Workplace History
Beginning of ICT – 1.7.1974
The Institute of Computer Technology of the Technical College (ICT TC) was established by merging the FM TC Department of Production Process Management and the Computing Center of the FEE TC Department of Physics as a university-wide TC department providing computer technology services for students and employees. The technological and administrative premises of the established ICT were located in the Park Komenského 6 and 8 buildings.
The first computer was the M6000 control minicomputer (manufactured in the USSR), later the EC 1021 and EC 1033 mainframe computers and the first SMEP minicomputers were put into operation. Mainframes needed large air-conditioned rooms. The carriers of data and programs were paper punched tapes, punched cards, magnetic tapes and disk cartridges with capacities of several to tens of megabytes. Work was in two to three shifts, usually in batch mode. To work in interactive mode, employees and students had to order machine time and often spent evenings and nights at the ICT computer. There were no computer networks, no e-mail. The contact between ICT staff and users of computer technology was more personal than it is today.
In 1987 the new ICT building at Němcovej 3 was put into operation where ICT is located to date. The operation of large mainframe computers (2 x EC 1045) and SMEP minicomputers (SM4/20, CM1420, SM5212, ...) was concentrated here. The new building was also equipped with a large terminal room (EC and SMEP terminals) for users because at that time no computer or terminal networks had yet been built at TC.
1990 Was a Year of Change
In 1990 pedagogical and research staff were separated from ICT to the TC Mining Faculty (currently the TU Faculty of MEPCG) where many of them still work as teachers. Operational staff and a small part of researchers remained at ICT.
The period after 1990 was not only a period of serious social change but also a period of significant technological change. It was a period of massive rise in the use of personal computers, computer networks and the gradual internetization and informatization of society.
People Come and Go
Since 1974 ICT has had more than 400 employees. At the beginning the Institute had less than 20 employees. At the end of the eighties when the Institute was a joint workplace with SAS institutes in Košice up to 130 people worked at the Institute.
The Institute covered a wide range of activities from operational, pedagogical to scientific research. Among the most important were:
- creation of control systems for industrial robots,
- design and implementation of control systems for the control of metallurgical technologies,
- payroll and personnel agenda processing,
- design and implementation of the first loan systems for the University Library,
- support for mass teaching of the basics of programming at TC.
Many experienced employees left ICT for companies and enterprises or set up their own companies.
At present 39 employees work at the Institute providing ICT services for TUKE.
ICT Directors
1974 – 1990 prof. Ing. Imrich Koštial, CSc.
1990 – 1993 Ing. Alexander Sidár
1993 – 1997 Ing. Ján Šandrej
1997 – 2008 prof. Ing. Ján Sarnovský, CSc.
since 2009 – Doc. Ing. Martin Chovanec, PhD.