The Mysterious Persistence of "Special Register Groups" in CPU Definitions for 50 Years
By
Bogdanp
Crackling crust, pillowy middle. The kind of bagel that earns a second cup of coffee.
Summary
This article investigates the mysterious persistence of the phrase "special register groups" in CPU definitions across computer dictionaries and publications for over 50 years. The author traces how this obscure technical term from the 1960s Honeywell 800 mainframe computer became embedded in computer terminology definitions and spread through various reference materials, including appearing in the Washington Post, despite being outdated and largely irrelevant to modern computing.
Key quotes
· 4 pulledHalf a century ago, the puzzling phrase "special register groups" started showing up in definitions of "CPU", and it is still there.
From a book reprinted in 2017: "Central Processor Unit (CPU)—Part of a computer system which contains the main storage, arithmetic unit and special register groups."
I uncover how special register groups went from an obscure feature in the Honeywell 800 mainframe to appearing in the Washington Post.
While researching old computers, I found a strange definition of "Central Processing Unit" that keeps appearing in different sources.
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