test-drb July 2016

test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

190 participants
243 discussions

by hilpert＠cs.ubc.ca

So a friend tells me there's a maybe-abandoned HP 8510 Network Analyzer in the hallway of the engineering building of the univ. he works at. I presume it's a unit like this, as he says it's over a metre tall: http://www.ece.lsu.edu/emdl/facilities/network%20analyser.html I figure its a little too far large and too far away from my needs to take it on, but out of curiousity does anyone know offhand what processor they used in these? (I haven't looked in depth online). Cursory guess is its mid-90s technology.

7 years, 10 months

Second release of the HP 3000 Series III simulator

by jdbryan＠acm.org

The second release of the HP 3000 Series III simulator is now available >from the Computer History Simulation Project (SIMH) site: https://github.com/simh/simh This release adds a simulation of the HP 2607, 2613, 2617, and 2618 line printers and supports the use of custom VFU tape images, as well as the built-in HP-standard VFU tape. The full set of configurable options is detailed in a new section of the HP 3000 Simulator User's Guide that is provided in Microsoft Word format in the "doc" subdirectory of the code base snapshot downloaded from the github site. A PDF version of the updated manual is also available at: http://alum.mit.edu/www/jdbryan/hp3000_doc.pdf In addition, the preconfigured MPE-V/R disc image available from Bitsavers: http://www.bitsavers.org/bits/HP/HP_3000/ ...has been updated to add the following features: - The MPE cold load command files attach the line printer to the "lp.txt" output file and specify the "-n" option to clear the file before use. - Preinstalled User-Defined Commands (UDCs) provide access to the COBOL 74 compiler with the MPE-V/E :COBOLII, :COBOLIIPREP, and :COBOLIIGO commands, and to the COBOL 85 compiler with :COBOLIIX, :COBOLIIXPREP, and :COBOLIIXGO. However, note that the simulator currently does not provide the HP 32234A COBOL II firmware instructions, so programs generated by the COBOLII compiler will abort at run time with "ILLEGAL INSTRUCTION" errors, limiting the current utility of the compilers to syntax checking. Thanks once again go to Frank McConnell for providing the HP line printer subsystems manuals that facilitated development of the new simulation, and to Robert Mills for providing the COBOLII UDCs. -- Dave

7 years, 10 months

Morrow and Kaypro newsletters

by dave＠661.org

I found some BAMDUA / BAKUP newsletters (Bay Area Micro Decision Users Association and Bay Area Kaypro Users and Programmers). Does anyone know anything about these user groups? -- David Griffith dave at 661.org A: Because it fouls the order in which people normally read text. Q: Why is top-posting such a bad thing? A: Top-posting. Q: What is the most annoying thing in e-mail?

7 years, 10 months

Latest addition: A bondi-blue iMac

by terry＠webweavers.co.nz

My classic/vintage computer activity has taken a back seat lately but I did find a machine I had on the "classic" list for some time. It's now part of the collection. http://www.classic-computers.org.nz/collection/imac.htm Some would say this is not vintage, classic or collectible (and so shouldn't be discussed here). However, these are all subjected terms which can be (and are!) argued about at length. To me it's a noteworthy model which had some impact on personal computing (notably by helping put Apple back in the game). Vintage? At only 18 years old perhaps not but a classic and collectible? As time goes by I would say yes. Terry (Tez)

7 years, 10 months

Fwd: Re: Front Panels - New development - Bezels

by rodsmallwood52＠btinternet.com

-------- Forwarded Message -------- Subject: Re: Front Panels - New development - Bezels Date: Thu, 7 Jul 2016 08:01:35 +0100 From: Rod Smallwood <rodsmallwood52 at btinternet.com> To: Paul Birkel <pbirkel at gmail.com> On 07/07/2016 07:18, Paul Birkel wrote: > "MakeAnEight", oh my :->. Next it will be "SweetSixteen" I imagine. > > Great news on the casting-in-resin prototype. How much are these ending up costing? > > -----Original Message----- > From: cctalk [mailto:cctalk-bounces at classiccmp.org] On Behalf Of Rod Smallwood > Sent: Thursday, July 07, 2016 2:04 AM > To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts > Subject: Front Panels - New development - Bezels > > Hi Guys > > We are able to-announce the successful test production of a PDP-8 Bezel in cast resin. > > The result is tough, beige colored, slightly flexible copy of the original. > > Bonding the panel to the bezel or adding internal stiffening brings rigidity. > > Painting matches the color. > > This will be part of our MakeAnEight parts for reproduction or repair range. > > > Rod (Panelman) Smallwood > > > Hi Paul Well I was going to call it ElevenHeaven but I like your idea better. They got a good result first time. That seemed too easy. Then I remembered that when I went through the molding and casting process they said is that it? It just dawned on me. Screen printing is all about handling gloopy liquids. They have all of the knowledge of mixing and all of the measuring pots and stirring sticks you will ever need. Cost? Well that's interesting. Usually in a small run/custom situation its the labor cost that's the major element. Here it seems to be the cost of the materials to get the right result. I should know soon. Regards Rod

7 years, 10 months

BASIC challenge on RetroBattlestations

by fozztexx＠fozztexx.com

July is BASIC Month and there's another challenge happening on RetroBattlestations. The type-in program for this challenge borrows a little bit of code from the very first BASIC challenge that I did. I've created a little "turtle graphics" type program that uses a stack based command interpreter. Right now the commands are very simple, pen up & down, move forward and turn. There's also looping to make it easy to create that spirograph effect that everyone loves to do! This time around there's more than just the random winners for typing in the program as-is. I'll also be choosing two people who can add the most interesting features or port it to the most exotic hardware. So far there are not too many platforms that have been ported to, and the only features that anyone has added has just been random colorization. You can check it out here: https://redd.it/4qs0f3 -- Follow me on twitter: @FozzTexx Check out my blog: http://insentricity.com

7 years, 10 months

Megaprocessor

by echristopherson＠gmail.com

This gigantic, $53,000 hobbyist-built computer is making the rounds on Facebook: http://gizmodo.com/guy-spends-four-years-50k-building-giant-computer-to-178… A relay one from a few years ago: http://web.cecs.pdx.edu/~harry/Relay/ -- Eric Christopherson

7 years, 10 months

Front Panels - PDP-8/e , PDP-8/f and PDP-8/m are ex-stock

by rodsmallwood52＠btinternet.com

Hi Guys +++++++++++++++++++++++ Panels stocked and ready to ship +++++++++++++++++++ I am pleased to be able to announce the following PDP-8 front panels are now ex-stock. Stock levels are 10 or less of: PDP-8/e (Type A) PDP-8/e (Type B) PDP-8/f PDP-8/m Please order now as each type takes ten days to make and the manufacturing slot for each comes round once in six weeks. Rod (Panelman) Smallwood

7 years, 10 months

multiflow trace in Austin

by thebri＠gmail.com

It's not as old as some would like, but it's definitely unique enough. http://www.ebay.com/itm/UBER-RARE-MULTIFLOW-TRACE-14-300-COMPILER-VINTAGE-C… b

7 years, 10 months

word processor history -- interesting article (Evan Koblentz)

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

> From: Mouse > "The most amazing achievement of the computer software industry is its > continuing cancellation of the steady and staggering gains made by the > computer hardware industry." - credited to Henry Petroski There's a reason I run considerably older software (which I prefer because it's less bloated) on somewhat older hardware (which is cheap, used) - i.e. hardware that's considerably newer than the software running on it - and your quotation nails it. The response time I get with Epsilon V8.0 (circa 1996) on an Athlon XP is scintillating - my finger has barely started to come up on the key before the screen reflects the command (e.g. to switch buffers). The response time is blindingly fast. Now, admittedly, Epsilon was fast to start with (i.e. on contemporanous hardware), so perhaps it's not the best example. But the same is true for other things, albeit to a lesser degree; e.g. switching windows to different applications. Older software on newer hardware provides a sparkling user experience, in terms of responsiveness. Noel

7 years, 10 months

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test-drb July 2016