test-drb June 1998

test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

158 participants
941 discussions

by roblwill＠usaor.net

Hello everybody. I was wondering if anyone out there had an old Mac Portable (the Mac laptop) that they'd want to sell. I really don't want to pay all that much for it, and I don't need anything all that fast (I don't know all that much about Macs), but it needs to run at least System 6.0.5. The main reason that I'm looking for one, is that my school uses mainly Macs (the only PC's that they have are a few XT's that you need to turn off the lights to read the monitors), and I don't have a Mac. Whenever I'm working on a project, I'm confined to the 40 minutes of classtime to get it done. I'm not looking for a full-sized Mac, because (1) I don't have the room, and (2), I sort of need the portability, because It's not very often that I'm at home before 8:30 or 9:00 PM, and at that time I don't really feel like working on stuff for school. All I'm really asking is that it works, and can run System 6.0.5 (that's what my school uses). As always, ThAnX in advance, -- -Jason (roblwill(a)usaor.net) ICQ#-1730318

25 years, 8 months

FW: Dos v2.11 apology

by roblwill＠usaor.net

Oh, well, thinks like that do happen, and there's not much you can do about it. I use MS-MAIL, and a lot of times, I don't even GET some of the messages :-( I hate it, but it's all my computer will run. It seems like every reader has it's problems. -- -Jason (roblwill(a)usaor.net) ICQ#-1730318 ---------- > From: cdrmool(a)interlog.com > To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers <classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu> > Subject: Re: FW: Dos v2.11 apology > Date: Wednesday, August 12, 1998 5:03 AM > > > Sorry for the empty message back a bit. I understand some people were > annoyed. Let me explain for those who don't use Pine as a mail reader. > The cancel command ctrl-c and cancel ctrl-x are easy to mix up. Its about > as annoying as when using Telix and wanting to shell out (alt-j) and > accidentally hang up (alt-h). Yes, you are prompted to make sure you want to > send after ctrl-x but if your not expecting it, simply expecting to > cancel, hitting the return is done before the prompt is even seen. Also, > being a reasonably fast typist leads to mistakes of overconfidence in what > has been typed. Remappimg the keyboard would be the obvious answer but > after once doing so I caused new problems, so I don't bother. > I promise it will never happen again. > > Colan >

25 years, 8 months

FW: Dos v2.11 apology

by roblwill＠usaor.net

> I can personally guarantee that that isn't the only mailer/reader your > computer will run. Or I will shit in my hat and wear it backwards for a > month. (If your school/job/ISP has made a decision not to allow to use > anything better, it doesn't mean your computer can't do it). > > well , it WILL run other readers, but they won't fit. I have a Cyrix P200+ w/80 MB RAM, and I had a 425 MB HD with 100 free MB, until lightning hit. Now I'm stuck with a 100MB drive with 5MB free. MS-mail came with IE3.2, which was already on the 100MB drive, along with Win '95. I normally use Outlook Express, with IE4.0, but they just won't fit on this drive :-( -- -Jason (roblwill(a)usaor.net) ICQ#-1730318

25 years, 8 months

FW: Dos v2.11

by roblwill＠usaor.net

> Some 70 text lines for a 4 word response, that was already commented on > in this thread. > Now don't you think that's a little much ! > > Larry (in indignant mode) > lwalker(a)interlog.com Well, I guess it's better than whoever used 0 text lines for a 0 line response. At least with the 70 lines, you know what they're talking about. With 0 text lines, and no response, your guess is as good as mine for what they meant :-) -- -Jason (roblwill(a)usaor.net) ICQ#-1730318

25 years, 8 months

EMS/XMS memory driver needed

by roblwill＠usaor.net

If anyone has that driver could they send it to me, too? I have a Tandy 1000TL 286 XT w/768K RAM, and no way to access it. Maybe the driver will work in it, too. Maybe it won't - but it's worth a shot :-) -- -Jason (roblwill(a)usaor.net) ICQ#-1730318 ---------- > From: Russ Blakeman <rhblake(a)bbtel.com> > To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers <classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu> > Subject: EMS/XMS memory driver needed > Date: Sunday, August 09, 1998 9:21 PM > > Someone I know has just acquired a motherboard, XT type aftermarket, > with 768k onboard ram. I'm fairly sure the system is going to need a > special driver to access the memory over DOS's 640k. Anyone have such an > animal and can attach it to email or know of a commercial program that > will handle the job? > > -------------------------------------------------------------------- > Russ Blakeman > RB Custom Services / Rt. 1 Box 62E / Harned, KY USA 40144 > Phone: (502) 756-1749 Data/Fax:(502) 756-6991 > Email: rhblake(a)bbtel.com or rhblake(a)bigfoot.com > Website: http://members.tripod.com/~RHBLAKE/ > ICQ UIN #1714857 > AOL Instant Messenger "RHBLAKEMAN" > * Parts/Service/Upgrades and more for MOST Computers* > -------------------------------------------------------------------- > >

25 years, 8 months

More books for the library

by chrish＠knet.kootenay.net

Sam: could you please tell me what isbn number and the publisher was on the "Computer power for small business" book though I could try and track it down in some used book syores around here. thanx Chris At 10:25 AM 06/02/98 -0800, you wrote: > >I added another 37 volumes to my vintage computer library yesterday. > >By far the most valuable from a historical standpoint is the book >_Computer Power for the Small Business_ from 1979. It is a buyer's guide >for microcomputers of the mid- to late -0's era. Talk about a treasure. >This book has pictures and decriptions of many computers I've never even >heard of. > >It contains information on systems we know much of, such as the Atari's, >Apple, PETs, Radio Shack, etc. But it also has blurbs on systems that >I've not seen mentioned anywhere else (at least not in a way that is >looking back on these systems with a historical perspective) like the RCA >Cosmac VIP, the Sol-20, Exidy Sorcerer, Heathkit H-8 and H-11, Intecolor >8031. > >The best part is the descriptions of systems I've never knew about before. >Has anyone ever heard of an Outpost computer? Its a fully integrated >package with keyboard, display and 5.25" drive, but its almost three feet >wide, with the two 5.25" drive bays to the side of the display! How about >the PeCos One from APF Electronics. I have a pong machine made by APF but >who would've thought they once made computers? How about The Renaissance >Machine (aka Compucolor II)? There's also mention of the Teal SHC-8000, >which is sort of like a pet with display, keyboard and cassette player in >one unit. > >It then has a listing with about 40 different system descriptions, >including CPU, memory, external storage, input (ie. keyboard, lightpen), >output (ie. display, printer) and basic cost. There's also the company >address which is extremely valuable for research. > >Here's an interesting tidbit. Apparently Data General made a line of >computers dubbed "The Digital Group". According to this entry in the >table, they were systems based on the Z-80, 8080A, 9080A, 6800 and 6502 >processors; they had 2K of main memory; they used cassettes for storage. >Can anyone verify this? > >I also got another similar book entitled _The Peter McWilliams Personal >Computer Buying Guide_ circa 1985. I haven't had a chance to go through >it in much detail but it is basically more nice descriptions of early- to >mid-80's computers, again some of which I've never heard of. I'll do a >review later. > >In my travels I also picked up a Victor 800 electric adding machine. I >don't collect adding machines and only rare grab them for specific >reasons. In this case, this is the same Victor as the Victor 9000 >computer. I knew right away because the 'o' in the "Victor" emblem was >that striped-circle that is telling of a Victor product (plus it had a >Scott's Valley, CA address on the back). > >Sam Alternate e-mail: dastar(a)siconic.com >------------------------------------------------------------------------------- >Computer Historian, Programmer, Musician, Philosopher, Athlete, Writer, Jackass > > Coming Soon...Vintage Computer Festival 2.0 > See http://www.siconic.com/vcf for details! > > >

25 years, 9 months

Wang Thang

by blindpete＠stratos.net

The m I think if I remember it rite takes the user in to wang's ver of msdos, The way to get back in, hmm might have been EXIT. the one I had had a ten meg winchester hard drive, that was some drive, I think it was made of cast iron well, the case at any rate. It also had a glass like cover ocovering up the iners of the harddrive. The two 5.52 flopys wore 180 K and conected to the mother board. It does slide out of the sleeve quite nicely, the two cards that are conected togather are lan and mem ory combination, I think, when I removed them I had less memory. I found out why it wouldn't boot, it was a pin on the c p u didn't make it in the hole, when some one tryed to plug it in, straitening the pin cracked it off, ****! I thought about it for some time and used a peese of coper wire to fix it, first I incerted the wire into the hole whear the broken pin would have been once the chip was pluged in, I don't remember how I was able to locate the hole, I don't have to tell you how tiny they are, the chip still had a bit id the broken pin sticking out of the side of it, not enough to solder , but enough to make a tite contact whith the coper wire, after the chip was plugged back in I trimed itso it didn't stick up a half inchbut just a little over the top of the chip. It worked! I can't remember if it booted in a wordprosesser or a menu, I think it was a word prosessor. I seem to remember some thing funy about the program was you couldn't quit it , it would not let you I think it just rebooted, unless you had a flopy in drive A:. The not so funy thing about the monotor is the power and data cords coming out of it both had the same plug on the end of them, and pluging the data plug in to the power socket on the vidio card was a hasard. Since they wore bothe the same kind of plug I tied a twist tie around the power plug just to let me know whitch was whitch, just incase I got the ich to use the monoter when I was writting stuff in the word prosesser. Oh well, It was still is a great machine albeit huge! Pete Net-Tamer V 1.11 - Registered

25 years, 9 months

Wang Thang

by ds_spenc＠alcor.concordia.ca

I finally went back to check on that "Wang PC-002" I asked about earlier. It was a bit more scratched up, but it hadn't moved an inch in the past two and a half(?) weeks. I managed to locate its keyboard, as well as the keyboard for an aparently keyboardless Tandy 1000TX that was in another part of the building, so I decided to drag the Wang machine home. NOT an easy job. It was about a mile to the nearest subway station, with lots of broken escalators up and down once I got into the system. And I was carrying a large book bag full of stuff I have to look over for work. By the time the bus dropped me off near home, we were in the middle of a thunder storm. So I left the computer on top of someone's gate post (wide brick thing with flat cement top) under some trees near the bus stop, and made a run for home (about a half-mile). I went back with the car as soon as I got home. Anyway, it sure is a curious beast. And HUGE, to my eyes. It's not quite as big as I reported before, but it's BIG. The closest offhand and possibly innacurate comparison I could make is to a friend's MicroVax, but I don't know what kind of MicroVax that is. If I sit it vertically (a position the box looks very comfortable in), it measures about 15" high, by 6.5" wide, by 23" long. It has two floppy drives mounted in the front: one half-height 5.25" drive, and one full-hieght 5.25" drive. In the back, I can see the backs of various cards. One of them has the connector for the keyboard (4-pin DIN) as well as one serial and one parallel port, so it must be the motherboard. Beside that (or above, depending on orientation) is a board with a sticker reading "PM032-B 512K Memory Expansion". Next to that, is what appears to be an empty slot, and then there is what appears to be some kind of networking card. It has two coaxial cable connectors and a toggle switch. There is another card beside (or above) that, with no ports or labels, but I can see chips through the air holes. Beside (or above) the mystery card is a board with a label reading "PM101 IBM Mono Emulation". It has an 8-pin DIN connector and a 5-pin DIN connector, which I would guess are for monitor and PC keyboard(?). Does anyone know the pinouts of the various ports, or anything else about this machine? Will it read PC disks or do I need to boot it up with some wacky Wang-format disk? Does the machine require some kind of terminal, or will a monitor connect into the back of the IBM Emulation board and let me see what's going on? The sticker on the side (top) of the machine says it's a PC-002, but the sticker on the back says it's a PC-P002. The keyboard has a lot of word processing functions on it. Anyway, I haven't opened it up yet, or done anything with it but look at it. Disassembly looks like it might be difficult, because I have to slip the innards through the full length metal sleeve. I won't be up to that until my arms recover. I've even got bruises and some kind of blood blisters or something, from carrying that thing. :/ I probably won't have time to play with it today as I promised to install NetBSD 1.3.2 and some UNIX software on my Amiga 3000 instead of coming to work. (And look at the time. :) ) Doug Spence ds_spenc(a)alcor.concordia.ca http://alcor.concordia.ca/~ds_spenc/

25 years, 9 months

old AOL disks

by jfoust＠threedee.com

At 05:15 PM 6/29/98 -0700, Sam Ismail wrote: >> >> > Didn't AOL get its start by being bundled with PC-GEOS? > >As far as I know, AOL used to be called AppleLink, which was an Apple >online service. I don't remember if it mutated into AOL, but there once was a service called QuantumLink that sold branded network services such as AppleLink and AmigaLink and probably a few more "Links". - John

25 years, 9 months

OS's In ROM's (was: Re: Mac Classic prob (was Macintoshes..

by tomowad＠earthlink.net

>Apart from the ST, which has already been mentioned : >BBC Micro, Acorn Archimedes, many older portables (Tandy 100, HP110, HP71 >and HP75 (almost), EPSON PX4 and PX8), there was a model of the Tandy >1000 with MS-DOS in ROM, one of the Torch machines had a CP/M a-like in >ROM, HP IPC, Tandy CoCo + disk controller (maybe this only counts as >Basic in ROM), and plenty more that I've forgotten about I belive Apple's Newtons have the OSes in ROM. They certainly do boot quickly and a chip swap is need to upgrade the OS. Tom Owad Sysop of Caesarville Online Client software at: <http://home.earthlink.net/~tomowad/>

25 years, 9 months

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test-drb June 1998