test-drb April 2007

test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

257 participants
560 discussions

by dm561＠torfree.net

--------------Original Message: Date: Fri, 13 Apr 2007 09:16:46 -0700 From: "Chuck Guzis" <cclist at sydex.com> Subject: Re: PC-MOS? <snip> I think there are some simple ideas that are not amenable to "improvment" by addition of extra functionality. I've still not figured out all of the weird settings on my FM receiver, even though it affords no more additional functionality than the receiver I purchased in 1968. And, although it has a volume control knob, it lacks a tuning knob, a shortcoming in my book. <snip> ------------Reply: Amen to that! I think replacing tuning etc. knobs with up and down buttons is one of the worst examples of time-wasting "progress"; I love my ancient Pioneer receiver with a normal slide-rule dial _and_ a digital frequency display. If you add it all up, including the time we spend fiddling with computers, VCRs, microwaves, etc. we may be living longer but are probably actually living less, and with more stress caused by the frustration. BTW, back to the original subject: I've got a few multi-port RS232 cards if anyone wants one (no drivers though). m

17 years, 2 months

*nix on

by aliensrcooluk＠yahoo.co.uk

Could you put a date on that (along with some proof)? - Andrew B (via mobile phone) --- cctalk-bounces at classiccmp.org <pete at dunnington.plus.com> wrote: > On 13/04/2007 07:13, Andrew Burton wrote: > > Actually you were right the first time - Windows, > > Icons, Mouse and Pull-down menu - or atleast according > > to the guy demonstrating the Amiga (1000?) on BBC > > Micro Live (from 1984/5). > > But you don't need a mouse, specifically; it could be any pointing > device. And many systems use context-sensitive pop-up menus that are > not pull-down. The original acronym was for Windows Icons Menus and > Pointer. > > -- > > Pete Peter Turnbull > Network Manager > University of York

17 years, 2 months

Open-source floppy reader: the data separator/sync-er works!

by classiccmp＠philpem.me.uk

Hi folks, I've got the first stage of my floppy disc reader working! Meaning, the data separator and synchroniser works - I have a circuit that outputs a pulse whenever the MFM 'magic sync sequence' (0x4489) is detected. In theory, I can use that to sync the reader against sector boundaries on IBM-format discs, or track boundaries on Amiga discs. The data separator is an Verilog HDL reimplementation of the data separator used in Petr Simandl's Sinclair Spectrum +2A floppy disc controller (<http://www.simandl.cz/stranky/zxs/obrazky/zx_radic_89k.jpg>, but there's a better quality schematic at <http://www.worldofspectrum.org/BackToThePlus3/>). I'm driving the whole thing off a 32MHz TTL oscillator, divided down to 16MHz for 3.5" DSHD, and 8MHz for 3.5" DSDD. I haven't tried FM encoded data yet, though I have no reason to suspect it won't work, as long as I can figure out what the clock divider needs to be set to. I'm seriously miffed that I spent an afternoon trying to figure out why I could get the separator to lock onto a DSDD disc but not a DSHD - seems most of my DSHD discs are of marginal quality. The MPF920 in my desktop read them fine, but the rather battered Panasonic JU-257A427P (complete with broken drive door return spring) I was using with the FDR couldn't read them at all, hence the huge number of SYNC pulses. Garbage in, garbage out. I guess the next step is to do the RAM interface and bit timer, then the MCU interface and firmware. The whole thing is currently squashed into a Xilinx XC9572XL 3.3V CPLD, with a little room to spare for the acquisition circuitry. The data-separator and sync detector are only using 29 of the 72 available logic macrocells, so I've probably got enough room for a 16-bit RAM address latch, with space to spare. Can't really tell until I start implementing it though. Current power consumption is roughly 5V at 325mA while reading, according to the display on my bench PSU. For anyone who cares, I've thrown a couple of screenshots from my logic analyser on my website: Main blog entry: <http://blog.philpem.me.uk/?p=129> 720k (250kbps) sync - with SYNC lagging by one DWIN transition: <http://blog.philpem.me.uk/wp-content/uploads/2007/04/hpla-fdd-reader-syncin…> <http://blog.philpem.me.uk/wp-content/uploads/2007/04/hpla-fdd-reader-syncin…> 1.44MB (500kbps) sync - revised sync logic - SYNC doesn't lag now: <http://blog.philpem.me.uk/wp-content/uploads/2007/04/hpla-fdd-reader-syncin…> If anyone wants to see the (messy) Verilog code I've got at the moment, contact me off-list and I'll send you a copy. It's probably very badly written, but it works. The tool I used to grab the screenshots from the analyser (a HP 1651B) is also due to go online 'at some point' (read: when I can be bothered to fix some of the bugs)... It basically emulates a HP Thinkjet and converts the graphics output into a .BMP file, which is then converted to a PNG with Irfanview and PNGOUT. If and when this project gets a bit further off the ground, I plan to set up another mailing list to handle discussions related to the disc reader -- for now, though, I think it's probably best to keep the discussions on the classiccmp list. For anyone that cares, I'll be posting announcements on the 'floppy-reader' mailing list on my server (<http://mail.philpem.me.uk/mailman/listinfo/floppy-reader_philpem.me.uk>). It's open-access, so anyone that feels like commenting is welcome to do so. Thanks, -- Phil. | (\_/) This is Bunny. Copy and paste Bunny classiccmp at philpem.me.uk | (='.'=) into your signature to help him gain http://www.philpem.me.uk/ | (")_(") world domination.

17 years, 2 months

Looking for H316 CPU extender card (temporarily)

by hachti＠hachti.de

Hi folks, does anyone have an extender card for the Honeywell H316 CPU boards? My new H316R had that broken chip in the ASR interface and I replaced it. But nothing works... So I will have to track down what's wrong with it. I could use an extender card. That would help a lot. If anyone has more than one, I would be very happy to get it. And if someone has just one card, I would like to borrow it for some time. I would pay all shipping costs, of course! Thanks a lot, Philipp P.S.: What about the H316 posting above? I wrote some replies and a PM to Tony Wardle - but nothing happened :-(

17 years, 2 months

World's first computer on ebay!) (not)

by melamy＠earthlink.net

I have a desktop Monroe 1655 "calculator" that would also qualify then. I used it in 1971 at high school. It was built by Monroe. http://www.dvq.com/ads/monroe_sa_6_70.jpg I picked one up on eBay a few years ago complete with a card reader, cards, spare bulbs, etc (not shown in the picture). The programming language had various conditional jumps, boolean functions, and would of course do all the math you wanted. The jumps probably let you "jump" to a specific program address. There wasn't much program space, but it was a great exposure for me back then. best regards, Steve Thatcher

17 years, 2 months

World's first computer on ebay!

by jvdg＠sparcpark.net

woodelf wrote: > Patrick Finnegan wrote: > >> As I've learned before from this list, the only thing which that question >> generates is a flamewar about what is a computer, and what's a "home >> computer". > > I have yet to see a real HOME computer. Most game boxes I have seen > - Coco, C-64 ect. where marketed as home computers but what do you need > a home computer for? To assist you in managing your household, or Course! A home computer would be, I imagine, a computer installed somewhere in a closet or the basement, and it'd have connections for thin clients all through the house. It'd control your furnace, communications systems, lighting, heating, water supply, you name it. You'd use it to determine at what level of ambient light the room lighting switches on and at what times the curtains open and close, or what temperature your bedroom needs to be a the time you get up on workdays. It'd make sure your bath tub is filled at the right time. and that your toast and coffee are ready in the kitchen when you finish your bath, displaying your email on the kitchen's display while you breakfast. No, haven't seen many of them, yet. Only in a few proof-of-concept "home of the future" type projects. ,xtG tsooJ

17 years, 2 months

xt/370 e-mail problem and stacked memory chips illustrated

by aek＠bitsavers.org

> Does anyone on the list collect non-IBM S/360 or S/370 "clones"? > there was a firm called Two-Pi that in the early 80's was successful > enough to be purchased by Four Phase. CHM has an Amdahl 470 and a Siemens 4004 (RCA Spectra). There were lots of people who built byte-oriented machines with instruction sets similar to the 360 and I know there are people who have Interdata, and Univac 9x00 machines. Memorex built a 16 bit 360 like machine, and I have some docs and software for that. The artifacts of these sorts of machines haven't been preserved very well. Same for Burroughs, Univac and NCR (business as opposed to scientific computers).

17 years, 2 months

*nix on "classic" systems

by jvdg＠sparcpark.net

M H Stein wrote: > ------------------Original Message: >>So to be clear, I am agreeing with the position that one can have >>Windows outside of a GUI (and that one can have a GUI that lacks >>windows, such as a CAD program), but in the mind of the masses, GUIs >>== windows. > > ------------------------------ > > And of course the mouse is irrelevant to this tiresome argument as well, > since it was quite commonly used in plain old text-mode single-tasking > non-windowed DOS (which could of course also have windows, multi-task > and display graphics, so I guess DOS WAS a GUI after all...) > > Sheesh! > > The OP said all we need to know with "I was going by the *popular* definition > of GUI/Windowed environment, not the strict one." That was me that said that, but I'm not the OP. I was assuming that this was what the OP meant, though. And I have come to accept, as I'm sure most of us have, that the nature of this list's populace makes a higher-than-average level of nitpicking inevitable. Oh well. I wouldn't change it for the world. ,xtG tsooJ

17 years, 2 months

*nix on "classic" systems

by compoobah＠valleyimplants.com

Jules typed > Cameron Kaiser wrote: >>> I question Tog's "$50 million dollar study" just as much. >>> That's a lot of lettuce. >> >> On the other hand, Apple doesn't exactly do cost-economical anything. > > Except mouse buttons :) Apple's plenty happy to save money, it just never trickles down to the end purchaser.

17 years, 2 months

*nix on "classic" systems

by dm561＠torfree.net

------------------Original Message: >So to be clear, I am agreeing with the position that one can have >Windows outside of a GUI (and that one can have a GUI that lacks >windows, such as a CAD program), but in the mind of the masses, GUIs >== windows. >-ethan ------------------------------ And of course the mouse is irrelevant to this tiresome argument as well, since it was quite commonly used in plain old text-mode single-tasking non-windowed DOS (which could of course also have windows, multi-task and display graphics, so I guess DOS WAS a GUI after all...) Sheesh! The OP said all we need to know with "I was going by the *popular* definition of GUI/Windowed environment, not the strict one." Speaking of CAD, I remember being blown away by an early demo of AutoCAD running on an XT with two monitors; an MGA for the commands, etc. and a CGA (or was it an EGA) for the drawing. Of course there were $$$ boxes that could do this as well, but on a lowly XT? I was impressed (didn't take much in those days). m

17 years, 2 months

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test-drb April 2007