test-drb March 2002

test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

292 participants
932 discussions

by pete＠dunnington.u-net.com

On Feb 28, 11:04, Andreas Freiherr wrote: > Pete, > > understand or agree with all you say. Except: > > > > Yes. But this is neither a typo nor a printing error. If you read four > > > blocks of 200(8) _words_ each, starting at zero, you fill exactly > > > 2000(8) _bytes_, and the next free location is 2000(8). As you state, > > > the printed version is prepared for conversion to single density (by > > > clearing the 400 bit in locations 2036 and 2072, right?) by reading in > > > four blocks... - So, the reason is somewhat similar to that for the > > > TS-11. > > > > Yes, but if it's single density, which is the only reason you'd read four > > sectors, the sectors are 128 bytes [100(8)] not 256, so it's still only > > 1000(8). > > Sure, you need not read four sectors if they are 200 words each, but as > we noted earlier, the routine will always read these four sectors (so > you need only change two words in order to switch to single density), > and if these four sectors happen to be from a double-density RX02, you > will want to have sufficient room for them. Er, read the code again. The double-density version only loads 2 sectors, in *all* the versions I've seen. 40 001122 120427 CMPB R4,#3 ; sectors 1 and 3 get done 40 001124 000003 > I haven't tried: is it possible to get a false error indication while > you are supposed to wait until the RXV11 has digested parameters like > sector / track number? From reading the docs, I would assume that the > only reason for the error bit to come on at this time might be an > invalid parameter like sector > 26, and in this case, you'll probably > better abort as well (sure, should not happen during boot...). So why > not just use this check every time you wait for the controller, once the > check is in the subroutine anyway? I haven't tried all the permutations to see what happens if you give garbage in response to a TR request, but the error only shows up ast the end in cases I have tried. It's almost impossible to test this by hand, as the controller doesn't wait forever; you only have a short time to respond to TR so you can't do it from, say, ODT or an 11/40 switch console. > But, you're right: savings aren't too extreme with this approach, as the > sequence BIT-BEQ-BMI takes three words, and a JSR would need two. In > turn, you need two additional words for a MOV #something,SP plus one for > the RTS, and there are four places with a BMI, so in total we save four > words by spending three: makes a total of one word saved. Didn't you say > something like this before? ;-) Something like that, yeah ;-) > Let me continue, and we can open a contest for writing the shortest > bootstrap! ;-) I used to do that with all sorts of small assembly-languge routines. My best was saving 200+ bytes out of 2048, in some Z80 code that one self-proclaimed expert (not the author) described as "a mastepiece of conciseness". -- Pete Peter Turnbull Network Manager University of York

22 years, 9 months

Need paper tape encoding format

by pete＠dunnington.u-net.com

On Mar 1, 9:00, Stan Barr wrote: > pete(a)dunnington.u-net.com (Pete Turnbull) said: > > Lots of unix (including many BSD/Linux) systems have a program called ppt > > (usually in /usr/bin/games or similar) which takes an ASCII string and > > outputs a facsimile of paper tape. > > Thanks for that, I just found it on this Linux box. "Man ppt" also > listed bcd which does the same for punched cards. And in case anyone thinks that's off-topic, this is the description from my Seventh Edition man page on ppt: bcd, ppt - convert to antique media So it was considered antiquated in 1979! -- Pete Peter Turnbull Network Manager University of York

22 years, 9 months

A Few finds today some old/some new

by jrkeys＠concentric.net

1. IBM Thinkpad 755c for $12.51 2. Commodore 1084 video monitor for $7 3. hp NetServer 4d/66LM for $33 4. Apple PowerPC 8100/80 tower traded 4 empty PC cases for it. 5. digital VT 420 - 2 for $1 each 6. digital VT 520 - 2 for $1 each 7. WYSE 30+ terminal for $1 8. hp Laserjet IIIp for $1

22 years, 9 months

VS4000/60 docs available

by doc＠mdrconsult.com

Hi. I've seen this come up a couple of times with no real solution. I very generous somebody just emailed me the VAXstation 4000/60 "Owner's and System Installation Guide" (EK-PMARI-OM-001) and "Options Installation Guide" (EK-PMARI-IG-001) in Bookreader format. I don't have ftp or webserver space, but I'll be glad to share. I can read these in OSF or VMS, but does anyone know of a reader or conversion utility for Linux? If I had that, I'd see about putting them in PostScript or PDF. Doc

22 years, 9 months

SGI Personal Iris 4D/35

by trip7294＠dowling.edu

Hi, We have a Personal Iris 4D/35 with a missing keyboard and mouse. Where and how can I find something that works? http://www.geocities.com/riskyfriends/

22 years, 9 months

paging Jeff Kaneko

by rigdonj＠cfl.rr.com

Jeff, If you're out there drop me a line. I've send you at lest four messages recently and I haven't gotten a reply. I don't know if the problem is your E-mail or mine or ????? Joe

22 years, 9 months

Xenosoft? Re: Multiple floppies in one system?

by acme_ent＠bellsouth.net

> From: Joe <rigdonj(a)cfl.rr.com> > Fred, You've mentioned Xenosoft several times. How about telling us more > about it, such as what formats it supports, how much it costs and wheather > it supports the Compaticards? Funny you should mention this. I was looking through an old book-of-the-month club purchase, "C Programmer's Guide to Serial Communications," the other night and I found a plug for XenoSoft in it! Glen 0/0

22 years, 9 months

Looking for Intersil ICL8048CCJE Log Amplifier Chip

by maintenance＠alfacolor.com

Can any one ponit toward a vendor that sells obsolete chips that might have this part. Thanks in advance.

22 years, 9 months

Wanted: Win3.1 IE4 or 5 install cabs

by DAW＠yalepress3.unipress.yale.edu

> ---------- > From: Bill Pechter > > Folks -- > > I've been trying to find a copy of either ie4 or ie5 for Win3.1/Winnt35 > somewhere on the net. I tried the MS install setup.exe files and > they both timed out looking for the url. > > Anyone have them locally cached? I lost my set in a disk failure last > year. > > > Either url that works, ftp site, or cd copy would be fine. > > Bill > -- Have you tried 'The Internet Archive'? http://www.archive.org/index.html --- David A Woyciesjes --- C & IS Support Specialist --- Yale University Press --- mailto:david.woyciesjes@yale.edu --- (203) 432-0953 --- ICQ # - 90581 Mac OS X 10.1.2 - Darwin Kernel Version 5.2: Fri Dec 7 21:39:35 PST 2001 Running since 01/22/2002 without a crash

22 years, 9 months

Non-Sol version of SOLOS For Sale on E-Pay

by dhquebbeman＠theestopinalgroup.com

> On Thu, 28 Feb 2002, Douglas Quebbeman wrote: > > > I remember reading about this, I'm surprised they > > ever actually sold any: > > > > http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2004920012 > > It's just a third party ROM board that happens to have a SOLOS EPROM in > it. While you could speculate that Processor Technology sold this > (unlikely), it's more likely that some hacker back in the day put this > together. No, this was a product, listed in catalogs... my remark was meant to convey that, I just never figured they'd actually sell one, but this is it... -dq

22 years, 9 months

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test-drb March 2002