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Tech Model Railroad Club
Alan Kotok grew up with an interest in trains and railroads, and got into model railroading. Starting off as a sixteen year old at MIT, the Tech Model Railroad Club introduced Kotok to the world of computers and hacking. It was from this that Kotok became a part of the hacking community. The Tech Model Railroad Club exists today, and is thought to be a platform for innovators and hackers at MIT.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STVdCJaG0bY(http://www.timetoast.com) -
Learning to Use the TX-0
As a member of the Tech Model Railroad Club, Kotok was introduced to the TX-0 by Jack Dennis, a member of the club at this time. TX-0, Transistorized Experimental computer zero, was a transistorized computer developed at MIT that acted as a direct platform for the growth of hacker culture. Kotok and other members of the Tech Model Railroad Club would reserve time to use the TX-0; this allowed them to understand more about computer software and programming, outside of what was taught in classes. -
Kotok-McCarthy
The Kotok-McCarthy program is also known as A Chess Playing Program for the IBM 7090 computer. While a student of John McCarthy, Kotok and some of his classmates began developing a chess-playing program for the IBM 704. This was a topic of discussion in Kotok’s bachelor thesis, and was described in detail in MIT’s Artificial Intelligence Project Memo 41. The image shows a figure from Kotok's thesis describing the code. -
Expensive Tape Recorder
This is a digital audio program developed by Alan Kotok and David Gross during their time at MIT. These two hackers created a recorder and playback system that was able to develop digital recording years ahead of its time. This program was developed to be compatible with the TX-0, the first computer the hackers of MIT were introduced to. -
Spacewar! Development
Spacewar! Is a space combat video game that was developed for the PDP-1 that was recently installed in MIT. Members of the Tech Model Railroad Club are responsible for writing the code for this program and developing the game. Specifically during programming development, Kotok went to the Digital Equipment Corporation to retrieve a code they had already developed to calculate the trajectory of a spacecraft. This was crucial in allowing the project to progress. -
Applications of Kotok-McCarthy
During the time in which the Kotok-McCarthy was fairly new to the entire world, it spiked a lot of interest. The United States was fighting in the Cold War, while the Kotok-McCarthy was played against the best Russian chess program. Unfortunately, the Kotok-McCarthy lost during the first match to occur between two different computer programs. -
Spacewar! Release
Together, Alan Kotok and Bob Saunders created the first gamepad. This was necessary for the Spacewar project because it allowed for multiple players to comfortably play the game without disrupting the power and control of the computer and obstructing the view of all the players.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rmvb4Hktv7U(http://www.timetoast.com) -
Starting at Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC)
Kotok began working at the Digital Equipment Corporation after graduating from MIT. His early projects in the company included writing a Fortran computer for the PDP-4 and contributing to early development of the PDP-5. Kotok was a part of Gordon Bell’s team and worked as a logic designer for the first commercial time-sharing computer, the PDP-6. -
T-Square
This was one of the first drafting programs ever developed; Alan Kotok and Peter Samson created it. T-Square is a programming software that can be used to build application software, developed for PDP-1. -
Evolution of Kotok-McCarthy
At the time, Alexander Konrad of Moscow had challenged Kotok to a match, for he believed that the Kotok-McCarthy program was the best program in the United States. However, by this point in time, programmers had already discovered many faults with Kotok’s chess program. The Greenblatt Chess Program had been developed at MIT to fix all the out of date issues with Kotok-McCarthy. -
Other Accomplishments at DEC
During his time working at the Digital Equipment Corporation, Kotok was appointed as the principle architect and designer of many generations of the PDP-10, DECsystem-10, and DECSYSTEM-20. -
VAX 8600
While still working at the DEC, Kotok had the opportunity to work as the systems architect for the VAX 8600. This was the highest-performance computer there was to that date, operating four times faster than the standard computer at the time. -
World Wide Web Consortium
While working at DEC, Kotok saw the great potential of the World Wide Web, and thus help develop the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). This was an international organization regarding the standards of the Internet. It helps broaden and expand knowledge regarding the Web to the general public.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2JlLktl5Eg(http://www.timetoast.com) -
PDP-1 Re-Launch
The Computer History Museum re-launched the PDP-1. During this event, the contributions of Kotok and his colleagues in the development of TX-0 and PDP-1 was recognized. -
Spacewar! Influence
As reported by the New York Times, Spacewar! is a part of a list that compiles the top ten video games of all time. This video game was very influential for the future, and Alan Kotok played a role in the development of this project.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/12/arts/design/12vide.html(http://www.timetoast.com)
