Hong Kong Computer Society - enterpriseinnovation.net

Cover story contents:
16 HKCS: 40 years of Hong Kong IT
20 Hong Kong high tech in the 60s and
70s
24 IT paves way to the top
28 IT—Black box mystique
40th anniversary
of the HKCS
From “EDP” to “ICT”: four decades of tech excellence
By Stefan Hammond
It’s a year for major anniversaries
and the Hong Kong Computer Society
turns 40 this year. As most of us
here at CWHK don’t have four decades
of experience in IT (or “EDP: Electronic
Data Processing” as it was known back
then), we asked some of the tech experts
here in Hong Kong during those formative
days.
“The first computer for commercial
use in Hong Kong came into use in
1965,” said Daniel Lai, head of information
technology for the MTRC. “It was
a NCR 315 installed by China Light and
Power for its billing and accounting services.”
“Before then,” said Lai, “only accounting/ledger
machines or ‘tabulators’
were used by some banks, government
departments and utilities companies;
30 ICT Awards: elevating industry and
individuals
32 Elevating IT’s professional status
36 In pictures: 40 years of IT
38 Nobel winner: Charles Kao
and analogue computers were used by
universities in research. Only a few
computer companies were in business in
Hong Kong: IBM, NCR and ICT (later
changed to ICL and acquired by Fujitsu).”
Early adopters: banks
“The second commercial computer
was installed at NCR’s headquarters in
King’s Road North Point: it was a system
to serve as backup for CLP’s system
and to serve as a commercial computer
service bureau,” said Lai. “In 1967, it
was a competition between two banks
(Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking
Corporation—now HSBC and Chartered
Bank—now Standard Chartered) to install
the first online Banking Computer
System in Hong Kong, HK Bank system
HKCS: 40 years
was based on IBM 360 while Chartered
Bank was a NCR 315.”
“Around 1965-66, the Education Department
installed an ICT system with
optical mark recognition capability
to mark examination papers for Hong
Kong School Certificate Examination,
and to process and print certificates, and
the government’s Treasury Department
also installed a system for accounting
services. In 1968, Hong Kong Electric
installed an ICL system 1901 (again
with optical mark recognition) for meter
reading, billing and accounting. Government
and Hong Kong Telephone Company
(now PCCW) also installed ICL
systems.”
Anthony FM Conway, longtime Hong
Kong tech-veteran and currently chairman
of both I.Tel Holdings and the
Hong Kong Management Association IT
Management Committee, says he sold
that first NCR machine to CLP. Conway
also worked for COL, which set up shop
in Hong Kong in 1972.
Early days: expats and
mainframes
The employee-mix was different in
those early days, according to John
Strickland, current chairman of Cyberport
and former chairman of HSBC
(Asia). “Industry peers in Hong Kong
in the 60s and 70s were expats,” said
Strickland. “The workers, data processors
were mainly locals but senior EDP
staff and managers were often expats.”
Strickland pointed out while the early
EDP experts “were highly influential in
the development of IT in Hong Kong at
the time, very few were Chinese. Robert
Tih at Standard Chartered and Stephen
Lau in the Government were some of the
few…it was only in the 90s that we saw
more Chinese people in senior roles.”
“In the late 60s, there were no PCs,
only mainframes,” said Lai. “Programming
was done with pencil and ‘pro-
16 Computerworld Hong Kong Nov 2009 www.cw.com.hk