- test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org - classiccmp.org

by sinasohn＠ricochet.net

At 08:07 PM 1/14/98 -0800, you wrote: >>We do not keep them! We throw them out as soon as they come in! There is no >>market for that kind of stuff. Just tell them to call you; you'll guarantee them $5 (or whatever) per computer they were going to through out. You'll get some dogs, but you may get some gems too. There's a thrift shop near my house that has a list of stuff people are looking for; I'm on it for old computers. --------------------------------------------------------------------- O- Uncle Roger "There is pleasure pure in being mad roger(a)sinasohn.com that none but madmen know." Roger Louis Sinasohn & Associates San Francisco, California http://www.crl.com/~sinasohn/

28 years, 3 months

1
0
0 0

What I did this weekend

by sinasohn＠ricochet.net

At 09:56 PM 1/14/98 EST, you wrote: >if this happens, count me in. there's plenty of radio rallies coming up in nc >in the spring. > > Actually I was thinking of starting a collector buying ring: Everybody going > to a hamfest or thing like that let the other ones know and take orders. Count me in too... I dunno how many hamfests I'll make it to, but I can look at thrift shops and such. (Of course, I don't have much luck compared to a lot of youse guys!) As for me, I'm into portable stuff... Anything, say $20 or less I'll definitely take it off your hands (or at least send you the $20). More than that, maybe ask first, unless it's really cool... --------------------------------------------------------------------- O- Uncle Roger "There is pleasure pure in being mad roger(a)sinasohn.com that none but madmen know." Roger Louis Sinasohn & Associates San Francisco, California http://www.crl.com/~sinasohn/

28 years, 3 months

1
0
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Software archeology

by sinasohn＠ricochet.net

At 12:16 AM 1/15/98, you wrote: >lot of software packages that I've asked around for for quite some time and >cannot turn a copy up to beat the band. (For purchase, archiving or otherwise) If anyone ever comes across the terminal emulator for the ST that had HP terminal emulation, *please* let me know... --------------------------------------------------------------------- O- Uncle Roger "There is pleasure pure in being mad roger(a)sinasohn.com that none but madmen know." Roger Louis Sinasohn & Associates San Francisco, California http://www.crl.com/~sinasohn/

28 years, 3 months

1
0
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Amstrads (PPC640) in the US

by sinasohn＠ricochet.net

At 06:16 PM 1/14/98 -0600, you wrote: > >>>How much did it go for? Just curious. >> >>$100 >> >>if I were a rich man... > >Funny I paid 100FF for mine (that's about $18) I got mine for $10, but no PS, or case, and a rust stain near the battery case. If you find another one for 100FF, I've got francs... --------------------------------------------------------------------- O- Uncle Roger "There is pleasure pure in being mad roger(a)sinasohn.com that none but madmen know." Roger Louis Sinasohn & Associates San Francisco, California http://www.crl.com/~sinasohn/

28 years, 3 months

1
0
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Uncles/PC-C64c file transfers

by higginbo＠netpath.net

At 08:13 PM 1/15/98 -0600, you wrote: >>"Bob's your uncle" is an expression indicating the completion of a >>simple task. Or something. > >I always thought it meant something like "and all is right in the world." >Of course, Bob really is my uncle... 8^) Uhhh, I'll be a monkey's uncle! :P (The following used to keep that comment on topic) Okay, so I have a C-64c, 1541 floppy, and monitor. Now how exactly would I go about downloading programs from the internet on my PC machine and porting them over to the Commodore? Will I need a special serial cable? I have the 64 boxed up at the moment so can't really tell what I need. While we're talking commodores, what's so special about the C-64c besides the C-128 style case? -John Higginbotham- -limbo.netpath.net-

28 years, 3 months

4
3
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Uncles/PC-C64c file transfers

by higginbo＠netpath.net

At 07:10 PM 1/15/98 -0800, you wrote: >That was the cheap, but hard way. Now for the easy, but expensive way. >Lay out about $100 and get a Catweasel board either for your PC or better Where's that webpage again? That sounds interesting, even if I don't get one. >>While we're talking commodores, what's so special about the C-64c besides >>the C-128 style case? > >Based on the answers I got a week or two ago, apparently nothing. Ah, progress! Sometimes I wonder what drives computer companies to waste resources like that. -John Higginbotham- -limbo.netpath.net-

28 years, 3 months

2
1
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What I did this weekend

by higginbo＠netpath.net

Does this happen to anyone else? I don't usually frequent the 5 or 6 thrift shops around here, and flea markets and yard sales I don't have time for usually, but sometimes when I'm going somewhere else, I have this "feeling", a sixth sense if you will, that I absolutely have to stop at these places. When I do, I usually find really rare or super deals on old computers, the ones I used to collect anyway, before the GriD bug got ahold of me. I live in a city of 25,000 people, and I believe I'm the only person that owns any sort of GRiD laptop. Any GRiDs I get are usually through deals on the internet. I call this sixth sense my "metal telepathy". (Doh!) At 09:17 PM 1/15/98 -0600, you wrote: >I do that too stop at garage sales and couple stores on my way from work. I >guess it was mostly meant for major events. For 'casual' shopping we >probably can E-talk before making a move (the machine is probably not going >to disapear overnight). -John Higginbotham- -limbo.netpath.net-

28 years, 3 months

2
1
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What I did this weekend

by francois.auradon＠worldnet.att.net

Tat goes without saying: placing a machine in a want list is also an engagement to purchase it. Otherwise the system would not work for too long. There should be an update prior to each outing to make sure that the machines are still wanted. let's say I'm going to a hamfest next WE, I post the info on that mailing list (for the ones that want to be part of the ring), then I get requests and bring the list of wanted with me. If i find one of the machines I buy it and let the party interested know about it. If I get an I don't want it anymore response I don't thinl I'll be looking for more of the guy's stuff. And I'll make sure that everybody knows about it. > Another problem is knowing if they still want the item. If you tell me >that you want an X-computer and I buy one for you 2 months later I don't >want to hear that you've changed your mind or that you've already found >one. > > If anyone isn't going to take the stuff that they said they wanted then >don't post a message saying that you want it. If you post a "wanted" >message then you're obligated to take it when someone gets it for you. > > Joe >

28 years, 3 months

6
6
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Score/1

by william＠ans.net

The day started out with no suprises. I arrived at the MCI building intending to finish up an installation. Walking down the halls, I peeked in some of the rooms, packed with all manner of telco equipment. It is 10 AM, and I start working. By noon my work is done. I walked down the stairs, looking for the MCI contact I deal with, and am confronted by a rather beat up looking IBM Series/1 minicomputer, left in the hallway. It is fairly stripped out - all of the processor boards have been removed, many cables have been cut, and some of the front panels of the 6 foot rack are gone. It seems that this beast is headed for the recyclers. I have wanted a Series/1 for some time, and I had been eyeing a few at the Chicago site. Unfortunately, I do not have a way to move the thing. That shot down my idea of grabbing it. Anyway, just down the hallway is the room that had quite a large number of Series/1 racks. They were part of some project that is still running in some parts of the country. I looked around and saw that most of the racks have been raped. Then, one of the racks starts rolling towards me. Behind it is a man, pushing it along. I asked about the fate of the boxes, and he replies that they are indeed scrap, and that he is the scrapper. I told him that I collect computers, and that I have wanted a Series/1 for a while. His expression immediately changed to that of pleasant suprise. He replies that he collects chips. We reached common ground quickly, swapping stories about some of the old beasts. Although he is not very old, it seems that we has seen and scrapped just about every type of big iron ever produced. He then motions me over to a few racks off to the side. They had not yet been raped! For 25 dollars each, I could have them, as they were no longer MCI property. Hmmmmm... I made a quick call to my storage locker company, as they rent vans. The quote is quite reasonable, but they are 25 miles away. Time is very short, as I have a plane to catch in the morning. I decided to go for it - for 100 dollars, I could have two big Series/1 machines to play with, shipping included. By 1:30 PM, it is quite clear that I needed to find a local rental companies. A few stops later, I parked my car and drove off in a big van. Now the fun started. It dawned on me that my storage locker may close up after 6 PM, so I switched into hyper mode. I picked out the two best machines, then started to remove the disk drives, two each at 64 meg, and two each at 200 meg. The things are very heavy, but proved to lighten up the racks remarkably. I then decided to take only one whole rack, and all the bits of another rack for spares. By 4:30 PM, the stuff is all loaded in the van. Now I had to race to the storage locker. By 5:45 PM I arrived at the locker. The place was still open, but time is short. By the time everything is unloaded, the place was closing up. It was 6:50 PM. Greatly relieved, I headed back to retrieve my car. By 8 PM I am finally done, still amazed at what had just happened. And all of this without a plan. William Donzelli william(a)ans.net

28 years, 3 months

1
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metal telepathy/Great White Trader

by higginbo＠netpath.net

At 10:30 PM 1/15/98 EST, you wrote: > >ive had that happen meself. thanks to it, i got two undisk drives and colour >composite monitor that way for my //e. in another instance, i found a platinum >//e with matching unidisk and colour monitor at a separate place as well as >stopping by a place i went once before and got my atari portfolio. Anyone remember that story about the mouse that wanted some cheese, and he had to go make all these other deals with the other animals, finding the dog a bone, etc, until he finally got the cheese? While flea market hopping one day about two years back, I came across a TRS-80 model 100 in mint condition, included hard plastic carrying case, data recorder, acoustic couplers, and manual. I paid $25 for the whole rig. Kept it until a few months ago, when I saw a message on a newsgroup somewhere. This guy wanted to trade an Atari Portfolio for an M100. I traded him the M100 itself, none of the accessories for it (Since I had an NEC PC8201a too I could use the other stuff with) for the Portfolio, with the serial and parallel modules, manual, 3 memory cards, the works. Then, about a month later, I found another collector that was having a big moving sale. I traded the portfolio for a Zenith 386sx laptop, which I then ended up selling for $176. But I swear if I kept doing the trading loop thing, before too long I would have ended up with a active matrix pentium laptop somewhere down the line, maybe even a car. :) -John Higginbotham- -limbo.netpath.net-

28 years, 3 months

1
0
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Upcoming PBS special on bit rot

by pvhp＠forte.com

classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu Subj: Re: Upcoming PBS special on bit rot I wrote: >I saw an advert in the latest issue of Scientific American for >an upcoming special about archiving digital data to appear on >PBS. It is supposed to show on the 13th (tomorrow) and alas OK I have the magazine: there is a Review (not an advert) on page 110 of the Jan 1998 issue of Sci. Am. The television program will be: "Into the Future: On the Preservation of Knowledge in the Electronic Age" A film by Terry Sanders, narrated by Robert MacNeil; American Film Foundation, 1997; Airing January 13 on PBS. I do not know much about the "American Film Foundation" but MacNeil is a PBS regular and PBS quite often offers transcipts and tapes for sale at the end of many (but not all) of their broadcasts. While I have several CRTs for use as monitors I do not own a television tuner or a VCR. (I also note that the schedule posted at http://www.kqed.org/ implies that the main Bay Area PBS broadcaster will not be showing Into the Future.) Could folks who do manage to see it please post a message regarding whether there is an address to which one could write to obtain transcripts/tapes? Thanks. Peter Prymmer

28 years, 3 months

8
12
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Amstrads in the US

by francois.auradon＠worldnet.att.net

Well you show me what you have and I'll show you what I can find:) Seriously I would very much like to find an Oric1 and an Atmos, I remember drooling over the Electronique Pratique magazines when I was living in France. There are also a few more that I have not seen around here but it may well be like the amstrads who apparently made to Florida and not to Minnesota (they must pretty smart machines;) I have absolutely no clue as to what shipping from France to the US can cost (the las shipping I did over the ocean was in 1989 when I moved to the US) >I live in France ;-) but it IS my hobby TOO so how do we split the >spoils? > >-- > Hans B. Pufal : <mailto:hansp@digiweb.com> > Comprehensive Computer Catalogue : <http://www.digiweb.com/~hansp/ccc/> >_-_-__-___--_-____-_--_-_-____--_---_-_---_--__--_--_--____---_--_--__--_ >

28 years, 3 months

1
0
0 0

What I did this weekend

by SUPRDAVE＠aol.com

ive had that happen meself. thanks to it, i got two undisk drives and colour composite monitor that way for my //e. in another instance, i found a platinum //e with matching unidisk and colour monitor at a separate place as well as stopping by a place i went once before and got my atari portfolio. david << Does this happen to anyone else? I don't usually frequent the 5 or 6 thrift shops around here, and flea markets and yard sales I don't have time for usually, but sometimes when I'm going somewhere else, I have this "feeling", a sixth sense if you will, that I absolutely have to stop at these places. When I do, I usually find really rare or super deals on old computers, the ones I used to collect anyway, before the GriD bug got ahold of me. I live in a city of 25,000 people, and I believe I'm the only person that owns any sort of GRiD laptop. Any GRiDs I get are usually through deals on the internet. >>

28 years, 3 months

1
0
0 0

What I did this weekend

by francois.auradon＠worldnet.att.net

>At 11:48 AM 1/15/98 -0600, you wrote: >>Tat goes without saying: placing a machine in a want list is also an >>engagement to purchase it. Otherwise the system would not work for too long. >>There should be an update prior to each outing to make sure that the >>machines are still wanted. > > That's not practical for me. I went looking (and found :-) last >Saturday, yesterday (found more) and I will go again today ( I know where >there's a keyboard that I need) and again next Thursday (big NASA auction) >for certain. I look a lot, that's why I find a lot. One of the FEW >advantages of living in a big city. > > Joe I do that too stop at garage sales and couple stores on my way from work. I guess it was mostly meant for major events. For 'casual' shopping we probably can E-talk before making a move (the machine is probably not going to disapear overnight). ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Francois Auradon. Visit the SANCTUARY at http://home.att.net/~francois.auradon

28 years, 3 months

1
0
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Uncles/PC-C64c file transfers

by higginbo＠netpath.net

At 10:02 PM 1/15/98, you wrote: >Then you just need to find the program that allows the IBM to read/write >Commie progs / files to the drive; which I know is out there somewhere. >(No, I don't watch the X files... ;-) Or maybe there's a program that'll let me read/write commodore disks in a PC 5.25" drive. Anyone? Anyone? >I do have somewhere the circuit that allows you to hook up an Atari drive, >which used a similar arrangement. I never got into building circuits and such. I'm cursed with big, fumbling hands. Some people say I can draw pretty good (http://limbo.netpath.net/art/), I can type, I can mouse, but please, whatever you do, do not put a soldering iron in my hand! If the circuit is the only way to go, I think I'll pass. -John Higginbotham- -limbo.netpath.net-

28 years, 3 months

1
0
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Amstrads in the US

by francois.auradon＠worldnet.att.net

Thank you for the info. Now I just need to bug one of the EE's at work and I'm up and running. >AFAIK, no computer (at least no micro or mini) ever used the mains >_frequency_ for anything more than a real time clock interrupt and >running the fans. > snip... >Ditto monitors. Every monitor I've ever looked inside (or read the >service manual for) has used the mains to produce DC rails only. I've got >a lot of 60Hz video monitors here (UK, 50Hz mains) with no problems. > >-tony ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Francois Auradon. Visit the SANCTUARY at http://home.att.net/~francois.auradon

28 years, 3 months

1
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Amstrad 6400 DD

by francois.auradon＠worldnet.att.net

Could you provide more info on th model, I am not familiar with it. Is it on of the PeeCee compatible type? -----Original Message----- From: PG Manney <manney(a)nwohio.nwohio.com> To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers <classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu> Date: Thursday, January 15, 1998 5:46 PM Subject: Amstrad 6400 DD >Anyone want one? A local charity that I service has one, and would probably >get rid of it. > >manney(a)nwohio.com > >

28 years, 3 months

1
0
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Firsts

by higginbo＠netpath.net

At 08:12 PM 1/15/98 -0600, you wrote: >I think the intended meaning was "production/general purpose" (so as to >eliminate computers created specifically and solely for the shuttle.) The GRiDs were made in production runs, but under govt. contracts. They weren't made specifically for the shuttle or NASA, at least the Compass wasn't. >And of course, I'm on the train to work and my Haddock book is at home... >What year was the compass? Compass 1100 1982 (Says it on the case as mfg. date) GRiDCASE 3 1985 GRiDCASE 1535exp 1989 (At least that's what the BIOS says) I threw the other two in just so I could remind myself to come up with a timeline for the GRiD page. I'd like to find the original pricing on these suckers. Anyone know where to look? -John Higginbotham- -limbo.netpath.net-

28 years, 3 months

1
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Power Supply Info

by higginbo＠netpath.net

At 08:13 PM 1/15/98 -0600, you wrote: >But while I'm at it, if you are recording info about your classics, >especially those that use wall-warts, do take note of the info for >posterity's sake, as many show up sans original PS. (Especially voltage and >connector polarity!) Thanks! Dang, I knew I was forgetting something on that GRiDSPeC page. Connector polarity. Well, probably alot more I'm missing too from someone else's standpoint, but hey, I ain't getting paid for this project! :) Shameless Plug: And for those of you who haven't seen the GRiDSPeC page, it's at: http://limbo.netpath.net/hw/GRiD -John Higginbotham- -limbo.netpath.net-

28 years, 3 months

1
0
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Power Supply Info

by sinasohn＠ricochet.net

At 02:45 PM 1/14/98 -0600, you wrote: >Gridpad 1910 power supply: Whups! Sorry folks. Netscape died as I was sending John some GRiD info for his web page, so I went to use Eudora, and missent it. But while I'm at it, if you are recording info about your classics, especially those that use wall-warts, do take note of the info for posterity's sake, as many show up sans original PS. (Especially voltage and connector polarity!) Thanks! --------------------------------------------------------------------- O- Uncle Roger "There is pleasure pure in being mad roger(a)sinasohn.com that none but madmen know." Roger Louis Sinasohn & Associates San Francisco, California http://www.crl.com/~sinasohn/

28 years, 3 months

1
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Upcoming PBS special on bit rot

by sinasohn＠ricochet.net

At 08:56 AM 1/14/98 -0800, you wrote: >story of the program. I'm just a natural born archivist (ie. pack-rat) >which is why I never could get myself to delete old copies of source. I >guess I really have a high opinion of myself because I don't think I have >ever deleted any of my own work. Hmmm... I save old versions because most of the time the new version doesn't work. 8^) --------------------------------------------------------------------- O- Uncle Roger "There is pleasure pure in being mad roger(a)sinasohn.com that none but madmen know." Roger Louis Sinasohn & Associates San Francisco, California http://www.crl.com/~sinasohn/

28 years, 3 months

1
0
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Amstrads in the US

by sinasohn＠ricochet.net

At 02:50 PM 1/14/98 GMT, you wrote: >> And Bob's your uncle.? What does that mean? I thought Roger was our >>uncle? Aw well, never mind. > >Oops! Sorry. I forgot most of you don't speak English ;-) > >"Bob's your uncle" is an expression indicating the completion of a >simple task. Or something. I always thought it meant something like "and all is right in the world." Of course, Bob really is my uncle... 8^) --------------------------------------------------------------------- O- Uncle Roger "There is pleasure pure in being mad roger(a)sinasohn.com that none but madmen know." Roger Louis Sinasohn & Associates San Francisco, California http://www.crl.com/~sinasohn/

28 years, 3 months

1
0
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Firsts

by sinasohn＠ricochet.net

At 05:37 AM 1/14/98 -0500, you wrote: >>If you're talking commercial laptop, I believe it was the Radio Shack Model >>100. It was one of only two commercial laptops ever certified for Space >That's where it gets a little sticky. GRiD Systems started out only making >their laptops for the government, so it wasn't exactly commercial back I think the intended meaning was "production/general purpose" (so as to eliminate computers created specifically and solely for the shuttle.) >GRiD or the other as it's brains. I do know that the Compass 1100 does >predate the m100 by a few years though. And of course, I'm on the train to work and my Haddock book is at home... What year was the compass? --------------------------------------------------------------------- O- Uncle Roger "There is pleasure pure in being mad roger(a)sinasohn.com that none but madmen know." Roger Louis Sinasohn & Associates San Francisco, California http://www.crl.com/~sinasohn/

28 years, 3 months

1
0
0 0

Etymologies...

by higginbo＠netpath.net

At 11:03 PM 1/15/98 +0000, you wrote: >There is no such thing as a DB15 (or a DB9 for that matter). The 'D' >means a D-sub connector (named after the shape?) and the 'B' is the shell >size. For reference, the common sizes are : They may not exist, but there are plenty of monitor and video card manual writers who keep this mythological etymological animal alive. -John Higginbotham- -limbo.netpath.net-

28 years, 3 months

1
0
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Anyone interested in old Macs, Wyse or Leading Edge PCs?

by rigdonj＠intellistar.net

Hi, Went on another scrounging trip today. I found a bunch of old PCs, mostly Wyse and Leading Edge systems. Most of the appear to be 286s or 386s. They're going to be scrapped VERY soon, possibly tomorrow. Is anyone interested in them? I can get them cheap but I have to buy the entire pallet load. I will if there's enough interest in them, otherwise they're history. Oh and there's some Macs in there too. I saw a yellow and a white MacPlus 1 Meg. I think there may be others. I don't know anything about Macs so I'm not much help there. Joe

28 years, 3 months

1
0
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Amstrads in the US

by francois.auradon＠worldnet.att.net

I believe something got lost in the discussion, I was talking about French machines in France! I don't really have a problem finding some computers in the Twin cyties but waht I was looking for during my stay in the Hexagone was machines like the Oric1, Oric Atmos, Sinclair Spectrum, Thompson MO5, TO7, TO8 etc... And I was just saying that they are near impossible to find. I think my inLaw would be willing to help but he also has his own interests and looking for conputers around is definately not one of them. He may let me know if he stumbles on one but I can't blame him for not making it a priority. I guess I was expecting to find systems at every corners and was fairly disapointed not to be able to find one store (junkyard, used computer store, thrift shop) that had at least a few. > Oh I guess you live out in the sticks somewhere. I WISH I had that problem! > > Can you have them call your brother in law and have him pick them up and >save them for you. Or he can take the massages and hold them till you come >to town IF the trift is willing to willing to leave them sitting around >until you come to town. > > Joe ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Francois Auradon. Visit the SANCTUARY at http://home.att.net/~francois.auradon

28 years, 3 months

2
1
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Amstrad 6400 DD

by manney＠nwohio.nwohio.com

Anyone want one? A local charity that I service has one, and would probably get rid of it. manney(a)nwohio.com

28 years, 3 months

1
0
0 0

Etymologies...

by manney＠nwohio.nwohio.com

Where did the following terms come from? -Dongle -Byte (named after nybble, or vice-versa?) -Mainframe (Why not just...like..you know...call it a computer?) -DB (as in DB-15, 25) I've also heard them called D-sub xx) -Mouse manney(a)nwohio.com

28 years, 3 months

9
9
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Amstrads in the US

by francois.auradon＠worldnet.att.net

> Why don't you just leave your phone number with them and ask them to >call you when that stuff comes in. Tell them that you'll take it instead of >them filling up their trash with it. I'll bet they'll do it. > > Joe The problem is that I don't think they would be willing to make a $10 phone call in order to sell a $20 computer. Plus the trip to go get the machines would add an extra $600 to the price of the machine. I live in Minnesnowta:) Otherwise it might be possible (even though some of them told me that instead I should call regularly and maybe I would get lucky) for somebody living in France. I asked my brother in law to check once in a while (but then again this is NOT HIS hobby). ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Francois Auradon. Visit the SANCTUARY at http://home.att.net/~francois.auradon

28 years, 3 months

3
2
0 0

What I did this weekend

by francois.auradon＠worldnet.att.net

That's no problem I can wait to complete my collection. Actually I was thinking of starting a collector buying ring: Everybody going to a hamfest or thing like that let the other ones know and take orders. That way we can get machines that were not too popular in an area. Thanks for the help. >I'm in Orlando, Florida. I've added your list to my wish list. There >are several hamfests coming up soon. I'll see what I can find, but it may >take some time. > > Joe ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Francois Auradon. Visit the SANCTUARY at http://home.att.net/~francois.auradon

28 years, 3 months

5
5
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Anyone with an Ohio Scientific machine?

by SUPRDAVE＠aol.com

I have a C1P and i discovered someone else at work used to work with them extensively. He might have some parts. I think I might have some disk controller boards, but all my schematics and printed material is out on loan right now. david In a message dated 98-01-15 12:59:46 EST, you write: << I have several Ohio Scientific Challenger ][ machines but none of them are disk based. I'd be willing to trade some of them in exchange toward getting a disk based system up and running. I don't have the inventory off the top of my head but I can sure figure out what I have and see if we have any trading possibilities. George >>

28 years, 3 months

1
0
0 0

Science Odyssey on PBS

by dastar＠wco.com

Did anyone catch "A Science Odyssey" on PBS last night? It was great. They did a full 40 minutes or so on the dawn of the computer age. They went into some depth about SAGE and they even got the Altair in there with the obligatory issue of Popular Electronics. A very interesting episode. Sam Alternate e-mail: dastar(a)siconic.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Computer Historian, Programmer, Musician, Philosopher, Athlete, Writer, Jackass Coming Soon...Vintage Computer Festival 2.0 See http://www.siconic.com/vcf for details!

28 years, 3 months

1
0
0 0

Amstrads in the US

by francois.auradon＠worldnet.att.net

Well let me tell you a good/disgusting one: I spent 4 full days going from junck store to junk store trying to find Classics. All 30 or so stores visited told me the same story: We do not keep them! We throw them out as soon as they come in! There is no market for that kind of stuff. I only found two classic in my search: the PPC512 through a coworker of my brother in law and an Exelvision EXL100 at an Apple dealer (the guy was stunned to have somebody come in and ask for classics, then remembered that he had one in the warehouse from 10 years ago and had kindof forgot about it). The only other on that I've seen was an atari 600XL at an outdoor junkyard it had about an inch of dust on top of it and when I picked it up some water poured out of it. So I guess that the price I paid is only because the guy was happy to even get money for it. Oh yeah I also met a collector over there he had a used computer sotre (PeeCee stuff) and he said they are hard to find but he knew a few places. He never told me where. If you are looking for french machine you'll have to go to the dumpsters or knock on doors in order to find anything. >Yes, but they aren't so _rare_ in France. Price and scarcity factors apply. >-- >Ward Griffiths >Dylan: How many years must some people exist, > before they're allowed to be free? >WDG3rd: If they "must" exist until they're "allowed", > they'll never be free. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Francois Auradon. Visit the SANCTUARY at http://home.att.net/~francois.auradon

28 years, 3 months

6
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WTB: Heathkit H8 computer

by David_Wilson＠StrategicFulfillment.com

Hello, I am looking for a Heathkit H8 computer. If anyone has one for sale, or knows of one, I would appreciate the information. Thanks, David Wilson David_Wilson(a)StrategicFulfillment.com - or - dmwilson(a)worldnet.att.net

28 years, 3 months

1
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Firsts

by manney＠nwohio.nwohio.com

> I don't know if you'd consider it a computer, but the HP 41 was used on > a number of shuttle flights. A friend of mine from HP went to Houston to > teach the astronauts how to use the 41. I've heard that the HP 65 or 67 > was used on some space flights even earlier, but I have not confirmed that. EDUCalc used to advertise that the '41 went on shuttle flights. I always wondered if theirs was more reliable than mine, which was dreadfully prone to static crashes. Why don't laptops suffer from that -- more massive? Better circuitry?

28 years, 3 months

2
1
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Demand for old computers by commercial organisations?

by kevan＠heydon.org

Has this happened to anyone else: Tonight someone is travelling half the country to pick up and borrow one of my old computers, so that they can port a legacy system they have to PCs. The computer in Question is a Sage IV, and it appears that their unit has failed and they found me via my web pages. Out of the deal I am getting the rest of the Sage's they have when the port is over and they no longer need them. -- Kevan Old Computer Collector: http://www.heydon.org/kevan/collection/

28 years, 3 months

2
1
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Weird Epson HX-20

by rigdonj＠intellistar.net

I found two Epson HC-20s today that appear to have GP-IB interfaces. They have indicator lites for most of the GP-IB signals in the plug in module and the module says GP-IB but the connector on it is a female BD-25 connector. Does anyone know for sure what this is? Joe

28 years, 3 months

2
2
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Recording data to a strand of wire? AND Upcoming PBS special on bit rot

by yakowenk＠cs.unc.edu

These two threads just bumped together in my head. Has anybody got an idea of how long data should last on wire? It can't have the same problem with oxide coating that tapes do - the main problem might be to keep any oxide coating from developing. :-) Are the early wire recordings still readable? Maybe CDROMs beat wire in resisting rust, even if they are still not quite perfect on that count. Still, something about the idea of using such an old storage medium appeals to me. Anyone want to try running some fine ferrous wire through an old cassette (or even reel-to-reel) recorder, and see if the result is readable? Given Allison's warning about head-wear, I wouldn't try it on my favorite stereo system. Just what we need, another incompatible storage medium. :-) Cheers, Bill.

28 years, 3 months

2
1
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Original IMSAI Board and Documentation for sale

by phunkchyld＠usa.net

First of all, let me apologize to anyone receiving this email who considers it garbage. Have several items related to the IMSAI computer for sale: Vector Graphic, Inc. [Rev 3] PROM/RAM BOARD w/cable and connector/pins. MAY 1976 IMSAI Complete Product Catalog - "The Complete Microcomputer System". Original price $1 IMSAI Domestic Price List for November '77 Invoice dated '78 (from IMSAI). Comes in what I assume is the original box, but this cannot be verified. Card has never been used and accessory items are still in original packaging. If you are interested, please make an offer an all items. JPEG's can be sent upon request, and I will try to answer any questions. Thanks Andrew By the way, although I don't collect computers, I might trade for an interesting old Apple or Atari. ____________________________________________________________________ Get free e-mail and a permanent address at http://www.netaddress.com

28 years, 3 months

2
1
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Upcoming PBS special on bit rot

by jfoust＠threedee.com

Tim Shoppa <shoppa(a)alph02.triumf.ca> wrote: >I've sold several S-100 based systems with 8" >floppy drives, paper tape readers, etc., to Microsoft employees who >are hoping to make backups of the first ten years of Microsoft >software in the archives there. I'd love to exchange e-mail with them, if you still have their addresses. On my web page is the source and Win32 executables to Claus Giloi's Altair / IMSAI emulators. I think these are fun because they're GUI re-creations: you even have to click on the power switch to turn them on. In my Copious Spare Time, it would be fun to add virtual peripherals and sound effects: a Lancaster TV typewriter, ASR-33, disk drives, etc. I'd also like to archive some sample programs that people could toggle in... anyone out there have some in electronic form? I don't have real IMSAI/Altair just yet, but I'm working on it. >And Paul Allen just bought a XKL (PDP-10 clone), in >part to recreate their original software development environment - I think! Actually, that's Allen's company. Wouldn't it be nice to have nearly unlimited resources in order to fund your daydreams? Or is it more fun to dumpster-dive to save nifty bits? I'm not sure. :-) - John Jefferson Computer Museum <http://www.threedee.com/jcm>

28 years, 3 months

1
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The IBM PS/2 model 70 again! -E61

by jfoust＠threedee.com

Uncle Roger <sinasohn(a)ricochet.net> wrote: >My main problem with PS/2's is cost and scarcity of MCA cards and >memory and such. At the UW-Madison surplus shop, they have several banquet tables full of boxes of PS/2 MCA junk cards, all at ~dollar prices. I don't know what's in there, though. - John Jefferson Computer Museum <http://www.threedee.com/jcm>

28 years, 3 months

1
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Anybody want an Osborne?

by francois.auradon＠worldnet.att.net

That is totally understandable. Oh well. >>> Joe >>I don't think I would pay $20 for just a connector. It' the little thingy on > > It may be a little thing but the owner's not going to let me start taking >pieces off. Sorry. > > Joe ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Francois Auradon. Visit the SANCTUARY at http://home.att.net/~francois.auradon

28 years, 3 months

1
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Etymologies...

by pvhp＠forte.com

classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu Subj: Re: Etymologies... PG Manney wrote: >Where did the following terms come from? > >-Dongle ? >-Byte (named after nybble, or vice-versa?) In support of Eric Raymonds's Hacker's Dictionary Dennis Shasha and Cathy Lazere* attribute the coinage of the term byte to Werner Bucholz who was chief architect of the IBM Stretch project. That being the late 1950's/ early 1960's I suspect that spellings such as "byte" and "nybble" were also puns of another sort: at that time a good deal of comedy material was floating around concerning the fad that had sprung up after world war II to name various small businesses along the lines of "Ye Olde Cheese Shoppe", "Ye Olde Liquore Store", "Ye Olde Flowere Shoppe" and such like. The intent was to convey some old world charm and respectability but by the early 60's "Ye Olde Used Carre Lotte" had a humourous ring to it and was lampooned in cartoons (I think things like Hanna-Barberra's Flintstones poked fun at "Ye Olde..."). Hence the "binary digit" -> bit (from the 1930s) became "byte" a larger and more respectable measure of storage (BTW in IBM speak one never mentions 'memory' it is 'storage'). At that time (early 60's) a four bit instruction set was not unheard of for computers hence the half byte or nybble came into being (simple pun on bite/nibble). *"Out of their Minds: The lives and discoveries of 15 Great Computer Scientists" (c) 1995 ISBN: 0-387-97992-1 >-Mainframe (Why not just...like..you know...call it a computer?) One of the basic units of IBM packaging is the "frame" which _roughly_ translates to four squarish 19" racks stuck together in a square. A given computer installation may have one or more frames for DASD (pronounced Dazz-dee meaning "Direct access storage device" or disk drive), a DASD controller (no kidding these things occupy a whole frame) and the Central Electronic Complex (CEC or CPU - a.k.a. the "Main" frame) >-DB (as in DB-15, 25) I've also heard them called D-sub xx) ? >-Mouse Apparently invented around 1964 by Douglas Englebart - according to Time/Life books "Understanding Computers" series. In the "Input/Output" volume on page 67 referring to equipment used at The 1968 Fall Joint Computer Conference in San Francisco: Technically known as an "x-y position indicator for a system," it was something Englebart had invented four years earlier and had named - because of its small size and tail-like cable - a mouse. Peter Prymmer

28 years, 3 months

1
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Availability?

by zmerch＠northernway.net

This was just sent to me, and I am forwarding it unto you in case any of y'all can help this guy out -- sounds like a good guy to me. Please respond directly to him if you can help him out. Thanks! ----------------------------------------------- >Delivered-To: zmerch(a)northernway.net >Delivered-To: m600(a)list.northernway.net >X-Authentication-Warning: rac6.wam.umd.edu: kosack owned process doing -bs >Date: Wed, 14 Jan 1998 22:18:51 -0500 (EST) >From: Daniel S Kosack <kosack(a)wam.umd.edu> >To: m600(a)list.northernway.net >Subject: Availability? > > >Howdy, > > I'm curious to know how available used T600's are. I have a T1400, but >I think a T600 would actually be more useful considering I have no hard >drive and DOS apps are large. I'm a big MS-Works 1.0 fan (I have the DOS >version, which fits on multiple disks) so I think I would get along with a >T600 just fine. I remember when they first came out, and I've got a few >100's, so I'm somewhat familiar with the line. > > Thanks for any info. I'm in the greater Washington DC metro area >(United States). If there are any used/refurb computer places you know of >in that vacinity that may have one, I'd be interested. I'd be even more >interested if I could possibly trade my 1400LT for one (it's not in the >best of shape, bad battery and not so hot screen anymor and manuals are >lost, but it works). > >Dan Kosack. -- 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, 3 months

1
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firsts (guis)

by pvhp＠forte.com

Regarding the first GUI: It would seem that Douglas Englebart's work at the "Augmentation Research Center" (ARC) of the Stanford Research Institute (SRI) in Menlo Park was the first GUI and was demonstrated at the Fall 1968 Joint Computer Conference in the San Francisco Civic Auditorium by Englebart. The computer used was the one at ARC (model unknown?) and was microwave linked to the display in the Auditorium. Input devices included a keyboard, a 3 button mouse (invented 4 years earlier by Englebart), and a chord keyset - described as an input device that resembled a five key segment cut from a piano keyboard. Alan Kay was in attendance at that show and drew inspiration for his later work at Xerox PARC on SmallTalk and the Xerox Alto (released in 1973, 2000 were made and it is credited as "a contender for the title of world's first personal computer"). The reference with all these claims is none other than the "Input/Ouput" volume of the Time-Life "Understanding Computers" series (c) 1986 (L.O.C. QA76.1486 1986 004 85-28832; ISBN: 0-8094-5666-4 or 0-8094-5666-2 (library binding)). There is a picture of Englebart conducting "a reprise" of his Joint Computer Conference show on page 65. Peter Prymmer

28 years, 3 months

1
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Looking for a 14 pin DIN cable

by hansp＠columbia.digiweb.com

Doea anyone have a spare 14 connector DIN cable? I need one for connecting a disk drive to my Thomson TO-8 computer. I believe the same cable is used to connect drives to the Atari ST series machines. -- Hans B. Pufal : <mailto:hansp@digiweb.com> Comprehensive Computer Catalogue : <http://www.digiweb.com/~hansp/ccc/> _-_-__-___--_-____-_--_-_-____--_---_-_---_--__--_--_--____---_--_--__--_

28 years, 3 months

2
1
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HELP!!!!!! MS Dos

by fbgte＠cibola.net

Hello, My name is Mario Soto and I am looking for a version of MS Dos 5.0 or earlier. The catch is I need it on 720k disk can you help? Thanks Mario

28 years, 3 months

4
3
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Recording data to a strand of wire? AND Upcoming PBS special on bit rot

by allisonp＠world.std.com

<These two threads just bumped together in my head. Has anybody got <an idea of how long data should last on wire? It can't have the same If it didn't rust forever or until a stronger field distrurbed it. <Anyone want to try running some fine ferrous wire through an old <cassette (or even reel-to-reel) recorder, and see if the result is Wouldn't work. The gap in the head is too narrow, the media speed is too slow and the shape of the head would not favor it. Also wire requires a strong bias to work as your magnetizing a tougher medium. In real terms as a data storage medium it would be poor becuase of bit density and reliability. Even disks/drums of the time were very low density even though some were oxide coated or even a few cobalt plated. Allison

28 years, 3 months

5
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WTB: SDS/XDS Sigma 7 and Honeywell CP-V manuals

by michael_wilson＠geocities.com

I am looking for manuals for the Sigma 7 computer system and the Honeywell CP-V operating system. Would appreciate any information about, or leads to help find these items. Thanks, David Wilson dmwilson(a)worldnet.att.net or David_Wilson(a)StrategicFulfillment.com

28 years, 3 months

1
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Anybody want an Osborne?

by francois.auradon＠worldnet.att.net

-----Original Message----- From: Joe <rigdonj(a)intellistar.net> To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers <classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu> Date: Wednesday, January 14, 1998 7:56 PM Subject: Re: Anybody want an Osborne? >At 08:21 PM 1/14/98 -0600, you wrote: >>If you can get just the video loopback connector I'll be interested, one of >>mine is missing it and I would like to replace it with an original. >>thanks for the post. > > I can get the connector if you're willing to buy the computer to get it >and can tell me where it is in the machine. > > Joe I don't think I would pay $20 for just a connector. It' the little thingy on the right below thew storage under the floppy, it has white writing on it that says "do not remove while power is on". this is where you plug in an extenal monitor but if you want to use the internal one, you have to have this loopback. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Francois Auradon. Visit the SANCTUARY at http://home.att.net/~francois.auradon

28 years, 3 months

2
1
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Etymologies...

by SUPRDAVE＠aol.com

In a message dated 98-01-14 22:46:14 EST, you write: << Where did the following terms come from? -Dongle -Byte (named after nybble, or vice-versa?) -Mainframe (Why not just...like..you know...call it a computer?) -DB (as in DB-15, 25) I've also heard them called D-sub xx) -Mouse >> well, i'm sure we've all heard of how the story of how the dongle got it's name. at least the version i heard is that the "thing" was created by a character called Don Gall, and the name came forth from that. Sometimes i'll tell the story at work, and have almost gotten several people to believe it. lol. david

28 years, 3 months

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What I did this weekend

by francois.auradon＠worldnet.att.net

If the price is too low then the item is not bought, if it is too high then there is some magin to negociate with the seller. I've almost never paid the asking price for anything (unless bought in a store) but usually hamfests garage sales and flea markets are pretty flexible. Let's say that I am looking for machine X and my max for it is $22, if you find one for $25 it is possible to negotiate. Or we could set a price range. Then there is the shipping, if I go to a hamfest with a list of 25 machines that others are looking for and find let's say 7, they won't fit in my car for one thing (I'll probably by stuff for me too;), and I have to package them all and ship them etc... Like I said I was only thinking about it. It may be feasible for a small group of people but I don't think it could be open to all. (no discriminations intended just practical stuff) Anyways I believe that it is possible but you have to trust the people you work with and limit the wishlist. >The problem with this is determining how much one wants to pay for a >particular system. You have to make sure in advance you know everyone's >limit. Some people may not know what a reasonable price is, and may >over-pay or put an unreasonable low limit on something they might want. > >Sam Alternate e-mail: dastar(a)siconic.com ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Francois Auradon. Visit the SANCTUARY at http://home.att.net/~francois.auradon

28 years, 3 months

1
0
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Question

by ZGE＠aol.com

Thanks for the response Sam . Frank

28 years, 3 months

1
0
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Amstrads in the US

by francois.auradon＠worldnet.att.net

>>How much did it go for? Just curious. > >$100 > >if I were a rich man... Funny I paid 100FF for mine (that's about $18) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Francois Auradon. Visit the SANCTUARY at http://home.att.net/~francois.auradon

28 years, 3 months

2
1
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IBM 5100 was Re: Firsts

by rigdonj＠intellistar.net

> > >>>I would not be suprised if IBM had a travel case. >> >>I thought someone here said they didn't? > > I said they didn't but I don't know that for certain. I can find out >though. > > Joe >> I did find out. IBM did offer a travel case for the IBM 5100. It was feature code # 1501. Joe > >

28 years, 3 months

1
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What I did this weekend

by SUPRDAVE＠aol.com

if this happens, count me in. there's plenty of radio rallies coming up in nc in the spring. In a message dated 98-01-14 21:49:23 EST, you write: << That's no problem I can wait to complete my collection. Actually I was thinking of starting a collector buying ring: Everybody going to a hamfest or thing like that let the other ones know and take orders. That way we can get machines that were not too popular in an area. Thanks for the help. >I'm in Orlando, Florida. I've added your list to my wish list. There >are several hamfests coming up soon. I'll see what I can find, but it may >take some time. > > Joe >>

28 years, 3 months

1
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Recording data to a strand of wire? AND Upcomi

by manney＠nwohio.nwohio.com

> The reels are amazing - the film was about > 3 inches (70 mm?) wide, Yes. Standard film width (altho' a lot is done on 35mm nowadays, due to improved film. 70mm is for when a lot of special effects are needed.) That's where Leica came up with 35mm, btw -- they cut 70mm cine film in half.

28 years, 3 months

1
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Need doc: Sony/Tek Model 308 Data Analyzer

by francois.auradon＠worldnet.att.net

I can make a copy for you for the cost of shipping. >So, I'm looking for information on, or a set of manuals for a >Sony/Tektronix Model 308 data analyzer. > >Thanks >-jim ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Francois Auradon. Visit the SANCTUARY at http://home.att.net/~francois.auradon

28 years, 3 months

1
0
0 0

Firsts

by sinasohn＠ricochet.net

At 09:36 PM 1/13/98 -0600, you wrote: >MAC toaster style Handle (yes on top of the unit)(Oops does that make it a >portable?) Actually, an excellent point -- if the IBM 5100 is a portable, then, so too is the compact mac? Even more so I would think (what with the considerably lesser weight and addition of a handle?) In case y'all haven't guessed, I'm strongly against the idea of the IBM 5100 being considered the first portable computer. 8^) --------------------------------------------------------------------- O- Uncle Roger "There is pleasure pure in being mad roger(a)sinasohn.com that none but madmen know." Roger Louis Sinasohn & Associates San Francisco, California http://www.crl.com/~sinasohn/

28 years, 3 months

5
4
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The IBM PS/2 model 70 again! -E61

by SUPRDAVE＠aol.com

this PS/2E is a desktop machine, but in a very small form factor, a bit bigger and thicker than a modern laptop. it's a isa bus machine with one slot that is used for the pcmcia adaptor. it was supposed to be marketed with an lcd, but i've never seen one. the owner's manual shows it. with the two that i got, they came with original boxes, documentation and disks and even a never opened copy of pcdos 5.0! the good thing about ps2 machines is that not many know about them. the seller thought they were no good and sold at a cheap price. the first needed its passwoid jumper reset and the second machine's floppy drive cable wasnt connected good causing a 165 post and wouldnt boot from the start disk for a reconfig. it was still under warranty, so i just called in where i worked, and had a floppy drive sent out under warranty. the machines also have the keyboard with the mouse pointing stick built in which i like. i gave one to my brother and the other i'm keeping. win95 not supported though, but os2 2.1 and dos/win work fine. once i figure out pcmcia stuff, i plan to ethernet it to the two modern wintel machines i have going now. it has power management built in, and even locks in pcmcia cards for security. like most ps2 machines, also has xga built in. In a message dated 98-01-14 18:11:47 EST, you write: << A quick questions: Is that one of the "first Green Energy pc version" in a notebook sized tiny black box with a flat display panel? Well, we got excited over it but it was so weird and that weak 486SLC 33 cpu, I do have similar chip on a tiny motherboard by cyrix and it's dreadful slow even in DOOM, I had to keep it under half the size compared to my Luddite it did well one or two step above half way size o/c'ed to 25mhz and 4-way 4k cache enabled. But I did not remember this PS/2E cpu speed do you have the mhz speed? To have it that costs you 30 bux each for only about 5 years old thing, that is pretty lucky. What did you got with this pc in this deal? Funny, this Luddite is LTE 386s/20 sold as discontiuned in that '93 because you brought this year up reminded me. This notebook was first announced around early '92 or late '91. This notebook is still in use and sells around 100 to 200 with some s/w and stuff thrown in. Jason D. >>

28 years, 3 months

1
0
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Amstrads in the US

by francois.auradon＠worldnet.att.net

>>I have the complete set on mine: software neat case, manual (in French > >And where do you live? 8^) > Minnesnowta

28 years, 3 months

1
0
0 0

Need doc: Sony/Tek Model 308 Data Analyzer

by jimw＠agora.rdrop.com

A new tool acquisition, but as is often the case, no docs... So, I'm looking for information on, or a set of manuals for a Sony/Tektronix Model 308 data analyzer. Thanks -jim --- jimw(a)agora.rdrop.com The Computer Garage - http://www.rdrop.com/~jimw Computer Garage Fax - (503) 646-0174

28 years, 3 months

1
0
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Amstrads in the US

by francois.auradon＠worldnet.att.net

>>:) )and Power supply (220v :( )I would be interested in finding a US power >>supply as I don't think the machine can run for very long on the 10 alkaline >>bateries. > >Me too. I would think a generic ps from Radio Shack would work, but since I >haven't tried that I dunno... The PS says output 13V 1.9A (Ouch...) I don't think it is that standard. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Francois Auradon. Visit the SANCTUARY at http://home.att.net/~francois.auradon

28 years, 3 months

1
0
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Hey, I can read these tapes!

by DSEAGRAV＠toad.xkl.com

I plugged my reader into my PC, set it for 2400 baud, and pushed READ. *WHIRR!* Big mess on the floor! We try this again at 300 baud, (Where I can catch the tape as it comes out) and it works fine. For the source tapes. When I assign PTR: to my new tape under E11 2.0, and boot, it says ?INVALID FORMAT or something along those lines... But I can read them! Takes about 15 minutes to read in a 1.5" thick tape. But, I should have images of all the tapes shortly... -------

28 years, 3 months

1
0
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Anybody want an Osborne?

by rigdonj＠intellistar.net

I found a non-working Osborne computer at a scrap dealers. I tried to test it but no lights came on or drives moved so I suspect a power supply problem. It's probably fixable without too much trouble. There is a similar one for sale on Auction Web. You can see pictures of it there "http://iguana.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4212123". The dealer wants $20 plus shipping. Anyone interested in it? Joe

28 years, 3 months

1
0
0 0

HP 9816 keyboard

by rigdonj＠intellistar.net

Who was asking for a HP 9816 keyboard a while back? I have one now. Joe

28 years, 3 months

1
0
0 0

Firsts

by sinasohn＠ricochet.net

At 11:29 PM 1/13/98 -0500, you wrote: >I used mine NASA-style sometimes: Velcro'd to any flat surface. Slight >change of subject: Does anyone know exactly what the first laptop to >accompany shuttle astronauts into space was? I hear it's the GRiD Compass >1100. I had that very model up until last week when I traded for a GRiD I've been told that the m100 is one of two commercially produced computers certified for use on the shuttle. Never heard what the other was, but perhaps it's the grid? >GRiDSPeC Page: http://limbo.netpath.net/hw/GRiD See <http://www.mint.net/grid/> (I know you probably know about it, but others mightn't.) (P.S. heard back from Ryan; he left my stuff with a friend to ship it when he moved, and the friend didn't. Meanwhile, he's stuck in the ice storms without power/heat/'net. At least its not lost!) --------------------------------------------------------------------- O- Uncle Roger "There is pleasure pure in being mad roger(a)sinasohn.com that none but madmen know." Roger Louis Sinasohn & Associates San Francisco, California http://www.crl.com/~sinasohn/

28 years, 3 months

3
2
0 0

Firsts

by sinasohn＠ricochet.net

At 09:48 PM 1/13/98 -0500, you wrote: >> I think it's only portable in comparison to the mainframes of the time -- [...] >> that's really enough. You wouldn't have really taken it home to finish up >> or to a client's office to do an audit. > >Why not? In fact, my unit traveled around Chicago for the movie theaters. >It would be very reasonable to get a nice fibreglass or aluminum transit >case made that would protect the screen. Well, I suppose it's possible (I mean, there are still a lot of wierdos out there who haven't upgraded to Win95! 8^) but I can't go for it. I think we'll have to agree to disagree. Of course, this means I need one for my collection, so I can show folks what some people think is a portable computer... Wanna send me yours? 8^) >I would not be suprised if IBM had a travel case. I thought someone here said they didn't? --------------------------------------------------------------------- O- Uncle Roger "There is pleasure pure in being mad roger(a)sinasohn.com that none but madmen know." Roger Louis Sinasohn & Associates San Francisco, California http://www.crl.com/~sinasohn/

28 years, 3 months

2
1
0 0

Firsts

by SUPRDAVE＠aol.com

I own a grid laptop; a compass II 1129 to be exact. I got if from my brother who claimed it came from some nasa engineer and the computer played some major part in shape shuttle flight/development or whatever. mine works fine, and even has some apps in some extra roms. it's not much of a portable machine though because it still has to run on ac power. gotta love the bouncing balls screen saver though! In a message dated 98-01-13 23:31:20 EST, you write: << I used mine NASA-style sometimes: Velcro'd to any flat surface. Slight change of subject: Does anyone know exactly what the first laptop to accompany shuttle astronauts into space was? I hear it's the GRiD Compass 1100. I had that very model up until last week when I traded for a GRiD 1535exp w/docking tray. Speaking of GRiDs, any people out there collect them or am I alone? I've made GRiDs my collection specialty since they're small, tough and stackable. GRiDSPeC Page: http://limbo.netpath.net/hw/GRiD >>

28 years, 3 months

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Firsts

by sinasohn＠ricochet.net

Dunno if my message got out before netscrap died... FOr the web page: Gridpad 1910 power supply: Part No. 106286-00 Input: AC 100v - 240v ~ 50/60 Hz 1.0a Output: 17.25v .-. 2.0a + -o)- - --------------------------------------------------------------------- O- Uncle Roger "There is pleasure pure in being mad roger(a)sinasohn.com that none but madmen know." Roger Louis Sinasohn & Associates San Francisco, California http://www.crl.com/~sinasohn/

28 years, 3 months

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Getting off this list.........

by Bill_Opalka＠notes.intdata.com

Alright.. I've tried every incantation I could to get off this list including: 1) unsubscribe classiccmp opalka(a)intdata.com 2) unsubscribe classiccmp opalka(a)notes.intdata.com 3) unsubscribe classiccmp bill.opalka(a)intdata.com 4) unsubscirbe classiccmp bill.opalka(a)notes.intdata.com 5) unsubscribe classiccmp Bill.Opalka(a)notest.intdata.com 6) Sending mail to the list manager (@notest.intdata.com bcw(a)u.washington.edu ) Can someone help me get off this list.......... Thanks, /Bill

28 years, 3 months

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Bubble Memory

by allisonp＠world.std.com

<Yeah, I remember bubble memory. It seems like Fujitsu actually got <to work halfway decent. Despite the cost and speed limitations, Intel manufactured 1mb and 4mb parts with control chips. The BPK72 was the 1mb part on a card with all the control to make a 128k storage system. I have two, bought in '85. they still owrk and have proven quite rugged too. <instrument controllers. SLow, expensive, but for awhile it was about <all you could use for mass storage in certain hostile environments. I used them in cpm based systems and they are faster than floppy on average. The byte transfer rate is slower but the seek time is real fast. They work well. AS to cost they compared well with floppy systems of the time considering they were able to take shock and vibration. Allison

28 years, 3 months

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Firsts/lasts

by sinasohn＠ricochet.net

At 11:01 PM 1/13/98 -0500, you wrote: >You shouldn't have oughta done that. ;-) Calling me microspooge is >frighten words. Oh heavens the lost data. I'm sorry! It won't happen again! For penance, I will not use my Portfolio (Dip-DOS, not MS-DOS) for 24 hours, and no Freecell for 3 days. 8^) Hail Gary, full of genius, the code is with thee. Blessed art though among programmers, and blessed is the fruit of thy labor, CP/M. Holy Gary, father of CP/M, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our disk crash. --------------------------------------------------------------------- O- Uncle Roger "There is pleasure pure in being mad roger(a)sinasohn.com that none but madmen know." Roger Louis Sinasohn & Associates San Francisco, California http://www.crl.com/~sinasohn/

28 years, 3 months

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Amstrads in the US

by sinasohn＠ricochet.net

At 09:53 PM 1/13/98 -0600, you wrote: >>btw, there was another PPC640 that sold on eBay this weekend, but it was >>complete, with power supplies, software, and a really neat case. I didn't >>get it, though. 8^( > >How much did it go for? Just curious. $100 if I were a rich man... --------------------------------------------------------------------- O- Uncle Roger "There is pleasure pure in being mad roger(a)sinasohn.com that none but madmen know." Roger Louis Sinasohn & Associates San Francisco, California http://www.crl.com/~sinasohn/

28 years, 3 months

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Amstrads in the US

by sinasohn＠ricochet.net

At 09:42 PM 1/13/98 -0600, you wrote: >I have the complete set on mine: software neat case, manual (in French And where do you live? 8^) >:) )and Power supply (220v :( )I would be interested in finding a US power >supply as I don't think the machine can run for very long on the 10 alkaline >bateries. Me too. I would think a generic ps from Radio Shack would work, but since I haven't tried that I dunno... --------------------------------------------------------------------- O- Uncle Roger "There is pleasure pure in being mad roger(a)sinasohn.com that none but madmen know." Roger Louis Sinasohn & Associates San Francisco, California http://www.crl.com/~sinasohn/

28 years, 3 months

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The IBM PS/2 model 70 again! -E61

by SUPRDAVE＠aol.com

the best compact computer for this would be a PS/2E (9533) it doesnt apply to this list because the announce date was ~1993 but its small, quiet (no fan), and has 4 pcmcia card slots. even though its only a 486slc, its quite snappy. i bought two for $30 and fixed them both. david In a message dated 98-01-14 13:44:22 EST, you write: << My main problem with PS/2's is cost and scarcity of MCA cards and memory and such. What I'd really like to find is an *affordable* compact notebook/laptop/lunchbox with 1.5 (i.e., for a thick card) ISA expansion slots to use as my voicemail machine. I thought I had that in my Altima 2, but the *%$#@^% voicemail card has some components that stick out too far to fit. My current machine ('286 desktop + composite monitor) is too noisy and sucks up too much juice. (Oh, and battery power would be nice for when the fuse blows.) >>

28 years, 3 months

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Original IMSAI Board and More for sale

by atomicandrew＠earthling.net

First of all, let me apologize to anyone receiving this email who considers it garbage. Have several items related to the IMSAI computer for sale: Vector Graphic, Inc. [Rev 3] PROM/RAM BOARD w/cable and connector/pins. MAY 1976 IMSAI Complete Product Catalog - "The Complete Microcomputer System". Original price $1 IMSAI Domestic Price List for November '77 Invoice dated '78 (from IMSAI). Comes in what I assume is the original box, but this cannot be verified. Card has never been used and accessory items are still in original packaging. If you are interested, please make an offer an all items. Best offer by 2/1/98. JPEG's can be sent upon request, and I will try to answer any questions. Thanks Andrew By the way, although I don't collect computers, I might trade for an interesting old Apple or Atari.

28 years, 3 months

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Firsts

by manney＠nwohio.nwohio.com

>some of the 98xx > calculator/workstations, but I think those were either programmed like > calculators or in HPL, not BASIC. I just shipped off an HP 9831, which ran BASIC. manney ps Hey, Joe -- I still haven't received the $10,000 check for it yet. Remember, I'm selling at original HP prices! <g>

28 years, 3 months

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Bubble Memory

by zmerch＠northernway.net

At 11:21 AM 1/14/98 -0500, you wrote: >A type of non-volatile memory composed of a thin layer of material that can >be easily magnetized in only one direction. When a magnetic field is >applied to circular area of this substance that is not magnetized in the >same direction, the area is reduced to a smaller circle, or bubble. One of the differences with bubble memory is that it has to be accessed in a serial / sequential manner -- on a 1 megabit bubble device you cycle thru all the bits, then grab a certain set of bytes from the device according to an index or FAT. Tho the devices are rather quick, they do not have the speed of hard drives. I believe you could put 8 devices in parallel, and that would increase your access 8x, tho. > It was once widely believed that bubble memory would become one of the >leading memory technologies, but these promises have not been fulfilled. >Other non-volatile memory types, such as EEPROM, are both faster and less >expensive than bubble memory. The cost of manufacturing bubble memories did not drop in price much unlike other technologies of the day. You are correct, tho. Bubble memories are completely non-volotile and require no power to preserve their memory -- I have no clue as to the bit-rot spec's, tho. (A decent magnet will squanch your data.) I have an article in Rainbow magazine on how to build a 128K byte device as a near-line non-volotile storage unit for the CoCo -- designed by that great master Dennis Bathory Kitsz. (apologies to Dennis if I misspelled.) HTH, Roger "Merch" Merchberger -- Roger Merchberger | Why does Hershey's put nutritional Programmer, NorthernWay | information on their candy bar wrappers zmerch(a)northernway.net | when there's no nutritional value within?

28 years, 3 months

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ISIS-II - what to do with it?

by rigdonj＠intellistar.net

R, I'm also sending this to the classic computer mail list since several people there have asked abou this stuff. At 06:54 PM 1/13/98 -0500, you wrote: >Joe: > > I found another guy that has an ISIS-II system, but it's centered on the >MCS-48/51 series. I was really more curious as to what the thing was used >for. I'm not sure, it's not in any of my Intel catalogs but I think it's specificly for developing software and hardware for the 8048 CPU. > > The stuff that the guy has is extensive. Yes, Intel made lots of this stuff. At least two different Intellec CPU units, several different ICE (In Circuit Emulators), several different disk drive units, one or two different EPROM burners, additional memeory units, a bread board unit and more. My OLD catalog shows 42 different hardware pieces. AND they were a number of different assemblers and high level programming languages available. They called it "Intellec". Most of the units can be used with any Intellec system and for any target CPU. If you have any specific questions I will try to answer them. Joe

28 years, 3 months

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Amstrads in the US

by Philip.Belben＠powertech.co.uk

Francois Auradon wrote: > I have the complete set on mine: software neat case, manual (in French > :) )and Power supply (220v :( )I would be interested in finding a US power > supply as I don't think the machine can run for very long on the 10 alkaline > bateries. When I went to the US recently, I built my own 110/220V converter. I found a small (10VA) transformer that had dual 120V primaries and wired these as an autotransformer. Boxed it up in small wooden box and Bob's your uncle. PS If you can't work out how to do it from the above, don't try it yourself, get someone with some more electrical knowledge :-) Philip.

28 years, 3 months

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Firsts

by manney＠nwohio.nwohio.com

> >Good Composer: Handel ...so are we bach to making jokes here?

28 years, 3 months

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The IBM PS/2 model 70 again! -E61

by sinasohn＠ricochet.net

At 11:05 PM 1/13/98 +0000, you wrote: >If you give me the model number, it's on your label somewhere with 4 >number, a dash then 3 number code, I will tell you what it's usually >stock configuration and it's speed? I have the hefty book on this >and too much info to take. I'll check it out and let you know -- It's actually in Concord (about 35 miles from here) being used to run an engine dyno something-or-other program that my mechanic has. (His main computer's a mac.) >One comment: I wished....IBM did: >None have produced in early generation of PS/2 series faster than >25mhz anything. And design PS/2 ISA or PCI with 486 and has cache >but it did not pan out as I wished! :) But 90 models and XP series >uses processor card with different designs for each CPU type, XGA >that no one likes. Weirdo PS/2 and $$$. :( Those PS/1 and My main problem with PS/2's is cost and scarcity of MCA cards and memory and such. What I'd really like to find is an *affordable* compact notebook/laptop/lunchbox with 1.5 (i.e., for a thick card) ISA expansion slots to use as my voicemail machine. I thought I had that in my Altima 2, but the *%$#@^% voicemail card has some components that stick out too far to fit. My current machine ('286 desktop + composite monitor) is too noisy and sucks up too much juice. (Oh, and battery power would be nice for when the fuse blows.) >> Y'know, I once saw an honest-to-god IBM stand-alone plasma monitor in a >> surplus shop. 17" I think (or thereabouts). Pretty neat, but priced a >> little high. >Price? If you could recall? :) I think it was about $150. I might pick it up now, at that price, but I saw it before I started collecting computers. --------------------------------------------------------------------- O- Uncle Roger "There is pleasure pure in being mad roger(a)sinasohn.com that none but madmen know." Roger Louis Sinasohn & Associates San Francisco, California http://www.crl.com/~sinasohn/

28 years, 3 months

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Amstrads in the US

by Philip.Belben＠powertech.co.uk

>>When I went to the US recently, I built my own 110/220V converter. I >>found a small (10VA) transformer that had dual 120V primaries and wired >>these as an autotransformer. Boxed it up in small wooden box and Bob's >>your uncle. >> > > And Bob's your uncle.? What does that mean? I thought Roger was our >uncle? Aw well, never mind. Oops! Sorry. I forgot most of you don't speak English ;-) "Bob's your uncle" is an expression indicating the completion of a simple task. Or something. Philip.

28 years, 3 months

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What I did this weekend

by francois.auradon＠worldnet.att.net

>That sounds like the machines that I've seen. They're fairly common around >hamfests and other sales. If you're interested in them let me know which >ones you want and an idea of what they'e worth and I'll see about picking >them up. > > Joe > Well basically I would like one of each model that came out ;) Depending on the location where you are shiping cost will probably add a bit to the total.

28 years, 3 months

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ISIS-II - what to do with it?

by zmerch＠northernway.net

At 03:49 PM 1/13/98 -0500, you wrote: >I got a line on an Intel ISIS-II development system with lots of >accessories. What do I do with it if I get it? Send it to me for the cost of shipping!!!! ;-) (Just kidding...) Actually, I've always wanted to get my hands on one of those heathkit gibbyframmers (with the Moto6800 CPU, six digit 7-segment LED display and hex keyboard, etc. etc.) as I used one in college and had a barrel o' monkeys interfacing things to it 'cause it was so easy. Anyone here got a few extras of those??? (Heathkit used to still sell those just a few (up to 5) years back... but they still wanted top dollars for them, too. :-( ) Later, "Merch" -- Roger Merchberger | Why does Hershey's put nutritional Programmer, NorthernWay | information on their candy bar wrappers zmerch(a)northernway.net | when there's no nutritional value within?

28 years, 3 months

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IBM Displaywriter

by jolminkh＠c2.telstra-mm.net.au

I acquired a pair of IBM Displaywriters today, complete with a printer, disks and documentation. One surprise was that the copyright dates on the various (first edition) manuals was 1982 and 1983. I had been under the impression that these machines predated the PC.

28 years, 3 months

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Recording data to a strand of wire?

by dastar＠wco.com

I was talking to this guy I met at a flea market and he said he has a storage device that writes data to a spool of wire. Can someone elaborate on this? Sam Alternate e-mail: dastar(a)siconic.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Computer Historian, Programmer, Musician, Philosopher, Athlete, Writer, Jackass Coming Soon...Vintage Computer Festival 2.0 See http://www.siconic.com/vcf for details!

28 years, 3 months

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Firsts

by higginbo＠netpath.net

At 12:57 AM 1/14/98, you wrote: >If you're talking commercial laptop, I believe it was the Radio Shack Model >100. It was one of only two commercial laptops ever certified for Space >Shuttle travel. Heck, lots of the newer Puntium laptops can't even be used >on airplanes anymore, for criminies sake! How can you play cribbage across >the Atlantic if you can't even spark 'er up??? ;-) That's where it gets a little sticky. GRiD Systems started out only making their laptops for the government, so it wasn't exactly commercial back then. I;ve seen plenty of photos of GRiDs being used in the shuttle, as well as lots of NASA projects and experiments on the internet that use one GRiD or the other as it's brains. I do know that the Compass 1100 does predate the m100 by a few years though. -John Higginbotham- -limbo.netpath.net-

28 years, 3 months

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Amstrads in the US

by francois.auradon＠worldnet.att.net

-----Original Message----- From: Uncle Roger <sinasohn(a)ricochet.net> To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers <classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu> Date: Tuesday, January 13, 1998 8:31 PM Subject: Amstrads in the US >Well, Amstrad wasn't really big over here, but they did sell a few machines. >Other Amstrad's I've got (second hand) are the PDA600 "PenPad" and the PC-20 >(sort of a CoCo-ish/Atari ST-ish one-piece PC). > >btw, there was another PPC640 that sold on eBay this weekend, but it was >complete, with power supplies, software, and a really neat case. I didn't >get it, though. 8^( I have the complete set on mine: software neat case, manual (in French :) )and Power supply (220v :( )I would be interested in finding a US power supply as I don't think the machine can run for very long on the 10 alkaline bateries. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Francois Auradon. Visit the SANCTUARY at http://home.att.net/~francois.auradon

28 years, 3 months

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Firsts

by higginbo＠netpath.net

At 10:01 PM 1/13/98 -0600, you wrote: >By the way they are not laptops either; I always have to find a table to put >them on so I can use them. If I put them on my lap I'm always afraid to drop >them ;-) I used mine NASA-style sometimes: Velcro'd to any flat surface. Slight change of subject: Does anyone know exactly what the first laptop to accompany shuttle astronauts into space was? I hear it's the GRiD Compass 1100. I had that very model up until last week when I traded for a GRiD 1535exp w/docking tray. Speaking of GRiDs, any people out there collect them or am I alone? I've made GRiDs my collection specialty since they're small, tough and stackable. GRiDSPeC Page: http://limbo.netpath.net/hw/GRiD -John Higginbotham- -limbo.netpath.net-

28 years, 3 months

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Firsts/lasts

by allisonp＠world.std.com

<Oh no! It's the new MicroSoft Allison! No more intelligent posts about <non-MS computers/software Arrrgghh! 8^) < <(Sorry, couldn't resist!) Oh Roger, You shouldn't have oughta done that. ;-) Calling me microspooge is frighten words. Oh heavens the lost data. Allison

28 years, 3 months

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Amstrads in the US

by francois.auradon＠worldnet.att.net

-----Original Message----- From: Uncle Roger <sinasohn(a)ricochet.net> To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers <classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu> Date: Tuesday, January 13, 1998 8:31 PM Subject: Amstrads in the US >btw, there was another PPC640 that sold on eBay this weekend, but it was >complete, with power supplies, software, and a really neat case. I didn't >get it, though. 8^( How much did it go for? Just curious. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Francois Auradon. Visit the SANCTUARY at http://home.att.net/~francois.auradon

28 years, 3 months

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Recording data to a strand of wire?

by allisonp＠world.std.com

<On the show, they spliced the wire to reformat a message on the wire... d <you know what type of wire was used on these types of voice/data recorder <and how would you splice them? < <(oh, and could you re-record over a previously used piece of wire?) Lessee, yes you can re-record on used wire. In fact if you didn't erase it you would get a overdub! Oh, the wire is soft iron, though any wire of a magnetic alloy can be used. The technology date t before WWII to some time in the late 40s-early 50s. It's problems were poor frequency response, knots/kinks in the wire and head wear. Allison

28 years, 3 months

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Firsts

by francois.auradon＠worldnet.att.net

-----Original Message----- From: Uncle Roger <sinasohn(a)ricochet.net> To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers <classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu> Date: Tuesday, January 13, 1998 8:32 PM Subject: Re: Firsts >At 09:45 PM 1/12/98 -0800, you wrote: >>> No handles??? 'Tain't a Portable then! > >Whups, forgot the 8^) > >>Hmmm, maybe having handles isn't the best criteria for determining if a >>machine is portable. > >Hmmm... > >Panasonic Sr. Partner: Handle >Apple Mac Portable: Handle >HP LS/12: Handle >Altima 2: Handle >Good Composer: Handel >Amstrad PPC640: Handle >Bondwell B310+: Handle >Osborne 01: Handle > >(Sorry, couldn't resist.) > Commodore Sx-64 Handle Kaypro I Handle Kaypro II Handle Kaypro16 Handle IBM portable PC Handle Compac Portable Handle MAC toaster style Handle (yes on top of the unit)(Oops does that make it a portable?) (I couldn't resist either) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Francois Auradon. Visit the SANCTUARY at http://home.att.net/~francois.auradon >>It seems that portable machines are those which the manufacturer built >>to be easily picked up (in some cases without grunting too loudly) and moved >>to another location to be used. This holds for suitable values of "easily". > >Yep. > >>Yes, Roger. I know you were kidding. > >Aw, shucks. I thought I had ya fooled. 8^) > > >--------------------------------------------------------------------- O- > >Uncle Roger "There is pleasure pure in being mad >roger(a)sinasohn.com that none but madmen know." >Roger Louis Sinasohn & Associates >San Francisco, California http://www.crl.com/~sinasohn/ >

28 years, 3 months

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Recording data to a strand of wire?

by SUPRDAVE＠aol.com

In a message dated 98-01-13 22:25:52 EST, you write: << Kevin McQuiggin wrote: > > Wire recorders predated tape recorders. They were in use from the early > 1930s, as I recall. >> interesting topic. anyone care to describe exactly how it works? david

28 years, 3 months

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HELP!!!!!! MS Dos

by SUPRDAVE＠aol.com

uh, right! theres no way IBM is gonna put copyrighted software out on the net for free. only way to get it is to acquire a copy from someone. In a message dated 98-01-13 19:44:45 EST, you write: << >Hello, > My name is Mario Soto and I am looking for a version of MS Dos >5.0 or earlier. The catch is I need it on 720k disk can you help? I think IBM has disk images available either on the WWW or via ftp. I've only heard about such things and haven't found/downloaded them >>

28 years, 3 months

1
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Firsts

by higginbo＠netpath.net

At 09:32 PM 1/13/98 -0600, you wrote: >>The TRS-80 Model 100 and it's amigos the Nec 8201 and Olivetti ??? had >Visit the SANCTUARY at http://home.att.net/~francois.auradonhat's probably >why they are called laptops and not portables. Shoot, it's not even a laptop. I've seen Pentium notebooks bulkier than a M100. :) -John Higginbotham- -limbo.netpath.net-

28 years, 3 months

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Firsts

by sinasohn＠ricochet.net

At 10:05 PM 1/12/98 -0500, you wrote: >> I think if you consider the 5100 a portable, then so should you consider the >> PDP-8. The 5100, while more *convenient* to move, perhaps, than, say, an >> Altair, is hardly all that portable. It's listed as 50lbs (a stretch even >> for me) and has no handle. You tell me how that's a portable? (It's much >> like a TRS-80 Model III, only flatter. I think the III is lighter though.) > >Even if the implementation may be poor (ie. no handles), I think IBM >really did try to make the thing truely portable. After all, all you >needed to do was lug around _one_ 50 pound box to do useful things, rather >than a processor plus a tube or printer, and perhaps an external power I dunno... The 5100 was heavy, did not include a case, offered no protection for the screen, didn't run on batteries... I think it's only portable in comparison to the mainframes of the time -- that is, you could move it from room to room because it didn't need air conditioning or special power or anything. But that's true of most of the computers of the time. Yes, it was a one-piece unit, but I don't think that's really enough. You wouldn't have really taken it home to finish up or to a client's office to do an audit. --------------------------------------------------------------------- O- Uncle Roger "There is pleasure pure in being mad roger(a)sinasohn.com that none but madmen know." Roger Louis Sinasohn & Associates San Francisco, California http://www.crl.com/~sinasohn/

28 years, 3 months

2
1
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Firsts

by pvhp＠forte.com

classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu Subj: Re: Firsts Allison J Parent wrote: !<> >First programable calc !<> !<> Then there is the "first solid state electronic calc" which I think goe !<> the Busicom from Japan that employed the first production run of the in !<> 4000 chip set: the 4001 (2048 bit ROM), 4002 (320 bit RAM), 4003 (10 bi ! !No, this was not the first by a long means. I vaguely remember a desktop !HP job that was years earlier. ! !There were designs that were RTL and utililogic and even earlier designs !that were about the size of a desk drawer that were both totally !electronic and to some extent programable. A complete braino on my part: I had wanted to say some like either "first LSI electronic calc" or perhaps "first microprocessor application". Sorry I goofed. As you pointed out in this and a subsequent post there were many "solid state electronic" calculators available by 1971. Hey, for that matter IBM's S/360 shipped transistorized general purpose transistorized computers (running DOS and TOS among others) by 1964, and by 1971 they were even beginning to incorporate integrated circuitry into what would become S/370 computers. Interestingly the architecture (or its modern desecndant) was not put on a single microprocessor until just a few years ago (1995 saw the 3490 CMOS mainframe on a chip). I would not for a moment call these devices mere calculators though (despite the early reluctance of IBM's marketing department to call things like the 701 a "computer" for fear of upsetting the folks employed in that occupation in the 1950's). Peter Prymmer

28 years, 3 months

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