The state and development of the punched tape techniques from the aspect of technical and economic information work

Abstract

In the process of mechanizing technical and economic information, the use of punched tape typewriters, a group of email and medium size punched tape machines, has come into prominence. The common features of these machines are:
their operation is based on punched tape technique;
their basic units (electric input-output typewriter; punched tape reader and key punch, control unit) may be further completed on the principle of "construction set";
they work, primarily, on alphanumerical texts, thus are not furnished with storing and arithmetical units;
edge punched cards, which are on principle identical with tapes, may also be processed by them;
they are not capable of performing automatic sorting operations.
If they are looked upon as independent systems, their use in technical and economic information involves: the producing of catalogue cards; duplication of various texts (contents' lists, various documents of library administration); compiling of bibliographies, indexes; preparing book catalogue and cumulative indexes. The punched tape - as an information carrier - may also be used in connection with a computer.
As has been pointed out by the data analyses of the Büromaschinen Lexikon and firm literature, punched tape technique has reached its culmination. At the same time, however, - to eliminate some inherent shortcomings of punched tape technique noticed also by the Group of Information Mechanization of the Hungarian Central Technical Library and Documentation Center (OMKDK) - new trends have been evolved. These are based on the well-established and flexible punched tape technique, and in a certain way are related to punched tape typewriters. Magnetic tape devices, tape-controlled photo typesetting machines (photo-composers) and punched card peripheries hooked on punched tape machines are all solutions for certain problems.
Punched tape typewriters, however, are not likely - for the time being - to be ousted by these techniques, on the contrary, their present application, by eliminating certain shortcomings, is strengthening the position of punched tape technique.