"Most famous "vaporware" computer: Xerox Alto."
Excuse me?
Exactly what part of the Alto was 'vaporware' (which implies to me a product,
which the Alto was never intended to be)
Well, another bee in my bonnet...
I'm experienting with an x86-based hobby robotics controller, but I'd like
to graft certain functionality onto old MSDOS (don't ask why), including a
ROM monitor, etc.
I remember that MS carried a special version of MSDOS for people who need to
modify the code for specific hardware. Certain portions of DOS are provided
as source and the rest as object code.
Does anyone have a copy of this?
Rich
[ Rich Cini/WUGNET
[ ClubWin!/CW1
[ MCP Windows 95/Windows Networking
[ Collector of "classic" computers
[ http://highgate.comm.sfu.ca/~rcini/classiccmp/
<---------------------------- reply separator
I have the chance to get thie following monitor...
> JVC color monitor display -measures 18" diagonally
> Model # GD-H422ous
> 120V 60HZA 2.3A
> Manufactured November, 1989 (older than we thought)
> Serial # 16460054
Fortunately, it's local (no shipping ;-), but the other geeks in my area
who know about it think it's CGA (I've never seen it, myself). Is there
a way to get JVC model numbers translated these days?
-ethan
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On Dec 25, 17:28, Tony Duell wrote:
> But that's not the calendar we all use. The 19th century ended on
> 31/12/1900, and the 20th centrury started on 01/01/1901. That's within
> living memory (just). Now, if you can honestly justify a century of 99
> years, I'd love to know how.
>
> Celebrate the year 2000 if you want. But don't call it the start of the
> next millennium.
The "official" line here is shown in the banner on the Royal Observatory
Greenwich's page, amongst other places:
"2000 is the Millennium Year. The New Millennium officially starts on 1
Jan 2001."
I guess that's official speak for "We have to go along with the
ignoramuses. However, we know they're wrong" :-)
--
Pete Peter Turnbull
Dept. of Computer Science
University of York
On Friday, December 24, 1999 1:54 PM, Chuck McManis
[SMTP:cmcmanis@mcmanis.com] wrote:
> Well if these guys expect to get $75 for the metal strip from the top of a
> front panel I don't think I can afford their actual front panels. I'm
> guessing they want between $600 and $1000 for them right?
I know that they've sold panels in the past for considerably less. However,
the price for any "collectable" is what the buyer and seller negotiate.
That's why you need to contact Data Sales for asking prices, and then decide
whether you want to make a counter-offer.
They've been listing prices and minimum bids in their eBay offerings.
However, you will note that few people are bidding on things, and Data Sales
has a lot of "headers", TCM's, etc.. On the other hand, Jim at Data Sales is
aware of the 360/50 control panel that sold on eBay for considerably more
than $500, so that may raise his idea of what his inventory is worth.
Note that I've very uncomfortable discussing prices like that for computer
equipment. My motivation for acquiring what I've got is emotion (affection,
nostalgia, respect for those 1960's engineers, etc.) and it feels icky
(technical psychology term) to put dollar values on that.
However, much of this stuff wouldn't exist if someone hadn't salvaged it,
transported it, warehoused it, etc. I think that those people are entitled
to reasonable compensation, and again, "reasonable" is defined by
negotiation between buyer and seller.
-- John
Tony Duell wrote:
In a message dated 12/25/1999 12:55:18 PM Eastern Standard Time,
ard(a)p850ug1.demon.co.uk writes:
> This whole millennium mistake is actually very worrying. It shows how
> easily the genneral public will accept false information without
> bothering to check it, even when it's easy to verify. One wonders how
> many other lies are doing the rounds.
You don't have to wonder any more -- there are hundreds of them. Usenet
groups are packed solid with the most outrageous (to an informed and logical
mind) proposals, especially in the fields of health and medicine. I was
recently forwarded an advert for a "cellular phone screen" to be worn over
the listening ear when talking over a cel phone. This item claims to "block
harmful electromagnetic radiation from entering the brain through the ear
canal." Too bad someone hasn't developed a device to block harmful garbage
>from entering the brain throught the same orifice ;>)
My own wife (poor dear) is convinced (due to "information" from the 'net)
that aspartame is actually more injurious to one's health than sugar and
causes everything from MS to epilepsy.
To check out a few of the more innocuous rumors and cuckoo-bird ideas go to
http://urbanlegends.miningco.com/culture/urbanlegends/library/blhoax.htm
Apologies to the group for the OT.
Glen Goodwin
0/0
--- Tony Duell <ard(a)p850ug1.demon.co.uk> wrote:
> > Now, for a question. I could go dig this info up myself but it'd take me
> > hours. Here, I'll bet someone knows off the top of his/her head. Are the
> > pinouts for the pdp8's KL8-JA serial board compatible enough with those of
> > the DL11-W, such that I might use the same cable for either?
>
> Should be OK. Or at least I use an ex-PDP11 (DL11-E or DL11-W) serial
> cable with the M7655 cards in my PDP8/e. The M7650 seems to use the same
> cable as well. As do some other DEC serial cards (DUP11?, for example).
My research confirms the above as well, for what it's worth.
(i.e., me, too)
-ethan
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--- Phil Clayton <musicman38(a)mindspring.com> wrote:
> >Does anyone out there have any pointers to internals information?
>
> You are in luck. I am a collector of old video games, and the RCA Studio II
> is by far my most favorite.
I've wanted one since I played with it at the local RatShack 21 years ago!
> What I thought what you may be interested in is that in 1978 I purchased
> plans on how to turn this game machine into a working fully programmable
> computer...
Yes!
> Let me know if you are interested, and I will attempt to scan the diagrams
> for you..
Please!
Muchas Gracias,
-ethan
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<The board itself resembles the Quest Elf in its layout style - lots of
<room and waves of curved, parallel traces. Outside of the RF cage are
If you look at the COSMAC VIP you will find a family resemblence that is
remarkable. It will help you greatly.
<The ROM carts use a .154"-spacing single-sided 22-pin connector, so RatShac
<has boards I can use to make my own.
Yep, so did the VIP. Consult that to confirm the pin out.
Allison
>Does anyone out there have any pointers to internals information? I'd love
>to pull the ROM and disassemble the code, but with no idea of which I/O
>port the video is on nor how the game controllers are interfaced, it makes
>reverse engineering the code more difficult (of course, knowing what the
code
>does can make reverse engineering the *hardware* much easier ;-)
You are in luck. I am a collector of old video games, and the RCA Studio II
is by far my most favorite. I have one in mint condition still in the
original box. Also another one that I have modified for various projects.
BTW: I have the schematics for the machine.
This machine has some very interesting history, and I have complied 20 pages
on it.
What I thought what you may be interested in is that in 1978 I purchased
plans on how to turn this game machine into a working fully programmable
computer, in 1802 machine/assembly language. The only thing required is to
burn an EPROM and mount it on a circuit board that plugs into the game slot
on the RCA.
Essentially you have a cartridge that you plug in and the machine becomes a
programmable computer almost exactly like the RCA Cosmac computer..
I have the complete diagrams and the instruction set for the EPROM you would
need to burn. Also the basic schematics for the game unit itself..
The fact that the RCA Studio II has 2 keypads it makes it easy to type in
your program and display the results on your television.. I modified mine
the use a composite video monitor for better resolution..
Let me know if you are interested, and I will attempt to scan the diagrams
for you..
Phil..
