test-drb

test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

101090 discussions

by tomph＠ix6.ix.netcom.com

Hi All, I've been lurking for one day but had to reply to this one so I hope I'm not breaking any rules. <snip> > That was an ACT Victor 9000, aka Sirius 9000 in Europe. It's a brilliant > machine (by coincidence I saw a Sirius keyboard for sale last Sunday). > 8088-based, but not PC compatible. Will run the usual OSs and the usual > software. I can't remember specs of the top of my head. After the > Victor/Sirius, ACT went on to design the Apricot series, with which you may > be more familiar. If you need the full specs, I'll be happy to have a look > for you! Right on. The Victor 9000 was quite a system. Monochrome hi res video. Way ahead of its time IMHO. If I remember right, it was an 8086 based PC that was designed by the same fellow who designed the 6502 chip. Unfortunatly, his name escapes me. It was not IBM compatible in any way which is what really killed it. I had a classroom with 12 of those systems in it. Very reliable. Also had a variable speed 5-1/4 drive that stored more data on the outer tracks by slowing the drive down. Had about 5 different speed zones on the disk so it store 600k per disk. Quite a feat when IBM was still at the 360K density. On another note. The reason I'm here is that someone recommended I drop a line to let you all know I have a Heath Z150 PC that I built back in 1984. I also have all the manuals and schematics and two binders of Remark mag. I no longer have room for it and would like to find a good home for it. Aside from shipping charges, it's free for the taking. I'm located on Long Island in New York. Anyone interested. I'd hate to have to deep six it. Let me know Tom

28 years, 6 months

movie computers (The List! )

by scott＠saskatoon.com

> You can't forget about the PDP-8/E with DECTape drives that > appeared in "Three Days of the Condor". And wasn't there an IMSAI in War Games? (It's been a long time, though.) ttfn srw ------------------------------------------------------------ Walde Techonology http://scott.cprompt.sk.ca Box 7284 finger: scott(a)cprompt.sk.ca Saskatoon, SK S7K 4J2 email: scott(a)saskatoon.com CANADA email: scott(a)cprompt.sk.ca -----BEGIN GEEK CODE BLOCK----- Version: 3.1 GCS d- s:+>: a- C++++$ UL++++$ !P L++ E- W+++$ N+ o? K? w$ O- M-- V PS+ PE++ Y+ PGP->++ t+ 5 X+ !R tv- b+ DI++++ D+ G e* h r++ y- ------END GEEK CODE BLOCK------

28 years, 6 months

movie computers (The List! )

by zmerch＠northernway.net

Two of my favorites: ISTR (tho I haven't seen it since it came out) that the original Terminator was programmed in: 1: Basic (Applesoft Basic, wasn't it?) 2: 8-bit Assembly (methinks 6800/6809, but it could have been 6502... memory fuzzy) 3: Get this: COBOL!!!!! ;-O There may have been others... but those are three I distinctly remember >from the movie. The other one (of course): Scotty talking to a mouse on an original Macintosh (which, of course) had the computational capabilities of a Cray it would seem... And the 64,000 byte question: If Scotty had *never* seen a QWERTY keyboard before in his life... how the *he!!* can he type so fast!?! Inquiring minds want to know! Prost, "Merch" -- Roger Merchberger | If at first you don't succeed, Programmer, NorthernWay | nuclear warhead disarmament should *not* zmerch(a)northernway.net | be your first career choice.

28 years, 6 months

movie computers (The List! )

by scott＠saskatoon.com

> And the 64,000 byte question: If Scotty had *never* seen a QWERTY keyboard > before in his life... how the *he!!* can he type so fast!?! Shouldn't that actually be the 65,536 byte question? ttfn srw ------------------------------------------------------------ Walde Techonology http://scott.cprompt.sk.ca Box 7284 finger: scott(a)cprompt.sk.ca Saskatoon, SK S7K 4J2 email: scott(a)saskatoon.com CANADA email: scott(a)cprompt.sk.ca -----BEGIN GEEK CODE BLOCK----- Version: 3.1 GCS d- s:+>: a- C++++$ UL++++$ !P L++ E- W+++$ N+ o? K? w$ O- M-- V PS+ PE++ Y+ PGP->++ t+ 5 X+ !R tv- b+ DI++++ D+ G e* h r++ y- ------END GEEK CODE BLOCK------

28 years, 6 months

movie computers (The List! )

by scott＠saskatoon.com

> Two of my favorites: > > ISTR (tho I haven't seen it since it came out) that the original Terminator > was programmed in: > > 1: Basic (Applesoft Basic, wasn't it?) > 2: 8-bit Assembly (methinks 6800/6809, but it could have been 6502... > memory fuzzy) That reminds me... was it Inner Space where the guys working on the computers were simply going through pages of monitor dumps on Apple ][+ or //es? ttfn srw ------------------------------------------------------------ Walde Techonology http://scott.cprompt.sk.ca Box 7284 finger: scott(a)cprompt.sk.ca Saskatoon, SK S7K 4J2 email: scott(a)saskatoon.com CANADA email: scott(a)cprompt.sk.ca -----BEGIN GEEK CODE BLOCK----- Version: 3.1 GCS d- s:+>: a- C++++$ UL++++$ !P L++ E- W+++$ N+ o? K? w$ O- M-- V PS+ PE++ Y+ PGP->++ t+ 5 X+ !R tv- b+ DI++++ D+ G e* h r++ y- ------END GEEK CODE BLOCK------

28 years, 6 months

Pournelle (The decline and fall of Byte)

by kaikal＠MICROSOFT.com

About 9 years ago when I was in our end user support organization, I had occasion to speak to Jerry. He was threatening to give QuickBasic a scathing review because he couldn't get it to compile Mrs. Pournelle's Reading Program (what else?) under Windows 386. He called up our QuickBasic group manager and just about carved him a new orifice. I, as the Windows support lead, was asked to call him on this very urgent, sky-is-falling problem and help him out, since as you may have noticed >from years of columns, he never, ever calls support himself. The conversation went something like this: Me: "Hi Mr. Pournelle, this is Kai with Microsoft Product Support..." Jerry: "What the HELL are you DOING calling during my DINNER TIME?!?" Me: "I'm sorry sir, I understood you had a very urgent issue, and I had no way of knowing..." Jerry: "YOU PEOPLE are MORONS! <blah blah blah blah>" And things went downhill from there. Later on we finally got to the problem, which as I recall was related to a bizarre SCSI adapter in that silly Cheetah 386 he had, the one into which he would put any piece of hardware any manufacturer ever sent to him for free. Not a great experience. I spoke to him again a few months later on a different issue, and he was no more lucid or logical on that occasion. Kai > ---------- > From: Ward Griffiths and/or Lisa Rogers[SMTP:gram@cnct.com] > Reply To: classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu > Sent: Tuesday, May 06, 1997 2:01 PM > To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers > Subject: The decline and fall of Byte > > On Tue, 6 May 1997, Captain Napalm wrote: > > > My own collection of Byte starts with August of 85 (Amiga 1000 is > the > > cover story) and ends somewhere in late 89 or early 90. The library > at the > > university I attended had issues starting from Jan '77 (which I read > 8-). > > The dates given here are approximate, looking at a Byte from 1980, > then 1985 > > then 1990 will show almost three different magazines. > > > > -spc (It started sliding when Robert Tinney stopped doing magazine > covers, > > (~87) then it nose dived once Steve Ciarcia stopped writing > hardware > > articles, (~88 or 89) although there are some that think it > started > > way back in '77 when Pournelle started his column) > > Well, most of my older Byte magazines were destroyed by water several > moves ago, and I wouldn't mind acquiring most of them again. I had > mostly > given up on Byte in the mid-eighties, but in recent years I've wound > up > with a subscription (recently finally expired) due to McGraw-Hill > ceasing > publication of more useful magazines. Ciarcia's articles were always > excellent (and I know that most of them were released in book form > awhile > back), and his current magazine, "Circuit Cellar Ink" is pretty good, > especially if you're a serious hardware hacker as I no longer am. > Actually, nowadays, Pournelle's column is about the only thing I read > in > the magazine, and now that it's available on the web (with extra > text), I > really don't care to subscribe. Opinions vary concerning Jerry > Pournelle. > I've known him for over twenty years due to our mutual interest in > science > fiction and membership in the Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society (I'm > still a member despite living in New Jersey -- Death Shall Not Release > You!). Over the years we've had a lot of conversations and arguments, > about politics (he's in favor of having a government, I'm opposed), > about > space development (we're both in favor) and computers (I was a > Shacker, > and while I was living elsewhere on the continent he had bad > experiences > with a very early TRS-80 and the company rather hurt themselves by > being > uncooperative and ignorant of the power of the press -- which is why > after > I showed him one of the first Model 100s, he went out and got a NEC > equivalent). He's a man of strong opinions who's always trying to > learn > something new and so am I. Really, he should be a member of this > mailing > list -- he's experienced directly more of the history of computers > than > most of us who've worked and played with them. That plus having the > clout > to get information from the movers and shakers. > -- > Ward Griffiths > "America is at that awkward stage. It's too late to work within > the system, but too early to shoot the bastards." --Claire Wolfe > >

28 years, 6 months

The List!

by scott＠saskatoon.com

> > Apple III 6502 128K SOS MICRO 83 > > The Apple III is definitely earlier than 1983. I have a booklet entitled > "Apple In Depth" from 1981 and it has the Apple III in it. Also, I found > a review of the III in the December, 1980 issue of Popular Science > (p.113). Strictly from my memory but, I'm _positive_ the A/// was released in fall of 1980. It actually beat the IBM PC to market, but had 100% hardware malfunction in the first run, and didn't have the bugs fixed until after the PC was out. (No longer strictly from memory. I just checked it out, It _Was_ Sept. 1980, and the ][+ was June 1979.) Apple has a great 'History' at: http://product.info.apple.com/pr/background/pr.background.timeline.html (Of course, it doesn't really mention any of the major failures.) ttfn srw ------------------------------------------------------------ Walde Techonology http://scott.cprompt.sk.ca Box 7284 finger: scott(a)cprompt.sk.ca Saskatoon, SK S7K 4J2 email: scott(a)saskatoon.com CANADA email: scott(a)cprompt.sk.ca -----BEGIN GEEK CODE BLOCK----- Version: 3.1 GCS d- s:+>: a- C++++$ UL++++$ !P L++ E- W+++$ N+ o? K? w$ O- M-- V PS+ PE++ Y+ PGP->++ t+ 5 X+ !R tv- b+ DI++++ D+ G e* h r++ y- ------END GEEK CODE BLOCK------

28 years, 6 months

movie computers (The List! )

by ldickey＠west.cscwc.pima.edu

DATE SENT: 6-MAY-1997 16:59:36 > >I recently found out that _Weird Science_ possibly has an Apple Lisa in >it and that some chick is named Lisa because she was designed on the >computer. Never seen the flick, but I think I might have to now... > I think it may have been an Atari (1200xl?). It's been years since I last saw the movie, so I might be wrong. --- ####### "Hey...how'd I get in here?" | o o | Loren Dickey ( ^ ) ldickey(a)west.cscwc.pima.edu \ o / ldickey(a)aztec.asu.edu

28 years, 6 months

Wanted: Co-Proponent for RFD rec.collecting.computers.classic

by kaikal＠MICROSOFT.com

I agree completely Bill. Here are some reasons I can think of off the top of my head for starting the newsgroup: - If we look at The List that has been circulating, only about 1% of those manufacturers have a comp.os.* group associated. - Someone who has a classic computer in their closet doesn't want to join a mailing list just to post a targeted for sale ad. - We don't want posts from commercial vendors of classic systems/software/parts filling up our mailboxes, but I'd like to encourage them to post to the newsgroup. - alt.folklore.computers is for discussions about folklore (did Gary Kildall really refuse to sign that IBM nondisclosure, thus dooming CP/M?) not buy/sell/trade activity. - A mailing list is an inappropriate place to hold an auction - Usenet is automatically archived and searchable via DejaNews Kai > ---------- > From: Bill Whitson[SMTP:bill@booster.bothell.washington.edu] > Reply To: classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu > Sent: Tuesday, May 06, 1997 2:52 PM > To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers > Subject: Re: Wanted: Co-Proponent for RFD > rec.collecting.computers.classic > > > Keeping it to ourselves is counter productive. The point is to > share the > > knowledge to get more people interested to preserve more computers. > The > > point is we do this because we have passion for the systems. Every > hobby > > is going to be prostituted some time or another. As long as your > passion > > remains, its all good. > > Let me clarify, just in case. Anyone with interest can join this > list. > If you guys wish to spread the word or post about it in appropriate > places be my guest. > > I don't stand one way or the other on the newsgroup idea but I think > it's agood idea to take a look at groups like comp.sys.ti where the > bulk of the info comes from the mailing list reposts and almost > everything else is spam. That is the reason why I decided to go with > a > mailing list rather than a newsgroup. It seems silly to argue about > the > group if the process has already been started - if it gets created it > will > either get used or not. If it passes I'll be one of the people > reading > it as I'm sure most of you will. > > Bill > > ---------------------------------------------------- > Bill Whitson - Classic Computers ListOp > bill(a)booster.u.washinton.edu or bcw(a)u.washington.edu > http://weber.u.washington.edu/~bcw > >

28 years, 6 months

Wanted: Co-Proponent for RFD rec.collecting.computers.c

by scott＠saskatoon.com

> Well how about a "Computer Journal" all our own? > > Just an idea... and it really wouldn't take that much effort! I like this idea. Maybe it could be a group collaborative effort. (Another mailling list?) Besides articles relating to collecting, I think it would be really cool to try to obtain the rights to reprint some classic magazine articles that some of us never got to see, or were to shortsighted at the time to keep. (Construction type articles. Maybe some reviews.) (Are we talking about 'ink and paper' here or electronic? I was thinking 'ink and paper', but [html,pdf,whatever] wouldn't be bad either.) > Les ttfn srw ------------------------------------------------------------ Walde Techonology http://scott.cprompt.sk.ca Box 7284 finger: scott(a)cprompt.sk.ca Saskatoon, SK S7K 4J2 email: scott(a)saskatoon.com CANADA email: scott(a)cprompt.sk.ca -----BEGIN GEEK CODE BLOCK----- Version: 3.1 GCS d- s:+>: a- C++++$ UL++++$ !P L++ E- W+++$ N+ o? K? w$ O- M-- V PS+ PE++ Y+ PGP->++ t+ 5 X+ !R tv- b+ DI++++ D+ G e* h r++ y- ------END GEEK CODE BLOCK------

28 years, 6 months

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