test-drb September 1999

test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

160 participants
610 discussions

Hello, Tony Duell (was Re: Best CP/M machine?)

by Glenatacme＠aol.com

Tony: You recently posted a message which only contained the text from my original inquiry -- an editing error, perhaps? If so how about resending your reply? Glen 0/0

25 years, 3 months

Best CP/M machine?

by ethan_dicks＠yahoo.com

--- Don Maslin <donm(a)cts.com> wrote: > On Thu, 2 Sep 1999, Ethan Dicks wrote: > > If memory serves, if you need to change the boot ROM to use DSDD, you need > also to make some mods to the motherboard. If, on the other hand, your > machine has a ROM of 81-232 or higher you then need only install the > drives and get a DSDD system disk appropriate to the ROM. That is exactly the version of ROM I have. -ethan === Infinet has been sold. The domain is going away. Please send all replies to erd(a)iname.com __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Bid and sell for free at http://auctions.yahoo.com

25 years, 3 months

Best CP/M machine?

by Glenatacme＠aol.com

Hello all: I hope this is "classic" enough . . . Though I've been involved with and have earned my keep with desktop microcomputers for a period covering almost twenty years, I was in another field during the time when CP/M was popular. I'd like to add a CP/M based machine to my collection but as with all of my old computers I want to have a system I can use for at least one business-related application. This helps make my collection tax-deductable as a business expense ;>) BTW, I don't mind writing my own code. What was the best CP/M based machine for business? Are applications and utilities still obtainable? What about development tools and documentation? Your opinions, please. Thanks, Glen Goodwin 0/0

25 years, 3 months

non-binary computers?

by morrison＠t-iii.com

My favorite was the IBM (model forgotten) which had a bolt on division unit <G> Neil Morrison > -----Original Message----- > From: ss(a)allegro.com [SMTP:ss@allegro.com] > Sent: Thursday, September 02, 1999 3:19 PM > To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers > Subject: Re: non-binary computers? > > Re: > > A number of early small computers were non-binary. One that comes [Neil Morrison] .. > table lookup. > Was that the CADET? (Can't Add, Doesn't Even Try) > > > The tables were stored in memory, so you could change how the operations > worked! > > A colleague of mine, Fred White, tells stories about changing that table > for > some scientific routines, and then restoring it at subroutine exit. > > sieler(a)allegro.com

25 years, 3 months

Speaking of 11/73s

by danburrows＠mindspring.com

>smarts to use this, or is it a wholly-hardware-incarnated thing? I notice >my '73 lagging a bit on memory-intensive stuff. > I'm curious about that too. Does anyone know if the 11/53 cpu board supports >PMI as well? > > -Dave McGuire Sorry no such luck an the 11/53 that I am aware of. To install PMI with an 83 the memory goes first on the bus then the CPU. For Qbus systems you need the MSV11-JD or JE. You can't use the MSV11-JB or JC. They can only be used on 11/84 machines. Dan

25 years, 3 months

Best CP/M machine?

by donm＠cts.com

On Thu, 2 Sep 1999, Ethan Dicks wrote: > > > --- Phil Clayton <musicman38(a)mindspring.com> wrote: > > > I would cast my vote for the Kaypro I have one in my office that runs with a > > nice continous demo program that I wrote in BASIC... > > Care to share your demo? I've got a Kaypro 2 I picked up at the last Dayton > Hamfest (and a spare Tandon TM-100-2 double-sided drive to perhaps upgrade > with, should I care to plunk down the cash for a new boot ROM that supports > double-sided disks). > > -ethan If memory serves, if you need to change the boot ROM to use DSDD, you need also to make some mods to the motherboard. If, on the other hand, your machine has a ROM of 81-232 or higher you then need only install the drives and get a DSDD system disk appropriate to the ROM. - don

25 years, 3 months

non-binary computers?

by jlwest＠tseinc.com

I never heard of octal based systems, but I know a lot of work was done on trinary computers (3 rather than binary 2 states - on, off, and inbetween). Everything I heard said they were too expensive, etc.... Try searching the web under "trinary computer"? Jay West

25 years, 3 months

2BSD on PDP-11 (was Re: Speaking of CP/M... (Re: Best CP/M machine?))

by ethan_dicks＠yahoo.com

--- Jeffrey l Kaneko <jeff.kaneko(a)juno.com> wrote: > Jake: > > On Thu, 2 Sep 1999 01:31:26 -0400 (EDT) Jacob Ritorto <jritorto(a)nut.net> > writes: > > > PS. I'm still M$ free, BTW, but I sold out about three years ago and > > now use commodity hardware w/FreeBSD in addition to my pdp11s running > > 2BSD > > You've aroused my interest with this. You run *BSD in a PDP-11? WHich > model PDP do you have that does this? Five years ago I was running 2.9BSD on an *emulated* PDP-11 on my SPARC1. I would refer you to the BSD web pages for a hardware compatibility list, but for smaller PDP's (11/24, 11/34, etc.), they can run 2.9BSD. Things like MSCP (SCSI, SDI, etc.) weren't added until later versions of 2BSD, but to run _them_, you need an 11/44 or 11/73 or the like. > I have a lead on an 11/73 I can probably get for next to nothing (with a SCSI > HD controller!). Go join PUPS (The PDP-11 UNIX Preservation Society). You can get a $100 license for 2BSD and then go get 2.11BSD for your 11/73. -ethan === Infinet has been sold. The domain is going away. Please send all replies to erd(a)iname.com __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Bid and sell for free at http://auctions.yahoo.com

25 years, 3 months

Monitor tilt - return it?

by Innfogra＠aol.com

If the image is square but just tilted then the fix is usually easy. The yoke is twisted on the neck of the CRT. Take the back off the case. Locate and loosen the locking screw, normally only one. Rotate the yoke to correct the tilt. Be very careful, many loose high voltages. I like putting a mirror in front of the screen so I can see where I put my hands. Good luck. Paxton

25 years, 3 months

Murphy's law is in full effect...

by DSEAGRAV＠toad.xkl.com

Well, plugging the Unibus end of the DW11 into the Q-bus didn't kill it, but plugging it into a Unibus slot BACKWARDS did. (What is it with me and absolutely stupid mistakes? Geez...) At least I think it did. On applying power, I got smoke, but no pop. The chip I crisped isn't marked with a U number, but, on the M8217 end, it's in the bottom row (Just above the bus pins), 4th from the left edge of the card (I'm holding the card with the component side facing me.) The chip has a bad smell and is slightly discolored. All the others look OK. The chip was also very hot when I cut the power and yanked the card out. I was too busy trying to keep the cat from climbing inside the box to pay attention to the card. Next time I shut the door. Assuming there IS a next time. If I can't revive this card, or find a Unibus RL02 controller in 4 days, this project dies. (I can't have the large toys here after Friday. I can only have what fits under my bed, which is the 83 and it's RL02. So anyway, the chip is marked as follows: 915 DS8641N There is no vendor ID, just a little mark like 2 lightning bolts in paralell (Like a jagged = sign). So, the questions now are... 1. What's this chip, and what does it do? 2. Can I replace it, or am I just screwed? 3. Is there a way that with only a voltmeter (I don't have and can't afford a scope) to verify that the chip's dead? (I'm overly optimistic too...) 4. What stupid mistake am I gonna make next? My bets are that the tape drive will be dead for some reason and I stomp on the RSTS tape, or get halfway thru the restore, hit a bad block on the tape, and end up with an unusable drive. Failing that, I'll either crash the RL02 (I only have one pack) or find a way to nuke the 83 and the 34A at the same time. (For refrence, I went and got a PDP-11/34A to use as the UNIBUS end of this.) And yes, I know I misspelled parallel, I'm just too lazy to fix it. -------

25 years, 3 months

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test-drb September 1999