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101090 discussions

Medieval methods... (was Re: Got a question....PDP? VAX?)

by fmc＠reanimators.org

Philip.Belben(a)pgen.com wrote: > I think Leo Computers may be regarded as the world's first > commercial computer manufacturer. But I don't think they existed as > early as the '40s. I think the original LEO project was early '50s, > and Leo Computers (as a manufacturer) mid '50s and later. But I'm > not sure... > Anyone care to add to the above? Correct my mistakes? Etc.? There's a recent book: LEO: The Incredible Story of the World's First Business Computer by David Caminer (ed.), John Aris, Peter Hermon, Frank Land published by McGraw-Hill, December 1997 ISBN 0-07-009501-9 Basically, yes, they realized that automation of their data processing was a desirable thing, and a survey of the market for such machines in 1949 or so forced them to conclude that if they wanted it done in any reasonable time they would have to do it themselves. So they did, and they ended up with a computer that was pretty good at doing what Lyons needed done. BTW, the people who wrote and edited this book are the people who designed and built LEO: it's really a collection of their writings about their work. Reading it I had the impression that Caminer went around and darn near forcibly extracted a chapter from everyone he could. I gather the machine had some sort of support for doing arithmetic on pre-decimalized currency, does anyone here know what that looked like? It wasn't explained very well in the book. -Frank McConnell

27 years, 7 months

Medieval methods... (was Re: Got a question....PDP? VAX?)

by Jgzabol＠aol.com

Further from The Dream Machine, after many pages about IBM: "The British computer industry, started by Lyons in the late 1940s [by sending two people to the EDVAC team] never had a chance. In 1963, after selling only [!] 100 computers, Lyons sold their computer division to the English Electric Company. ..... After several mergers the English Electric Company would be absorbed into ICL, ... in 1990 Fujitsu bought 80 % of ICL." John G. Zabolitzky

27 years, 7 months

Medieval methods... (was Re: Got a question....PDP? VAX?)

by Jgzabol＠aol.com

Concerning the LEO:

27 years, 7 months

classic operating systems

by allisonp＠world.std.com

<There is a lot more, of course (variables, loops, conditionals, accessing <memory, even defining words used to make new definitions (you could <define a word like : which is then used to define a new type of object)), <but that will do to start with. And if you have a postscript printer (or running Ghostscript) you can do that and print the results too.! Allison

27 years, 7 months

Medieval methods... (was Re: Got a question....PDP? VAX?)

by Philip.Belben＠pgen.com

>> I guess it is time to auction off some punch cards now ... one at a time >> :). Actually, I am toying around with putting one punch card on ebay just >> to see what would happen. It is a bit unusual though in that it is imprinted >> with "Leo Computers", and just to keep it a set, perhaps putting one sheet >> of original Leo Computers stationary. Anyone here remember Leo Computers >> (late 40's, early 50's)? > > You mean Lyons, the people who produced the LEO? I think it was the first > commercially sold computer; it was a cleaned-up version of one of the > British research machines (Manchester Mark I? EDSAC?). The story as it is usually told here in the UK: Lyons had a large chain of tea shops across the UK. They had a system that worked well for ordering stock for the shops and dispatching it, but it was data-processing-intensive and they knew they needed to streamline in order to survive. What do you do if you have a system that's DP-intensive and needs streamlining? Obvious! You computerise it! (All Lyons' DP was being done by hand at that time) Right. Who sells computers for business? Well, a few DP machines (tabulators etc.) exist, and can probably be bought, but nobody sells computers at all! Lyons had the far-sightedness to push ahead with their plans to computerise, and sent two (?) technicians to Cambridge to work on the EDSAC project (a rare example of collaborative research actually working!) The technicians duly went and worked on EDSAC, and came back to Lyons well knowledgeable about computers. Lyons then set out to design their own computer, which they called LEO. They soon discovered that other companies, seeing the benefit that computerising the business had had for Lyons, wanted business computers too. And thus Leo Computers was born - a subsidiary of Lyons, who made and sold business computers. I think there's about one each of their later (solid state) and original (hollow state) machines still around... I think Leo Computers may be regarded as the world's first commercial computer manufacturer. But I don't think they existed as early as the '40s. I think the original LEO project was early '50s, and Leo Computers (as a manufacturer) mid '50s and later. But I'm not sure... Anyone care to add to the above? Correct my mistakes? Etc.? Philip. PS Let us know how the Leo Computers punched card sells! Should fetch a lot!

27 years, 7 months

Yesterday's hamfest & manual FT

by Philip.Belben＠pgen.com

> I got two copies of "IBM Maintenance Library - 3278 Display Station > Models 1,2,3,and 4 Maintenance Information". Anybody want the second one > ($5 shipped), or wish to trade for it (intersted in books on interfacing > the Apple II)? Tom - I take it this is just a board swapper's guide (from what I remember of the 3278 it's not likely to be any more than that). If nobody else wants it, I might take it for old times' sake. How much is shipping to the UK? Philip.

27 years, 7 months

FW: Wanted: PDP/11 PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE

by kyrrin＠my-dejanews.com

Fellow in the UK's looking for a PDP-11, and it doesn't sound like he's picky about what or where. Reply directly if you can help. Thanks. -=-=- <break> -=-=- On Tue, 16 Mar 1999 12:13:04 -0000, in vmsnet.pdp-11 you wrote: >>From: "James" <jdm1(a)ukc.ac.uk> >>Newsgroups: vmsnet.pdp-11 >>Subject: Wanted: PDP/11 PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE >>Date: Tue, 16 Mar 1999 12:13:04 -0000 >>Organization: University of Kent at Canterbury >>Lines: 9 >>Message-ID: <7clhra$2vo$1(a)spruce.ukc.ac.uk> >>NNTP-Posting-Host: stue24e.ukc.ac.uk >>X-Trace: spruce.ukc.ac.uk 921586346 3064 129.12.226.78 (16 Mar 1999 12:12:26 GMT) >>X-Complaints-To: news(a)ukc.ac.uk >>NNTP-Posting-Date: 16 Mar 1999 12:12:26 GMT >>X-Newsreader: Microsoft Outlook Express 4.72.3110.1 >>X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V4.72.3110.3 >>Path: news1.jps.net!news-west.eli.net!news.sisna.com!pants.skycache.com!howland.erols.net!newsfeed1.swip.net!swipnet!news-feed.inet.tele.dk!bofh.vszbr.cz!news-lond.gip.net!news.gsl.net!gip.net!baron.netcom.net.uk!netcom.net.uk!server3.netnews.ja.net!ukc!not-for-mail >>Xref: news1.jps.net vmsnet.pdp-11:14 >> >>Hi, >>I am a student in the UK who loves ye olde computers, and really want to get >>my hands on a PDP/11, I'm sure there must be loads of people out there who >>have a PDP/11 stashed away somewhere that there never really going to use >>again, well hows about you give it to me!!!! Please? >> >>James. >> -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Bruce Lane, Owner and head honcho, Blue Feather Technologies -- kyrrin (at) bluefeathertech [dot] com Web: http://www.bluefeathertech.com "...No matter how we may wish otherwise, our science can only describe an object, event, or living thing in our own human terms. It cannot possibly define any of them..."

27 years, 7 months

Cleaning My Room

by jfoust＠threedee.com

>At 08:32 PM 5/15/99 -0700, you wrote: >>Dang! I wish I liven in WI. :) > >I'm diving for it... I'm not far away, and my mother-in-law is a >prof there... Got it! He's unloading a PDP 11/23 of some kind, presently disk-less, a VS 2000, and a disassembled but probably still functional VS 3500. Maybe I'll pick them up tomorrow. It sounds like he was into net-booting BSD. - John

27 years, 7 months

MPT-05 videogame system from ITMC - help!

by oboissea＠club-internet.fr

Hello there ! I've found a new system this week-end, the MPT-05 from ITMC. A quite rare and strange system. By talking with a friend, we have put a very small list of known carts for this system: MT06 Morpion Electronique MT11 Tir de chasse MT14 Jeux de Cirque MT16 Reversi MT19 Musique et M?moire Then by looking at the Voltmace Database cart list made by Teflon, I've found that some of them are very similar to our list: 8 Shooting Gallery = MT11 12 Circus = MT14 14 Four in a Row = MT06 21 Musical Memory = MT19 and ??? =MT16 Reversi I think the MPT-05 is a Voltmace Database clone which wouldn't be surprising since I have a Hanimex MPT-02 which is a RCA Studio 2 clone and a MPT-03 which is an Arcadia 2001 clone ! Or maybe the MPT-05 is a clone of the Acetronic MPU-1000. Could someone tell me more/give me info/or whatever related to the Voltmace System/Acetronic MPU-1000 or even ITMC MPT-05 ? Cheers, -- BOISSEAU Olivier E-mail: oboissea(a)club-internet.fr ICQ#: 8733445 8-Bits Rendez-Vous: http://perso.club-internet.fr/oboissea/ Le Club 8-bit : http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/club8bit/ Patrimoine Gironde: http://www.multimania.com/gironde/

27 years, 7 months

HP 85 & a bit more.

by fauradon＠pclink.com

I have the BASIC Summary posted at: www.pclink.com/fauradon in the tech info section the tapes are: HP part number 98200A The only marking on the tape are: HP 200 and series 9800 Hope this helps I'll dig up my HP stuff to see if I have anything on the ROMs Francois >Unfortunately, no tapes or manuals.... will see what I can find >manual-wise on the World Wide wait. > >But can someone tell me what sort of tape the thing uses ? >

27 years, 7 months

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