Setting the Scene – Colombo’s Computing Gap in 1980
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| The introduction of the NOVA/4 revolutionised. The author employs the NOVA/4 Mini Computer for the "Choice of Medicine Project" of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo. (Photo Archive Library (c) Turrance Nandasara) |
In the mid‑1970s, computing at the University of Colombo was still a side note. Students learned FORTRAN on paper, imagining the machine’s inner workings.
By the late ’70s, a single Computer Programming course unit existed, but there was one big problem: no computer on campus.
“We were learning to program without ever touching a machine.”
Generous offers of mainframe time from the Department of Census and Statistics and the State Engineering Corporation helped, but demand far outstripped availability.
The Statistical Unit Steps Up
By 1976, the Statistical Unit was teaching, consulting, and researching in Applied Statistics. It expanded courses, introduced Statistics as a full subject, and launched a Postgraduate Diploma.
Then came a breakthrough: through UK ODA funding, the Department received HP‑25 programmable calculators and the HP 9825A desktop minicomputer — complete with card reader and printer‑plotter.
Why the HP 9825A Mattered
6.8 KB RAM (expandable to 31.4 KB)
FORTRAN, BASIC, and HP’s own HPL language
Real‑time calculations on a QWERTY keyboard
First true in‑house computing at Colombo
The Short‑Lived HP Era
By 1979, the HP 9825A was gone — shipped back to the UK for repairs and never returned. Without local servicing, it had become unreliable.
“We rolled back into the no‑computer era.”
From mid‑1979 to mid‑1980, Colombo was again without even a programmable calculator.
The Data General Proposal
In April 1980, Dr. Roger Stern wrote to Prof. P. W. Epasinghe:
“After Sam’s research in England and ours here, I feel that a Data General Computer System is the best option for us.”
The preferred choice: Data General Eclipse S/140 — with 25 MB disk, 3 VDUs, dot‑matrix printer, magnetic tape, and FORTRAN V, Business BASIC, and SPSS. Price tag: £101,950.
The Loan That Changed Everything
Before the purchase, the Department secured a one‑year loan of a Data General NOVA/4 in mid‑1981. Compact yet powerful, it introduced staff and students to interactive, multi‑user minicomputing — a leap beyond batch‑processed mainframes.
By December 1981, the University had agreed to buy the Eclipse S/140. The NOVA/4 stayed in service until the new system was installed in April 1982.
Daily Use & Impact
The NOVA/4 transformed daily work. Students and staff could now key in programs directly at terminals, see results instantly, and explore applications in statistics, mathematics, and beyond.
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| The NOVA/4 console and terminals provided a more immediate and interactive computing experience than the batch-processed IBM 360. |
The Transition – 1981
The loan period proved one thing: the University needed its own dedicated system. Committees reviewed options, funding sources were identified, and negotiations began.
Funding came from:
Netherlands Universities Foundation for International Cooperation (NUFFIC)
University Grants Commission (UGC)
Faculty of Science Equipment Vote
The decision: purchase a Data General Eclipse S/140 with:
Time‑sharing, multi‑user interactive capabilities
25 MB disc storage
128 KB RAM
Magnetic tape drive
Eight terminals
One major goal was to run third‑party mathematical and statistical software such as GLIM, MINITAB, and SPSS — all successfully implemented.
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| In 1981, the University of Colombo acquired its own Data General system — a leap from a temporary loan to a permanent computing asset. (Photo Archive Library (c) Turrance Nandasara) |
My Personal Contribution
After graduating in January 1980, I joined the Faculty of Medicine as a Research Assistant, working with Prof. N. D. W. Lionel on WHO projects. Initially, all my programming was done on punched cards for the IBM 360 at the Department of Census and Statistics.
Later, the arrival of the NOVA/4 at the Department of Mathematics changed everything — no more endless card punching. I could enter survey data directly at the console and run programs in FORTRAN IV & V, Business BASIC, and Assembler.
“The NOVA/4 made my computing journey easier than ever before.”
After Prof. Lionel’s passing, I joined the Statistical Unit as a Technical Assistant under Prof. V. K. Samaranayake. There, I worked on major projects, including the Analysis of Climatic and Crop Data for Agricultural Purposes — building a central database of over 30 years of daily rainfall and climate data from more than 100 stations across Sri Lanka.
Legacy
The arrival of Data General systems at the University of Colombo marked a turning point — from paper‑based programming and remote compilation to interactive, on‑site computing.
It laid the foundation for:
The University’s expansion into full‑fledged Computer Science teaching and research
The Statistical Unit’s emergence as a national consultancy resource
“From loan to legacy, the Data General era transformed Colombo’s computing story.”
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