Struggling mightily to hand-design enough trusses, we suppliers aggressively pursued computer solutions. When mainframe hardware was introduced in the 1960s, our then-competitor, Gang Nail Systems, installed a Control Data “Cyber 70” in a customized, climate controlled computer room, while we opted for an affordable closet-sized IBM system. Truswal Systems selected an early Univac System. When the next generation of “mini” mainframes was launched in the 1970s, we purchased a Digital Equipment VAX 11/780, Truswal West bought a Data General machine, and Alpine installed a Prime 350 Computer System. Finally, when the Personal Computer was introduced in the 1980s, the landscape began a radical transformation; such that, by the late 1990s, no mainframe computer was cranking out truss designs. That’s when the industry focus shifted from hardware to software.
Computer hardware quickly became commoditized, and the operating system software became the focus. IBM’s OS/2, Sun’s Unix-based Systems, and (brand new) Microsoft’s Windows were the main contenders. We first “forced” our monolithic legacy programs onto the Unix or OS/2 PCs in emulation mode. But little design productivity was gained by running old software on new hardware. Then our new computer guru, David McQuinn, seized on the opportunity presented by the Graphical User Interface of Microsoft’s Windows’ architecture. Though that decision required a nearly total rewrite of our truss software, the product of that effort proved to be a game changer.