SAGE/Talk

Actually, SAGE was a centralized, automated air defense system developed by the U.S. in the 1950s to counter a perceived (but largely imaginary) Soviet strategic bombing threat. The BOMARC antiaircraft missile was only one of the weapons systems included in the SAGE system.

By the time it was fully operational the Soviet bomber threat had been replaced by the Soviet missile threat, for which SAGE was entirely inadequate. Nevertheless, SAGE was tremendously important; it had an immense influence on the development of interactive computing, computer networking, and computer hardware and software.

IBM's role in SAGE was the design and manufacture of the AN/FSQ-7 computer, a vacuum tube computer with ferrite core memory based on the Whirlwind?. This experience was an important factor leading to IBM's domination of the computer industry.