【Osaka University】 MAC System

Osaka University is divided into four campuses, which are separated by a significant distance, so with a conventional electronic computer system, it took people an extremely long time to bring their problem to the central computing center, wait for a response, and then bring it home. Even if the computer was used by connecting over a telephone line, everyone else had to wait while one person was using the electronic computer, and there were various other problems for a university involved in cutting edge research. To solve these problems, the MAC System (Machine Aided Cognition System or Multiple-Access Computer System) was developed in January 1969, through joint research with NEC and the Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Public Corporation. The MAC System was called a Time Sharing System (TSS) because it divided up the operation time of the electronic computer for use by multiple people. This made it possible to create and execute programs interactively from multiple terminals throughout a region using NEC's NEAC Series 2200 Model 500, and the ordinary telephone lines of Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Public Corporation. This MAC System was the first TSS realized in Japan, and in April of that same year, the Osaka University Large Computer Center opened. This was a Japan-wide shared facility used by researchers from universities and other institutions in Japan for performing calculations and information processing relating to areas such as academic research and education.