test-drb June 1998

test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

158 participants
941 discussions

by jeff.kaneko＠ifrsys.com

<Stuff about Convergent Heavy Iron SNIPPED> > Convergent Technologies of San Jose California built a number of Unix > and other platforms, most of which were OEMed by other companies -- > NCR, Burroughs, Sperry, AT&T are the most prevalent. A few years > after Burroughs and Sperry merged into Unisys, they bought Convergent, > so I'm an ex-Unisys person since I got there a year later. Anything > you find running CTOS or CTIX is a Convergent box -- the AT&T Unix PC ^^^^^^^^^^ > ran CTIX, though the name didn't show up on screen. Convergent's ^^^^ OKay, so what happened to the source for CTIX? Did it vanish? Who does it belong to? WHo do you think I belongs to? Just Curious-- Jeff > 68xxx systems included the Miniframe and the Megaframe that later > evolved into the Convergent S-Series and the Unisys 5000 series. > (When I was there I got stuck on the damned U/6000 series, with > bloody Intel CPUs and ISA buses). > -- > Ward Griffiths > They say that politics makes strange bedfellows. > Of course, the main reason they cuddle up is to screw somebody else. > Michael Flynn, _Rogue Star_ > > >

26 years, 6 months

Preservation into Eternity (was: IMSAI 8080)

by allisonp＠world.std.com

<Just make sure it's Teflon, or Tyvek based paper (if such things <exist), using some very high-tech ink/toner most modern papers (that <I know of) have a finite shelf-life. Now papryrus-- that's rugged! <S.L. = Several millenia Not a big thing, use a low acid archival paper intended for that use. Also the printing should be done using an impact technology, it puts the ink deeper into the fibers. Ink jet would be good save for the ink stability is unknown, I'd suspect it's good though. Toners are wax resin based and while storage life is good it's not great. Allison

26 years, 6 months

Not really on-topic haiku

by dastar＠ncal.verio.com

A Win95 Haiku Yesterday, it worked Today it is not working Windows is like that (found in the local newspaper :) Sam Alternate e-mail: dastar(a)siconic.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ever onward. September 26 & 27...Vintage Computer Festival 2 See http://www.siconic.com/vcf for details! [Last web page update: 06/11/98]

26 years, 6 months

LCD DIsplay for Allison

by allisonp＠world.std.com

<From: Robert Kirk Scott <scottk5(a)ibm.net> <Don't know if this will work for you, but I knew I had seen something <like it somewhere....took a while to track it down. On page 2 of their <online catalog, BGMicro (www.bgmicro.com) has a LM 211 by Hitachi: <480x64 dot pixel display, comes with drivers but no controller, +5v and <-9v supply recommended supply voltages, part no. LCD1008, cost...$3.50. Close but no cookie... the DELL mono/VGA (640x480) LCD came from BG also. The lm211 display is very nice but we're talking 40charx8 and I want 80x24 minimum, Graphics not needed. Allison

26 years, 6 months

Not really on-topic haiku

by SUPRDAVE＠aol.com

In a message dated 98-06-23 22:09:20 EDT, you write: << A Win95 Haiku Yesterday, it worked Today it is not working Windows is like that (found in the local newspaper :) >> lol. i have a bunch more. message me privately if you want em. david

26 years, 6 months

Preservation into Eternity (was: IMSAI 8080)

by allisonp＠world.std.com

<Sorry, I guess it would degrade, wouldn't it... <Why DO EPROMs go bad? Eprom technology relies on a stored electrostatic charge. The gate structure it uses as a capacitor is insulated with (SIO2) glass so its very high resistance but over time it can absorb mosture and the charge can leak off. UV accelerates that as do xrays and cosmic rays. The Xrays, this I know from erasing OTPs back when. I hadd help from a site were they were using industrial xray hardware on pipes. They thought I was nuts until I explaned that the parts were then worth about 25$ a peice and I have maybe 100 with me. The problem with OTPs is they are plastic and are not hermetic. The best for storage are the two slabs of ceramic types with kovar header or IBMs titainium/ceramic package. Allison

26 years, 6 months

MacWorks has old mac systems for more or less free... *shrug*

by poesie＠geocities.com

http://www.macworks.com/html/computers.html have old systems for "free", although there is a $25 handling 'fee' to make sure everything is inside. and if you're not in the kansas city area, there's 25 for shipping too. so they're not free, but i thought i'd just mention it if anyone for some strange reason is interested. -Eric

26 years, 6 months

Macintosh II (lisa???)

by poesie＠geocities.com

Not a mac collector, or user, but I spotted a box at a computer salvage place today that said "Macintosh II", big long box... about 2.5 feet wide, about 1.5 deep, about 6" high? had one 3.5 floppy slot on the right hand side and what appeared to be another slot next to it, but it was filled in. do not know if this was one of those remarketed Lisa's or if it is just another old mac. regardless, if it is anything, the store is www.dexis.com (they have a back area full of junk- mainframes, minis, racks, tons of old and quite cool stuff). let me know if it is anything interesting, i will be happy to go pick it up for somebody. -Eric

26 years, 6 months

Quarter classics (was: Big Iron Was:RE: Backwate

by maxeskin＠hotmail.com

Incidentally, I spent a lot of time today in the Boston Science Museum. They have some old models, even a functional steam engine, but also a lot of hands on junk. Although kids do enjoy touching things and often regard untouchable museums as boring, there is the issue of the usefullness of the things, and even the issue of what knowledge we are propagating to the children. Many of the exhibits were broken. The robots exhibit had an arm shooting hoops. The worst it got was with the model of the NASA Dante II robot. It was hands-on, all right: press the up button to move a leg up, and the down button to move it down. Just one leg. BTW, they had an early Amiga in one kiosk. At any rate, I was kinda bored with so much floor space taken up by junk. In the Computer Museum, there was a very interesting application of hands-on. They had a part of a Whirlwind, with both the wire and tube sides of a panel exposed (behind glass, of course). The tubes were on, and you could actually feel how warm they got. Then there was an English->Punched card translator...Now those are good. >What I am moaning about is the 'hands-on' experiments using equipment >that would be found in most homes (or could, at least be bought >cheaply). It doesn't cost much to buy a battery and a bulb and test >objects to see if they conduct. It doesn't cost much to buy a bucket, >fill it with water and see what floats. Those are things that can >easily be done at home. Let's have things that can't be done at home >easily (demonstration engines, clock escapements, etc). ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com

26 years, 6 months

Quarter classics (was: Big Iron Was:RE: Backwate

by maxeskin＠hotmail.com

How about a system like in recent software: 'levels'. That is, the exhibits are arranged in such a way that someone doesn't HAVE to pay attention to any details, but they are there. I can't tell you how annoying it is to walk through a museum and not have any idea what the exhibits are talking about. >I don't think museums should necessarily cater to the lowest common >denominator. I realize they derive much needed revenue from public >visitors and don't want to turn the dummies off, but they shouldn't >insult the rest of us. >> Question: Do many of you actively encourage folks (at least those >>you know or trust!) to visit you and your private collection who are >>not collectors/historians like us? If so, do you have fun teaching >>them a little about old computing (or old radios, automobiles, >>clocks or whatever your interest in addition to computers)? I don't think the average person is interested in computer history. Computers are not visibly works of art, like old radios. Most people have no nostalgic memories of them except logging in to the mainframe to update some numbers at work, or the 'do not bend...' cards. When an average person sees an old computer, they don't say, 'remember when...' or 'whoa, look at that disk architecture', they say,'are you crazy? What are you bothering with this piece of **** for?'. And most modern comuterheads are Wintel drones who don't see the meaning of a computer without Windows (ironically, Mac users are much more aware of their hardware). ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com

26 years, 6 months

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test-drb June 1998