<s>
BESK	B-Device
(	O
Binär	B-Device
Elektronisk	I-Device
SekvensKalkylator	I-Device
,	O
Swedish	O
for	O
"	O
Binary	B-Device
Electronic	I-Device
Sequence	I-Device
Calculator	I-Device
"	O
)	O
was	O
Sweden	O
's	O
first	O
electronic	O
computer	O
,	O
using	O
vacuum	O
tubes	O
instead	O
of	O
relays	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
technology	O
behind	O
BESK	B-Device
was	O
later	O
continued	O
with	O
the	O
transistorized	O
FACIT	O
EDB	O
and	O
FACIT	O
EDB-3	O
machines	O
,	O
both	O
software	O
compatible	O
with	O
BESK	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Non-compatible	O
machines	O
highly	O
inspired	O
by	O
BESK	B-Device
were	O
SMIL	B-Device
made	O
for	O
the	O
University	O
of	O
Lund	O
,	O
SAABs	O
räkneautomat	O
SARA	B-Device
,	O
"	O
SAAB	O
's	O
calculating	O
machine	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
DASK	B-Device
made	O
in	O
Denmark	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
BESK	B-Device
was	O
developed	O
by	O
the	O
Swedish	O
Board	O
for	O
Computing	O
Machinery	O
(	O
Matematikmaskinnämnden	O
)	O
a	O
few	O
years	O
after	O
the	O
mechanical	O
relay	O
computer	O
BARK	B-Device
(	O
Binär	O
Aritmetisk	O
Relä-Kalkylator	O
,	O
Swedish	O
for	O
"	O
Binary	B-Device
Arithmetic	I-Device
Relay	I-Device
Calculator	I-Device
"	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
closely	O
modeled	O
on	O
the	O
IAS	B-Device
machine	I-Device
for	O
which	O
the	O
design	O
team	O
had	O
retrieved	O
drawings	O
during	O
a	O
scholarship	O
to	O
Institute	O
for	O
Advanced	O
Study	O
(	O
IAS	B-Device
)	O
and	O
Massachusetts	O
Institute	O
of	O
Technology	O
,	O
U.S.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
the	O
development	O
of	O
the	O
BESK	B-Device
magnetic	B-General_Concept
drum	I-General_Concept
memory	I-General_Concept
,	O
Olle	O
Karlqvist	O
discovered	O
a	O
magnetic	O
phenomenon	O
,	O
which	O
has	O
been	O
called	O
the	O
Karlqvist	B-General_Concept
gap	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
BESK	B-Device
was	O
a	O
40-bit	O
machine	O
;	O
it	O
could	O
perform	O
an	O
addition	O
in	O
56	O
μs	O
and	O
a	O
multiplication	O
took	O
350	O
μs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
BESK	B-Device
contained	O
2400	O
"	O
radio	O
tubes	O
"	O
(	O
vacuum	O
tubes	O
)	O
and	O
400	O
germanium	O
diodes	O
(	O
so	O
it	O
was	O
partly	O
solid	O
state	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Originally	O
BESK	B-Device
had	O
a	O
British	O
Williams	B-General_Concept
tube	I-General_Concept
512	O
word	O
x	O
40	O
bit	O
memory	O
based	O
on	O
40	O
cathode	O
tubes	O
,	O
and	O
eight	O
spare	O
tubes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
BESK	B-Device
was	O
inaugurated	O
on	O
1	O
April	O
1954	O
and	O
handled	O
weather	O
data	O
for	O
Carl-Gustaf	O
Rossby	O
and	O
the	O
Swedish	O
Meteorological	O
and	O
Hydrological	O
Institute	O
,	O
statistics	O
for	O
the	O
telecommunications	O
service	O
provider	O
Televerket	O
,	O
wing	O
profiles	O
for	O
the	O
attack	O
aircraft	O
Saab	O
Lansen	O
,	O
and	O
road	O
profiles	O
for	O
the	O
road	O
authority	O
Vägverket	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
the	O
nights	O
Swedish	O
National	O
Defence	O
Radio	O
Establishment	O
(	O
FRA	O
)	O
used	O
BESK	B-Device
for	O
cracking	O
encryption	O
of	O
radio	O
messages	O
(	O
by	O
Per-Erik	O
Persson	O
et	O
al	O
.	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
BESK	B-Device
was	O
also	O
used	O
for	O
calculations	O
for	O
the	O
Swedish	O
nuclear	O
energy	O
industry	O
,	O
for	O
example	O
Monte	B-Algorithm
Carlo	I-Algorithm
simulations	I-Algorithm
of	O
neutron	O
spectrum	O
(	O
by	O
Per-Erik	O
Persson	O
et	O
al	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
)	O
,	O
and	O
for	O
the	O
Swedish	O
nuclear	O
weapon	O
program	O
,	O
but	O
most	O
of	O
those	O
calculations	O
were	O
done	O
by	O
SMIL	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1957	O
Hans	O
Riesel	O
used	O
BESK	B-Device
to	O
discover	O
a	O
Mersenne	O
prime	O
with	O
969	O
digits	O
-	O
the	O
largest	O
prime	O
known	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
SAAB	O
rented	O
computer	O
time	O
on	O
the	O
BESK	B-Device
to	O
(	O
probably	O
,	O
much	O
was	O
secret	O
)	O
make	O
calculations	O
of	O
the	O
strength	O
of	O
the	O
Saab	O
Lansen	O
attack	O
aircraft	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
fall	O
of	O
1955	O
SAAB	O
thought	O
the	O
capacity	O
was	O
insufficient	O
and	O
started	O
working	O
on	O
SAABs	O
räkneautomat	O
SARA	B-Device
,	O
"	O
SAAB	O
's	O
calculating	O
machine	O
"	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
going	O
to	O
be	O
twice	O
as	O
fast	O
as	O
BESK	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
former	O
SARA	B-Device
employees	O
went	O
to	O
Facit	O
and	O
worked	O
with	O
the	O
FACIT	O
EDB	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
spring	O
of	O
1956	O
,	O
eighteen	O
of	O
the	O
BESK	B-Device
developers	O
were	O
hired	O
by	O
office	O
equipment	O
manufacturer	O
Facit	O
and	O
housed	O
in	O
an	O
office	O
at	O
Karlavägen	O
62	O
in	O
Stockholm	O
,	O
where	O
they	O
started	O
to	O
build	O
copies	O
of	O
BESK	B-Device
called	O
Facit	O
EDB	O
(	O
models	O
1	O
,	O
2	O
,	O
and	O
3	O
)	O
,	O
led	O
by	O
Carl-Ivar	O
Bergman	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1960	O
BESK	B-Device
was	O
used	O
to	O
create	O
an	O
animation	O
of	O
a	O
car	O
driving	O
down	O
a	O
planned	O
highway	O
from	O
the	O
driver	O
's	O
perspective	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
was	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
earliest	B-Architecture
computer	I-Architecture
animations	O
ever	O
made	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
"	O
Besk	B-Device
"	O
is	O
Swedish	O
for	O
the	O
taste	O
"	O
bitter	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Reportedly	O
this	O
was	O
an	O
intentional	O
and	O
unnoticed	O
pun	O
after	O
officials	O
denied	O
usage	O
of	O
the	O
name	O
CONIAC	O
(	O
Conny	O
 [ Palm ] 	O
Integrator	O
And	O
Calculator	O
,	O
compare	O
Cognac	O
and	O
ENIAC	B-Device
)	O
for	O
the	O
predecessor	O
BARK	B-Device
.	O
</s>
