February 2010 - test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

by james＠jfc.org.uk

I just watched Season 1, Episode 3 of the Monkees where they have several shots of an SDS Sigma 7. This was in 1966, so it can't have been long after the release of the Sigma 7. I'd not seen it mentioned here before and I thought some might be interested... http://www.starringthecomputer.com/feature.php?f=333 -- James F. Carter www.jfc.org.uk www.podquiz.com www.starringthecomputer.com

15 years, 4 months

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VAX graphics

by bqt＠softjar.se

"e.stiebler" <emu at e-bbes.com> wrote: > Johnny Billquist wrote: >> And I dare say, that picture have higher resolution, and more depth than >> my simple calculation above used. > > No, it should be just 512x512x8. Don't forget that you are watching > youtube in a lousy resolution. You are right. She even says in the beginning that it's 250,000 pixels. Assuming they take a little liberties to simplify things, that would mean 512x512. Looking at the first perspective city picture, you can see that he has a palette of 256 shades to blue to pick from (ranging from black to white). It might be that the graphic system have a color palette then, since obviously, there are other colors than blue possible, but none others are shown there. Or else they have a 24 bit pixel depth, which would be very impressive. But any way you look at it, my comment still stands. With a serial line running at 19200 bps, it would take about two and a half minute to draw a picture, at the best of time. I dare say we can safely assume it's not a serially connected terminal (even ignoring that I don't think I've ever seen or heard of a serial terminal with bitmap graphics with a resolution close to this). Looking more at the video. There are no visible clues at all that I can see as to who actually manufactured the graphics system. The system definitely are running some kind of Unix, though. Anyone who recognize the tablet? It is after all in focus quite a lot. > And we used a grinell system 1981 already (pdp11) which had 512x256 (not > sure it was 512x512). 8 bit is sufficient to show what he is doing on it. Never heard of grinell. But I have a VSV21 here. 640x480 pixel resolution. Unfortunately only 4 bitplanes. But it's a very fun graphic system for the PDP11 anyway... And later than 1981, but made by DEC. Oh, and that's for the Q-bus... Unibus graphic systems are rarer... 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, 4 months

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Barden programming books (was: Re: TRS-80 bootable media request)

by ethan.dicks＠gmail.com

On 2/26/10, Mark Tapley <mtapley at swri.edu> wrote: > At 17:20 -0600 2/25/10, Mike L. wrote: >>"More TRS-80 Assembly Language Programming", by Bill Barden > > A comment and a question: I found on eBay the CoCo Assembly > book by the same author. It's clear, an enjoyable read, and does a > good job of introducing programming, the debugger/assembler > implemented on the cartridge, and 6809 assembly language in a simple, > easy-to-understand progression. I may have to keep my eyes out for that one. I'm much less informed about the 6809 than any of the other contemporary processors. > However, it seems to me to give really short shrift to what > the 6809 designers considered to be very important features of the > processor. Position independent code is barely touched on, there are > a lot of what looks to me like kludgy programming techniques, the > most advanced software-management tool discussed is a flowchart (and > then there's no useful example of how to use them), the multiple > pointer registers are abused as 16-bit counters rather than as > indexing pointers, and there are many similar examples. Hmm... I haven't read anything by Barden, so I'm merely commenting on your comments, but I do remember that back in the day, besides a "better" register scheme, the one thing that really made the 6809 stand out (from my 6502 world) was its ability to render position-independent code. I didn't need it often when I was programming the 6502 daily, but occasionally, I did wish for it. Perhaps the lack of attention to that in the book is due to a lack of perceived utility for it? When the 6502 and Z80 and 6809 ruled the earth (or at least the hobbyist corner of it), multitasking operating systems weren't the norm. I know OS/9 stands out, but until you jump up to early UNIX super-micros, there's not much else in the field that was commonly available (the PDP-8 had RTS-8, but compared to a basic OS/8 setup, RTS/8 was strange and rare). The vast majority of micros had "operating systems" (by a very wide definition) with fixed-position memory maps. There was little need to be able to shuffle your code from one spot in memory to another. Even on larger systems, like the PDP-11, MMU hardware did that sort of mapping for you (despite the fact that PIC is easy to write for the -11). As for the lack of "advanced software-management tool[s]", most of the books that I've read from the late 1970s and early 1980s fall into that category. I don't think I learned anything "better" than flowcharts and coding sheets until I hit the minicomputer world in the mid-1980s (it sure wasn't any different when I took my first programming course in college in 1984 - flowcharts were a mandatory part of the homework and were graded quite rigorously). > Does anybody else have the same take on this? I was thinking > about using it to teach programming to one or more of the kids, but > it seems to me that I'd rather find something a bit more > structure-oriented, and less likely to use "tricks". By the late 1980s, I remember a change in the weather with articles in Amiga-centric magazines on programming the 68000. See if you can find Transactor magazines (or PDFs of them). Those might be "modern" enough in their approach to feel more friendly. The instruction set's not the same, but code organization and concepts are analogous. > Am I just spoiled from having read the 6809 programmer's > guide and the (somewhat snooty-sounding) Byte article on 6809 design > and introduction? Perhaps. With 1970s docs, my feeling of remembering those days is that 8080 and Z80 tutorials and guides were "stiffer" than 6502-related material, but I'll easily admit those memories are somewhat biased because I spent lots more time seeking out and reading 6502 publications in depth. The 6809 stuff, though, kinda went by unexplored by me since I had no hardware to tie to it. -ethan

15 years, 4 months

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flowcharts and teaching programming/was Re: Barden programming books

by c.murray.mccullough＠gmail.com

I began programming IBM, CDC and Amdahl machines in June 1970. All assignments at the Computer Institute of Canada were graded according to the accuracy of the flowchart and the initial box as Chuck states. COBOL and other languages employed at that time employed gotos; it was a sign of sloppy programming according to purists and professors/instructors but gotos usually solved complex junction problems in an elegant fashion. BASIC and 'Small-C' used them to the same effect in the microcomputer world of late 70s. Early programming books are getting scarce yet magazines of that era had programming projects and got many of us interested in advanced programming versus machine-language programming; it beat flipping switches and assembler programming of early to mid-70s machines! Murray--

15 years, 4 months

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Problem getting non-blocking sockets going on BSD 2.11

by toby＠coreware.co.uk

I'm in the midst of writing a MUD for PDP-11s running under BSD 2.11 and have run into a problem getting non-blocking I/O working. I initially wrote a simple test program to setup a non-blocking socket and accept connections then echo back anything typed to all connected sessions. This worked fine. However now I've placed the exact same code into my MUD development, the sockets are blocking. I've got the following in my setup of the socket: /* Set socket to non-blocking */ if( ioctl(s,FIONBIO) == -1 ) { printf("Error ocurred"); } which I believe should make the socket non-block and when I run up the code it doesn't throw a failure on the ioctl, however the socket definitely remains in blocking mode. Anyone have any ideas? I've been scratching my head on this one for days now I've put all the source I've written thus far here: http://www.pdp11.co.uk/wp-content/retromud/ Sorry if the code is a bit cludgy, but I've not programmed C for about 15 years and its only just coming back to me! The file comms.c is where most of the socket actions occurs. All the best, Toby

15 years, 4 months

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DEChamonicas

by wdonzelli＠gmail.com

I have a bunch of DEC H3104 Harmonicas - the little boxes that fan a Dshell connector out to 8 MMJs. Is there any interest in these, or should I just throw them in the scrap board pile? I have some of the mounting plates for these as well. -- Will

15 years, 4 months

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Museums

by hachti＠hachti.de

> I am not so sure that it is necessarily the case that people lose interest > in things that pre-date their own lifetime. I try to collect only stuff that's older than me - so end 1978 is my limit :-) There are some newer things like 11/23 or late additions to older machines. But all in all I like the fact playing with gear from the time before me. But I can understand the concerns. I also assume that the prices for the good scrap won't rise... Kind regards, Philipp

15 years, 4 months

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OT: Old SAC film

by cclist＠sydex.com

Since "Wargames" wa mentioned, I thought I'd post this link to an old PR film from the Strategic Air Command. Only a brief shot of computing gear on reel 1, but lots of teleprinters, teletypes and comm consoles. About 18 minutes long. The first two of three reels are of high quality; for some reason, the third one is not. http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/nukevault/ebb304/film03.htm Cheers, Chuck

15 years, 4 months

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Lusent SCSI things

by wdonzelli＠gmail.com

More weird crap. I have a couple of modules - Lucent 990C01407410 (I think) - that are doing me no good, and will end up as scrap soon. They seem to be Differential In to Single Ended Out converters. They are dated 1997. Any ideas as to what machine used these? 3B series add-on? Anyone need them CHEAP? -- Will

15 years, 4 months

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DOS versions compared

by lproven＠gmail.com

I've just been setting up a couple of old PCs to go off to the ComputerAid charity. These are junkers: 1 ? Athlon XP 1800+, 640MB RAM, 1 ? Athlon XP 1700+, 768MB RAM; I've fitted both with 20GB hard disks, a DVD-ROM and a CDRW. Remarkably, this level of kit is what some term "skipware" now - just about the lowest spec that the charity will take. I tried both Linux Mint & TinyXP on them, but both hit snags, and I don't want to spend hours troubleshooting, so I downloaded FreeDOS 1.0 and bunged that on. Remarkably, FreeDOS now comes on CD - there is 150MB of it! The install is pretty fiddly, although it all works. On one of them it even autodetects a PCI Ethernet card & goes online. And to my amazement, I discovered that I'm credited in the README file for the bundled OpenGEM GUI. I am a bit torn over FreeDOS, though. I used to be a big fan of DR-DOS, back in the day, although in the end I saw & deployed far more MS-DOS boxes. :?( But FreeDOS seems to have surpassed both the standalone editions of MS-DOS (which ended at MS-DOS 6.22, although PC-DOS 2000 advanced on that in a few areas). FreeDOS boasts large (20GB) partition/filesystem support, FAT32, Win9x-style Long File Names, native networking, TCP/IP, CD-ROM & writer support, comes with dev tools, web browsers, email, games, all sorts. It's a hell of a DOS system! I was wondering if anyone here had used it in anger at all? How does it hold up compared to MS-DOS, the embedded DOS in Win9x, IBM PC DOS, DR-DOS in its commercial or FOSS incarnations...? -- Liam Proven ? Profile: http://www.linkedin.com/in/liamproven Email: lproven at cix.co.uk ? GMail/GoogleTalk/Orkut: lproven at gmail.com Tel: +44 20-8685-0498 ? Cell: +44 7939-087884 ? Fax: + 44 870-9151419 AOL/AIM/iChat/Yahoo/Skype: liamproven ? LiveJournal/Twitter: lproven MSN: lproven at hotmail.com ? ICQ: 73187508

15 years, 4 months

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Classilla 9.1 released

by spectre＠floodgap.com

It's still technically off-topic (2002 is only 8 years ago), but for Mac OS 8.6 and 9 users, I released Classilla 9.1 tonight, the most current version of the Mozilla-based web browser I maintain for the classic Mac OS. It's still a work in progress, but I eat my own dogfood, and this tastes good enough to put in the can. (And belabour the metaphor.) http://www.classilla.org/ -- ------------------------------------ personal: http://www.cameronkaiser.com/ -- Cameron Kaiser * Floodgap Systems * www.floodgap.com * ckaiser at floodgap.com -- There are few problems that the liberal usage of high explosives can't cure.

15 years, 4 months

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joysticks for dos games

by brianlanning＠gmail.com

I need to do a bit more research on this. But can someone suggest a good joystick for older PCs with db15 connectors? Most of them seem to be cheesy flight sticks. I've seen playstation style controllers with usb connectors on them. Something like this would be ideal if it had a db15 connector. Any suggestions? brian

15 years, 4 months

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DEC Graphics, was : VAX graphics

by emu＠e-bbes.com

Hi all, the discussion triggered it again : Did really no documentation of the grinell systems survive ? Cheers

15 years, 4 months

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Labtam 32032

by alec＠sensi.org

Hi! Does anyone have information about Labtam 32032 system ? We've found one in the military depot: http://www.phantom.sannata.ru/forum/index.php?t=6175 (cyrillic, use Google Translator) Seems, this machines was rather popular in the USSR (behind the iron curtain) - it was possible to avoid COCOM since Labtam was an Australian company. It used NSC 32K processol and Unix V2.0 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Semiconductor_32016 -- -=AV=-

15 years, 4 months

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cctech Digest, Vol 78, Issue 37

by jonas＠otter.se

> Date: Thu, 25 Feb 2010 06:25:43 +0000 (GMT) > From: ard at p850ug1.demon.co.uk (Tony Duell) > Subject: Re: OT: white LEDs > To: cctalk at classiccmp.org > Message-ID: <m1NkXAQ-000J3xC at p850ug1> > Content-Type: text/plain > > > You can actually buy ringlights made in that manner, and they work > > pretty well. There are usually some cheap ones on a famous "auction" > > It is my experience that just about anything intended for photograp[hic > use is way overpriced :-=). OK, I can't grind lenses, so I am happy to > pay for good ones, but I am not going to pay high prices for things I > can > make in an afternoon or so. Quite apart from the fact that making the > device and experiemnting with it is more fun to me than taking > photographs... > LED ringlight: http://www.fotosidan.se/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=39550&highlight=Mak ro+blixt In Swedish, but I expect Google or ImTranslator or something will make a more or less intelligible mess of translating it. /Jonas

15 years, 4 months

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Exxon Qyx Typewriter thingy

by BMcElroy＠dmai.com

My Dad worked on these (mechanical designer designing jigs and fixtures for assembly) at QYX in Lionville, PA in the late 70's There claim to fame was that you could type a letter and then have another one type the same thing over the phone lines as an original document....all pre facsimile machine. It is said that the technology was stolen to help create the fax machine. They did have a FBI Investigation for items stolen from trash bins. Brian McElroy Project Manager DAVID MILLER/ASSOCIATES, INC. 1076 Centerville Road, Lancaster, PA 17601 Phone (717) 898-3402 ext. 41 or Toll Free (877) 516-3740 Fax: (717) 898-9365 Visit our website at www.dmai.com<http://www.dmai.com/> CONFIDENTIAL MATERIAL: This message is intended only for the use of recipient to which it is addressed and may contain information that is privileged, confidential, and exempt from disclosure under applicable law. If received in error, please notify the sender by return e-mail and destroy all copies of the original transmission and any attachments. Thank You.

15 years, 4 months

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TRS-80 bootable media request

by jplist2008＠kiwigeek.com

Greetings; I have a friend with an TRS80 Model III would is looking for some bootable media w/TRSDOS and, possibly if available, CP/M. I'm not familiar with the TRS80 line, and I don't own any, so I'm not in a position to help. If anyone has such a machine and can create up some disks for a nominal charge I would be very appreciative, replies probably should be off-list. Many thanks. - JP

15 years, 4 months

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Semi-OT: vintage videogames made into films

by evan＠snarc.net

http://videogames.yahoo.com/events/plugged-in/missile-command-movie-incomin… "Missile Command" may become a feature film.

15 years, 4 months

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TRS-80 bootable media request

by alhartman＠yahoo.com

Isn't MultiDos either still being sold or available for free? When I was using my TRS-80 systems full time, it was my preferred OS. I lost my Newdos/80 Manual and discs, though I have copies. I'd be willing to help out with this request because I have all the major Model I & III os discs. But, my computer is an LNW-80 Model I and I'm not sure how well it would work to make bootable Model III discs. I used to know, but that was 20 years ago. I just moved, and as soon as my new computer room is setup, a project is to test and image all my old discs from all my various systems. If anyone in the Mid Jersey shore area has a working Model III or IV they are willing to give away, trade or sell (at a price a disabled guy can afford), I would be glad to use it to help in this instance. It makes me sorry I sold my 4p on eBay a few years ago. Al

15 years, 4 months

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TRS-80 bootable media request

by klake＠chartermi.net

Just about anything TRS-80 related can be had or learned via these sites! I hope this helps. I've still got a half-dz Mod 4/4D's, about that many Mod III's, a couple Mod 4P's, and a few Mod I's (not to mention Mod II's, Mod 12's, Mod 16's, and probably at least one of each variation of the 26-variations of the Tandy 1000, a Tandy 1200, and a Tandy 3000). http://cn80.blogspot.com/ http://www.tim-mann.org/misosys.html http://manmrk.net/tutorials/TRS80/trs80links.html I used to be very active in the community, but with business demanding more and more of my attention, I fell away from it so much so that I wasn't even aware (though unsurprised) that Stan Slater had passed last August, and with him his CN80 News and his CN80 store on ebay. RIP Stan! >Greetings; > >I have a friend with an TRS80 Model III would is looking for some bootable >media w/TRSDOS and, possibly if available, CP/M. I'm not familiar with the >TRS80 line, and I don't own any, so I'm not in a position to help. > >If anyone has such a machine and can create up some disks for a nominal >charge I would be very appreciative, replies probably should be off-list. > >Many thanks. > > - JP Kim J. Lake

15 years, 4 months

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Y2K retrospective / was Re: Algol vs ...

by arcbe2001＠yahoo.com

I get back to my point that a lot of the comments and criticisms concerning the absence of the century in system design comes? from people ill equipped? and knowledgeable to be able to pass judgment.? By 1985 I had been working in Data Processing for 20 years!? Hardware constraints dictated what we did and didn't do.? The hardware constraints were our main obstacle and? were twofold: 1) Cost - Memory was incredibly expensive (Read The mythical man month) 2) Hardware Technology - Early systems were mag tape only.? The bottom line to this is that there is always a price point.? Added to which, and factored in, is the life expectancy of any system.? Back then it was considered around 10-15 years plus.? A lot of systems had no upward compatability and applications needed to be modified to run. In the mid 60's only large companies had systems with greater than 16K memory and disc drives.? Mag tape 800 and 1600 bpi if you were lucky was the norm.? Systems running a single job stream were common place. ?? Now the more sophisticated systems - of which the British ICT (ICL) was one - used an offset to hold dates.? The ICL 1900 range? used a technique of holding the number of days since the Jan 1st 1900.? Richard Pick later used a similar off-set technique in his Pick O/S (Dec 31, 1967).? We used assembler language because we had to.? Generally they were considered a necessary evil although I loved using it. 3rd generation language compilers weren't that mature and generated a lot of machine code instructions making them a memory hog and slow to execute. ?? While the main pack (IBM lead) pursued architecture that used Assembler, Burroughs took a different, and far better approach as their systems used Algol. In the early days when we wrote programs they were written onto coding forms.? Once punched onto 80 column cards we would check each card to ensure that had been key punched correctly.? Checking an 8000 statement? program took time.? Once checked we would have it listed (used little machine time).? We would then dry run through the program looking for logic errors.? Having done that we would have it compiled.? Typically there would be a couple of development slots or so a week for testing so we had ensure that we had done due diligence.? If it compiled we would schedule a test slot and run against test data.? Debugging consisted of analyzing dumps and correcting the code.? Contrast this against interactive source debuggers.? Today machine time is inexpensive and many compiles and test shots may be performed in a day.? "Workbench" tools allow the programmer to run their program without even hitting the mainframe.? A totally different world.? There was no padding of EDP (Electronic Data Processing) budgets - they didn't exist, there was not an EDP cost center in the G/L.? EDP was a huge investment for any company.? We didn't have an EDP Manager in the true sense of the term as we reported to the head of finance - The chief accountant.? It was later that we split off and became a separate entity with our own budget. --- On Wed, 2/10/10, Brent Hilpert <hilpert at cs.ubc.ca> wrote: From: Brent Hilpert <hilpert at cs.ubc.ca> Subject: Y2K retrospective / was Re: Algol vs ... To: General at invalid.domain, "On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" <cctalk at classiccmp.org> Date: Wednesday, February 10, 2010, 1:25 AM William Donzelli wrote: > > > 11 years ago, I pointed this very fact out to "journalists" who were > > convinced that Y2K was all a scam to pad IT budgets because "nobody > > would have gone to that much trouble to save 4 bits (00-99 fits in 7 > > bits, 2000 fits in 11 bits) even in the 1950s. > > While it was not a scam, it certainly was used to pad IT budgets. I would argue the public aspect of the issue was a scam. The people who needed to know, knew already. The public hype around the issue was overblown and unnecessary. Remember the various experts and consultants railing about how microwave ovens and cars and anything with a microprocessor in it (things that didn't even know about the date) were going to fail? I still have the bulletin from the government mailed out to every household in Canada to prepare everyone for Y2K: a fine example of public folly.

15 years, 4 months

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Barden programming books (was: Re: TRS-80 bootable media request)

by mtapley＠swri.edu

At 17:20 -0600 2/25/10, Mike L. wrote: >"More TRS-80 Assembly Language Programming", by Bill Barden A comment and a question: I found on eBay the CoCo Assembly book by the same author. It's clear, an enjoyable read, and does a good job of introducing programming, the debugger/assembler implemented on the cartridge, and 6809 assembly language in a simple, easy-to-understand progression. However, it seems to me to give really short shrift to what the 6809 designers considered to be very important features of the processor. Position independent code is barely touched on, there are a lot of what looks to me like kludgy programming techniques, the most advanced software-management tool discussed is a flowchart (and then there's no useful example of how to use them), the multiple pointer registers are abused as 16-bit counters rather than as indexing pointers, and there are many similar examples. Does anybody else have the same take on this? I was thinking about using it to teach programming to one or more of the kids, but it seems to me that I'd rather find something a bit more structure-oriented, and less likely to use "tricks". Am I just spoiled from having read the 6809 programmer's guide and the (somewhat snooty-sounding) Byte article on 6809 design and introduction? -- - Mark 210-379-4635 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Large Asteroids headed toward planets inhabited by beings that don't have technology adequate to stop them: Think of it as Evolution in Fast-Forward.

15 years, 4 months

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Windows 1.0, Windows 2.0, Windows 3.0

by legalize＠xmission.com

Does anyone have these releases of Windows prior to Windows 3.1? -- "The Direct3D Graphics Pipeline" -- DirectX 9 draft available for download <http://legalizeadulthood.wordpress.com/the-direct3d-graphics-pipeline/> Legalize Adulthood! <http://legalizeadulthood.wordpress.com>

15 years, 4 months

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toner cartridge vendor

by brianlanning＠gmail.com

It looks like the toner cartridge is the source of the problems with my HP 4100. Somewhere between the $20 charged on ebay for crappy chinese cartridges and the extortionate prices charged for new ones by HP is a sane price/performance area. Can someone suggest a good vendor that charges good prices for toner cartridges that aren't junk? Thanks. brian

15 years, 4 months

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VAX graphics

by bqt＠softjar.se

Richard <legalize at xmission.com> wrote: >In article <4B7AF1F7.8030008 at softjar.se>, Johnny Billquist <bqt at softjar.se> writes: >> > After searching the net for a while, I think it is an E&S graphic >> > system. ES340 seems most likely, but ES390 might also be it. > > I doubt its an E&S system because its raster based. That was a bad argument against it... :-) > AFAIK, all the E&S terminals and DEC peripherals were vector based > until the PS/390. If this were a PS/390, then it would have the > characteristic black enclosure for the monitor, keyboard and tablet. > Also, E&S products were high-end and had hardware line drawing at a > minimum, whereas this system appears to be a simple memory-mapped > frame buffer with no additional hardware acceleration. I think we should keep E&S systems apart from DEC systems. They are not the same, and mixing them up just confuses the issue. The system in the video was not something by DEC. However, DEC had bitmapped graphic systems long before this, but not with the resolution and depths shown in the video. > The PS/390 was the first "Picture System" to support raster > operations. The primary market for these peripherals was the > molecular design/molecular modeling community and they needed very > high quality line renderings of their models. Until the antialiasing > technology for raster graphics introduced on the PS/390 the only way > to achieve that quality was to use a vector based display. The raster > display decoupled the display refresh rate from the frame rendering > rate, allowing very high quality renderings of complex models at the > cost of interactivity. Well, the E&S PS/340 also was a raster display system, as an add-on to the PS/330. See http://www.bmsc.washington.edu/people/merritt/graphics/ps330/ps330.html I think it might very well be that which is shown on the video. Raster operations are another issue. The video is showing a bitmapped high resolution picture, and it obviously isn't too fast at loading another high res picture. And that is all we see them doing. No raster operations of any kind (unless you count the basic setting and clearing of pixels). > Similar technology to that used in the PS/390 was used in E&S's first > workstation the ESV. I worked on the ASIC that performed this process > in the ESV in the summer of 1989. The workstation was released in Q4 > 1989. All the E&S products were raster from then on, with the > exception of calligraphic light overlays used in the simulation > products. > > I have a PS/390 base and several ESV workstations in my collection. Nice. Johnny

15 years, 4 months

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Wanted: RS/6000, 5250 Twinax cable/terminator, AlphaServer 1000A SCSI cable/terminator, DEC 3000 motherboard

by andreww591＠gmail.com

I am looking for a few things: I recently picked up an iSeries 270 and an AS/400 Model 200. A terminal and an 8-port Twinax hub were included, but not the cable to connect the terminal to the hub. The terminal has a "Y" cable with a DA15 and two female Twinax connectors. The connectors on the hub are also female, so I think that what I need is an M-M Twinax cable. I'm not sure if a terminator is required for the un-connected Twinax connector on the "Y" cable or not (I'm not really very familiar with AS/400s). I have an AlphaServer 1000A 4/266 which is missing the terminator for the internal SCSI backplane (because this is missing, the SCSI drives sometimes stop responding and cause the system to hang). It is also missing the cable to connect the two sections of the backplane. Does anybody have either of these? I have a DEC 3000/300X that no longer boots. The diagnostic LEDs show "FA", which represents a memory test failure. I think that one of the SIMM slots is damaged. When I got it, it would only boot after I removed and re-installed the SIMMs. I tried cleaning the SIMMs and slots with 99% alcohol, so I don't think that dirty contacts are a problem. I think that replacing the motherboard would fix the problem. I am also looking for an RS/6000 (preferably one with PCI rather than MCA). Does anybody have one that they want to get rid of for free or cheap?

15 years, 4 months

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Visioncard

by thomas.bervenmark＠xaar.se

Dear Madam/Sir, My name is Thomas Bervenmark and I work at XaarJet AB in Stockholm, Sweden. We are looking for a very old vison card "Transtech Parallel, TMB08" with a module TTG-F card mounted on the motherboard. Is this something you could help us to find? I am not a list subscriber and so would appreciate direct email responses rather than replies to the list. Many thanks for your help in advance. Best regards, Thomas Bervenmark XaarJet AB __________________________________________ XaarJet AB Box 516 SE-175 26 Jarfalla, Sweden Phone: +46-(0)8-580 887 00 Fax: +46-(0)8-580 887 77 Website: http://www.xaar.se/ Xaar is a market-leading manufacturer of innovative digital inkjet printing technology. Note: The information contained in this e-mail is intended for the named recipient(s) only. It may also be privileged and confidential. If you are not an intended recipient, you must not copy, distribute or take any action in reliance upon it. No warranties or assurances are made in relation to safety, content and/or any attachments. No liability is accepted for any consequences arising from it. No warranties are given by Xaar, and no liability is accepted by Xaar, in relation to any loss arising from reliance placed on the information supplied in this email and attachments, other than those warranties expressly stated in Xaar's Standard Terms and Conditions of Sale. Xaar's Standard Terms and Conditions of Sale apply at all times. Xaar plc, registered in England no.3320972, XaarJet ltd, registered in England no.3375961, Xaar Technology ltd, registered in England no.2469592, Science Park, Cambridge, CB4 0XR, Tel +44(0)1223423663, Fax +44(0)1223423590

15 years, 4 months

2
1
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DEC H777 PSU

by binarydinosaurs＠gmail.com

Folks, Got a PDP 11/04 on the bench here at work with an H777 (54-11599) PSU in with a sticker on it that says 'pop, bang & smoke'. I've downloaded the maintenance printset from Manx (yay Manx) but before I even begin I've noticed a terminal block on the transformer that indicates a jumper between terminals 1&2 and 3&4 for 115V and an additional jumper between 2&3 for 230V. This third jumper is missing so have the owners of this PDP just put 230V across a PSU jumpered for 115V? Thanks! -- Adrian www.binarydinosaurs.co.uk

15 years, 4 months

2
3
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VAX graphics

by bqt＠softjar.se

Patrick Finnegan <pat at computer-refuge.org> wrote: On Monday 15 February 2010, Johnny Billquist wrote: >> > The two companies that springs to my mind here are Intergraph, who >> > did CAD systems based on VAXen. They usually based their systems on >> > the VAX-11/750, but I don't think there was any technical reason >> > that an 11/780 shouldn't be possible as well. > > FWIW, the VAX-11/780s I have were a part of an intergraph setup at one > point. I didn't save the drafting-table sized drawing tablets/cad > terminals that were with it, because of a lack of space... > > Alas, the setup they had didn't look like the Intergraph stuff I saw. Cool. Nice information, thanks. After searching the net for a while, I think it is an E&S graphic system. ES340 seems most likely, but ES390 might also be it. There are information about an older system for the PDP-11 machines by E&S on the net, which strikes me as very similar, and probably a kind of predecessor. Johnny

15 years, 4 months

3
2
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VAX graphics

by pontus＠Update.UU.SE

Hi All. I just stumbled upon this video of a computer tablet: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPC_w9yYe5M They show a VAX-11/780 with RP06 and TU70 (I think) and claim its doing the graphics. But I'm curious, what terminal and software is used? Does anyone have a clue? Regards, Pontus.

15 years, 4 months

11
30
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FC5025 USB 5.25 floppy controller - first report

by jack.rubin＠ameritech.net

I ordered my board as soon as I got the announcement on Thursday. I received the board today (Saturday) and took it for a spin - imaged an Apple 16-sector disk and an MSDOS 1.2M disk using a YD-380 as the source drive. Both worked great - the Apple disk produced a .dsk file that opened and read in CiderPress and the DOS disk produced a .img file that looked good in WinImage. I was tempted to hook it up to an 8" drive using my DBIT adapter but hesitated based on the discussions here. Would the DBIT adapter provide the necessary buffering to drive a Shugart 801? I really like the idea of an 8" drive connected to a netbook. Jack

15 years, 4 months

7
19
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BNC to VGA Cable

by emu＠e-bbes.com

Hi all, a source for a BNC to VGA cable ? (Yes, I have a soldering iron, but like to buy some ;-)) The other way around (VGA->BNC) is easy to get, but don't find any BNC->VGA(15 pin) Cheers & thanks

15 years, 4 months

5
8
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forget it - DEC H777 PSU

by binarydinosaurs＠gmail.com

Forget the 230V bang issue, it IS a 115v PSU from an industrial site! Now we just have to find out what's gone pop... ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Adrian Graham <binarydinosaurs at gmail.com> Date: 24 February 2010 15:39 Subject: DEC H777 PSU To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" < cctalk at classiccmp.org> Folks, Got a PDP 11/04 on the bench here at work with an H777 (54-11599) PSU in with a sticker on it that says 'pop, bang & smoke'. I've downloaded the maintenance printset from Manx (yay Manx) but before I even begin I've noticed a terminal block on the transformer that indicates a jumper between terminals 1&2 and 3&4 for 115V and an additional jumper between 2&3 for 230V. This third jumper is missing so have the owners of this PDP just put 230V across a PSU jumpered for 115V? Thanks! -- Adrian www.binarydinosaurs.co.uk -- -- adrian/witchy Owner of Binary Dinosaurs, the UK's biggest home computer collection? www.binarydinosaurs.co.uk

15 years, 4 months

1
0
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DWQVA?

by mark.kahrs＠gmail.com

Curiosity demands that I ask about the DWQVA. The module catalog(ue) lists it as "2 channel fiber optic interface (IFQ), Qbus to Stealth bus". What IS the stealth bus? No, I am not going to buy any of the ones on epay.

15 years, 4 months

2
1
0 0

IBM 3633 Optical Disk Drive

by starbase89＠gmail.com

I'm trying to find some info on the IBM 3633 Optical Disk Drive. I am selling things for infoage, and this is among the stuff. I have the drive, cable, MCA controller card, "IBM Binder Manual," and several blank disks. I haven't seen any sold on ebay. Joe

15 years, 4 months

3
4
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WAY OT RE: Asbestos: (was: RE: Tubes & Computers of Olden Days)

by IanK＠vulcan.com

Trial lawyers are part of making case law. Legislators make statutory law. Case law is *usually* very narrowly targeted. Statutory law tends to be where you find the overbroad, overreaching and uninformed regulation of how we live our lives and do our business. Stakeholders are... us. I'm part of an advocacy group for a particular area of interest that has been very effective in our efforts to educate our legislators regarding our issues. We've been able to get good legislation introduced, heard and passed, and bad legislation killed. Next week, I am meeting (by invitation) with the head of one of the state regulatory agencies that impacts my interest area. She wants to know what I think. I know because she's asked before, and evidently included my input (on behalf of the stakeholder community) in her decision process. If you include in the concept of 'lobbyists' citizens who show up, unpaid, and speak to the issues with data, not just impassioned rhetoric (although we have some of that, too), then you are not incorrect. But I suspect you are repeating the oft-stated belief that only paid, high-powered lobbyists are really making a difference. My small, not-for-profit advocacy group has beat those people at their own game on more than one occasion. I don't get paid for the time I spend in the state capital, and I pay my own way when I visit D.C. I'm paid back when stupid things don't happen, and even more richly when good things DO happen. In my experience, at least at the state level, they're listening to the people who are talking: the decisions are made by the people who show up. Yes, sometimes the dragon wins, but in my experience the dragon loses often enough to well-informed and passionate citizen stakeholders that I keep going back. -- Ian ________________________________________ From: cctalk-bounces at classiccmp.org [cctalk-bounces at classiccmp.org] On Behalf Of Ken Seefried [ken at seefried.com] Sent: Tuesday, February 23, 2010 9:18 PM To: cctalk at classiccmp.org Subject: Re: Asbestos: (was: RE: Tubes & Computers of Olden Days) Dad was an executive and principle engineer at a hazardous waste abatement firm. Lots of asbestos and superfund site cleanups. I got a lot of collateral knowledge. From: Ian King <IanK at vulcan.com>>The primary metric is the 'friability' of the asbestosPrecisely. Not all asbestos is created equal; much is completely harmless, some is frighteningly damaging. Friability is a fancy way of saying how finely do the asbestos fiber shatter under stress. The finer the particles, the more dangerous. >I agree that a simple knee-jerk reaction to asbestos is >silly - but that's how legislators most often write laws. Well...not exactly (IMO). The legislation followed the trial lawyers making "asbestos" the equivalent of "plutonium" or "cyanide" in the minds of the public and therefore the jury pool. It's really tough to convince a jury that this asbestos is potentially lethal, but that form is harmless, especially when platiff is coughing his lungs up in the corner. P.S. - I am *not* saying there wasn't a cavalier attitude toward the stuff, and a lot of people were hurt without cause. >(Unless stakeholders are there to help them understand >the facts.)If you're refering to the legislators, the the stockholders are lobbyists, and you don't always get the desired outcome. KJ

15 years, 4 months

1
0
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Anyone in Houston, TX?

by julian＠twinax.org

Hi all, Just moved to the Houston area, wondering if there are any classiccmp'ers down here. I'm up in Spring.

15 years, 4 months

1
0
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Asbestos: (was: RE: Tubes & Computers of Olden Days)

by ken＠seefried.com

Dad was an executive and principle engineer at a hazardous waste abatement firm. Lots of asbestos and superfund site cleanups. I got a lot of collateral knowledge. From: Ian King <IanK at vulcan.com>>The primary metric is the 'friability' of the asbestosPrecisely. Not all asbestos is created equal; much is completely harmless, some is frighteningly damaging. Friability is a fancy way of saying how finely do the asbestos fiber shatter under stress. The finer the particles, the more dangerous. >I agree that a simple knee-jerk reaction to asbestos is >silly - but that's how legislators most often write laws. Well...not exactly (IMO). The legislation followed the trial lawyers making "asbestos" the equivalent of "plutonium" or "cyanide" in the minds of the public and therefore the jury pool. It's really tough to convince a jury that this asbestos is potentially lethal, but that form is harmless, especially when platiff is coughing his lungs up in the corner. P.S. - I am *not* saying there wasn't a cavalier attitude toward the stuff, and a lot of people were hurt without cause. >(Unless stakeholders are there to help them understand >the facts.)If you're refering to the legislators, the the stockholders are lobbyists, and you don't always get the desired outcome. KJ

15 years, 4 months

1
0
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OT: white LEDs

by mtapley＠swri.edu

At 12:00 -0600 2/23/10, Randy wrote: >If you look at one in the microscope, it looks like an LED with some >sort of phosphor painted over the semiconductor. Is that how these >things work, its really a high efficency IR LED, with a phosphor >doubler to bring the wavelength into visible? Just speculating... There are a few crystals that can double frequency (halve wavelength, thereby *increasing* the energy per photon). I think these are used in laser ranging, to bring a powerful IR laser beam up into the visible so it'll transmit better through the atmosphere. I think no phosphors can do that. They can bring frequency *down* (ie absorb an ultraviolet photon, emit 2 visible or one visible and one IR or some combination). In fact, I don't recall ever hearing of a device that can do that with non-coherent light (well, as direct conversion). The problem is trying to gather 2 low-energy photons into a single high-energy photon. That turns out to be tough to do in general. There are phosphors that can be "pumped" by blue or UV light, then stimulated to re-emit visible light when IR photons hit them. (I think the Germans made IR goggles this way in WWII.) -- - Mark 210-379-4635 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Large Asteroids headed toward planets inhabited by beings that don't have technology adequate to stop them: Think of it as Evolution in Fast-Forward.

15 years, 4 months

1
0
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Tubes & Computers of Olden Days

by roger.holmes＠microspot.co.uk

On 22 Feb 2010, at 18:00, cctalk-request at classiccmp.org wrote: > > Message: 19 > Date: Mon, 22 Feb 2010 11:45:19 +0000 > From: Colin Eby <ceby2 at csc.com> > Subject: Re: Tubes & Computers of Olden Days > To: cctalk at classiccmp.org > Message-ID: > <OF71E503B7.7C3067C5-ON802576D2.003F9F40-802576D2.00409310 at csc.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII > > > I'm rather surprised this thread hasn't brought up what has to be the most > complete, working order, and fully programmable of the remaining tube > machines. There are a couple of interesting systems in the process of > restoration, but for my money, the best of the running examples is the > Science Museum's (London's) Ferranti Pegasus. Unlike the Collosus replica, > this is an actual relic, and recognizably a programmable computer in the > modern sense. The Colossus and most of the later small systems are > pegboard programmed and therefore cannot alter their instructions in > flight. That Ferranti is demo'd regularly (though I never seem to be around > on the right day). I'm sure everyone can do their own Googling, but it a > pretty complete setup. I keep a loving photo of it in my office cubicle. > > Thanks, > Colin Eby > Technical Architect > NR Performance Engineering > CSC > I think you were right, and I hope you will be again, but last thing I heard was there had been an incident and it was shut down awaiting a health and safety review. If my memory serves me right some twit reported the blown fuse had asbestos in it. I expect most of the steam boilers in the building do too. We've gone health and safety mad, but when I reported someone had fly tipped a load of asbestos on a country verge the council collected 75% of it and left the rest behind and now some of it has got driven over and is being pulverised into the mud. Roger Holmes, Computer Conservation Society and 1301 working party member

15 years, 4 months

4
4
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BBC S.E. news classic computer feature

by roger.holmes＠microspot.co.uk

On 21 Feb 2010, at 07:45, cctalk-request at classiccmp.org wrote: > > Message: 26 > Date: Fri, 19 Feb 2010 18:46:08 +0000 > From: Nigel Bailey <nig.bailey at virgin.net> > Subject: Re: BBC S.E. news classic computer feature > To: cctech at classiccmp.org > Message-ID: <4B7EDC70.7020407 at virgin.net> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed > > Presumeably that's "Flossie" > I watched the local BBC news, but we're in the Anglia region. Did you > "youtube" the clip? I think the BBC would not like me putting their copyright programmes up on U-tube.

15 years, 4 months

2
1
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DEC RT-11 MU BASIC V2.00R installation guide?

by nigel.d.williams＠gmail.com

Having found the RK05 image for MU BASIC V2: http://www.shiresoft.com/downloads/disk-images/rk05/rt11v4-mubasicv2.rk.gz I made a quick attempt at getting it to install on simh but without success as it throws an error "CONFIGURATION ERROR -- NOT ENOUGH MEMORY" when entering .R MUBAS and answering with 1USER.CNF Does anyone have the V2 Installation Guide? it may have a DEC part number close to or similar to the V1 guide which was: DEC-11-LIBMA-A-D which you can see here: http://www.computer.museum.uq.edu.au/RT-11/DEC-11-LIBMA-A-D%20MU%20BASIC&RT… thanks. www.retroComputingTasmania.com

15 years, 4 months

1
1
0 0

Looking for a VT100 advanced video option board

by ian_primus＠yahoo.com

I'm looking for a VT100 advanced video option board. Or, failing that, if anyone has a .100 spacing, 50 pin dual row female connector so I can makes one... The circuit is really simple, it's just a plug-in board that gives the VT100 some extra RAM so it can display 24 lines of text in 132 column mode, and do some extra character attributes. I cooked up plans to build my own based on the schematics in the printset (and using some newer SRAMs), but when I actually pulled the logic board out of the terminal I realized that the header connector it plugs into is a stupid spacing - .1 instead of the usual .156. -Ian

15 years, 4 months

6
8
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OT: SawStop saws (was Re: Soldering)

by feldman.r＠comcast.net

I have a SawStop Contractor's saw and am pleased with it, even though I have not had the need to test its stopping feature. I did see one demonstrated with a hot dog at a trade show, though. The maker of the electronics (National Semi, IIRC) was doing the demo. The stop works by slamming a block of aluminum into the blade, so if it fires, you have to replace both the blade and the stop mechanism, which I consider a trivial cost compared to replacing one or more fingers! The electronics do have a POST, but you are right that there is no way to fully test the unit without destroying it. If you do not have a spare brake unit, there is a keyed over-ride. I think some of the reasoning in having to replace the whole brake unit is that (1) the electronics are a small part of the unit so the added cost is minor, and (2) there is much less chance of someone incorrectly installing the unit. While I would be willing to use a unit re-assembled by Tony, there too many incompetents out there who I would not trust to even plug in the unit correctly, much less reassemble one from parts. Bob ----- Original Message ----- Message: 6 Date: Sat, 20 Feb 2010 19:19:53 +0000 (GMT) From: ard at p850ug1.demon.co.uk (Tony Duell) Subject: Re: Soldering (Was: Re: HP-IB, Amigo/cs80 ... ) To: cctalk at classiccmp.org Message-ID: <m1Niurz-000J3xC at p850ug1> Content-Type: text/plain > This is a pretty cool design for table saws: > > http://www.sawstop.com/ > > "We're passionate about preventing saw accidents. > That=92s why SawStop=AE saws are equipped with a safety > system to stop the blade within 5 milliseconds of > detecting contact with skin." I am not convinced. My main moan is that you have to replace the complete safety device if it trips? Why? I am darn sure you could make something as quick-acting that was resetable. Due to this, if it trips in the middle of a job and you don't have a spare one to hand, you are going to find some way to disable it. Which means you have no protection, but subconciously you will think you do and won't take as much care. Also, since you have to replace all the driver electronics every time (why not just the fuse wire?) how do you know it's going to work? If it was resetable, you could test it every month or som wy touching the side of a the blade with a soft metal rod. If it trips, fine, if not, you fix it. Better than that it not work when you need it. ?Of ocurse even if you're prepared to waste a safety module every month to do that test, it doesn't tell you anything. You don;t know the new one you've fitted is going to work. -tony

15 years, 4 months

3
2
0 0

Tubes & Computers of Olden Days

by c.murray.mccullough＠gmail.com

Hi, Speaking of tubes, television variety or otherwise, does anyone know if there are any tube-based computers, large or small, still in existence? I saw parts of one a few years ago at the Computer History Museum in Silicon Valley but none that have approached a 'working' unit or sub-unit! Murray--

15 years, 4 months

13
14
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Tubes & Computers of Olden Days

by ceby2＠csc.com

I'm rather surprised this thread hasn't brought up what has to be the most complete, working order, and fully programmable of the remaining tube machines. There are a couple of interesting systems in the process of restoration, but for my money, the best of the running examples is the Science Museum's (London's) Ferranti Pegasus. Unlike the Collosus replica, this is an actual relic, and recognizably a programmable computer in the modern sense. The Colossus and most of the later small systems are pegboard programmed and therefore cannot alter their instructions in flight. That Ferranti is demo'd regularly (though I never seem to be around on the right day). I'm sure everyone can do their own Googling, but it a pretty complete setup. I keep a loving photo of it in my office cubicle. Thanks, Colin Eby Technical Architect NR Performance Engineering CSC

15 years, 4 months

1
0
0 0

CDC disk packs

by wdonzelli＠gmail.com

Some of you know that I have been selling some CDC disk packs on Ebay - ones I pulled out of CyberResources. I have noticed lately that there are some others selling packs on Ebay - and they are using the text from my auctions. My packs are either from Cyber's replacement stock, or are clearly marked as crashed - the ones on Ebay are not. Consider these other packs from these sneaky vendors as VERY QUESTIONABLE. My Ebay name is TOOBER. Currently I have no packs on auction. -- Will

15 years, 4 months

2
2
0 0

alternativ to catweasel

by rachael＠telefisk.org

the was posted to a amiga ircchannel some time ago, http://www.softpres.org/glossary:kryoflux Looks interessing, if there will be better drivers and accessable info for writing or chaning the code on it, drive situation cant be much worse than what we have with the catweasel. Regards -- Jacob Dahl Pind | telefisk.org | fidonet 2:237/38.8

15 years, 4 months

4
4
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DEC Legacy Event, Windermere, UK, 17th-18th April

by IanK＠vulcan.com

FYI: the Living Computer Museum presentation will be a joint one, including my colleague Rich Alderson. Rich has been an active member of the 36-bit community for many years. -- Ian ________________________________________ From: cctalk-bounces at classiccmp.org [cctalk-bounces at classiccmp.org] On Behalf Of Rob Jarratt [robert.jarratt at ntlworld.com] Sent: Saturday, February 20, 2010 11:27 AM To: 'General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts' Subject: DEC Legacy Event, Windermere, UK, 17th-18th April I am sending the message below on behalf of the organiser of this event, as he has been unable to resubscribe to the list: Greetings, I hope you don't mind me sending you an update on the DEC Legacy Event the weekend of 17th & 18th April this year. There are lots of exciting talks and demonstrations now lined up and lots of kit to use, with more to come in the weeks ahead. Please feel free to visit the website http://declegacy.org.uk for updates and come join us for an interesting and social weekend in the Lakes! Regards, Mark. Current highlights are: Kevin Murrell will be talking about the work at the National Museum of Computing and the Computer Conservation Society preserving and restoring DEC hardware. There will also be a video-link back to the museum to demonstrate some of their 'less portable' DEC equipment, including the Blacknest PDP/11 used for seismic monitoring and their VAX fault tolerant system. He's bringing along some choice exhibits in their collection including a PDP/8, DEC Mate III and DEC Professional running RT11. Colin Butcher is keeping us up to date by presenting technical details of the new OpenVMS 8.4 release (including Clustering over IP/DECnet over IP, performance enhancements etc.) as well as facilitate a mini-bootcamp where participants will get an opportunity to try their hand at installing VMS, clustering VMS or any other topic which is of suitable interest. Ian King from the Living Computer Museum is joining from the USA and is giving a presentation on the restoration of the DEC machines in their collection. These include a PDP-10 model 2065 running Tops-10, a TOAD-1 running TOPS-20 and a VAX-11/780-5 running OpenVMS 6.2. Dave Goodwin will be making a presentation on his PhD "Digital Equipment, its Rise and Fall" answering the research question whether the sale to Compaq was necessary or could DEC have survived on its own with the technology it had. Stephen 'Hoff' Hoffman, founder of HoffmanLabs, OpenVMS coder, publisher and regular presenter at OpenVMS-related events will be joining us for a presentation by video-link. Jim Austin, Professor of Neural Computing, University of York, will be demonstrating something of interest from his museum of DEC related hardware. Equipment that will be on show includes: PDP/8, DECmate III, DEC Professional running RT11, MicroVAX II & Microvax 3100 M80, VAXstation 4000/90, VAXstation VLC, DEC 3000/600 AXP, DEC AlphaServer 1000A, ALPHAbook 1 Laptop, HP ZX6000, HP RX2600 server... with more to come!

15 years, 4 months

1
0
0 0

DEC Legacy Event, Windermere, UK, 17th-18th April

by robert.jarratt＠ntlworld.com

I am sending the message below on behalf of the organiser of this event, as he has been unable to resubscribe to the list: Greetings, I hope you don't mind me sending you an update on the DEC Legacy Event the weekend of 17th & 18th April this year. There are lots of exciting talks and demonstrations now lined up and lots of kit to use, with more to come in the weeks ahead. Please feel free to visit the website http://declegacy.org.uk for updates and come join us for an interesting and social weekend in the Lakes! Regards, Mark. Current highlights are: Kevin Murrell will be talking about the work at the National Museum of Computing and the Computer Conservation Society preserving and restoring DEC hardware. There will also be a video-link back to the museum to demonstrate some of their 'less portable' DEC equipment, including the Blacknest PDP/11 used for seismic monitoring and their VAX fault tolerant system. He's bringing along some choice exhibits in their collection including a PDP/8, DEC Mate III and DEC Professional running RT11. Colin Butcher is keeping us up to date by presenting technical details of the new OpenVMS 8.4 release (including Clustering over IP/DECnet over IP, performance enhancements etc.) as well as facilitate a mini-bootcamp where participants will get an opportunity to try their hand at installing VMS, clustering VMS or any other topic which is of suitable interest. Ian King from the Living Computer Museum is joining from the USA and is giving a presentation on the restoration of the DEC machines in their collection. These include a PDP-10 model 2065 running Tops-10, a TOAD-1 running TOPS-20 and a VAX-11/780-5 running OpenVMS 6.2. Dave Goodwin will be making a presentation on his PhD "Digital Equipment, its Rise and Fall" answering the research question whether the sale to Compaq was necessary or could DEC have survived on its own with the technology it had. Stephen 'Hoff' Hoffman, founder of HoffmanLabs, OpenVMS coder, publisher and regular presenter at OpenVMS-related events will be joining us for a presentation by video-link. Jim Austin, Professor of Neural Computing, University of York, will be demonstrating something of interest from his museum of DEC related hardware. Equipment that will be on show includes: PDP/8, DECmate III, DEC Professional running RT11, MicroVAX II & Microvax 3100 M80, VAXstation 4000/90, VAXstation VLC, DEC 3000/600 AXP, DEC AlphaServer 1000A, ALPHAbook 1 Laptop, HP ZX6000, HP RX2600 server... with more to come!

15 years, 4 months

1
0
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test-drb February 2010