test-drb May 2009

test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

204 participants
322 discussions

Is this slashdot or Classiccmp? Re: Microsoft bashing

by christian_liendo＠yahoo.com

> > I mean, people here are talking about UHF connectors, the > PL259s and SO239s, in a rather negative way.? Are they > creating hardware rants?? I think not; what's YOUR > opinion on that? > http://www.classiccmp.org/oldfaq.txt 2.8 Can I type obscenities about Microsoft in ALL CAPS!?! (Or, in general, be unreasonable with reagard to advocacy posts?) Check your anti-MS baggage at the door, please. For that matter, drop any posts that serve only to perpetuate the holy wars. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ My opinion is that this is the etiquette that we agreed upon when we came here. I report, let everyone decide. Nuff Said.

15 years, 7 months

SC/MP docs

by hamren＠sdu.se

I have, in paper form, a 420305239-001A, SC/MP Microprocessor Application Handbook, Feb 77 You can have it for free, on the sole condition that you scan it and put it online. I'll even cover the cost of shipping from Sweden to Germany. /Lars

15 years, 7 months

Is this slashdot or Classiccmp? Re: Microsoft bashing

by christian_liendo＠yahoo.com

yea.. I'm sick of the this too.. You like your computer like a religion, fine.. Let other people have their religions too. etslay opstay ethay icrosoftmay ashingbay okway?

15 years, 7 months

Jones plugs, or similar sorts of plugs

by ajp166＠bellatlantic.net

> >Subject: Re: Jones plugs, or similar sorts of plugs > From: "bfranchuk at jetnet.ab.ca" <bfranchuk at jetnet.ab.ca> > Date: Sun, 24 May 2009 10:58:20 -0600 > To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts <cctalk at classiccmp.org> > >Dave McGuire wrote: > >> They go by the same designation over here. They're one of the worst >> connector designs I've ever seen. Not even suitable for VHF use, why on >> earth someone named them "UHF" is quite beyond me. Have you ever put >> one on a network analyzer? Bumps and reflections all over the place. > >If that is the connector I am thinking of ... UHF was 10MHZ+ ... it is that old. > >>> The BNC connecotr is a lot nicer. >> >> Twisting two pieces of wire together is a lot nicer than a PL259/SO239! >> >> -Dave > >No comment about RCA jacks .... Ok, I've measured correctly installed UHF (PL259 and So239) and the impedence bump is insignificant to low UHF. Their biggest weakness it they are not watertight. Believe it or not RCA is good to UHF (500mhz tested) and it's weakness is no built in retainer. It is good for chassis level interconnect to to 10-20W level (at uhf). Type BNC is very good to high uhf and beyond but power limited. Also you must use the 50 or 75 ohm parts in the correct place. It is a constant impedence connector. Type N is better at water tight and also higher power than BNC and handles larger cables. For UHF and higher SMA, SMC and relatives are prefered for lower power interconnect. Allison

15 years, 7 months

Is this slashdot or Classiccmp? Re: Microsoft bashing

by bqt＠softjar.se

Ian King <IanK at vulcan.com> wrote: > >> > -----Original Message----- >> > From: cctalk-bounces at classiccmp.org [mailto:cctalk- >> > bounces at classiccmp.org] On Behalf Of Dave McGuire >> > Sent: Friday, May 22, 2009 12:56 PM >> > To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts >> > Subject: Re: Is this slashdot or Classiccmp? Re: Microsoft bashing >> > >> > On May 22, 2009, at 1:14 PM, Christian Liendo wrote: >>> > > yea.. I'm sick of the this too.. >>> > > >>> > > You like your computer like a religion, fine.. Let other people >>> > > have their religions too. >>> > > >>> > > >>> > > etslay opstay ethay icrosoftmay ashingbay okway? >> > >> > Sure thing. But let's make one thing clear: It's not a religion, >> > as easy as it may be to dismiss it as such. >> > >> > -Dave > > Perhaps not, but the zeal borders on religious - and equally without factual basis. (No disrespect to any religion: the fundamental premise of any religion with which I'm familiar is faith, i.e. belief in that which is not proven.) The problem that I see is that Microsoft advocates usually try to prove that everyone else is wrong without ever considering if they have reason for the bashing. It's a gut reaction, which I'm sure Microsoft loves to see. It's like unconditional buying in to the party line without any questions. And it's mostly by people who actually have very actual experience with anything else. Not saying that this is true for you specifically, Ian. Just noting in general... > Fact: CERT reports just about as many exploits for Linux-derived systems as Windows (at least, that was the data I researched back when I was in grad school three or four years ago). There is a lot of argument (again, mostly rather zealous) about which OS has the more "serious" vulnerabilities, but in any event they ARE flaws. And it's a sad day when people think that CERT is in any way related to quality in any way. CERT first of all are only reporting potential security problems, not quality problems. Second, CERT have had a tendency to not even reveal problems that are reported until after they have been fixed, which gives you both a skewed view, and also don't tell you how much of a problem something really have been. Third, as you note, just using the numbers from CERT don't even tell you if this is a big or a small problem, so what do these numbers really tell you??? Oh, and noone (I hope) is claiming that any OS is without flaws. It's the design flaws that really upsets me (and others, I think). > Fact: The most commonly seen causation for crashes in either Windows or Linux-derived operating systems is defective device drivers. Interestingly, the two operating systems approach this differently. Windows preemptively crashes: the logic is to return the machine to a known state. Linux tries to keep going, which may result in an inexplicable error later on. One can argue the merits of either approach, and I'm sure many do. I don't know where you got that fact from, but anyway. Even assuming that is true, you skip around some big problems here, such as the fact that most people running Windows are doing so with privileges to install a device driver straight away (it's usually connected with big problems using Windows without having privileges), while you normally run without the privilege of installing a device driver in most other systems. However, defect device drivers are certainly a big problem. But what I find to be a bigger problem in Windows are actually incompatible DLL-files. All delivered from Microsoft. And all called the same thing, but different versions. But some programs require one version to work, while another program needs another version, and both are incompatible with the other. So, what do I do then? And this will not cause Windows to crash. But it's a mess anyway. DLL hell ring a bell? > Fact: I have a large box filled with 'Software Revision' release publications for RSX-11. (Hey look, I got it back to vintage systems!) Microsoft is not the first operating system vendor to issue patches and patches to patches and.... I'm not sure why it seems more "egregious" with one vendor than another - except that there is a tendency to bash "corporations", despite the fact that the majority of corporations are small, privately held companies. Once more. No one is (I hope) claiming that there is a perfect OS without problems. However, Microsoft seems to have just about any problem any other OS had, and then invented a few new problems never seen before. And many of those are not something for CERT, or even crashes. Just things that don't work as it should. The concept of doing a reinstall of the OS every six to twelve months to get the system back into shape is not something any other company that I know of have as a concept. Neither the reboot every week. The latter is becoming less of a problem though, as software updates nowadays usually require you to reboot the system anyway, so you never run systems long enough to get into the problems Windows seem to get once it has been running for a month or so. > Opinion: I thought Microsoft operating systems were getting better and better, until Vista. I hope they'll get it right with Windows 7 and get back on an upward trend. However, I will say that it wasn't just Vista, but also the poor quality of PC hardware (three motherboards in one year?) that drove me to Macs. I really like my PowerBook G4, not only for its convenience and reliability but also because it's dead sexy. I recently replaced my desktop (supporting four monitors) with two Dual G4s (each running two monitors and sharing the keyboard/mouse through Synergy). Function wins. I agree. But the fact that seem to be getting better and better should really be a warning bell, and not a proof of quality. If they could be improving quality so much that it seems appearant for anyone using the system, and to do that time and again, says that quality must have started on a really low level. And do you really think that by doing a few iterations, quality suddenly then is top notch? And what happened with Vista? > Disclosure: I worked for Microsoft for a dozen years. (I don't anymore.) When I worked at Microsoft, I did not like Vista and persisted in running XP on my company-issued laptop. In fact, for a while before I left I ran Ubuntu at home, until I grew weary of replacing not-inexpensive PC components and fighting compatibility issues (in a commoditized marketplace!). Now, since I don't work there anymore, no one bothers me about my PowerBook - since I've "taken off the collar", people have stopped expecting me to be an apologist - or seeing me as some kind of heretic. It's just a computer. Ok. I'll make a disclosure as well. I hate Linux. I think it's a total disaster. It's a bunch of clowns who hardly knows how to write an OS sitting around hacking along as much as they can, and learning along the way. Is that something I'd like to depend upon? No! But I'd still pick Linux before windows if I have to. But not being happy about it. > These days, I've been spending a lot of my time on VMS on a VAX-11/780-5, using CMUIP as the networking layer. THAT will give you a sense of perspective. Hey, backups are done - I need to go finish reassembling this TU56 for a PDP-8/e.... -- Ian And I spend time working on RSX, and even getting paid for it. And I'm having a blast. Even though I know of a bunch of problems, bugs, and security issues with the system. It is by no means bug free, but at least most things work pretty much the way they are meant to, and the systems have been chugging away for over 20 years without any major issues. Security problems - yes. Performance problems - no. I guess that from a CERT point of view, RSX would loose to Windows. But I know of a few steel mills and paper mills that wouldn't be impressed with Windows. Rebooting once a year is not an option. Especially not if a few tons of hot steel is being processed right at that moment. There. I'll stop my Windows bashing now, and pray that I'll be able to keep working without having to deal with that OS. :-) Johnny -- Johnny Billquist || "I'm on a bus || on a psychedelic trip email: bqt at softjar.se || Reading murder books pdp is alive! || tryin' to stay hip" - B. Idol

15 years, 7 months

Jones plugs, or similar sorts of plugs

by ian_primus＠yahoo.com

> [ Video connector with pins like this > : > > ? o o o???o > ? o o o???o > ] Yeah - that's the plug I was referring to! I just recently picked up a nice 25" Mitsubishi television set that has one of these connectors on it for RGB, along with the usual composite video connectors. I also have several small monitors that use these plugs as well. If I can track down an inexpensive source of these connectors, it would be really handy to be able to use these monitors with other video sources, such as any number of old computers that use 15.75khz RGB video. -Ian

15 years, 7 months

S-100 power supply transformer

by lynchaj＠yahoo.com

Hi! Does anyone know of an available transformer suitable for making an S-100 power supply? I need 120VAC input and 10VAC output and +/- 18VAC outputs. The best I solution I can find is two separate 80VA transformers; one parallel 10VAC output and another 36VCT output which can be configured for +/-18VAC outputs. I would prefer a single transformer rather than dual transformers because they are the most expensive part of a linear power supply. I know Northstar and Vector Graphic used similar dual output transformers but I cannot find anything like them after searching the usual vendors like Digikey, Mouser, Jameco, etc. Even transformer manufacturers don't seem to carry a stock product of this configuration although you can order custom units. Thanks in advance for any help. Your ideas greatly appreciated. Thanks and have a nice day! Andrew Lynch

15 years, 7 months

unknown teletype at "The Funny Farm" in Bend, OR

by derschjo＠mail.msu.edu

Saw this while sightseeing on my tour of odd attractions in Oregon. Not sure what model; it's older than an ASR 33. Has papertape punch, very dirty. Not sure how long it'll be there. Won't fit in my car... Address is 64990 Deschutes Mkt Rd in Bend. Just thought someone might be interested. I have a pic, but I'm writing this from my phone so can't upload it yet :). Josh

15 years, 7 months

Jones plugs

by roger.holmes＠microspot.co.uk

In case anyone else wants the measurements of the Jones plugs, the sockets are 35mm by 78mm or in imperial, 1 3/8 by 3 1/16. The pin orientations were as I described, alternate rows of horizontal and vertical. Roger Holmes.

15 years, 7 months

Jones plugs with 40 pins

by roger.holmes＠microspot.co.uk

> > From: William Donzelli <wdonzelli at gmail.com> > >> Does anyone here have a any 40 pin Jones type plugs in their junk >> boxes they >> would be willing to sell? > > Can you provide a picture with dimensions? Jones plugs, especially the > ones with large numbers of connections, come in various sizes and > formats (big or small pin? 4 x 10 or 5 x 8? Which pins are keys?). They are 4 by 10 pins. I think the left row of 10 are keyed vertical, the next row horizontal, then vertical then horizontal, which would stop you plugging in upside-down. I can measure them properly at the weekend but I would estimate the sockets are about 3 inches high and about an inch wide. I will get a big torch and check the keying as well. The three sockets are labelled T1, T2 and K and they were originally for connecting a cable to a BCD encoded Friden Flexowriter which gave tape to card and card to tape copying, with a printout made at the same time. Thanks, Roger Holmes.

15 years, 7 months

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test-drb May 2009