.On 1st of January, Heinz Zemanek was born. Who thought, that he will shine as a star fron the sky of computertechnics?
His first years, he spent in Domschale, Laibach.
Little Heinz Zemanek starts his research: He visits three Primary Schools in Vienna and soon wants to get know other educational establishment: So he changes from the first to the fifth district of Vienna.
Heinz Zemanek changes to a Secondary Modern School ( Bundesrealschule ) in Vienna’s sixth district. His talents become more and more obvious. He finishes school in 1937 with a very successful final examination (Matura). Then he joins the St. Georgs-boys scout and soon learns how to find simple solutions for the most difficult situations.
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| http://www.ppoe.at |
Heinz Zemanek goes to the Technical University in Vienna where he studies telecommunications.
Heinz Zemanek has to interrupt his work as a student because he must do military service for the German "Wehrmacht". During that time he can even enlarge his knowledge about telecommunications: he serves for a "communication unit" on the "Balkan" and he also becomes a teacher at the Army’s Intelligence Service school in Saloniki.
Heinz Zemanek becomes a qualified engineer. The topic of his written exam, which he finishd with the helps of Dr. Richard Feldtkeller from Stuttgart, is "Über die Erzeugung von kurzen Impulsen aus einer Sinusschwingung"
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| Sinusschwingung |
Dipl. Ing. Heinz Zemanek becomes an assistant at the Technical University of Vienna. He studies
everything about calculator ,machines and until 1952 he creates the URR 1 ( Universal- Relais – Calculator 1).
Soon he found out that the application of this URR 1 was limited. It was not really useful.
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| Dipl. Ing. Zemanek hat den Durchblick (ÖGIG). Der URR1 ist fertig (ÖGIG) |
URR 1 |
By the way he helps at the reorganisation of Austrian Scouts.
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| http://www.ppoe.at |
Dipl. Ing. Heinz Zemanek becomes Doctor at the Technischen Hochschule in Vienna. The title of his dissertation is "Zeitteilverfahren in der Vielfachtelegraphie".
Dr. Heinz Zemanek starts to develop the first Computer, later known as MAILÜFTERL.
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| Constructionplan of the Mailüfterl, |
Of course he was not alone. 1956 he founds the Mailüfterl - team.
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| Mailüfterl: transistor | the Mailüfterl-team |
The Mailüfterl was the first transistor working computer in Europe.
In May 1958 the building of " Mailüfterl" is completed, the machine can be used as a calculator. Dr. Heinz Zemanek especially concentrates on the possible use of his new machine. He starts to build the VOCODER, which can be used to get an additional acoustic information from the computer.
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| TU Wien, Vocoder (ÖGIG) |
Dr. Heinz Zemanek and his assistants rebuild the three cybernetic models. They were the "mouse in labyrinth", the "turtle" and the "homeostat".
All of them were controlled by the Mailüfterl.
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| Mouse in labyrinth with R. Eier (ÖGIG) | Turtle (ÖGIG) | Homeostat (ÖGIG) |
In August 1961 Dr. Heinz Zemanek and his team moves to IBM – Vienna – in spite of the summer heat in Vienna. There he becomes the director of the research- laboratory.
It doesn’t take a long time until the diligent team creates its first product: a telephone – answer machine, where share prices can be asked. The VOCODER IBM 7772 runs on the System IBM/360.
Teile des IBM/360 (IBM)
Dr. Heinz Zemanek receives the title of a professor of the Technical University of Vienna. Until today he gives at least to lectures a year.
Prof. Heinz Zemanek and his team succeeds again: The formal definition oft the program language PL 1 is the 2ndgreat achievement of his life. In a book of hundreds of pages he explains exactly what happens, when any program in this language runs on a computer.
Finally Vienna Definition Language (VDL) was designed.
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| Pamphlets to PL 1 (ÖGIG) |
The VDL next to the Tower of Babylon(ÖGIG) |
So, if you really want to know how to feed a computer with orders and why the computers is able to understand them, - don’t hesitate to ask Prof. Zemanek.
Prof. Heinz Zemanek becomes President of IFIP. Before that he was chairman of the Technical Committee II about program languages, Trustee and Vice-president.
IFIP- Logo
Since the foundation of IFIP the federation has always been working very hard to support the cooperation in research and development of computers worldwide.
In August 2000 the World Computer Congress of IFIP will take place in China. You’ll find more detailed information on…
Prof. Heinz Zemanek establishes the Austrian Computer Society (OCG).
Recently this OCG is occupied with the European Computer Driving Licence (ECDL), which is a certificate of general computer knowledge and valid in all European countries.
Today Prof. Zemanek is honorary chairman of OCG.
Prof. Heinz Zemanek becomes IBM – Fellow which is an honour for only the best specialists.
During this time he is especially occupied with the design of systems, especially the design of computer systems.
Prof. Zemanek recognizes and explains, that everything – buildings, machines, big firms – are fundamentally based on a certain system, a certain draft.
He describes these systems as “Abstract Architecture”.
The Tower of Babylon
“The Tower of Babylon should reach the sky” – so it is told in a legend. Even this tower was built after a very special system.
The tower is supposed to be a symbol of success but also limits of human beings.
Here you’ll also find a comparison of the tower and IBM:
(ÖGIG)
Is the year of Prof. Heinz Zemanek’s well-deserved retirement. Of course this doesn’t mean, there’s no work any more to be done. In 1985/86 he teaches history of computer sciences at the Technical University in Munich.
Until today he gives plenty of lectures at different universities and academies. And he publishes books (Weltmacht Computer 1991) and essays.
Prof. Zemanek
On January 1st 2000 Prof. Heinz Zemanek celebrates his 80th birthday. One can’t say he is an old man, because he is healthy and fond of living and what is more – he looks much younger than he really is, doesn’t he?
After all he is very busy all the time and it’s hard to get in contact with him.
In spite of that on April 12th we managed to meet him in the IBM building in Lasalle street.
We had a lot of questions about the history of computers which he certainly answered. We asked him about how computers work and also about the future of computers.
To express our gratitude we prepared a little film, which we want the whole world to have access to it.
 thank you |
 Prof. Zemanek |
 our group |
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