I don't think I'm exactly local to you, but if you wouldn't mind selling via
mail, please contact me offlist at ETILLMAN(a)satx.rr.com or
edward.tillman(a)valero.com. I have a 1992 DEC Slimline 486/33DX that'd
probably just love those apps! (Especially the Star Trek screen saver!) On
that system, I'm DOS 6.22, WIndows 3.1, Office 4.0.
Cheers!
Ed Tillman
Store Automation Tech Support Specialist
Valero Energy Corporation
San Antonio, Texas, USA
Office: (210)592-3110, Fax (210)592-2048
Email: edward.tillman(a)valero.com <mailto:edward.tillman@valero.com>
-----Original Message-----
From: Mike Ford [mailto:mikeford@socal.rr.com]
Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2003 3:57 AM
To: cctech(a)classiccmp.org
Subject: Re: Best way to Sell Old, Used Software and SW/dev Books
w/little Collectible Value?
At 10:29 PM 7/27/03 -0400, Don Wallace wrote:
>I have a mountain of dated (late 80s - early 90s vintage) and probably
>non-collectible software packages and books that it seems to me would
>be a waste to consign to a landfill.
>
>I mean stuff like:
>
>Clipper 5.2
>Corel Draw (Win 3.1) Version 4
>Quattro Pro for DOS
>Ami Pro for Win 3.1
>Star Trek Screen Saver (ca. 1992)
>Borland C++ 3.1 for Windows and DOS with Application Frameworks
Nothing beats making a complete list of what you have, and giving your
general location in hopes of a local sale.
>From: "Martin Scott Goldberg" <wgungfu(a)csd.uwm.edu>
>
>I'm hoping someone on the list can help. I rescued an IMSAI 8080, as well
>as a large (and heavy) dual 8" drive chasis (fully enclosed).
>
>The IMSAI is stocked full of cards which I haven't figured out what they
>are yet as they're in pretty tight and I'm afraid of breaking something
>yanking them out. I'm assuming at least one of them is a terminal
>interface card and another an interface for the drives.
>
>Here's the two problems with the unit though:
>
>1) It appears to be missing the main processor card. Everything else
>looks mint, including the control panel and the ribbon from the pannel
>to the control/processor card is intact as well.
Hi
It sounds like it is missing the processor card. Still, it may
have one but it doesn't interface with the front panel. The only
signals that run through the ribbon are data signals. All of
the rest go through the bus. This means that if you don't need
the ability to used that readouts of the panel, you can do
things like reset and run without the ribbon. Check to see
if there is some other processor card there.
I see original 8080 cards on ebay often but there were many
second source Z80 cards with the ribbon cable connector made
as well. I see these very often on ebay. Just keep an eye out.
>
>2) The people (the university janitorial staff) that were throwing it out,
>cut off the power cord. Hence there is a stub of a cord connected to the
>power supply now running out the back.
So, install a new cord.
>
>
>I'm basicly looking for any help/suggestions in how to indentify the cards
>and what I can do to fix the other two problems. Thanks!
Take pictures. Put them on a web page. Note any text found on boards.
Dwight
>
>
>
>Marty
On Sun, 27 Jul 2003, Bob Shannon wrote:
One such way:
>Have some portion of the disk set aside for a fixed number of directory
>entries (the "directory").
This is what RT-11 does, a fixed number of blocks (512 bytes each) are
set aside as the directory. They are read/written in two-block units,
called directory segments, and each segment can handle up to 72 directory
entries.
>Each directory entry has a certain number of characters for a filename
>(12 is good), a file type byte, a status byte, and a pointer to the
>portion of the disk where the file is stored.
It might also contain the date and time the file was created, or accessed,
or updated. RT only contains the creation date. There was some thought
at one point of getting it to record creation time as well, but was never
done by DEC. Also, RT is a single-user system with the capability of
having multiple jobs running, so for tentative files (ones which haven't
closed yet), there is information kept in the entry about the channel on
which the file is open.
>The file data is then stored on consecutive sectors, with the last one or
>two words (depending on word size implemented) pointing to the next
>sector of the file. Zero values means "end of file".
Or, as RT did, you have the size of the file in the directory entry, so a
file exists in the contiguous blocks 'start' to 'start+size-1'.
RT also keeps track of the end of a segment so that the directory segments
can be linked in any order as files are created and deleted.
Of course, a more simple method would be to treat the entire directory as
a contiguous set of entries and then you only need an indication of the
end of the directory.
The status info can also keep track of read-only vs. read-write files,
protected files, files which should not be moved in a 'SQUEEZE' operation,
etc.
>There also needs to be a map somewhere specifying which
>sectors are free/used.
That can be a lot of overhead, and can take up a fair amount of disk space
depending on how it is implemented, and with each directory entry having
start and size, it isn't needed.
With the contiguous file system on RT, one *can* extend a file, though it
either takes intimate knowledge of the directory structure on the part of
the program, or extra code to open a new copy of the file (larger), copy
everything from the old version to the new, closing the old, updating the
new one and closing the new. A program with intimate knowledge of the
directory would have to find the entry for the file, check the next entry
and if it is an empty space, it could increase the file size (up to the
size of the empty) so long as it decreased the size of the empty by the
same amount. Of course if the next entry is not empty, then you have to
revert to the first method.
A program on RT can ask to create a file: 1) a specific size, or 2) half
the largest free space on the disk or the second largest free space
(whichever is greater).
RT attempted to fulfill requests for specific sizes using a best-fit
algorithm which attempted to maximize disk usage by minimizing the size of
free space between allocated files.
Megan Gentry
Former RT-11 Developer
+--------------------------------+-------------------------------------+
| Megan Gentry, EMT/B, PP-ASEL | email: mbg at world.std.com |
| Member of Technical Staff | megan at savaje.com |
| SavaJe Technologies, Inc. | (s/ at /@/) |
| 100 Apollo Drive | URL: http://world.std.com/~mbg/ |
| Chelmsford, MA 01460 | "pdp-11 programmer - some assembler |
| (978) 256 6521 (DEC '77-'98) | required." - mbg KB1FCA |
+--------------------------------+-------------------------------------+
Have you any idea of how I can get schematics for Tek 466 scope?
I see you have one and if I can't find schematics I might as well sell
the thing.
Regards,
john Hannahs
Corrales, NM
Joe,
The AM systems did not detect the presence of a terminal, so this
would not inhibit booting. IIRC, the six is not a six, it is a lower case B
(for "booting"). It is probably looking for directory structure and a
monitor file on the disk. You can use any VCR on the video in/out ports,
but unless you have one of the AM VideoTrax[1] VCRs you will have to
manually press "Play", "Record", etc.. I think I have one of these laying
around, but when I tried to use it as a plain ol' VCR a few years back it
didn't work.
I think I can still get in touch with someone who is a walking tech
reference for all things AlphaMicro. If you like, I will try to contact him
and see if he will talk to you. Let me know.
Larry
[1] The VideoTrax was a Zenith unit modified by AM to get the transport
control signals from the computer.
-----Original Message-----
From: cctalk-admin(a)classiccmp.org [mailto:cctalk-admin@classiccmp.org]On
Behalf Of Joe
Sent: Wednesday, July 30, 2003 3:38 PM
To: cctalk(a)classiccmp.org
Subject: Alpha Micro 1000?
Is anyone familar with this system? I can't find anything on AM's site
and only one brief description on the net. I know it runs AMOS and has a
68000 CPU. This one has a 190 Mb hard drive and appears to have 4 Mb of
RAM. It also has a PIICEON add-in card that adds 8 additional serial ports.
It's also hanging up with a status code of 6 when I power it up. There' s
no terminal attached so that MIGHT be the problem. I found a manula for a
new AM system and it doesn't list a stat code of 6. Does anyone have a list
of the codes for this system?
Anybody know where I can find an Owner's or user's manual for this? Or
what are the Video In, Video Out and Video I/O ports for?
Joe
Hi,
I saw you post on a list about a corvus harddriver for an apple,
do you still have it, or could you pust me in contact with how has it
now?
I have the driver but need the software, and have been looking for it off
and on for a year.
thanks
jake-F
If you're still in town, be sure to go by <a
href="http://www.surplusexchange.org">Surplus Exchange</a>! They get
all kinds of cool stuff, and there's usually some really cool geek
types in there browsing around.
Jon.
>Date: Mon, 28 Jul 2003 12:25:18 -0600
>From: Eldon Vore <jvore(a)acsol.net>
>To: John Foust <jfoust(a)foust.org>
>Subject: More stuff
>
>[...] just to ask if you have any interest in Datapoint computer peripherals? My friend Bob Saturday was cleaning out his storage room and found a Datapoint dual 8" floppy drive box, with two god awful heavy power supplies, and two Shugart drives plus associated electronics. The box is 24x21 1/2x6 1/2 inches. It weighs 70 lbs. There seems to be a lot of litigation going on involving Datapoint, formerly Computer terminals, Inc., I think. Any way, if you have an interest let me know or I guess the next stop for them in the county dump. Eldon Vore, jvore(a)acsol.net.
The last two times I posted this, another person contacted
me either for help or to request the CDs. This will be the
last time for about 4 months unless more people reply.
In regard to the Freeware CDs for RSX-11 and RT-11
that Tim Shoppa originally produced:
I am in the middle of finishing a third (very small) batch
of CDs and could easily add a few additional copies.
If you wish to be added to the list, please respond
immediately. Otherwise, this is likely to be the last
time for at least a few months.
I will be making all copies of the CD images from:
ftp://ftp.trailing-edge.com/pub/cd-images/http://www.classiccmp.org/PDP-11/RT-11/http://www.classiccmp.org/PDP-11/RSX-11/
Since not everyone has both a high speed internet connection
and a CD burner, I thought it would be helpful to make them
available. If you have both requirements and are using
Windows 98 SE / Nero Burning, I can help with the details
if you don't know how to burn a CD from an "Image File".
I have even been able to produce a label for each
CD that is close to the original label from Tim Shoppa,
although since they were scanned (THANK YOU
FOR THE HELP), they are not perfect.
They are available at $ 6 / $ 10 / $ 14 for 1 / 2 / 3 CDs.
In addition, I understand that Memorex Black CD-Rs have a
longer shelf life and are available at Business Depot. If anyone
wants those instead, add $ 1 for each CD that you are
requesting. Thus those amounts are $ 7 / $ 12 / $ 17
Please contact me directly for my snail mail address.
I picked up some Memorex Black CD-R blanks and started
on the copies for those who have already requested that a
Black CD-R be used.
Please include your mailing address!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
In general, I will regard any funds you send as a gift so that if
anyone really can't afford the CDs, please state why that is so.
Outside of the US, probably about $ 2 should be sufficient
for extra postage. All amounts are in US dollars. Please ask
if you are not in the US. No point in converting twice.
Sincerely yours,
Jerome Fine
--
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