First Indirect Addressing?

From: Andy Holt <andyh_at_andyh-rayleigh.freeserve.co.uk>
Date: Wed Oct 2 16:02:00 2002

> Ok, I've got a friend in academia who wants to know:
>
> What was the first computer to support indirect addressing?
>
I've taken this to be specifically memory indirect and not the use of index
registers (or "B-lines" - invented in 1949). I would think, perhaps, that
memory indirect was not really feasable until the use of core memory.

Some datum points from manuals found on web.

   IBM704 (mid '50s) didn't
   GE 625/635 (mid 60's) did
   PDP8 (?) did
   CDC160A (1961) did

<further searching>
  The Manchester Mark 1 (1947-9) had an indirect jump (as well as index
registers) ... this probably takes the prize, then.

Haven't yet found a definitive answer as far as data access is concerned




> While I expect no definite answer (as if I had asked "what is the first
> computer" :-), it should be an interesting discussion.
>
Andy
Received on Wed Oct 02 2002 - 16:02:00 BST