At 09:27 AM 8/26/02 -0500, you wrote:
>On Mon, 26 Aug 2002, Dave Woodman - dave(a)naffnet.org.uk wrote:
>
>> Unfortunately, the licence now applies if you have equipment capable of
>> receiving TV transmissions, regardless of the purpose for which it used, so
>> you can try to convince the authorities all you like...
>>
>> A monitor, as you used, always avoids the license, so you would still have
>> been safe, but even owning a VCR or TV and keeping it in the loft requires a
>> license now.
>
>Ok, now you've got me wondering... I've never heard of anything like that
>on this side of the pond. Why exactly do you have to purchase a license
>to own a TV? Is it similar for AM/FM radios? ...
Why do we have to pay a tax on telephone service? The answer is the same for both questions. Government revenue! You can claim that it's for this cause or that cause but in reality it's just another source of revenue for big government.
Joe
>
>
>
A friend of mine is looking for a box of cleaning disks for 8" floppy drive for one of their customers and they're willing to PAY for one. If anyone has one for sale let me know.
Joe
>Some US company (I forget who) made an ultrasonic remote controlled valve TV
>where the remote was essentially tuned metal bars that were mechanically
>hit when the button was pressed. No electronics in the handset at all.
>The receiver in the TV detected one of 4 (or so) different frequencies
>corresponding to the 4 buttons on the remote, and then operated a relay
>to trigger the appropriate function (I think channel selection was done
>using an electromechanical stepping swtich, etc).
My grandparents had a TV with an ultrasonic remote. I think it was a
Zenith, may have been an RCA.
And my parents have a Sony with an ultrasonic remote. The remote is long
since dead, but back when it worked, you could hold the remote up to your
ear and actually hear it clicking different patterns for each button
pressed. The remote ceased to work after a bad battery leakage incident.
Actually, I should see if they still have the remote as the last time I
saw it, I didn't have the skills needed to repair it, but today I
probably could. They probably do have it, knowing them, it is still in
the holder on the back of the TV where I put it some 20 years ago when I
decided it was no longer working (I definitly get my pack rat problems
>from them).
But at least with the Sony remote, IIRC it was transistors that did all
the work. I don't know about my grand parents one, as I never opened the
remote, but that TV was old enough it might very well have been one of
the first with a remote at all.
-chris
<http://www.mythtech.net>
> If this is the one I'm familiar with, I've got the source and
> executable for a version written in BASIC.
> --
> Eric Dittman
Do you know how to rebuild it? Or do you happen to have an executable for
the Alpha, or one that can be Vested? The source I got from the webpage I
listed earlier has been through some odd changes (apparently VAX to PDP-11
to VAX again), and I'm having problems (though my problems might be Alpha
Related).
If I can find the time this weekend, I'm going to see about getting some of
these games running on either my VAXstation 3100/20 or one of my VAXstation
4000's.
Zane
$ r dnd
Welcome to DUNGEONS & DRAGONS
%BAS-F-VIRBUFTOO, Virtual buffer too large
-BAS-I-ON_CHAFIL, on channel 2 for file
MONK$DKB500:[HEALYZH.WORK.DNDARCHIVE.DIST]DNDNOT.;1 at user PC 00000000
-BAS-I-FROSUB, In subprogram NEWDND
-BAS-I-FROMOD, In module DND
%TRACE-F-TRACEBACK, symbolic stack dump follows
image module routine line rel PC abs PC
0 FFFFFFFF8045EF94
FFFFFFFF8045EF94
DEC$BASRTL 0 0000000000010AE0
0000000000082AE0
----- above condition handler called with exception 001A8154:
%BAS-F-VIRBUFTOO, Virtual buffer too large
-BAS-I-ON_CHAFIL, on channel 2 for file
MONK$DKB500:[HEALYZH.WORK.DNDARCHIVE.DIST]DNDNOT.;1 at user PC 00000000
----- end of exception message
0 FFFFFFFF8009271C
FFFFFFFF8009271C
DEC$BASRTL 0 0000000000052CC4
00000000000C4CC4
DEC$BASRTL 0 000000000001EE10
0000000000090E10
DEC$BASRTL 0 000000000005AE40
00000000000CCE40
DND NEWDND NEWDND 82 00000000000058F4
000000000004CEE4
ND DND$MAIN DND$MAIN 17 0000000000000360
0000000000030360
0 FFFFFFFF859B5474
FFFFFFFF859B5474
$
> >From what I've read, banned inside of DEC is the best description :^) It
> >uses creatures and spells straight from D&D.
>
> Yep, I know exactly which one you speak of... I have the sources
> for the pascal version of the game, along with the data files,
> preserved for almost 20 years.
>
> I have ported the game to C using curses (actually, it was mostly
> a brute-force translation from the pascal) and have it running
> at least as well as the original pascal version (which was incomplete)
> at home on my Alpha PWS running Linux.
>
> I've been in contact with one of the people who was responsible for
> writing the pascal version, and am trying to get ahold of all the
> others so that I can figure out how to write up a 'copyright' page
> with proper attributions.
If this is the one I'm familiar with, I've got the source and
executable for a version written in BASIC.
--
Eric Dittman
dittman(a)dittman.net
Check out the DEC Enthusiasts Club at http://www.dittman.net/
>From what I've read, banned inside of DEC is the best description :^) It
>uses creatures and spells straight from D&D.
btw - there is a write-up somewhere, by the person who wrote that
original 'banned in DEC' memo, explaining what *really* happened.
I think it is generally available (read, on the web somewhere)...
Megan Gentry
Former RT-11 Developer
+--------------------------------+-------------------------------------+
| Megan Gentry, EMT/B, PP-ASEL | email: gentry at zk3.dec.com (work) |
| Unix Support Engineering Group | mbg at world.std.com (home) |
| Hewlett Packard | (s/ at /@/) |
| 110 Spitbrook Rd. ZK03-2/T43 | URL: http://world.std.com/~mbg/ |
| Nashua, NH 03062 | "pdp-11 programmer - some assembler |
| (603) 884 1055 (DEC '77-'98) | required." - mbg KB1FCA |
+--------------------------------+-------------------------------------+
>From what I've read, banned inside of DEC is the best description :^) It
>uses creatures and spells straight from D&D.
Yep, I know exactly which one you speak of... I have the sources
for the pascal version of the game, along with the data files,
preserved for almost 20 years.
I have ported the game to C using curses (actually, it was mostly
a brute-force translation from the pascal) and have it running
at least as well as the original pascal version (which was incomplete)
at home on my Alpha PWS running Linux.
I've been in contact with one of the people who was responsible for
writing the pascal version, and am trying to get ahold of all the
others so that I can figure out how to write up a 'copyright' page
with proper attributions.
>Basically all I know is what's written up at the following webpage:
>http://www.io.com/~adastra/rancourt/dnd/
>It was written by Daniel Lawrence, started on the PDP-10, was ported to
>RSTS/E part way through, and after that ported to VAX/VMS.
I played it on RSTS/E when I was working at Parker St (DEC) in Maynard
back in 1977. Actually, the pascal version was also built on RSTS
using, I believe, the OMSI compiler, and ran on RT-11.
Dan has apparently given permission for any and all versions of the
game to exist with his blessing, but since the source I have had
a copyright which is problematic (since it doesn't mention him), I
have to try to do the right thing.
>I grabbed the source off of the web page above, and it almost works. In
>fact it might work, IF, I could figure out exactly how to build it. BTW,
>the "TOPS-20" executable, looks to be a VMS V1.0 executable.
If/when I can resolve the issues of attribution, I'd love to make it
available... should I even bother with sourceforge? :-)
Megan Gentry
Former RT-11 Developer
+--------------------------------+-------------------------------------+
| Megan Gentry, EMT/B, PP-ASEL | email: gentry at zk3.dec.com (work) |
| Unix Support Engineering Group | mbg at world.std.com (home) |
| Hewlett Packard | (s/ at /@/) |
| 110 Spitbrook Rd. ZK03-2/T43 | URL: http://world.std.com/~mbg/ |
| Nashua, NH 03062 | "pdp-11 programmer - some assembler |
| (603) 884 1055 (DEC '77-'98) | required." - mbg KB1FCA |
+--------------------------------+-------------------------------------+
Here's a list of items I found today while being shown some new places to go
by a friend. Send me an email stating what you want to pay and I will make a
offer to the dealers (I went to 4 places today).
TomoScan 60/TX
Siemiens Saturn I
IBM 3174 11R
MicroVax 3800
Xyplex terminal servers
Let me know if anyone is interested in these items?
>I'm trying to get a selection of games that will work on a Serial Terminal
>up and running on my OpenVMS server (a PWS 433au running OpenVMS 7.2-1H1).
>I'm finding that most games that are available for VMS date back to VAX/VMS
>V3 or earlier. Does anyone know of any besides the following that will
>work?
Look at the Freeware CD stuff:
http://www.openvms.compaq.com/freeware/freeware50/FREEWARE/00FREEWARE_ABSTR…
as there are a few there.
The V4 Freeware disks had a few more:
http://www.openvms.compaq.com/freeware/freeware40/FREEWARE/00FREEWARE_ABSTR…
Obviously many of the later games required X11 but there are
some in there that I believe to be text based.
There used to be a reasonable collection of games
on the various DECUS tapes. I recall the L&T/VMS
tape sets having a fair smattering of bits and pieces.
I also don't see LARN in your list. I know it was available
on OpenVMS (I used to have it, I don't know where it would
be now ...)
There is also the stuff Patrick Moreau maintains:
http://membres.lycos.fr/pmoreau/decw/index.html
(a little French helps, and much of this is now on the
Freeware CDs I think).
Antonio
> Besides Multinet and TCPware, are there any freeware TCP services for VMS
> 6.1 and higher??? Anyone have any experience with the Purveyor webserver
> for VMS?
>
> Curt
Last I checked Multinet and TCPware weren't freeware, however, they are
available via the Hobbyist program. Also available via the Hobbyist Program
is Compaq TCPIP/DEC UCX. If you really want freeware, there is CMU TCP/IP,
it's only for the VAX. If you want to run with something as old as 6.1 your
best bet is likely to either be Multinet or TCPWare.
As for Purveyor, I tried it out shortly after Process Software made it
available. It seems pretty nice, but it's unsupported, as a result I'm
running WASD on my VMS server.
Zane
