<s>
The	O
UNIVAC	B-Device
1050	I-Device
was	O
a	O
variable	O
word-length	O
(	O
one	O
to	O
16	O
characters	O
)	O
decimal	O
and	O
binary	O
computer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Instructions	B-General_Concept
were	O
fixed	O
length	O
(	O
30	O
bits	O
five	O
characters	O
)	O
,	O
consisting	O
of	O
a	O
five-bit	O
"	O
op	B-Language
code	I-Language
"	O
,	O
a	O
three-bit	O
index	B-General_Concept
register	I-General_Concept
specifier	O
,	O
one	O
reserved	O
bit	O
,	O
a	O
15-bit	O
address	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
six-bit	O
"	O
detail	O
field	O
"	O
whose	O
function	O
varies	O
with	O
each	O
instruction	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Like	O
the	O
IBM	B-Device
1401	I-Device
,	O
the	O
1050	O
was	O
commonly	O
used	O
as	O
an	O
off-line	O
peripheral	O
controller	O
in	O
many	O
installations	O
of	O
both	O
large	O
"	O
scientific	O
computers	O
and	O
large	O
"	O
business	O
computers	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
these	O
installations	O
the	O
big	O
computer	O
(	O
e.g.	O
,	O
a	O
UNIVAC	B-Operating_System
III	I-Operating_System
)	O
did	O
all	O
of	O
its	O
input-output	O
on	O
magnetic	O
tapes	O
and	O
the	O
1050	O
was	O
used	O
to	O
format	O
input	O
data	O
from	O
other	O
peripherals	O
(	O
e.g.	O
,	O
punched	B-Architecture
card	I-Architecture
readers	O
)	O
on	O
the	O
tapes	O
and	O
transfer	O
output	O
data	O
from	O
the	O
tapes	O
to	O
other	O
peripherals	O
(	O
e.g.	O
,	O
punched	B-Architecture
card	I-Architecture
punches	O
or	O
the	O
line	O
printer	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
most	O
significant	O
of	O
these	O
was	O
the	O
FASTRAND	B-Device
1	O
Drum	O
Storage	O
Unit	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
operator	O
's	O
console	O
had	O
the	O
'	O
stop	O
and	O
go	O
 '	O
buttons	O
and	O
a	O
Teletype	B-Application
Model	I-Application
33	I-Application
teleprinter	O
for	O
communication	O
and	O
control	O
.	O
</s>
