Honeywell, Inc., X3.2 Standards Subcommittee Records, 1961-1969. Finding Aid.

Summary Information

Title: Honeywell, Inc., X3.2 Standards Subcommittee records
Dates: 1961-1969.
Creator: Honeywell, Inc.
Extent: 3 boxes (3 cubic feet)
Language: English
Collection Number: CBI 67
Abstract:

Contains correspondence, memoranda, reports, task force records, and committee agendas, minutes, and documents primarily collected by Theodore R. Bousquet. Part of the records appear to be files from Honeywell representatives to other standardization committees.

Repository: University of Minnesota Libraries. Charles Babbage Institute.

Access and Use

Acquisition Information:

The records were given to the Charles Babbage Institute in 1989 by David Rosenberg.

Access Restrictions:

Access to the collection is unrestricted.

Copyright:

The Charles Babbage Institute holds the copyright to all materials in the collection, except for items covered by a prior copyright (such as published materials). Researchers may quote from the collection under the fair use provisions of the copyright law (Title 17, U.S. Code).

Preferred Citation:

Honeywell Inc. X3.2 Standards Subcommittee Records, 1961-1969, (CBI 67), Charles Babbage Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.

Historical Note

In 1960, the International Standards Organization (ISO) initiated plans to form a technical committee on computers and information processing, TC 97. At the first meeting of this committee six working groups were set up:

• Working Group A: Glossary
• Working Group B: Character Sets and Coding
• Working Group C: Character Recognition
• Working Group D: Input and Output Media
• Working Group E: Programming Languages
• Working Group F: Digital Data Transmission

In the United States, the American Standards Association (ASA) was charged with responsibility to represent American positions on standards. The ASA, in 1966 became the United States of America Standards Institute (USASI), and in 1969 was renamed the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). ANSI recognized the Business Equipment Manufacturers Association (BEMA, later the Computer and Business Equipment Manufacturers Association, CBEMA) as the sponsor for standardization work in data processing. In 1960 BEMA formed a data processing group of sponsoring companies, one of which was Minneapolis-Honeywell. This data processing group formed a Plans and Policies Committee, which in turn formed an Engineering Committee. The Engineering Committee formed the X3 Committee, which was recognized by the ASA as a sectional committee.

At its founding, X3 included ten manufacturers' representatives, eleven general interest members, and ten user group members. Honeywell was represented by R. F. Clippinger. General interest members came from groups such as the Association for Computing Machinery, the Department of Defense, and the American Management Association; user groups represented were such groups such as the Air Transport Association and the American Bankers Association. Various subcommittees were formed, such as:

• X3.1: Character Recognition
• X3.2: Coded Character Sets
• X3.3: Data Transmission
• X3.4: Common Problem-Oriented Programming Languages
• X3.5: Definition of data proc operations, terminology and glossary
• X3.6: Data Processing, Problem Description and Analysis

Task groups within these subcommittees were formed to work on specific problems. Members of task groups were not necessarily members of the parent group.

X3 was charged with developing national standards, submitting them to ISO, and developing a United States position on proposals coming form ISO. X3 strove to achieve consensus on standards. Each company was concerned that new standards did not define their equipment as obsolete, yet also did not want to hinder future developments. Honeywell seems to have been particularly involved in the controversy over ASCII magnetic tape standards.

R. F. Clippinger was Honeywell's first representative on the X3 ASA Sectional Committee. The first Honeywell representatives to the X3 subcommittees were:

• X3.1, J. J. Eachus
• X3.2, R, W. Reach, T. J. McNamara, alternate
• X3.3, M. A. Antman, O. C. Miles, alternate
• X3.4, R. F. Clippinger
• X3.5, Keith Betz,
• X3.6, C. F. Dubay

By 1963 Theodore R. Bousquet had become Honeywell's representative to X3.2. In 1964 it became Honeywell's turn to act as secretary for this subcommittee, and Bousquet took this duty as secretary pro tem. Richard M. Muise acted as his alternate. By 1968 R. E. Turnberg was Honeywell's representative to X3.2, with Bousquet as alternate.

Collection Scope and Content Note

The collection consists primarily of records collected by Theodore Bousquet, Honeywell representative, and in 1964, secretary, to the X3.2 subcommittee. Part of the records appear to be files from Honeywell representatives to other standardization committees. Correspondence, 1960-1968, is really a working file of internal Honeywell memoranda, and Honeywell "external" correspondence with members from other companies, including reports, proposals, agendas, and minutes as attachments.

X3.2 Subcommittee Documents, 1963-1966, are documents submitted to the subcommittee. The records are in two groups, one collected by O. C. Miles, numbers 100-599, and one probably collected by Bousquet, numbers 90-317. Hand written notes appear on some documents. Task Forces Records, 1966-1967, include correspondence, reports, minutes, and other records filed by task force number. Included are records from X3.3, and X4, another ASA committee which dealt with graphics symbols and keyboard arrangements. USASI Records, 1968-1969, contain correspondence, minutes, and reports received from the USASI.

Subject Terms

Index Terms

• This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the University of Minnesota Libraries. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.
• Bousquet, Theodore R.
• American National Standards Institute.
• Computer industry -- Standards.
• Computer software industry -- Standards.

Box and Folder List

Location		Title
		Correspondence
Box 1		Agendas, 1960-1962.  Box 1, Folder 5
Box 2		ASA X3, 1965-1967.  Box 2, Folder 8-9
Box 1		External Correspondence, 1962.  Box 1, Folder 3-4
		External Correspondence, 1962.  Box 1, Folder 7-9
		External Correspondence, 1963.  Box 1, Folder 10-11
		External Correspondence, 1963-1964.  Box 1, Folder 5
		External Correspondence, 1964.  Box 1, Folder 13-15
		Honeywell Internal Correspondence, 1961-1962.  Box 1, Folder 1
		Honeywell Internal Correspondence, 1963.  Box 1, Folder 6
		Honeywell Internal Correspondence, 1964.  Box 1, Folder 12
Box 2		Honeywell Internal Correspondence, 1969.  Box 2, Folder 1-3
		Honeywell Internal Correspondence, 1967-1968.  Box 2, Folder 4-5
		ISO, 1965-1967.  Box 2, Folder 10-11
		Materials on proposed American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII), 1962.  Box 1, Folder 2
Box 2		X3.2 current, 1966.  Box 2, Folder 12-13
		X3.2 Subcommittee Documents
Box 2		X3.2 Documents 15, 43-50, Expense forms, 1963-1964.  Box 2, Folder 6
		X3.2 Documents 54-89, 1964.  Box 2, Folder 7
Box 3		X3.2 Documents 90-371, 1964-1966.  Box 3, Folder 1-11
Box 1		X3.2 Documents 100-599, (collected by O.C. Miles), 1964-1966.  Box 1, Folder 16-24
		Task Forces Records
Box 2		Task Forces Records, 1966-1967.  Box 2, Folder 14-24
		USASI Records
Box 3		USASI Records, 1968-1969.  Box 3, Folder 12-28