An Interview with Börje Langefors

Abstract

This interview with professor emeritus Borje Langefors {BL) was carried out by his two former co-workers Ingemar Dahlstrand^ {ID) and Janis Bubenko^ {JB), JB\ Here we are, the three of us: Borje Langefors, Ingemar Dahlstrand and me, Janis Bubenko, and we are going to talk about Borje's historical times and memories. Let us start out with the question: How did you actually get into computing? BL\ I was working at the NAF^ industries where my boss and I developed a machine for dynamic balancing of cardan-shafts. We integrated an analog device into the machine, which gave the necessary correction indications. JB\ When was that? BL\ That was in 1944, because that cardan-shaft was going into the Volvo PV 444 car. After that, I was transferred to NAF-Linkoping. In Linkoping, I became acquainted with Torkel Rand, who recruited me for the SAAB aircraft company (in 1949). There I was to work with analog devices for stress calculations for wings. Rand had done one-dimensional analyses, which worked reasonably well for straight wings at right angles to the plane's body. However, when we got into arrow wings and delta wings, we had to analyze in three dimensions, and that was Formerly manager of the Lund University computing centre. Developed Sweden's first Algol compiler in 1961. difficult with analog technique. I knew then about the writings of Gabriel Kron, e.g. his Potential Analysis, and had corresponded with him; also, he had published analog networks simulating framed structures. To these I could add elements corresponding to the wing's shell structure. After that, I wanted to leave analogue devices and switch to digital computation. But this called for enormous capacity, it was on a much larger scale than we had imagined. JB: Did you know about computers then?