test-drb

test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

101090 discussions

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

> From: Cory Heisterkamp > this is likely as close as I'll ever come to having a first generation > machine Dude, as far as I'm concerned, if it uses some sort of circulating memory for main memory (either delay line or drum), it's pretty much first generation (of course, it all depends on how one defines generations). (Unlike the very similar - in size/cost/role - Bendix G-15, it doesn't have the 'next instruction' field in each instruction, to optimize performance, though...) Interesting factoid about the Bendix G-15: it was designed with the help of one of the ACE people (Harry Huskey), and is basically a re-packaged ACE with drum instead of delay lines. There's an interesting article by Huskey himself in "Alan Turing's ACE" (by Jack Copeland) which discusses the G-15. > From: William Degnan > I am being very careful not to call this "the first personal computer" Oh, I think a good case can be made. People often cite the LINC as the first, but the G-15 and LGP-30 were similar in cost and intent, albeit a generation (at least) older. Noel

8 years, 4 months

Banner Panels

by bob＠theadamsons.co.uk

> Date: Fri, 30 Dec 2016 14:10:05 +0100 > From: Pontus Pihlgren <pontus at Update.UU.SE> > > (re http://www.kcg.ac.jp/museum/computer/images/mini_computers/dec/vax11_780.jpg ) > > Yes, but it is the taller racks. I had only seen the metal header on > the PDP-12 and our 8/I with earlier lower racks. > > /P > My 1972 pdp-8/e has a metal header on an H960 tall cabinet. This was definitely original (I ordered and commissioned the machine back then). (Same one as the 8/I in the photograph - no model designation).

8 years, 4 months

DEC color standards was: Re: Banner Panels

by COURYHOUSE＠aol.com

In a message dated 12/30/2016 10:49:07 P.M. US Mountain Standard Tim, chd at chdickman.com writes: On Sat, Dec 31, 2016 at 12:21 AM, <COURYHOUSE at aol.com> wrote: > I wonder if there is a PANTONE color chat assignment that DEC > ever listed? That would allow you to nail it dead on. Of course it would, but the DEC STD 092 available is not specified in PANTONE, If a later version of the standard used PANTONE then it would be done because PANTONE is the defacto reference today. When did PANTONE become a standard? I saw the following... but that may have been a date for ink maybe not paint? Pantone, as it is today, was founded in 1962, when the company?at the time a small business which manufactured colour cards for cosmetics companies? was bought by Lawrence Herbert, who had been an employee since 1956. He immediately changed its direction, developing the first colour matching system in 1963. Herbert remains the CEO, Chairman, and President of the company. Ed# _www.smecc.org_ (http://www.smecc.org)

8 years, 4 months

DEC color standards was: Re: Banner Panels

by COURYHOUSE＠aol.com

In a message dated 12/30/2016 9:31:07 P.M. US Mountain Standard Time, chd at chdickman.com writes: On Fri, Dec 30, 2016 at 11:14 PM, william degnan <billdegnan at gmail.com> wrote: > You can add the industrial/11 blue and red to your color page That's another problem I think, there isn't any documentation to say what colors a particular scheme used. I think the PDP8/e is amber and terra cotta, but that isn't documented as far as I know. Your Industrial-11 was probably in Bicentennial colors. It sure looks like American Red, White and Blue to me. -chuck I wonder if there is a PANTONE color chat assignment that DEC ever listed? That would allow you to nail it dead on. Ed# _www.SMECC.org_ (http://www.SMECC.org)

8 years, 4 months

DEC color standards was: Re: Banner Panels

by COURYHOUSE＠aol.com

(with correction) I wonder if there is a PANTONE color chart assignment that DEC ever listed? That would allow you to nail it dead on. Ed# _www.SMECC.org_ (_http://www.SMECC.org_ (http://www.smecc.org/) ) In a message dated 12/30/2016 10:21:32 P.M. US Mountain Standard Tim, COURYHOUSE at aol.com writes: In a message dated 12/30/2016 9:31:07 P.M. US Mountain Standard Time, chd at chdickman.com writes: On Fri, Dec 30, 2016 at 11:14 PM, william degnan <billdegnan at gmail.com> wrote: > You can add the industrial/11 blue and red to your color page That's another problem I think, there isn't any documentation to say what colors a particular scheme used. I think the PDP8/e is amber and terra cotta, but that isn't documented as far as I know. Your Industrial-11 was probably in Bicentennial colors. It sure looks like American Red, White and Blue to me. -chuck I wonder if there is a PANTONE color chat assignment that DEC ever listed? That would allow you to nail it dead on. Ed# _www.SMECC.org_ (http://www.smecc.org/)

8 years, 4 months

Z-80 code question about a loop that depends on the contents of the refresh register

by ethan.dicks＠gmail.com

Hi, All, I'm disassembling a vintage program and ran across this bit of code that is causing emulators to hang... MYSUB: LD A,R JP M, MYSUB JR Z, MYSUB CP 0x65 RET M LD A, 0x32 RET I know plenty of 8-bit assembler (mostly 6502, 1802, and a couple others), but I'm by no means expert on the Z-80. It appears that this subroutine is spinning on the value of the refresh register if it's zero or negative, then if it's below 0x65, return the former contents of the refresh register and if not, return 0x32? If it helps, this is from a CP/M game. I'm wondering if this is some sort of randomizer or delay routine. So far, this loop hangs on all three emulators I've tried - simh's altairz80, simcpm010 for AmigaDOS, and EMUZ80 for Raspberry Pi. I'm guessing none of these environments emulate specific behavior of the Refresh register? Does anyone have any comments or insights about what this is really doing and what the right thing to do for emulators is? I can patch this if that's what's needed, but I'd like to understand it first. Thanks, -ethan

8 years, 4 months

Transporting an LGP-30

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

> From: Jon Elson > That means it runs one instruction per revolution of the drum? I don't think it's quite that bad; ISTR something in the manual (BitSavers has a good selection of them, it was in the Programming Manual, which is quite interesting to look at) about how 'logical' sequential words were actually interleaved by some factor into physical locations around the drum (probably to prevent just this problem). IIRC, the manual talks about how it's intended as a replacement for a mechanical calculator (one of the hairy semi-programmable ones, I presume), so their performance target wasn't that steep. Noel

8 years, 4 months

Transporting an LGP-30

by coryheisterkamp＠gmail.com

Hi Folks, I recently became the owner of an LGP-30, supposedly in 'working' condition. However, the machine is roughly 2000 miles from me and will need to be transported by freight. Before it's palletized, are there any special precautions I should take to ensure its safe travel. I'm especially worried about the drum (drum lock?), but haven't been able to find a maintenance or setup doc. Anyone out there with experience or can offer a few pointers? Thanks, Cory Heisterkamp

8 years, 4 months

PDP-6s at MIT

by jnc＠mercury.lcs.mit.edu

> their KA10 had a paging box, made by System[s] Concepts Speaking of which, here's a photo of the display panel from it: http://ana-3.lcs.mit.edu/~jnc/tech/jpg/SysConKAPanel.jpg The meter didn't show up well in that, and it's too cool to miss, so here: http://ana-3.lcs.mit.edu/~jnc/tech/jpg/SysConMeter.jpg is a shot of it. Noel

8 years, 4 months

WTB: Apple II Workstation Card

by shatle＠nfldinet.com

-------- Original Message -------- Subject: WTB: Apple II Workstation Card From: "Mark J. Blair" Date: Mon, December 19, 2016 1:31 pm To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" <cctalk at classiccmp.org> After playing with my Apple IIe all weekend, my new obsession du jour is to network it with my vintage Macintoshes. So, does anybody have an Apple II Workstation Card available for sale or trade? Act now, before I get distracted by another shiny object! :) -- If by chance, more than one pops up, I'd be interested as well. I'm aware of the Uthernet card, etc. but I'm looking for the "original" Apple card that provided Localtalk networking to the IIe. TIA, Steve

8 years, 4 months

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