The Olivetti Programma 101, also known as Perottina or P101, is one of the first "all in one" commercial desktop

programmable calculator Programmable calculators are calculators that can automatically carry out a sequence of operations under the control of a stored computer programming, program. Most are Turing complete, and, as such, are theoretically general-purpose computers. ...

s, although not the first. Produced by Italian manufacturer

Olivetti Olivetti S.p.A. is an Italian manufacturer of computers, tablets, smartphones, printers and other such business products as calculators and fax machines. Headquartered in Ivrea, in the Metropolitan City of Turin, the company has been owned b ...

, based in Ivrea,

Piedmont Piedmont ( ; ; ) is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the northwest Italy, Northwest of the country. It borders the Liguria region to the south, the Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna regions to the east, and the Aosta Valley region to the ...

, and invented by the Italian engineer Pier Giorgio Perotto, the P101 used many features of large computers of that period. It was launched at the

1964 New York World's Fair The 1964 New York World's Fair (also known as the 1964–1965 New York World's Fair) was an world's fair, international exposition at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, New York City, United States. The fair included exhibitions, activ ...

; volume production started in 1965. A futuristic design for its time, the Programma 101 was priced at $3,200 (). About 44,000 units were sold, primarily in the US. It is usually called a printing

or desktop

calculator An electronic calculator is typically a portable electronic device used to perform calculations, ranging from basic arithmetic to complex mathematics. The first solid-state electronic calculator was created in the early 1960s. Pocket-si ...

because its arithmetic instructions correspond to calculator operations, while its

instruction set In computer science, an instruction set architecture (ISA) is an abstract model that generally defines how software controls the CPU in a computer or a family of computers. A device or program that executes instructions described by that ISA, s ...

(which allows for conditional jump) and structure qualifies it as a

stored-program computer A stored-program computer is a computer that stores program instructions in electronically, electromagnetically, or optically accessible memory. This contrasts with systems that stored the program instructions with plugboards or similar mechani ...

Design

The Programma 101 was designed by Olivetti engineer Pier Giorgio Perotto in Ivrea. The styling, attributed to Marco Zanuso but in reality by Mario Bellini, was ergonomical and innovative for the time. Some of the design was based on a 1961 Olivetti computer co-developed by

Federico Faggin Federico Faggin (, ; born 1 December 1941) is an Italian-American physicist, engineer, inventor and entrepreneur. He is best known for designing the first commercial microprocessor, the Intel 4004. He led the 4004 (MCS-4) project and the desig ...

that served as a model for the programmable calculator. The computational hardware consisted of standard (for its time)

discrete device An electronic component is any basic discrete electronic device or physical entity part of an electronic system used to affect electrons or their associated fields. Electronic components are mostly industrial products, available in a singular ...

s (transistors, diodes, resistors and capacitors mounted on

phenolic resin Phenol formaldehyde resins (PF), also called phenolic resins or phenoplasts, are synthetic polymers obtained by the reaction of phenol or substituted phenol with formaldehyde. Used as the basis for Bakelite, PFs were the first commercial synthetic ...

circuit card assemblies). The design predated

microprocessor A microprocessor is a computer processor (computing), processor for which the data processing logic and control is included on a single integrated circuit (IC), or a small number of ICs. The microprocessor contains the arithmetic, logic, a ...

s, and no

integrated circuit An integrated circuit (IC), also known as a microchip or simply chip, is a set of electronic circuits, consisting of various electronic components (such as transistors, resistors, and capacitors) and their interconnections. These components a ...

s were used since they were in their infancy. A total of 240 bytes of information were electrically stored in magnetostrictive delay-line memory, which had a cycle time of 2.2

millisecond A millisecond (from '' milli-'' and second; symbol: ms) is a unit of time in the International System of Units equal to one thousandth (0.001 or 10−3 or 1/1000) of a second or 1000 microseconds. A millisecond is to one second, as one second i ...

Ergonomics

The focus of the engineering team was to deliver a very simple product, something that anyone could use. To take care of the ergonomics and aesthetics of a product that did not exist before, Roberto Olivetti called Mario Bellini, a young Italian architect: Olivetti P101 magnetic card

One of the direct results of the Programma 101 team focus on human-centered objectives was the invention of a removable magnetic card to store programmed calculation, a revolutionary item for that time, allowing anyone to just insert it and execute any program in a few seconds. The Programma 101's design would earn the Mario Bellini the

Compasso d'Oro The Compasso d'Oro (; ) is an industrial design award originated in Italy in 1954. Initially sponsored by the La Rinascente, a Milanese department store, the award has been organised and managed by the Associazione per il Disegno Industriale (ADI ...

Industrial Design Award.

Technical characteristics

* Size: 275 mm ( A ) x 465 mm ( L ) x 610 mm ( P ) *Weight: 35.5 kg *Consumption: 0.35 kW *Output device: 30 column printer on 9 cm paper *Accuracy: 22 digits and up to 15 decimal places *Operations: add, subtract, multiply, divide, square root and absolute value *Total memory: 240 bytes in the ALU (estimated) P 10*Keyboard: 36 keys. *Archive: Magnetic card reader

Operation

The Programma 101 can calculate the four basic arithmetic functions (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division), plus

square root In mathematics, a square root of a number is a number such that y^2 = x; in other words, a number whose ''square'' (the result of multiplying the number by itself, or y \cdot y) is . For example, 4 and −4 are square roots of 16 because 4 ...

absolute value In mathematics, the absolute value or modulus of a real number x, is the non-negative value without regard to its sign. Namely, , x, =x if x is a positive number, and , x, =-x if x is negative (in which case negating x makes -x positive), ...

, and fractional part. It is equipped with memory registers with features such as clear, transfer, and exchange, plus printing and halt for input. Programming is a kind of

assembly language In computing, assembly language (alternatively assembler language or symbolic machine code), often referred to simply as assembly and commonly abbreviated as ASM or asm, is any low-level programming language with a very strong correspondence bet ...

, simpler than the assembly of the contemporary computers, as there are fewer options and allowed to use directly arithmetic functions. It directs the exchange between memory registers and calculation registers, and operations in the registers. There are 16 jump instructions and 16 conditional jump instructions. Thirty-two label statements were available as destinations for the jump instructions and/or the four start keys (V, W, Y, Z). While not stated in the General Manual and only in some Programming Manual, it is possible to perform a "modified jump", which allows to go back to different part of the program from the same subroutine. There are 10 memory registers: three for operations (M, A, R); two for storage (B, C); three for storage and/or program (assignable as needed: D, E, F); and two for program only (p1, p2). Each full

register Register or registration may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Register (music), the relative "height" or range of a note, melody, part, instrument, etc. * ''Register'', a 2017 album by Travis Miller * Registration (organ), ...

holds a 22-digit number with sign and

decimal point FIle:Decimal separators.svg, alt=Four types of separating decimals: a) 1,234.56. b) 1.234,56. c) 1'234,56. d) ١٬٢٣٤٫٥٦., Both a comma and a full stop (or period) are generally accepted decimal separators for international use. The apost ...

or 24 instructions each consisting of a letter and a symbol. Five of the registers (B, C, D, E, F) can be subdivided into half-registers, each containing an 11-digit number with sign and decimal point. It uses a kind of Modified Harvard architecture where data registers and instruction register are clearly separated, but it allows for some data to be written in the instruction registers under some conditions. That was a common feature in the 1960s desktop computer/programmable calculator and only HP provided a true

Von Neumann architecture The von Neumann architecture—also known as the von Neumann model or Princeton architecture—is a computer architecture based on the '' First Draft of a Report on the EDVAC'', written by John von Neumann in 1945, describing designs discus ...

which allowed for

self-modifying code In computer science, self-modifying code (SMC or SMoC) is source code, code that alters its own instruction (computer science), instructions while it is execution (computing), executing – usually to reduce the instruction path length and imp ...

, similarly to the contemporary general-purpose mainframes and minicomputers. The stored programs can be recorded onto

plastic Plastics are a wide range of synthetic polymers, synthetic or Semisynthesis, semisynthetic materials composed primarily of Polymer, polymers. Their defining characteristic, Plasticity (physics), plasticity, allows them to be Injection moulding ...

cards approximately 5 cm × 20 cm that have a

magnetic Magnetism is the class of physical attributes that occur through a magnetic field, which allows objects to attract or repel each other. Because both electric currents and magnetic moments of elementary particles give rise to a magnetic field, m ...

coating on one side and an area for writing on the other. Each card can be recorded on two stripes, enabling it to store two programs. Five registers are stored on the card; two registers are dedicated to the program code, the other three registers (D, E, F) can be used for code and/or numbers. Instructions occupy one byte, and a magnetic card can hold 120 instructions. The cards use a simple machine language. The instructions or digits occupy eight bits, codified in

binary-coded decimal In computing and electronic systems, binary-coded decimal (BCD) is a class of binary encodings of decimal numbers where each digit is represented by a fixed number of bits, usually four or eight. Sometimes, special bit patterns are used f ...

. In instructions the left

nibble In computing, a nibble, or spelled nybble to match byte, is a unit of information that is an aggregation of four- bits; half of a byte/ octet. The unit is alternatively called nyble, nybl, half-byte or tetrade. In networking or telecommuni ...

stores the affected register and the right nibble the instruction, while in digits the first nibble stores information about the number, such as the sign or the decimal place, and the last nibble stores the actual digit. It prints programs and results onto a roll of paper tape, similar to calculator or cash register paper.

Instruction set

Sales history

The Programma 101 was launched at the

, attracting major interest. A total of 40,000 units were sold; 90% of them in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

where the sale price was $3,200 (increasing to about $3,500 in 1968.) About 10 Programma 101 were sold to NASA and used to plan the

Apollo 11 Apollo 11 was a spaceflight conducted from July 16 to 24, 1969, by the United States and launched by NASA. It marked the first time that humans Moon landing, landed on the Moon. Commander Neil Armstrong and Lunar Module pilot Buzz Aldrin l ...

landing on the Moon. The P101 is mentioned as part of the

system A system is a group of interacting or interrelated elements that act according to a set of rules to form a unified whole. A system, surrounded and influenced by its open system (systems theory), environment, is described by its boundaries, str ...

used by the

US Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

to compute coordinates for ground-directed bombing of

B-52 Stratofortress The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is an American long-range, subsonic aircraft, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, which has continued to provide support and upgrades. It has been operated by the ...

targets during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

Simulators

Many simulators for the Programma 101's function have developed over the years: * 1976 - Translator to map Programma 101 code to BASIC was written by

Steven DeRose Stephen or Steven is an English first name. It is particularly significant to Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; he is widely regarded as the firs ...

at The Prairie School, used to teach programming before students moved on to BASIC * 1995 – Programma 101

simulator A simulation is an imitative representation of a process or system that could exist in the real world. In this broad sense, simulation can often be used interchangeably with model. Sometimes a clear distinction between the two terms is made, in ...

written by E.H. Dooijes of the

University of Amsterdam The University of Amsterdam (abbreviated as UvA, ) is a public university, public research university located in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Established in 1632 by municipal authorities, it is the fourth-oldest academic institution in the Netherlan ...

for the local Computer Museum in

Turbo Pascal Turbo Pascal is a software development system that includes a compiler and an integrated development environment (IDE) for the programming language Pascal (programming language), Pascal running on the operating systems CP/M, CP/M-86, and MS-DOS. ...

(only worked in batch mode) * 2005 – Simulator written by Eng. Claudio Larini, which had some contact with Gastone Garziera, another of the P101 engineers * 2016 –

of the Programma 101 developed at the Department of Information Engineering and Electrical Engineering of University of Cassino, supervision of Eng. Giovanni De Sandre * The Tecnologicamente Museum in Ivrea has a Java simulator of the Programma 101 written by Giuliano Gaiti, one of Perotto's collaborators. * The former Olivetti employee Marco Galeotti created a full

integrated development environment An integrated development environment (IDE) is a Application software, software application that provides comprehensive facilities for software development. An IDE normally consists of at least a source-code editor, build automation tools, an ...

(IDE) for the Programma 101, which allows for a simpler programming and some debug functions.