And that request is:
Would Sam, Wirehead Prime, and 'Joe' PLEASE move your mass argument to
private E-mail? You can bash each other all you want over there.
If the noise level doesn't drop soon, I may fade away as well. Gad, Usenet
is less noisy at the moment...
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Bruce Lane, Sysop, The Dragon's Cave BBS (Fidonet 1:343/272)
(Hamateur: WD6EOS) (E-mail: kyrrin(a)jps.net)
"Our science can only describe an object, event, or living thing in our own
human terms. It cannot, in any way, define any of them..."
the trackstar was made years ago in the late 1980s. in fact, radio shack used
to have it in the catalog for sale! you might want to check out ebay.com as
they did have some of these cards for ~$20 about two months ago. it's a full
length isa card that you plug a standard disk ][ into. dont know about video
though. supposedly they were quite compatible and one could run just about
anything on that card.
david, CONTINUING to delete 99+44/100% of ccmp posts...
In a message dated 98-03-19 08:05:04 EST, you write:
<< Just out of curiorisity, were these made by Diamond Multimedia, the ones
that now make the modems, video cards, DVD drives, etc.? What are the
chances of finding one? Around how much would they cost?
Thanks,
Tim D. Hotze
><> > There is no way to read Apple II disks in a PC. Your options are:
><> [snip]
><> and...
>
>How about the DIAMOND TRACKSTAR128, basically it put an applle in the
>ISA bus and allowed apple and non apple disks. Looking at the manual
>transfers to the PC side of the world are possible as well as running
>APPLE software.
>
>Allison >>
Is there a way to transfer files from an Apple II to a PC? I have a
//c.
______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
Hmm... I see one party causing the problem...
*clickity click* One copy, Ami-chan no hatsukoi, check mqueue, give it time...
Ah, darn, stopped in the queue. "sendmail -q"... we have a flakey link here...
OK. Sam won't be reading email for a while...
BTW, That's *NOT* a mail bomb. He asked for it. I've been ^Qing thru all
that crap all morning, and I'm sick of it. He wasted a lot of my time, so
I'll waste a few of his. Besides, it's only about... *clicky click* 39 meg.
-------
Hi Everyone,
Well Sam's not going to let it drop. I have not replied to the last
three of his messages in order to try and let this die down but he's
determined to continue try a prevoke a response. Now he apparently thinks
that it's inappropriate to post anything about the operation of this list
(unless he posts it, of course). But I won't bother to responde to his
rantings. I'll just post it here and you can use your own judgement.
Joe
At 04:13 PM 3/18/98 -0800, you wrote:
>
>You are seriously off-topic (again). For your possible enlightenment,
>here is a FREE copy of the FAQ:
>
>
>1.1 What is ClassicCmp?
>
>It's a mailing list for the discussion of classic computers. Topics center
>on collection, restoration, and operation. It is also an appropriate place
>for stories and reminiscences of classic computers. Lofty discussions
>dealing with the philosophical and/or metaphysical aspects of computers are
>often better handled in private e-mail.
>
>1.2 Why is ClassicCmp?
>
>Uh, why not? There are lots of people who love these old machines and it
>seems like a fun idea to get together and talk about them.
>
>1.3 What is a Classic Computer?
>
>_Any computer_ that has not been manufactured for 10 years is a classic.
>This definition is one I made up and it's entirely arbitrary. It seems to
>work OK, so I've kept it.
>
>1.4 Who runs this thing?
>
>That would be me, Bill Whitson - email bcw(a)u.washington.edu.
>
>1.5 How come I can never reach this so-called list operator?
>
>Sorry. It does often take me several days (sometimes weeks!) to respond
>to e-mail. I am often away for days at a time and when I'm not I'm still
>probably busy doing real work. I receive more than double the amount of
>mail that goes to the list in the form of spam, bounced messages, odd
>user requests, general bitching, etc. and I still have to filter out the
>messages I actually have to respond to, to remain employed ;). I will get
>back to you eventually.
>
>1.6 Do you know you're just duplicating work other people have done.
>
>I get a "reinventing the wheel" e-mail at least once a week. If you show
>me another group of computer collectors that claims a membership as large
>as this one I'll show you a group that must be very hard to find. Obviously
>there are other groups of collectors and I'm cheering them on - I don't see
>a problem with duplicating and reduplicating lore that's quickly disappearing
>anyway.
>
>1.7 How much mail should I expect to get on this list?
>
>The daily load varies widely from about 10 messages to over 100. Average
>seems to be about 44 messages a day. There are times where the message
>load peaks for as much as a week.
>
>[][][][][][][][][]
>
>2.1 What can I talk about?
>
>Anything related to classic computers as defined above. There are many
>people on this list that really know what they're talking about, so you might
>want to check facts before you start shooting off messages. It's also a
>good idea to actually read the FAQs and check the archives a little before
>posting.
>
>2.2 Can I talk about PCs?
>
>Yes. PCs which haven't been manufactured for 10 years. Even then, be
>aware that in many cases you would get a better response posting to PC
>newsgroups.
>
>2.3 Can I talk about Minis/MainFrames/WorkStations/Gigantic Talking Boxes
> with Flashing Lights & Coundown Timers/Robots from Alien Civilizations?
>
>There has apparently been some misconception that this is a list for
>micros/home computers only. You'll note I said "misconception".
>
>2.4 Can I post advertisements?
>
>Sure. As long as they're related to _classic_ computers. And, of course,
>use your brain - don't spam. Also, please state up-front whether or not
>you are willing to ship the items you sell outside your country as there
>are members of this list in a number of different countries.
>
>2.5 Can I ask people to sell/give me their computers?
>
>Sure. But you're not likely to get a very nice response. Mine, for
example,
>would be: Get your own f***ing computer! There are several people on
>usenet who will vouch for this. When someone posts about one of their
>machines without offering to sell it - it's really a pretty good bet that
>they're not secretly trolling for offers. See section 5 for info on how to
>find yourself a computer.
>
>2.6 Can I ask for help fixing item x.
>
>Yes. Be aware that it may be difficult to help you fix things if you don't
>have much knowledge of how computers work or of how to use basic
>electronics tools (VOM/DMM, soldering iron, EPROM burner, etc). I'm no whiz
>with this stuff and the little knowledge I have has come from asking
>questions and then buying books to find out what "Simple... Just check
>the voltage on the caps in the PS to make sure one of them isn't flaking
>out!" exactly means.
>
>2.7 Where can I look before posting a dumb question?
>
>It might be a good idea to take a look at what's available in the Archive
>section of the ClassicCmp web site (see below).
>
>2.8 Can I type obscenities about Microsoft in ALL CAPS!?!
> (Or, in general, be unreasonable with reagard to advocacy posts?)
>
>Check your anti-MS baggage at the door, please. For that matter, drop
>any posts that serve only to perpetuate the holy wars.
>
>2.9 Can I post trophy lists?
>
>Ahem. Er... I'm not going to go to the extent of banning this practise
>but it is considered bad manners. Don't whine to me because I used to be
>guilty of this and curbed myself ;). Post lists of newly acquired goods
>if you actually need info on them, not just to show off.
>
>2.10 Can I use obscene language in my posts?
>
>Yes. Although I'm sure many people would prefer you did not. A number of
>people have complained about this. I'm not going to outlaw swearing - now
>that I've informed you that it bothers people you can make your choice.
>
>
>On Wed, 18 Mar 1998, Joe wrote:
>
>> Hi Everyone,
>>
>> I have tried to drop this arguement with Sam but he insists on
>> perpetuating it. It may be embarrassing to read this stuff but it should be
>> kept public since it does concern the operation of this list. Sam is now
>> complaining that this tread is off topic for this list, but he convenently
>> forgets that he is the one that started it! In his latest tirade, Sam has
>> accused me of using this list for profit (I wish!). I should note that
>> selling items on the list is permitted according to the FAQs, and yes I
>> have probably made a grand total of $50 in the last six months (net not
>> profit). Anthony is right, Sam seems to be interested in nothing more than
>> harassing others and tearing down this list.
>>
>> What I would like to know is who appointed Sam to police this list?
>>
>> Joe
>>
>> At 05:59 PM 3/18/98 -0600, you wrote:
>> >
>> >
>> >Again I warned you. I was responding publicly to a public posting by the
>> >OWNER AND MODERATOR of the mailing list, Sam. You are so out of line
>> >here that I can't believe anymore that your purpose on the mailing list
>> >is to do anything other than to harass others.
>> >
>> >Anthony Clifton - Wirehead
>> >
>> >PS: And I'm not going to allow you to do this privately...even if it
>> >does annoy the group because I think everyone needs to see what kind of
>> >person you really are and how petty and small-minded your little games
>> >are becoming. I think this has bearing on any project that you undertake
>> >and the extent to which others should participate in it.
>> >
>> > ---------- Forwarded message
>> >---------- Date: Wed, 18 Mar 1998 15:03:04 -0800 (PST)
>> >From: Sam Ismail <dastar(a)wco.com>
>> >To: Wirehead Prime <wirehead(a)www.retrocomputing.com>
>> >Subject: Re: Apology, Info, Etc...
>> >
>> >
>> >Again, you are in violation of Section 1.1 of the FAQ which reads:
>> >
>> >
>> >1.1 What is ClassicCmp?
>> >
>> >It's a mailing list for the discussion of classic computers. Topics
center
>> >on collection, restoration, and operation. It is also an appropriate
place
>> >for stories and reminiscences of classic computers. Lofty discussions
>> >dealing with the philosophical and/or metaphysical aspects of computers
are
>> >often better handled in private e-mail.
>> >
>> >Please post only on-topic messages in the future. Your cooperation would
>> >be greatly valued by all.
>> >
>> >Have a nice day!
>> >
>> >On Wed, 18 Mar 1998, Wirehead Prime wrote:
>> >
>> >>
>> >> Personally I think the list is great and have noticed NO difficulties
>> >> whatsoever in its administration.
>> >>
>> >> I would hate to see it pass into the hands of someone who clearly does
>> >> not have the best interests of others in mind but merely wishes to
>> >> control it for the purposes of ego inflation.
>> >>
>> >> I think the list is wonderful Bill and, aside from one person who is
>> >> clearly incapable of behaving in a rational and courteous manner,
should
>> >> remain precisely as it is.
>> >>
>> >> That's my two cents worth...
>> >>
>> >> Anthony Clifton - Wirehead
>> >>
>> >> > If current arrangements are unworkable and someone else
>> >> > would like to take over with their own listserv, it would
>> >> > be simple to just transfer the subscription list, I think.
>> >> > If you can live with the current level of administration,
>> >> > I have no problem continuing to host the listserv.
>> >>
>> >>
>> >
>> >
>> >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!
>> >
>> >
>>
>>
>
>
>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!
>
>
>perhaps the original requestor was thinking more in terms of
>geographical areas...? sure, thrift stores, but which are your personal
>favourites? etc.
That would be telling. ;)
But seriously, specific locations don't do much good unless you know what
general area you're dealing with. (I can offer some advice for San
Francisco, but I rarely leave the City, and when I do, I'm generally more
interested in finding a) miniature land rovers, b) donald duck stuff, c)
good food, d) good beer (not necessarily in that order.))
For San Francisco, though, the places I go are:
HMR - interesting stuff, fascinating place, but know what stuff is worth.
Thriftcenter (in Belmont?) - on El Camino, just south of Morrison's, the
teacher store (Holly exit? off 101?) (This is the place I go when rachel
says "I need more sentence strips; I'll only be 10 minutes." I know I've
got an hour, and she's spend more than I will.)
Nifty-Thrifty - Across from the cow palace. Lots of refurbed PC's, older
PC cases, occassionally some good stuff. (Passed up a bunch of Osborne 1's
for $10 each, just before I started collecting. <kick> <kick> <kick>)
All the surplus places in the Valley -- Weird Stuff, Haltek, Halted,
Action, etc.
That's about it, except the little thrift shop by my house that never has
anything.
--------------------------------------------------------------------- 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.sinasohn.com/
There's another option. For those who have access to the web, check out:
http://www.sequential.com/cross.htm .
But, to me, the price is a tad high.
Ciao,
Tim D. Hotze
-----Original Message-----
From: Allison J Parent <allisonp(a)world.std.com>
To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers
<classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu>
Date: Thursday, March 19, 1998 3:37 PM
Subject: RE: Apple - PC
>
><> > There is no way to read Apple II disks in a PC. Your options are:
><> [snip]
><> and...
>
>How about the DIAMOND TRACKSTAR128, basically it put an applle in the
>ISA bus and allowed apple and non apple disks. Looking at the manual
>transfers to the PC side of the world are possible as well as running
>APPLE software.
>
>Allison
>
Just out of curiorisity, were these made by Diamond Multimedia, the ones
that now make the modems, video cards, DVD drives, etc.? What are the
chances of finding one? Around how much would they cost?
Thanks,
Tim D. Hotze
><> > There is no way to read Apple II disks in a PC. Your options are:
><> [snip]
><> and...
>
>How about the DIAMOND TRACKSTAR128, basically it put an applle in the
>ISA bus and allowed apple and non apple disks. Looking at the manual
>transfers to the PC side of the world are possible as well as running
>APPLE software.
>
>Allison
>
<> > There is no way to read Apple II disks in a PC. Your options are:
<> [snip]
<> and...
How about the DIAMOND TRACKSTAR128, basically it put an applle in the
ISA bus and allowed apple and non apple disks. Looking at the manual
transfers to the PC side of the world are possible as well as running
APPLE software.
Allison
I use a VT320 a lot, so when I found one in a thrift store this week for $2,
I decided to pick it up. Unfortunately, it's not in perfect health. If I
plug it in without a keyboard, I get (predictably) a "Keyboard not present"
error. If I plug it in with a keyboard attached, I get a screenful of
garbage (the same character in a recognizable pattern, but garbage
nonetheless). Bad keyboard? Wrong keyboard cable? Dead terminal? Ideas
for further testing?
Next prject: make it talk to my Linux box.
Thanks,
--
Ben Coakley http://www.math.grin.edu/~coakley coakley(a)ac.grin.edu
Station Manager, KDIC 88.5 FM CBEL: Xavier OH
Wow, this is global. -Mtn Goats
i would know if you have a hardware manual, or where i can find one.
if don't, do you know which is the meaning of:
load system
00000010 hardware failure
I think it's a bios failure, if so where i can find one.
thanks in advance.
Disio(a)milenium.com
Talking about disks for the Mattel Aquarius...
Tony wrote...
>on one edge. On the 3.5" disk the shutter can be easily opened
>accidentally, and more importantly it can spring apart on the inside
>edge.
[snip/snip]
OK, the floppies I have are NOT as described in Tony's last letter. These
here disks are 77mm square, and do NOT have a shutter protecting the surface
of the disk. I am sure the shutter is not missing; I have 10 disks all
the same. From the circular midsection with a rectangular opening all the
way to the edge, the access area on this disk looks like a large keyhole.
Yet, the style is similar to a standard 3.5" floppy
A side-note; these disks are advertised at having 144K unformatted
capacity. Those interested can see the disks and drive at...
http://www.comcen.com.au/~adavie/weird/aquarius/aqdisk.jpghttp://www.comcen.com.au/~adavie/weird/aquarius/floppy.jpg
I understand the drive is top-opening, like a CD-player, but I've yet to
confirm this. I wonder if anybody knows of any other drives with this
mechanism (floppies only!!)
Cheers
A
;-) Clearing the snow from my glasses, I saw Kai Kaltenbach typed:
>There is no way to read Apple II disks in a PC. Your options are:
[snip]
>2. Obtain an "Apple II-on-an-ISA-card" device (rare, no longer manufactured,
>various brand names)
Tho I'm not much of an Apple person (unless someone would like to send me a
G3 for free... ;-) there is a place on the web that has some "Diamond
Trackstar //e" boards for sale -- for $19 each (plus shipping, I believe).
Dunno if that's a good price or not (or if the nomenclature is totally
correct -- again, apologies for not being an Apple Nut -- CoCoNut is more
my style) but it seems they have (at least) several...
For the Webulators: http://www.ahhz.com/
Hope that helps someone...
Roger "Merch" Merchberger
--
Roger Merchberger | If at first you don't succeed,
Owner, MerchWare | nuclear warhead disarmament should
zmerch(a)northernway.net | *not* be your first career choice.
Sorry, I should have clarified. I have Ultrix 4.3 for both VAXen and RISC.
Based on the responses I've gotten so far, it'll end up being built around
BSD 4.2-4.3, yes?
I'm asking because I'll be book-shopping before too much longer, and I've
had my eye on the O'Reilly books 'Unix in a Nutshell' and 'Essential System
Administration.' Both seem to strike a balance between SCO and BSD.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Bruce Lane, Sysop, The Dragon's Cave BBS (Fidonet 1:343/272)
(Hamateur: WD6EOS) (E-mail: kyrrin(a)jps.net)
"Our science can only describe an object, event, or living thing in our own
human terms. It cannot, in any way, define any of them..."
Hi all.
It's come to my attention that there's some discussion on
classiccmp regarding the administration of the list. I'll
get back to those that have contacted me asap. I haven't
read the list in months and only do basic addition and
removal of addresses at this point. My work and personal
lives have made it impossible to be any more active with
classiccmp.
I encourage you to organize as you desire, by whatever
means you can agree on if you haven't already done so.
I will continue to do basic list maintenance as much
as I'm available.
Please don't count on me for anything at this point. I
think classiccmp is great and I'm glad to have done the
initial arrangements, but I don't even know when I'll
have the time to just read it again.
If current arrangements are unworkable and someone else
would like to take over with their own listserv, it would
be simple to just transfer the subscription list, I think.
If you can live with the current level of administration,
I have no problem continuing to host the listserv.
Sorry to have let you guys hang - I've been meaning to
make a post of this nature for some time and it never
made it high enough up the priorities list.
--------------------------------------------------------
Bill Whitson bcw(a)u.washington.edu
Network Administrator (425) 352-5209
University of Washington - Bothell Help Desk: 2-5275
Hello, I am new to the list and despite all this nonsencse about some guy
named Sam, I am looking forward to gaining knowledge from this list. I
currently own an Atari 400, 800, and Mac Plus. Really all I am here for is
listening in and to ask a few questions when they arrive to my brain.
Later,
-Enrique!
There is no way to read Apple II disks in a PC. Your options are:
1. Serial transfer
2. Obtain an "Apple II-on-an-ISA-card" device (rare, no longer manufactured,
various brand names)
3. If you have access to a Mac, and have a 3 1/2" drive on the Apple II, you
can transfer the disk files to ProDOS format and read them via the
Macintosh, then either write them to PC format with a Mac SuperDrive, or
read the Mac disks on the PC with the various utilities available.
Kai
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Max Eskin [SMTP:maxeskin@hotmail.com]
> Sent: Wednesday, March 18, 1998 4:32 PM
> To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers
> Subject: Apple - PC
>
> Is there a way to transfer files from an Apple II to a PC? I have a
> //c.
>
> ______________________________________________________
> Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
andrew davie was
:Talking about disks for the Mattel Aquarius...
yep, they're quick disks. and they probably belong in the same bucket as
sinclair's microdrive and phi mag's floopy tape (anyone else remember
this one?) - nice tries that just couldn't keep up, either in cost,
capacity or genericity.
if only our ql's microdrives still worked... they're a lovely little
storage mechanism to look at.
--
Communa (together) we remember... we'll see you falling
you know soft spoken changes nothing to sing within her...
Sam Ismail <dastar(a)wco.com> wrote:
>This may as well be the official location since the "official" location is
>inaccessible. I hereby declare Doug's address above the new official web
>address since nobody else will.
I'll also volunteer to host a copy of the FAQ web page(s). I'll even
help edit, write or update it - but you weren't asking for a new
maintainer, were you?
>B) It doesn't get sent out to new subscribers
>C) People ignore it
There's a few ways to handle this: send out a subscribe/unsubscribe/FAQ
post every month, or put a short .signature on the digest or on every
message, for a day once every couple weeks.
- John
Jefferson Computer Museum <http://www.threedee.com/jcm>
I just finished watching that Discovery program on Robots and was
wondering if anyone involved in the list has previously/is currently
working in that field
Also, does anyone know how much of an influence the use of computer
systems by all of those AI reasearches in the late 70's/early 80's had on
system designs? I'd be interested to hear any opinions/anecdotes/etc on
this stuff.
Aaron
I have placed a piccie of my HX-20, for your viewing pleasure, at
http://www.comcen.com.au/~adavie/weird/hx20/hx20.jpg
Please note the unit shown is sitting in a nifty snaplock carrybox from
EPSON, has the expansion unit connected on the left. The leaflet shown
lists the unit at $1487. This is in the days when $1AUS = US$1.09.
I'm very open to trades on this unit. I'm looking for cartridges from the
video console machines, and the machines themselves.
Cheers
A
< I do not _want_ the job, I am simply willing to do it. I
<would _prefer_ Allison or Tim Shoppa, as I think they have better
First and formost, don't suck me into this.
The list. It's charter is simple. Occasional digressions and ratholes
can be interesting. Posturing and fighting is boring.
Allison
Folks I just received this in private email from Bill
Whitson. I rarely break rules of privacy like this, but the
information here affects _so_ many people. Depending on what happens
I may unsubscribe from this list. I want everyone to know that I've
learned some wonderful things here and feel I've 'met' some amazing
players in the high technology arena. May we meet again!
Take Care,
J. Maynard Gelinas
------- Start of forwarded message -------
Date: Wed, 18 Mar 1998 18:03:57 -0800 (Pacific Standard Time)
From: Bill Whitson <bcw(a)u.washington.edu>
To: "J. Maynard Gelinas" <jmg(a)iac.net>
Subject: Re: Apology, Info, Etc...
Hi.
I'm currently working with Sam Ismail on this. He may have
the capability to run the whole listserv. I'm sure he will
bring the list up to date as soon as he knows.
Thanks for the offer. Depending on what happens with Sam,
I may take you up on it.
- --------------------------------------------------------
Bill Whitson bcw(a)u.washington.edu
Network Administrator (425) 352-5209
University of Washington - Bothell Help Desk: 2-5275
On Wed, 18 Mar 1998, J. Maynard Gelinas wrote:
jmg-> OK,
jmg-> I've received significant help from list members here in the
jmg->past, and _really_ don't want to see it disappear. I understand how
jmg->family pressures make the sustained effort of mail list maintenance
jmg->sometimes an impossibility (Hey, I ran a BBS for four years in the
jmg->80's like most of us here). So, I offer to take on list management
jmg->_if necessary_. I'm perfectly happy to share these responsibilities
jmg->with other members as well. In fact, if a whole bunch of other people
jmg->chime up and want to take on the task, I'll _gladly_ bow out! ;-)
jmg->
jmg-> But I'd rather take on the headache of being the list
jmg->maintainer than see classiccmp die out from bickering and off topic
jmg->posts because of ineffective list maintenance. Bill, you started a
jmg->wonderful thing, but I think, at least right now, we need heavier
jmg->moderation.
jmg->
jmg-> There are a few other folks I'd rather see in the drivers seat
jmg->before me. Tim Shoppa and Allison, for example, would both make
jmg->better choices than I (and if you guys want it, I'm outta your way).
jmg->However, this is _an_ offer; currently no one else seems to have
jmg->chimed up.
jmg->
jmg-> I can arrange to have a Majordomo or Listproc list manager in
jmg->place at one of several hosts if necessary, but I think it would be to
jmg->everyone's benefit if the 'classiccmp' address remained the same. I
jmg->hope I haven't overstepped my bounds here...
jmg->
jmg->Respectfully,
jmg->J. Maynard Gelinas
jmg->
jmg->
jmg->> Hi all.
jmg->>
jmg->> It's come to my attention that there's some discussion on
jmg->> classiccmp regarding the administration of the list. I'll
jmg->> get back to those that have contacted me asap. I haven't
jmg->> read the list in months and only do basic addition and
jmg->> removal of addresses at this point. My work and personal
jmg->> lives have made it impossible to be any more active with
jmg->> classiccmp.
jmg->>
jmg->> I encourage you to organize as you desire, by whatever
jmg->> means you can agree on if you haven't already done so.
jmg->>
jmg->> I will continue to do basic list maintenance as much
jmg->> as I'm available.
jmg->>
jmg->> Please don't count on me for anything at this point. I
jmg->> think classiccmp is great and I'm glad to have done the
jmg->> initial arrangements, but I don't even know when I'll
jmg->> have the time to just read it again.
jmg->>
jmg->> If current arrangements are unworkable and someone else
jmg->> would like to take over with their own listserv, it would
jmg->> be simple to just transfer the subscription list, I think.
jmg->> If you can live with the current level of administration,
jmg->> I have no problem continuing to host the listserv.
jmg->>
jmg->> Sorry to have let you guys hang - I've been meaning to
jmg->> make a post of this nature for some time and it never
jmg->> made it high enough up the priorities list.
jmg->>
jmg->> --------------------------------------------------------
jmg->> Bill Whitson bcw(a)u.washington.edu
jmg->> Network Administrator (425) 352-5209
jmg->> University of Washington - Bothell Help Desk: 2-5275
jmg->>
jmg->>
jmg->>
jmg->
------- End of forwarded message -------
Hi. Instead of killing the current classiccmp, we could just take some
parts of it off. For instance, we could make a "classiccmpmarket" list for
buying/selling classics.
Just a thought,
Tim D. Hotze
>
> Folks I just received this in private email from Bill
>Whitson. I rarely break rules of privacy like this, but the
>information here affects _so_ many people. Depending on what happens
>I may unsubscribe from this list. I want everyone to know that I've
>learned some wonderful things here and feel I've 'met' some amazing
>players in the high technology arena. May we meet again!
>
>Take Care,
>J. Maynard Gelinas
>
>
>------- Start of forwarded message -------
>Date: Wed, 18 Mar 1998 18:03:57 -0800 (Pacific Standard Time)
>From: Bill Whitson <bcw(a)u.washington.edu>
>To: "J. Maynard Gelinas" <jmg(a)iac.net>
>Subject: Re: Apology, Info, Etc...
>
>Hi.
>
>I'm currently working with Sam Ismail on this. He may have
>the capability to run the whole listserv. I'm sure he will
>bring the list up to date as soon as he knows.
>
>Thanks for the offer. Depending on what happens with Sam,
>I may take you up on it.
>
>- --------------------------------------------------------
>Bill Whitson bcw(a)u.washington.edu
>Network Administrator (425) 352-5209
>University of Washington - Bothell Help Desk: 2-5275
>
>
>On Wed, 18 Mar 1998, J. Maynard Gelinas wrote:
>
>jmg-> OK,
>jmg-> I've received significant help from list members here in the
>jmg->past, and _really_ don't want to see it disappear. I understand how
>jmg->family pressures make the sustained effort of mail list maintenance
>jmg->sometimes an impossibility (Hey, I ran a BBS for four years in the
>jmg->80's like most of us here). So, I offer to take on list management
>jmg->_if necessary_. I'm perfectly happy to share these responsibilities
>jmg->with other members as well. In fact, if a whole bunch of other people
>jmg->chime up and want to take on the task, I'll _gladly_ bow out! ;-)
>jmg->
>jmg-> But I'd rather take on the headache of being the list
>jmg->maintainer than see classiccmp die out from bickering and off topic
>jmg->posts because of ineffective list maintenance. Bill, you started a
>jmg->wonderful thing, but I think, at least right now, we need heavier
>jmg->moderation.
>jmg->
>jmg-> There are a few other folks I'd rather see in the drivers seat
>jmg->before me. Tim Shoppa and Allison, for example, would both make
>jmg->better choices than I (and if you guys want it, I'm outta your way).
>jmg->However, this is _an_ offer; currently no one else seems to have
>jmg->chimed up.
>jmg->
>jmg-> I can arrange to have a Majordomo or Listproc list manager in
>jmg->place at one of several hosts if necessary, but I think it would be to
>jmg->everyone's benefit if the 'classiccmp' address remained the same. I
>jmg->hope I haven't overstepped my bounds here...
>jmg->
>jmg->Respectfully,
>jmg->J. Maynard Gelinas
>jmg->
>jmg->
>jmg->> Hi all.
>jmg->>
>jmg->> It's come to my attention that there's some discussion on
>jmg->> classiccmp regarding the administration of the list. I'll
>jmg->> get back to those that have contacted me asap. I haven't
>jmg->> read the list in months and only do basic addition and
>jmg->> removal of addresses at this point. My work and personal
>jmg->> lives have made it impossible to be any more active with
>jmg->> classiccmp.
>jmg->>
>jmg->> I encourage you to organize as you desire, by whatever
>jmg->> means you can agree on if you haven't already done so.
>jmg->>
>jmg->> I will continue to do basic list maintenance as much
>jmg->> as I'm available.
>jmg->>
>jmg->> Please don't count on me for anything at this point. I
>jmg->> think classiccmp is great and I'm glad to have done the
>jmg->> initial arrangements, but I don't even know when I'll
>jmg->> have the time to just read it again.
>jmg->>
>jmg->> If current arrangements are unworkable and someone else
>jmg->> would like to take over with their own listserv, it would
>jmg->> be simple to just transfer the subscription list, I think.
>jmg->> If you can live with the current level of administration,
>jmg->> I have no problem continuing to host the listserv.
>jmg->>
>jmg->> Sorry to have let you guys hang - I've been meaning to
>jmg->> make a post of this nature for some time and it never
>jmg->> made it high enough up the priorities list.
>jmg->>
>jmg->> --------------------------------------------------------
>jmg->> Bill Whitson bcw(a)u.washington.edu
>jmg->> Network Administrator (425) 352-5209
>jmg->> University of Washington - Bothell Help Desk: 2-5275
>jmg->>
>jmg->>
>jmg->>
>jmg->
>------- End of forwarded message -------
In a message dated 98-03-18 21:39:17 EST, you write:
<< 4. Wasn't there something called a Central Point Option Card (or something
like that?) that allowed a person to install an Apple drive in a PC?
ttyl
srw >>
the only thing i'm familiar with is the central point copy option board which
let a pc do a bit copy of any disk, write protected, ibm format or not. i have
two, one is an earlier version i think, but i've never gotten around to
setting it up yet.
david
Sorry, I don't have the answer.
I have a 12" RGB monitor that works with a IIGS but when I plug it into
my Mac IIsi, I get nothing.
Please let me know if you find out where you can get technical info on
Apple monitors.
Thanks,
jstorm
Same here....how do I unsubscribe? I've forgotten, now...can anyone give me the address?
Thanks
-----Original Message-----
From: William Donzelli <william(a)ans.net>
To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers <classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu>
Date: Wednesday, March 18, 1998 6:52 PM
Subject: Re: Apology, Info, Etc...
>Well, I have had it with this group. I am going to ignore any messages I
>get for a while - later I will check back and if it does not improve, I am
>out for good.
>
>Now I see why a lot of people I know are not on this list.
>
>William Donzelli
>william(a)ans.net
>
Sigh. You're right, I got your mail before my reply came
through and I jumped to a conclusion without enough facts. Still,
fuck you. I don't like you. I _am_ outta here now.
J. Maynard Gelinas
> Date: Wed, 18 Mar 1998 18:52:43 -0800 (PST)
> From: Sam Ismail <dastar(a)wco.com>
> To: maynard(a)jmg.com
> Subject: Re: [bcw(a)u.washington.edu: Re: Apology, Info, Etc...]
>
> On Wed, 18 Mar 1998, J. Maynard Gelinas wrote:
>
> > Whatever dude. I'm outta here. You're obviously abusing your
> > power right now by intercepting the mail. You intend to shape
> > opionion by censorship. This is far more unethical than my making
> > public a personal email message.
>
> WHAT!? You posted your message publicly in ClassicCmp. Did you expect me
> to ingore it or something?
>
> > Fuck you.
>
> Get a clue.
>
> 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!
>
>
>before I was born) -- the age of cybernetics! Whatever happened to the
>age of the personal robot, and why do we still have manual vacuum
>cleaners?
Because they're sexier when they bend over?
Cheers
A
I work in AI from the philosophical side, so I might be able to help here.
>I just caught the end of that special. I didn't realize that interest in AI
>had expired.
Not at all. But there were some problems with teh aims and the possible
realisations. Specifically, the dream of making a computer that could
converse, as per the very foolish Turing Test, has appeared to be further
away than ever. The original dream ran up against the sheer complexity
of the problem, and the way in which the architecture that was being
employed - basically there was a brute strength attitude, which was not
successful. What is needed now is a new direction, which is being
provided in a number of different areas - most notably from Daniel
Dennett's COG.
The one of the big problems was what is know as the Frame Problem of AI.
It's not fitting to explain it here, but in essence the problem is that
it takes time to catalogue the things which are not relevant, as well as
those which are. Thus a computere faced with a problem would have to
spend most of it's time working out what is irrelevant - severly limiting
it's ability to solve anything. There are a lot of other problems, such
as the distinction betweem implicit and explicit memory, but the upshot
is that the old methods failed, and the new are still being developed.
>Was there just no demand for AI, or has the market just taken the useful
>aspects and abandoned the remainder? Isn't the Neural Net technology being
>used in various pattern recognition applications (i.e. OCR) descended from
>the AI research of the the 70's and 80's?
The useful bits are being employed widly - fuzzy logic in toasters,
expert systems all over teh place, OCR stuff, the military make extensive
use of neural nets in the development of new missile technologies, etc.
It has neither been given up, nor proven useless - it's just that we
aren't going to be passing the Turing test for a while yet and, even if
we do, it will prove nothing.
Adam.
>> Perhaps a real computer historian can chime in here, but I vaguely
recall
>> that there was considerable experimentation and debate early in the
>> development of electronic computers along the lines of analog vs.
digital,
>> von neumann vs non-von, analogies to electronic brains, etc.
>
What do you mean by Von Neumann? I see that as a self-replicating
mechanism...
>
>I have here a book from the Philips Technical Library called 'Practical
>Robot Circuits' published in 1960. The first half of this book contains
>the design for a robot 'dog' using essentially an analogue control
system
>(mostly amplifiers and comparators) to process the signals from various
>sensors (photocells, microphones, thermistors, etc). The outputs of the
What can this "dog" do? Does it have any kind of interesting
abilities?
>
>BTW, the electronic side of the device uses valves (vacuum tubes).
>
>The second half of the book describes a tic-tac-toe machine, again
using
>valves. This one is entirely digital AFAIK.
Why does EVERYONE love Tic-Tac-Toe so much? Bill Gates made a program,
this book has a machine....
[snip]
AFAIK, the Soviet Union, before it broke apart, put a lot of time
into analog and mechanical machines, anything but pure IC logic,
anyway. This was partly because they(we) didn't have the technology
to make reliable VLSI ICs on a large scale, but mostly that the
weird non- or semi-digital machines can handle a lot more beating
and EM interference.
>
>I seem to recall that A.K. Dewdeny (That's not the right spelling...)
>wrote about 'analogue gadgets' in Scientific American at some point.
The
>basic point IIRC was that analogue systems are good at providing fast
>_approximate_ solutions to certain problems.
>
>-tony
>
>
______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
Hi Seth,
----------
> From: Seth J. Morabito <sethm(a)loomcom.com>
> To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers
<classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu>
> Subject: Looking for a Q-Bus card
> Date: Wednesday, March 18, 1998 5:12 PM
> I've just acquired a MicroVAX 3800 (KA655-AA CPU), with various extra
> bits and pieces. I know this is not _technically_ classic, but it
> almost is... and heck, any QBus equipment feels pretty classic to me :)
Lucky ...
>
> It has the factory-installed KFQSA-SA DSSI controller card in it, but
> what I'd really like to do is put SCSI into this poor dear, as DSSI
> drives are getting harder to come by.
>
> I've got a quick question for everyone first. Can a KZQSA-SF (SCSI)
> and a KFQSA-SA (DSSI) controller live peacefully together on the same
> Q-BUS, or must I dump one to use the other?
No problem ...
>
> If I can use both, does anyone have a KZQSA-SF card they'd be willing to
> give, trade, or sell to me? I
Thats not so easy ...
Most people want to keep their SCSI q-bus cards ...
but you could easily buy a new one ... (appr. 800-1400 $) :-((
> -Seth
At 01:18 PM 3/18/98 -0500, you wrote:
>So... on that note. I am in need of some old removable SyQuest disks for
>an SQ555 drive. (the 44mb variety) Anybody know where I might find some?
>The local 'puter store still sells them for $40 a pop!
Take a look on eBay (http://www.ebay.com/); I see them there occasionally
for reasonable prices.
--------------------------------------------------------------------- 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.sinasohn.com/
At 10:46 AM 3/18/98 -0600, you wrote:
>Would it be a) desirable, b) possible to have the remailer append a very
>short text to each outgoing message with "Read the faq: <FAQ URL>"?
Do you still need this thing?
At 10:56 AM 2/11/98 EST, you wrote:
>yes! i need one! glad to pay shipping to nc. is it available?
>
>david
>
>
>In a message dated 98-02-10 15:25:34 EST, you write:
>
><< Does anyone need a Mac mono monitor? Model number MO400, circa 1987. Best
> offer takes it, no matter how pathetic. Recipient either pays shipping or
> picks it up in the LA area (it's not heavy at all, I can't imagine that ups
> ground would be more than a few bucks on this thing). >>
>
>
And again, here is the message forwarded to the group. You have the
power to stop this Sam....all you have to do is stop harassing me.
I am acting in a completely defensive manner which means the balls
in YOUR court here. We can go on like this until we're both removed from
the list. And if I alone am removed then I can only hope that someone
else will step up to this particular plate.
At this point it's just a matter of which of us gets bored with this game
first. But I think everyone can see that I'm between a rock and a hard
place here. I can't give in because I said I wouldn't. My hands are tied.
But you have an opportunity to be the big man here and stop harassing me.
Anthony Clifton - Wirehead
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, 18 Mar 1998 16:10:35 -0800 (PST)
From: Sam Ismail <dastar(a)wco.com>
To: Wirehead Prime <wirehead(a)www.retrocomputing.com>
Subject: Re: Apology, Info, Etc...
Once again, you've posted an off-topic message to the mailing list. Here
is the FAQ, once again, in the hopes that this time you will choose to
abide by it rather than flout it out of selfishness.
1.1 What is ClassicCmp?
It's a mailing list for the discussion of classic computers. Topics center
on collection, restoration, and operation. It is also an appropriate place
for stories and reminiscences of classic computers. Lofty discussions
dealing with the philosophical and/or metaphysical aspects of computers are
often better handled in private e-mail.
>> My vote is to avoid this whole mess by having people respect
the
>> guidelines of the existing definition.
Inspirational flash....how about everyone else on the list vote
by filtering out the off topic stuff. We don't need no stinkin'
rules. After all, the early microcomputer days were pure
anarchy anyway.
Jack Peacock
And again, here is a mildly edited version of your harassment for the
entire group to see.
I may be foolish for standing up to you but you're more foolish than me
for proving correct everything that I've said about you.
Anthony Clifton - Wirehead
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, 18 Mar 1998 15:57:32 -0800 (PST)
From: Sam Ismail <dastar(a)wco.com>
To: Wirehead Prime <wirehead(a)www.retrocomputing.com>
Subject: Re: Apology, Info, Etc... (fwd)
Again, for your information, here is the FAQ which outlines what is
acceptable for discussion on ClassicCmp:
1.1 What is ClassicCmp?
It's a mailing list for the discussion of classic computers. Topics center
on collection, restoration, and operation. It is also an appropriate place
for stories and reminiscences of classic computers. Lofty discussions
dealing with the philosophical and/or metaphysical aspects of computers are
often better handled in private e-mail.
And you are again harassing me because your interpretation of the FAQ in
this case is inconsistent with reality. And don't think I don't know
what you're trying to do...you're trying to force ME to waste bandwidth
publicly to make it appear that *I'M* the problem and not you.
Anybody with half a brain can see right through your ploy here, Sam.
I've read it and I'm NOT off-topic as this discussion and similar ones
relate to the operation of the group and that is not forbidden in the FAQ.
You want to play this game
then I can play FOREVER. As I said, I won't back down from you. EVER.
I will construct auto-responders if necessary but here's the deal:
I let you have the last word in December thinking that you'd leave people
alone but you're obviously too much of a bully for that. So this time,
rather than bury my head in the sand [and let me make this abundantly clear]
I WILL NOT BACK DOWN FROM YOU. I will NEVER give into your bullying.
You can stop this and you should since YOU are the aggressor not me. I
am acting from a defensive posture and I think everyone can see that.
And, although I'm sure many find this game annoying, I'm certain that
even those who would have criticized me earlier for standing up to you
realize precisely what you are and no longer blame me for not backing down.
And just so this is clear. I would prefer that Bill remove us BOTH from
the mailing list permanently than permit you to have your wicked way with
the group. But make no mistake...YOU ARE THE AGGRESSOR Sam. But if it
takes Bill removing us both from the list forever, then I would consider
that a SMALL price to pay to rid the mailing list of your vile insults
and the pestilence of your malicious intentions.
You are clearly suffering from mental illness and I feel sorry for you
but I cannot permit you to abuse me, harass me or send me what amounts to
unsolicited email spam without making the entire mailing list aware of it.
Why do I do this? Because you've stated yourself you want to take over
the mailing list (which I said was your goal all along) I think your
behavior has GREAT bearing on your ability to actually moderate a group
without it becoming a fiasco.
To everyone that this annoys, I am truly sorry. I didn't want it to come
to this. But I clearly have no choice but to continue standing against Sam.
If you want to solve this particular problem then please and BY ALL MEANS
suggest that Bill remove BOTH me and Sam from the list...Sam because he
is an aggressor and me because I'm no longer in a position where I can
back down. And I think that solution would satisfy everyone's sense of
fairness. And remove us BOTH forever.
Anthony Clifton - Wirehead
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, 18 Mar 1998 15:43:08 -0800 (PST)
From: Sam Ismail <dastar(a)wco.com>
To: Wirehead Prime <wirehead(a)www.retrocomputing.com>
Subject: Re: Sam's Instructions in Private Email (fwd)
You have again posted an off-topic message. I will again send you the
relevant portions of the FAQ. Please print a copy out and paste it to
your wall where you can see it at all times.
1.1 What is ClassicCmp?
It's a mailing list for the discussion of classic computers. Topics center
on collection, restoration, and operation. It is also an appropriate place
for stories and reminiscences of classic computers. Lofty discussions
dealing with the philosophical and/or metaphysical aspects of computers are
often better handled in private e-mail.
Hi Everyone,
I have tried to drop this arguement with Sam but he insists on
perpetuating it. It may be embarrassing to read this stuff but it should be
kept public since it does concern the operation of this list. Sam is now
complaining that this tread is off topic for this list, but he convenently
forgets that he is the one that started it! In his latest tirade, Sam has
accused me of using this list for profit (I wish!). I should note that
selling items on the list is permitted according to the FAQs, and yes I
have probably made a grand total of $50 in the last six months (net not
profit). Anthony is right, Sam seems to be interested in nothing more than
harassing others and tearing down this list.
What I would like to know is who appointed Sam to police this list?
Joe
At 05:59 PM 3/18/98 -0600, you wrote:
>
>
>Again I warned you. I was responding publicly to a public posting by the
>OWNER AND MODERATOR of the mailing list, Sam. You are so out of line
>here that I can't believe anymore that your purpose on the mailing list
>is to do anything other than to harass others.
>
>Anthony Clifton - Wirehead
>
>PS: And I'm not going to allow you to do this privately...even if it
>does annoy the group because I think everyone needs to see what kind of
>person you really are and how petty and small-minded your little games
>are becoming. I think this has bearing on any project that you undertake
>and the extent to which others should participate in it.
>
> ---------- Forwarded message
>---------- Date: Wed, 18 Mar 1998 15:03:04 -0800 (PST)
>From: Sam Ismail <dastar(a)wco.com>
>To: Wirehead Prime <wirehead(a)www.retrocomputing.com>
>Subject: Re: Apology, Info, Etc...
>
>
>Again, you are in violation of Section 1.1 of the FAQ which reads:
>
>
>1.1 What is ClassicCmp?
>
>It's a mailing list for the discussion of classic computers. Topics center
>on collection, restoration, and operation. It is also an appropriate place
>for stories and reminiscences of classic computers. Lofty discussions
>dealing with the philosophical and/or metaphysical aspects of computers are
>often better handled in private e-mail.
>
>Please post only on-topic messages in the future. Your cooperation would
>be greatly valued by all.
>
>Have a nice day!
>
>On Wed, 18 Mar 1998, Wirehead Prime wrote:
>
>>
>> Personally I think the list is great and have noticed NO difficulties
>> whatsoever in its administration.
>>
>> I would hate to see it pass into the hands of someone who clearly does
>> not have the best interests of others in mind but merely wishes to
>> control it for the purposes of ego inflation.
>>
>> I think the list is wonderful Bill and, aside from one person who is
>> clearly incapable of behaving in a rational and courteous manner, should
>> remain precisely as it is.
>>
>> That's my two cents worth...
>>
>> Anthony Clifton - Wirehead
>>
>> > If current arrangements are unworkable and someone else
>> > would like to take over with their own listserv, it would
>> > be simple to just transfer the subscription list, I think.
>> > If you can live with the current level of administration,
>> > I have no problem continuing to host the listserv.
>>
>>
>
>
>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!
>
>
>I've got a quick question for everyone first. Can a KZQSA-SF
(SCSI)
>and a KFQSA-SA (DSSI) controller live peacefully together on
the same
>Q-BUS, or must I dump one to use the other?
>
Pretty sure you can use both, however, if I recall the KZQSA VMS
driver only supports cd-rom and tape drives, not SCSI disk
drives. What you probably need is a 3rd party Q-Bus SCSI disk
controller that emulates an MSCP type controller card, looks
like a RQDX3.
Jack Peacock
On 1998-03-17 classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu said to lisard(a)zetnet.co.uk
:[Compact Floppy Disks]
:> those'll be the things amstrad used ad nauseam, yep? you can post
:Yes. Also used on the Tatung Einstein (now that's a machine I've
:not seen mentioned lately), the Oric and probably others that I've
:forgotten.
oh, the einsteins were cute. :> similar hardware to the memotech, from
your description - including that regrettable decision to use the
tms9918 for the display. those things are just not *good*...
:At one time you could get 3" disks drives for about \pounds 30.00
:in the UK (when all other drives were over \pounds 100.00). I
:bought one and put it as a second drive on my CoCo system - the
:extra storage was very useful when running OS-9, and it didn't
:matter that the disks weren't standard.
unfortunately, the cost of other drives (and of disks) plummeted in the
uk and the cost of the disks for the 3" remained high. that's probably
what killed them, that and the proprietary nature of them (they may not
have been intended as proprietary, but they seem to have ended up that
way). and we can well believe that they were superior in quality.
compared with the modern 3.5" disk, most things are...
:Actually the design of the disk is vastly superior to the 3.5" one.
:The metal shutter on the 3" disk is inside the case and is opened
:by a slider on one edge. On the 3.5" disk the shutter can be easily
:opened accidentally, and more importantly it can spring apart on
:the inside edge.
we've travelled that road...
:One thing that people didn't like about the 3" disks was that they
:were flippies - you turned them over to read the second side - at
:least on most Amstrad machines. But there are real 2-head 3" drives
:- I have some, along with the manual.
not the one that was the second disk on a pcw8512. that was 80-track
double-sided. what people *really* didn't like about them was paying 3
quid for a disk when they could see 3.5" disks around for 3 quid for a
box. that'd annoy us, and amstrad weren't really clued up to it.
:A TI 9927 (I think - the PAL version of the 9918) video chip + 16K
:video memory
*shakes head again*
--
Communa (together) we remember... we'll see you falling
you know soft spoken changes nothing to sing within her...
Again I warned you. I was responding publicly to a public posting by the
OWNER AND MODERATOR of the mailing list, Sam. You are so out of line
here that I can't believe anymore that your purpose on the mailing list
is to do anything other than to harass others.
Anthony Clifton - Wirehead
PS: And I'm not going to allow you to do this privately...even if it
does annoy the group because I think everyone needs to see what kind of
person you really are and how petty and small-minded your little games
are becoming. I think this has bearing on any project that you undertake
and the extent to which others should participate in it.
---------- Forwarded message
---------- Date: Wed, 18 Mar 1998 15:03:04 -0800 (PST)
From: Sam Ismail <dastar(a)wco.com>
To: Wirehead Prime <wirehead(a)www.retrocomputing.com>
Subject: Re: Apology, Info, Etc...
Again, you are in violation of Section 1.1 of the FAQ which reads:
1.1 What is ClassicCmp?
It's a mailing list for the discussion of classic computers. Topics center
on collection, restoration, and operation. It is also an appropriate place
for stories and reminiscences of classic computers. Lofty discussions
dealing with the philosophical and/or metaphysical aspects of computers are
often better handled in private e-mail.
Please post only on-topic messages in the future. Your cooperation would
be greatly valued by all.
Have a nice day!
On Wed, 18 Mar 1998, Wirehead Prime wrote:
>
> Personally I think the list is great and have noticed NO difficulties
> whatsoever in its administration.
>
> I would hate to see it pass into the hands of someone who clearly does
> not have the best interests of others in mind but merely wishes to
> control it for the purposes of ego inflation.
>
> I think the list is wonderful Bill and, aside from one person who is
> clearly incapable of behaving in a rational and courteous manner, should
> remain precisely as it is.
>
> That's my two cents worth...
>
> Anthony Clifton - Wirehead
>
> > If current arrangements are unworkable and someone else
> > would like to take over with their own listserv, it would
> > be simple to just transfer the subscription list, I think.
> > If you can live with the current level of administration,
> > I have no problem continuing to host the listserv.
>
>
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!
On 1998-03-18 classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu said to lisard(a)zetnet.co.uk
:[Symbolics 3650]
:Was that the LISPMs that lived at MIT?
CONS and CADR? does anyone have either tech info, or a URL where we can
get such info? (what strikes us as amusing is that stallman conceived
the idea behind GNU when "ripping off" symbolics software to keep lisp
machines in business. ;> is any of the source he generated whilst doing
this publicly available?)
--
Communa (together) we remember... we'll see you falling
you know soft spoken changes nothing to sing within her...
In a message dated 98-03-18 16:57:56 EST, you write:
<< Sorry, I don't have the answer.
I have a 12" RGB monitor that works with a IIGS but when I plug it into
my Mac IIsi, I get nothing.
Please let me know if you find out where you can get technical info on
Apple monitors.
Thanks,
jstorm >>
i've tried the same thing and get the same results. i have found out there are
analogue and digital RGB monitors, but i do not know the difference between
the two. can anyone direct us back on topic and explain the difference?
sam ismail:
:Check your anti-MS baggage at the door, please. For that matter,
:drop any posts that serve only to perpetuate the holy wars.
:^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
:This is not your crusade, Anthony.
no but you have made it yours. you seem to be in the process of
perpetuating a holy war all on your lonesome here. please desist.
surely, if you have a problem with the posts of individuals, you would
be better advised to take it up with them on an individual basis?
we have a much longer email winging its way to you privately, but we
feel that this should be said in public. it's off-topic, but so be it.
and to respond to the only on-topic post we've seen from you so far
tonight: no, we don't know why mits used 8800 over 8080, unless it was
the simple fear of being sued for copyright violation. that question
wasn't settled for a while afterward.
-- Communa (together) we remember... we'll see you falling
you know soft spoken changes nothing to sing within her...
Net-Tamer V 1.08X - Test Drive
On 1998-03-18 classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu said to lisard(a)zetnet.co.uk
:At 12:48 PM 3/17/98 -0600, you wrote:
:>be asked again - What are the top ten hotspots for finding old
:>equipment?
:In no particular order:
:Friends and Family (and the companies they work for)
:Thrift shops
:Garage Sales
:Dumpsters
:Surplus dealers
:Internet (this list, especially)
:hamfests/swapmeets/fleamarkets
:classified ads
:typewriter/office equipment repair businesses
perhaps the original requestor was thinking more in terms of
geographical areas...? sure, thrift stores, but which are your personal
favourites? etc.
--
Communa (together) we remember... we'll see you falling
you know soft spoken changes nothing to sing within her...
Don't say I didn't warn you Sam. I do not see in the FAQ that
discussions relating to the operation of the mailing list are off-topic...
especially when such discussions are started by you suggesting that the
list should die and be replaced by a list under your control.
I do see that *BILL WHITSON* is the operator of the mailing list and not you.
I am glad to see, at least in THIS particular message, you've
discontinued using foul language. Please not, however, in general you
post more foul language than I do supposedly off-topic messages.
Perhaps you will continue to reduce your use of foul language and add to
that the elimination of your harassment of me, insults directed at the
mailing list and the discontinuation of your self-appointed police
activities.
Anthony Clifton - Wirehead
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, 18 Mar 1998 14:23:53 -0800 (PST)
From: Sam Ismail <dastar(a)wco.com>
To: Wirehead Prime <wirehead(a)www.retrocomputing.com>
Subject: Re: Sam's Instructions in Private Email
Once again, you are egregiously off-topic. Once again, allow me to quote
the FAQ so that perhaps you will begin to understand that the message you
posted is not acceptable discussion material.
1.1 What is ClassicCmp?
It's a mailing list for the discussion of classic computers. Topics center
on collection, restoration, and operation. It is also an appropriate place
for stories and reminiscences of classic computers. Lofty discussions
dealing with the philosophical and/or metaphysical aspects of computers are
often better handled in private e-mail.
1.4 Who runs this thing?
That would be me, Bill Whitson - email bcw(a)u.washington.edu.
2.10 Can I use obscene language in my posts?
Yes. Although I'm sure many people would prefer you did not. A number of
people have complained about this. I'm not going to outlaw swearing - now
that I've informed you that it bothers people you can make your choice.
> I gave you fair warning that I would post your private emails and, if
> they do not discontinue IMMEDIATELY, I will do so in every case so that
> others can see that you are simply a bully and nothing more.
Well, I'd say we needn't be ashamed of our personalities, this IS a
social, not business, list. Does anyone know how many people are on this
list?
> Let's keep on topic and keep personalities off the list and private.
> Abide by section 2.8 and all of us will benefit.
>
> Marty Mintzell
>
>
>
______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
Before everyone runs off...
I just picked up two Fortune Systems' computers. A Fortune 32:16 SX
and a Fortune 32:16 XP. These were 68K based Unix systems but
I only have the base units. The XP system should have a monitor and
keyboard that plug into it but those are missing. As usual with many
old systems, these also came without doc and software. I helped the
previous owner as much as I could with these (which was not very
much) and he was able to get one up and logged in but that was about
it. Does anyone out there have any info on these; specs, doc,
software or a monitor and keyboard for the XP?
Also, I've set up a server and registered my own domain;
trailingedge.com. As this is my own hardware, connection and
domain, I intend to run web and ftp services here with as many links
to other classic computing sites, info and whatever files I can
receive permission to place here. I hope to cover as many systems
as I can add space for. So far I've only begun to move my old web
pages from my ISP over to the new server but plan to update the
site as I go along. I'd be happy to hear what people would like to
find there or services people would like to see.
You can email me at my old address dlw(a)neosoft.com or my new one
dlw(a)trailingedge.com. The new web site is
http://www.trailingedge.com of course. Sorry but the site isn't
currently very "text friendly", (though I did view it with the
current version of lynx from a Unix shell without too much trouble)
but that will be changing shortly too.
Thanks for your time.
-----
David Williams - Computer Packrat
dlw(a)trailingedge.com || dlw(a)neosoft.com
http://www.trailingedge.com || http://www.neosoft.com/~dlw
Go to Aple's web site, apple.com, and search in the tech support TIL
(technical information library). You'll find everything you need and
more...
Marty Mintzell
email:marty@itgonline.com
______________________________ Reply Separator
_________________________________
Subject: RGB monitor
Author: classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu at internet
Date: 3/18/98 5:02 PM
Sorry, I don't have the answer.
I have a 12" RGB monitor that works with a IIGS but when I plug it into
my Mac IIsi, I get nothing.
Please let me know if you find out where you can get technical info on
Apple monitors.
Thanks,
jstorm
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From: "Storm, John" <jstorm(a)RFPP.com>
To: "Discussion re-collecting of classic computers"
<classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu>
Subject: RGB monitor
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>
>This is a Practical Peripherals 2400SA, right? Little white plastic
>modem with a sloped front with modem-blinkenlights?
Yep
>I think this is the kind of modem that taught me that when they label
>one jack "line" and the other jack "phone" they may mean it. When I
>got it wrong the modem behaved as above: it would go off-hook and dial
>but not connect.
>
>Except that they didn't label the jacks on the modem, you had to look
>in the manual if you wanted to know which was which. But there's only
>two ways to do it, so put the cable that goes to the wall jack in the
>*other* modem jack and see if that makes it work.
If it isn't plugged in correctly, I think it says "NO DIALTONE", but I
will check
______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
A good mailing list / BBS / forum / whatever has a benevolent dictator.
A moderator. Someone who rules with a light hand, and who has the time
and good nature to police unruly threads. A simple solution is to reject
the person's message, but this requires human intervention.
It's usually pretty easy to shift these mail lists from automatic
to moderated, but then there's a posting delay as the moderator
approves messages... and I think it's too much to ask for someone
to volunteer 10+ hours a week to trim and approve postings.
I've always thought a much more sensible approach is the private
news server. It allows pruning of unruly threads, either by the
reader (ignoring off-topic subjects) or by a B.D. who trims
away junk messages. It allows auto-archiving. It doesn't clog
mail routes and mail boxes. You can read it with any Usenet news reader,
just point to someone else's server. It would be easy to split
into .hardware, .software, .culture sub-groups.
Wirehead Prime <wirehead(a)retrocomputing.com> wrote:
>2. Who's fault is it that you've apparently never learned to use a
>delete key?
Uhm, so why did you decide it was useful to include a quoted
copy of Sam's post? Excess bytes vex me more than swear words, but
almost as much as conspiracy theories.
- John
Jefferson Computer Museum <http://www.threedee.com/jcm>
a)This is itself off-topic
b)One needs to have some kind of knowledge and ability just to join
the list
>Well Sam - you know me 8-) I will reserve judgement for the moment.
>Most of what you said - I agree with - How you said it - well...
PS I hope the new list will be accessible via a classic computer
>
>
______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
From: Charles E. Fox <foxvideo(a)wincom.net>
To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers
<classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu>
Date: 16 March 1998 22:51
Subject: Microsoft&Windows
> At the risk of getting incinerated, I would like to put in my two bits on
>the great MS debate.
> You fellows tend to resemble a lot of Grand Prix drivers running down
>Fords and Chevvies. What it comes right down to is that there are a whole
>bunch of people who are doing useful things with computers who would not be
>if they had to depend on the equipment and software that was available
>before PC's, Mac's, MS-Dos and Windows.
> I saw the same thing with the introduction of self threading 16mm
>projectors about twenty five years ago. The National Film Board of Canada
>banned them because they chewed up film, but they made it possible for
>thousands of teachers to use film in their classes.
> Someday possibly we can run our modern computers with an operating system
>that comes on one single sided floppy, but until then lets appreciate what
>we have.
Hey, we've already had that - it was called DOS (albeit versions prior to
about 5.0) ;-p
-------------------------------------------------
- ICQ: 9761376 page 9761376(a)pager.mirabilis.com -
- http://wwp.mirabilis.com/9761376 -
-------------------------------------------------
It is much easier to suggest solutions when you know nothing about the
problem
http://www.cs.man.ac.uk/CCS/ssem/ssemhome.htm
We're coming up to the 50th anniversary of the first program run on the
world's very first stored program computer, the Manchester Mark I. I've
visited this page a bit, and its quite fascinating. They are running a
competitiion for the best program written on this machine by the end of the
month - emulators available. With just 6 instruction types, and just 32
words of memory (each instruction takes 16 bits of the 32 bits), no add, no
bit shift, and rudimentary branching, you will be sorely pressed for space.
But that's just what classic computing is all about. The winner gets to run
their program on the reconstructed MkI that will be debuting in a few
months. I toyed around with a packer that would let the unused bits of
memory hold additional instructions, but found it damn difficult to do in 32
bytes and still end up with more than I started with!!!! The biggest killer
for me was no add, no and or xor, and no bit shift!
I recommend a visit.
Cheers
A
> -----Original Message-----
> From: lisard(a)zetnet.co.uk [SMTP:lisard@zetnet.co.uk]
> Sent: March 18, 1998 15:19 PM
> To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers
> Subject: Re: Robots again
>
<snippage all over the place>
> however, we'd urge you to take a look at some other object oriented
> languages. smalltalk, common lisp, self, oberon, etc. *much* nicer.
> and
> then grab a forth and roll your own :>
>
I have done some lisp, (in (mostly Emacs)), so I'm a bit
confused about you grouping Common Lisp with object oriented
languages... could you elaborate? I am somewhat amused by your mention
of forth. I maintain that HP managed to create a good implementation of
an object oriented Forth - RPL. (Maybe they should have called it FORTH
1 +) (Objoke: there is now an object oriented COBOL. It's called ADD 1
TO COBOL GIVING COBOL (yes, before you flame me there are better ways to
increment a variable but I've luckily never had the displeasure of
having to use COBOL. (ObCC: but I _do_ have a COBOL interpreter for my
C= SuperPET - but I only fired it up once to see if the disk was OK. I
also have APL which is _way_ cool.)))
> :I'be not tried VB, and almost zero Java, but I had to use Ada for
> :three years.
>
> oh, someone else. we had to do that, thanks to bradford university's
> oh
> so wonderful degree course. and to think that the oxonians were
> moaning
> about modula-2...
>
I remember the hilarious (mis)feature of Moduala-2's
"dual-tasking"... This was the language we had to use for "Intro to
Operating Systems"... <shudder>
> ada is a disgusting language, not because it is verbose or hard to
> program, but because it introduces another language - and a vast one
> at
> that - without giving anything *new*; it doesn't give value for money.
> size without content.
>
The going joke is that somwhere inside Ada is a wonderful,
small, efficient language screaming to get out... anyone remember who
wrote this?
--------------------------------------------
Joachim Thiemann
DSP Coder, Castleton Network Systems
I doubt therefore I might be.
Thanks for this tidbit, Allison.
I started searching but I turned up nothing at digital's website
show nothing about 4000VLC thin pizza box. The Oscillator chip says
100mhz. Only have one internal Qbus slot that is taken by that
"dumb" video VRAM RAMDAC / sound / keyboard i/o daughterboard and one
internal SCSI port driven by NCR 53C94 chipset.
The needs:
BIG help is to get info and what is options can be used with this
boards? I would love to use it but problem is locating one monitor,
s/w, keyboard and bit of help to work with that thing. :)
> <Finally now i have that name to 3 motherboards I have of that kind!
> <Thank you! :) How good are these boards for and how powerful
> <compared to other vaxstation?
>
> 8vups or better depending on model. No slug.
>
> Vt320 was available in amber, green, P-white.
Whoops looks like mangled formatted and I missed it! I liked them
but I have VT420 already. Nicer one 14" at 70HZ. Whew!
>
> Good price but I think shipping may be understated.
Maybe... possible.
Jason D.
>
> Allison
>
>
>
email: jpero(a)cgo.wave.ca
Pero, Jason D.
I now have sitting on my desk six modules from an IBM 700 series
mainframe, destined for the Mill at RCS/RI. Of course, six modules does
not make a computer, but I think we should at least try them out, just to
see how badly they perform.
Does anyone here have information on these things (pointing my finger at
Mr. Pierce)? The things are not on circuit boards, so they could be traced
out, but I really do not want to that.
William Donzelli
william(a)ans.net
I've never bothered to go into pawn shops for anything because even the most
worthless junk is way overpriced. for example, one place had two IBM 5155
machines and wanted $179 each! i bought my two for $10 each, and one was
upgraded with a hard drive and expanded to 640k. i've had better luck at
thrift stores and primarily at radio rallies, of which one is coming up next
month. those are the best places to find old interesting stuff, computers or
not.
david
<< What kind of stores are you hitting that you are having such luck?
Today - I stopped into a local pawn shop - a rare place in the suburbs -
and picked up an Atari 520ST and an Atari SF354 disk drive sans cables
and power supplies. My first pawn shop find. I passed on a IIgs they
had, but I was tempted. What I'm really looking for is a IIe.
Mike
>>
lawrence wilkinson:
:But a digital computer can represent rational numbers exactly as you
:have (e.g. Smalltalk has a rational data type which behaves just
:like any other number) but irrational numbers cause problems. But
:then can an analogue machine represent irrational numbers exactly?
probably not, but even if it could, how would you measure it to
verify..? the strength of analogue is that it can vary smoothly, so the
errors are different in character. sometimes digital is preferable.
sometimes analogue is.
--
Communa (together) we remember... we'll see you falling
you know soft spoken changes nothing to sing within her...
On 1998-03-16 classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu said to lisard(a)zetnet.co.uk
:>Am I to understand that you don't like SNOBOL? :^)
:What exactly is SNOBOL? The library here has two books on it, I
:have looked at both and couldn't really figure much out.
as perl is to c, so snobol is to fortran.
--
Communa (together) we remember... we'll see you falling
you know soft spoken changes nothing to sing within her...
On 1998-03-16 classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu said to lisard(a)zetnet.co.uk
:Very interesting. Please elaborate. My reasons for disliking OOP
:stems from the fact that a Windows app in C++ is much harder to
:understand than one in plain non-oop code. Who started oop anyway?
simula was the first oo language, and it was pretty good (except that
nobody using it realised what they had :> ). the xerox parc team who
developed smalltalk did the real ground-breaking work on object
orientation, and anything they wrote (alan kay, adele goldberg are two
names to look out for) is worth reading.
microsoft have never understood object orientation. and because of this,
they have killed it (seen COM? ugh). it's a very powerful technique, and
you don't necessarily need an oo language to use it. windows was written
in c, designed to be called from c, and not object-oriented in the
least. no wonder things are harder to use from c++. and mfc only makes
things worse. take a look at nextstep sometime, if you can, to see a
better approach.
--
Communa (together) we remember... we'll see you falling
you know soft spoken changes nothing to sing within her...
spc:
:Well, that's because on the VAX (to bring classic computers into
:this) had an ENQUEUE and DEQUEUE (I think those are the mnemonics)
:instructions which handled double linked lists (of which queues and
:stacks can be built out of).
*sigh* never mind. did anyone ever use the polynomial evaluators, too?
:Why the need for PALcode to do that on the Alpha is a bit odd - all
:you really need is an instruction that does an atomic "test and
:set" to ensure atomicity (hmmm, it could be that instruction they
:added, although it seems strange because DEC Unix supports multiple
:CPUs and you NEED that for multiple CPUs).
test and set can ensure serialisation, but not atomicity. if the os
isn't counting what other processors are accessing its memory, it needs
atomicity because the serialisation won't be listened to. however,
doubly linked lists are one of a class of things that can be tackled
with a two-word compare and swap instruction (as on the 680x0) - see the
synthesis description for actual algorithms, url unknown, sorry - which
makes them atomic. we'll dig out the pages and post the algorithms if
you wish (if they aren't too self-referential).
--
Communa (together) we remember... we'll see you falling
you know soft spoken changes nothing to sing within her...
On 1998-03-17 classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu said to lisard(a)zetnet.co.uk
:>> make sure you set the "send mail as text only" property somewhere
:>> obscure in the settings.
:>Doesn't that shut down HTML for ALL mail though? You'd think a
:>person could specify what type messages (easily) to each person
:>individually instead of as a whole.--
:You CAN. The IE bashing is ill-informed. It's a great product.
:However, in specific response to the above, you simply select that
:mail is responded to in the format it was sent. Quite simple and
:obvious.
we road-tested it extensively for work. it isn't a great product, it's
an adequate product, and every version has its own little collection of
bugs. ill-informed? not when the company's future is riding on it. we'll
have to go to ie4 eventually, and it's better than ie3.02, but it is far
>from great.
(however, we'll qualify that. if you use xml, it is great, since it's
the only xml browser readily available. other than that...? use netscape
instead, it may not be in bed with your desktop but hell, ain't that a
benefit...? :> )
--
Communa (together) we remember... we'll see you falling
you know soft spoken changes nothing to sing within her...
On 1998-03-16 classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu said to lisard(a)zetnet.co.uk
:> I HATE object oriented stuff. Hate it, hate it, hate it. At least
:>in C++, Java, and Visual Basic, which have been my only expoures
:>to it.
we disagree. there are several flavors (sic) of object-oriented
programming, and whilst some of them are the invention of a sick and
twisted mind (c++), some of them are just damn fine coffee... ;> visual
basic isn't OO, don't be confused. and strongly typed OO systems should
probably not be used for anything small or prototypical.
however, we'd urge you to take a look at some other object oriented
languages. smalltalk, common lisp, self, oberon, etc. *much* nicer. and
then grab a forth and roll your own :>
:I'be not tried VB, and almost zero Java, but I had to use Ada for
:three years.
oh, someone else. we had to do that, thanks to bradford university's oh
so wonderful degree course. and to think that the oxonians were moaning
about modula-2...
we've used vb and java reasonably extensively. both are far too typed.
vb doesn't even have inheritance, which renders it pretty much useless.
:Ada 95 has a lot of OO features (though you needn't
:use it that way). It is my most unfavourite language. Some of us
:have described Ada as a read-only language (cf. C as a write-only
:language).
not even that. it takes up too much space, and the preferred format
places variable names in capitals, rendering them almost entirely
unreadable. and the OO features are only a glorified type-extension
mechanism - oberon's idea, but done by committee in ada95.
ada is a disgusting language, not because it is verbose or hard to
program, but because it introduces another language - and a vast one at
that - without giving anything *new*; it doesn't give value for money.
size without content.
--
Communa (together) we remember... we'll see you falling
you know soft spoken changes nothing to sing within her...
max eskin:
:a)If you think about it, a neuron in the brain is very much like an
:AND gate or a transistor. It has multiple inputs and needs a certain
:amount of electricty across them for its single output to go high.
erm, yes, but neurons have to also "learn" what inputs should lead to
one state in their outputs. they can also connect inputs and outputs
as necessary, though we doubt they can reconnect.
and that's assuming that the universe is entirely deterministic and
humans have no souls. we're atheist, but we aren't willing to go there
to stay.
:b)I heard that people are working on computers with transistors so
:small, they would be affected by quantum laws, and thus be analog
transistors are, and always have been, analogue. look inside an old amp
if you doubt this. even mosfets are analogue (they apparently have
distortion characteristics more similar to valves when used in audio
applications - can anyone confirm, express preferences, etc?) - the
switching properties are a handy side-effect. quantum effects make
transistors unreliable, not [more] analogue.
--
Communa (together) we remember... we'll see you falling
you know soft spoken changes nothing to sing within her...
On 1998-03-16 classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu said to lisard(a)zetnet.co.uk
:> make sure you set the "send mail as text only" property somewhere
:> obscure in the settings.
:Doesn't that shut down HTML for ALL mail though? You'd think a
:person could specify what type messages (easily) to each person
:individually instead of as a whole.
you would, wouldn't you...? *sigh*
we used ie4 for all of 2 weeks, and during that time killing html mail
entirely was what we wanted. you can, though, turn it on again for
individual *mails* in the properties for that mail, whilst you compose
it. what you can't do is set it at any grain 'twixt the twain.
--
Communa (together) we remember... we'll see you falling
you know soft spoken changes nothing to sing within her...
David Wollmann <dwollmann(a)ibmhelp.com> wrote:
> Why not steer those who can do nntp to alt.folklore.computers? a.f.c
> carries discussions on all aspects of computer history, including many of
> the topics discussed here.
Seconded. I can think of a few recent threads that might make more
sense in a.f.c (or maybe even comp.arch) than here. Oh all right,
I'll be openly opinionated: host names, AI, rational numbers, and
digital vs. analog computing. My opinions only, if you want to flame
me for 'em do it privately.
Lest y'all think I'm suggesting exiling some threads to the
Usenet/alt-net ghetto: I read a.f.c too, and sometimes browse
comp.arch, and would be more inclined to participate in those threads
in a.f.c because I do find them interesting or amusing, I'm just not
sure they're appropriate for this list.
The MIME/HTML vs. plain text e-mail thread is meta-discussion, and its
existence makes me wonder whether the FAQ should include a Q&A on list
e-mail etiquette, or more properly things to do to get your message
read by more people (post as plain text, trim quoted text, format for
display on an 80-column terminal screen).
For that matter, should the FAQ include references to a.f.c and other
Usenet resources?
> Before flaming folk for ignoring the FAQ, make it readily available. Stick
> the FAQ URL at the bottom of every re-mailed message to act as a constant
> reminder.
How about a periodic repost of the FAQ, or parts thereof? Some folks
can do e-mail but can't webulate.
And having said all these things about the FAQ, I'm willing to do some
work on it, like writing updated entries and/or making regular
reposts happen.
-Frank McConnell
>
<> If the problem is fast sneaky pulses, how do I detect this? What's the
<> easiest way and, barring that, what's the most effective way even if it
<> difficult?
<>
<> Anthony Clifton - Wirehead
Cheat, lift (bend) the D input pin so it's not in the socket and pull it
up to +5v through a resistor (1k-or most anything). lacking that let it
float unconnected and see what the output does. Guarentees a logic one
in and Q=1 out.
Allison
What kind of stores are you hitting that you are having such luck?
Today - I stopped into a local pawn shop - a rare place in the suburbs -
and picked up an Atari 520ST and an Atari SF354 disk drive sans cables
and power supplies. My first pawn shop find. I passed on a IIgs they
had, but I was tempted. What I'm really looking for is a IIe.
Mike
-----Original Message-----
From: rigdonj(a)intellistar.net [mailto:MIME @INTERNET
{rigdonj(a)intellistar.net}]
Sent: Wednesday, March 18, 1998 7:18 AM
To: classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu
Subject: Re: Question for the Faq - If there is one.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
Mike,
I'm in the central Florida area and I've had darned good luck here. In
the last couple of months I have acquired; Altair 8800a, IBM 5100, 2 AT&T
3B2s, AT&T 3B1, 2 Tandy 6000s, a bunch of HPs, and two Commodore Pets,
etc.
I pass up Compaq and KayPro luggables, Timexs, NCRs, and stuff like that
*EVERY* day. Even passed up a DEC last week. If you get down this way,
I'll
give you a tour of some good places to hit.
Joe
At 12:48 PM 3/17/98 -0600, you wrote:
>
>If there's no FAQ there probably should be one. I'd start one myself
but
>I'm no where near qualified to do so.
>
>Anyhow, here's something that I'm sure has been asked and probably will
>be asked again - What are the top ten hotspots for finding old
>equipment?
>
>Thanks - Mike
>
>
This message is directed to those individuals who care that this mailing
list has slowly degraded into a usenet newsgroup. The rest of you can
continue to be unconcerned and skip this message.
Its obvious that this mailing list needs an overhaul. Any attempts to
steer it back to its proper course of discussion have been either
ridiculed or ignored.
Again, this goes back to my argument a few weeks back when the noise was
at its loudest, which is that it all boils down to common courtesy and
respect.
In my normal life, I make it a point to break the rules and live against
convention. I can do that without disturbing the rest of my fellow humans
because the impact of my actions doesn't reach very far. Plus I don't
flout convention just to flout convention, thereby inconveniencing others.
However, in this tight-knit community where the slightest ripple builds
into a wave and then a tsunami, it is not appropriate to continually
transcend the intended use of this forum for one's own personal amusement.
When you're in close quarters, you don't fart unless you're an asshole.
The quality of the PEOPLE on this mailing list has declined considerably.
It used to be that Bill screened participants before they were allowed to
join, thereby filtering out the potential riff raff. The community we
used to have, although semi-exclusive, did produce some excellent
discussion material. However, now that Bill has fallen off the face of
the earth and just about anyone with half a brain can join, a good
majority of the discussion at times is off-topic and boorish. The worst
case is the one-line reply to the hundred line quoted message. It used to
be fun to read about classic computers. Now its pretty lame reading about
[insert off-topic shit here].
I think the best approach to this would be to let this stupid mailing list
die out and start an alternate forum. So I'm going to do just that. I'm
beginning work on a web BBS which will have multiple topic areas. It will
be semi-moderated and any inkling of off-topic blather will be expunged
promptly. Better yet, I may even decide to turn it into a classic BBS
running on a classic system (I can resurrect the never finished BBS
software I was writing on my Apple //e). That way, those interested in
joining will have to take some effort to do so, which will eliminate the
casual turd.
I'll let interested parties know when this is completed and ready for
beta. Please e-mail me (need I add "privately"?) with any tips or
suggestions you may have. Your input would be greatly appreciated. Your
criticisms will be answered with fantasticly cruel insults and derision.
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!
I would think that constructive suggestions would accomplish much more than
flame bait like calling folk "turds".
Suggestions:
Why not steer those who can do nntp to alt.folklore.computers? a.f.c
carries discussions on all aspects of computer history, including many of
the topics discussed here.
Before flaming folk for ignoring the FAQ, make it readily available. Stick
the FAQ URL at the bottom of every re-mailed message to act as a constant
reminder.
Experienced users tend to ignore belligerent posts rather then respond to
them and waste time with pointless arguments. A gentle reminder to read the
FAQ will often suffice.
Finally: moderate, or get off the pot. Have you ever been a member of a
committee without a chairman? Can you say: slugfest?
--
David Wollmann
dwollmann(a)ibmhelp.com
Don't forget the above phrase. It CAN'T stand. Make no mistake. Sam,
you've made some mistakes. LETS NOT LOSE ANY MEMBERS OVER THIS. IT'S
IMPORTANT, AT LEAST TO ME. I KNOW THAT I'VE BEEN PART OF THE PROBLEM, BUT I
WANT TO BE A GREATER PART OF THE SOLUTION.
Tim D. Hotze
Would it be a) desirable, b) possible to have the remailer append a very
short text to each outgoing message with "Read the faq: <FAQ URL>"?
This is what Red Hat do with their lists, and it's quite handy. Sure some
people ignore it, but it's always there to refer people to--it's in every
message in the list and most folk can just cut 'n paste the URL or
double-click it to refer the FAQ.
--
David Wollmann
dwollmann(a)ibmhelp.com
> -----Original Message-----
> From: John Foust [SMTP:jfoust@threedee.com]
> Sent: March 18, 1998 10:23 AM
> To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers
> Subject: Re: Irreverence to irrelevance
>
> I've always thought a much more sensible approach is the private
> news server. It allows pruning of unruly threads, either by the
> reader (ignoring off-topic subjects) or by a B.D. who trims
> away junk messages. It allows auto-archiving. It doesn't clog
> mail routes and mail boxes. You can read it with any Usenet news
> reader,
> just point to someone else's server. It would be easy to split
> into .hardware, .software, .culture sub-groups.
>
A private news server is a Bad Thing for those of us sitting at
work with a firewall inbetween ourselves and the net. I do not think I
will have much success convincing the firewall admins to allow news
traffic to go through.
--------------------------------------------
Joachim Thiemann
DSP Coder, Castleton Network Systems
I doubt therefore I might be.
My brother recently purchased a Data General AViiON AV-400 machine at an
auction ($20) It is in a tower case and has 16 MB RAM, 320 MB SCSI hard
drive. He was told by someone at DG that it runs at 20 MHz using a
Motorola 88000 processor.
He was able to get the machine to talk to a PC connected to the com port
and it works and comes up with
DG/UX Bootstrap version 4.3
error, logical partition not found
(or similar wording)
Does this mean:
(a) the SCSI drive is bad
(b) the OS has been deleted
And, if (b) how would he get a version of DG/UX or is there another flavor
of Unix that would run on the machine? There is very little on the net
about these beasts.
Any help appreciated!
- Ron Kneusel
rkneusel(a)mcw.edu
How come MITS used 8800 for the Altair and not 8080?
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!
"Max Eskin" <maxeskin(a)hotmail.com> wrote:
> No, that's not the problem. I can hear the other end howling away
> on the modem's speaker, but the modem doesn't recognize it for some
> reason. I want this thing to work so I could replace my 1200.
This is a Practical Peripherals 2400SA, right? Little white plastic
modem with a sloped front with modem-blinkenlights?
I think this is the kind of modem that taught me that when they label
one jack "line" and the other jack "phone" they may mean it. When I
got it wrong the modem behaved as above: it would go off-hook and dial
but not connect.
Except that they didn't label the jacks on the modem, you had to look
in the manual if you wanted to know which was which. But there's only
two ways to do it, so put the cable that goes to the wall jack in the
*other* modem jack and see if that makes it work.
-Frank McConnell
Now, back to on-topicness...
for those of you that collect IBM family one machines, i've found an
interesting place with pics, info, and other related links. web over to
WWW.CAN.IBM.COM/HELPWARE/VINTAGE.HTML
david
Kudos to Doug Youza for the Classiccmp FAQ at
www.yowza.com/classiccmp/faq.txt I downloaded this and read it last
night. If you care about this List and have any consideration for
those of us who want to talk vintage computer only, PLEASE READ THE
FAQ, especially section 2.8 (check your personal drivel at the door).
I'm a newcomer to the Classiccmp List and have found that with all the
off topic (I hope I haven't been guilty of this, I've certainly tried
to be on topic) postings the List is somewhat like a cow pasture, you
need to watch where you step. I wade through countless inane, insipid
and irrelevant postings. Why?
Let's keep on topic and keep personalities off the list and private.
Abide by section 2.8 and all of us will benefit.
Marty Mintzell
If there's no FAQ there probably should be one. I'd start one myself but
I'm no where near qualified to do so.
Anyhow, here's something that I'm sure has been asked and probably will
be asked again - What are the top ten hotspots for finding old
equipment?
Thanks - Mike
>MS bashing in a MODERN context is off-topic, yes, but saying
how
>BASIC for the Altair was bloated certainly is the best of both
worlds
>IMHO. But to go even further back, was there any IBM-bashing
before
>the 80's?
a 4KB paper tape Basic for the Altair was bloated? Compared to
what, the 2KB Tiny Basic Dr. Dobbs was pushing? At least you
got paper tape for the Altair, the Dr. Dobbs version you had to
type in from very small print in the magazine. And most
important, Bill's 4K Basic worked, did anyone ever get the IMSAI
paper tape Basic to work? (We gave up and threw ours away after
several futile tries)
IBM bashing before PCs? As an old Univac/CDC type I can swear
(with fingers crossed behind back) we never said a single bad
word about OS/360 or the blazing speed of a 360/20, and we
always envied the S/3ers their MFCU and the cute little 96 col.
cards.
Jack Peacock
Doug Yowza <yowza(a)yowza.com> wrote:
] To be fair, analog computers can do things digital computers can't. For
] example, a digital computer can only approximate 1.0/3.0 whereas an
] analog box has no trouble with this. Certain ops would also be much
Actually, you've got that backwards. Contained in your message above
is a totally accurate digital representation of 1/3. Oh, there it is
again, at the end of that sentence. It is an analog measure of this
that would lack precision.
OBCC: Is there any such thing as a stored-program analog computer?
I guess Babbage's analytic engine would fit that category, but all
of the other analog "computers" that I've heard of (not many) just
performed some fixed calculation. In my book, a stored program with
sequence-control makes the difference between a computer and a
calculator, manufacturer's labelling notwithstanding.
Bill.
The other day someone re-posted section 2.8 of the FAQ and I thought
it might be a good idea to repost sections 1 and 2 in their entirety,
as they address what the list is about and what sorts of traffic are
appropriate.
I didn't write this. Bill Whitson did, and posted it to the list in
early July 1977 (thanks, Bill). All I did was snarf it from
http://www.heydon.org/kevan/classiccmp/1997-07/msg00028.html (thanks,
Kevan).
I have no comment on this. I am merely posting it for the benefit of
those who haven't seen it before, and those who have, but (like me)
didn't have a copy handy and need a refresher to figure out just what
is irritating some folks so.
-Frank McConnell
--- begin included text ---
1.1 What is ClassicCmp?
It's a mailing list for the discussion of classic computers. Topics center
on collection, restoration, and operation. It is also an appropriate place
for stories and reminiscences of classic computers. Lofty discussions
dealing with the philosophical and/or metaphysical aspects of computers are
often better handled in private e-mail.
1.2 Why is ClassicCmp?
Uh, why not? There are lots of people who love these old machines and it
seems like a fun idea to get together and talk about them.
1.3 What is a Classic Computer?
_Any computer_ that has not been manufactured for 10 years is a classic.
This definition is one I made up and it's entirely arbitrary. It seems to
work OK, so I've kept it.
1.4 Who runs this thing?
That would be me, Bill Whitson - email bcw(a)u.washington.edu.
1.5 How come I can never reach this so-called list operator?
Sorry. It does often take me several days (sometimes weeks!) to respond
to e-mail. I am often away for days at a time and when I'm not I'm still
probably busy doing real work. I receive more than double the amount of
mail that goes to the list in the form of spam, bounced messages, odd
user requests, general bitching, etc. and I still have to filter out the
messages I actually have to respond to, to remain employed ;). I will get
back to you eventually.
1.6 Do you know you're just duplicating work other people have done.
I get a "reinventing the wheel" e-mail at least once a week. If you show
me another group of computer collectors that claims a membership as large
as this one I'll show you a group that must be very hard to find. Obviously
there are other groups of collectors and I'm cheering them on - I don't see
a problem with duplicating and reduplicating lore that's quickly disappearing
anyway.
1.7 How much mail should I expect to get on this list?
The daily load varies widely from about 10 messages to over 100. Average
seems to be about 44 messages a day. There are times where the message
load peaks for as much as a week.
[][][][][][][][][]
2.1 What can I talk about?
Anything related to classic computers as defined above. There are many
people on this list that really know what they're talking about, so you might
want to check facts before you start shooting off messages. It's also a
good idea to actually read the FAQs and check the archives a little before
posting.
2.2 Can I talk about PCs?
Yes. PCs which haven't been manufactured for 10 years. Even then, be
aware that in many cases you would get a better response posting to PC
newsgroups.
2.3 Can I talk about Minis/MainFrames/WorkStations/Gigantic Talking Boxes
with Flashing Lights & Coundown Timers/Robots from Alien Civilizations?
There has apparently been some misconception that this is a list for
micros/home computers only. You'll note I said "misconception".
2.4 Can I post advertisements?
Sure. As long as they're related to _classic_ computers. And, of course,
use your brain - don't spam. Also, please state up-front whether or not
you are willing to ship the items you sell outside your country as there
are members of this list in a number of different countries.
2.5 Can I ask people to sell/give me their computers?
Sure. But you're not likely to get a very nice response. Mine, for example,
would be: Get your own f***ing computer! There are several people on
usenet who will vouch for this. When someone posts about one of their
machines without offering to sell it - it's really a pretty good bet that
they're not secretly trolling for offers. See section 5 for info on how to
find yourself a computer.
2.6 Can I ask for help fixing item x.
Yes. Be aware that it may be difficult to help you fix things if you don't
have much knowledge of how computers work or of how to use basic
electronics tools (VOM/DMM, soldering iron, EPROM burner, etc). I'm no whiz
with this stuff and the little knowledge I have has come from asking
questions and then buying books to find out what "Simple... Just check
the voltage on the caps in the PS to make sure one of them isn't flaking
out!" exactly means.
2.7 Where can I look before posting a dumb question?
It might be a good idea to take a look at what's available in the Archive
section of the ClassicCmp web site (see below).
2.8 Can I type obscenities about Microsoft in ALL CAPS!?!
(Or, in general, be unreasonable with reagard to advocacy posts?)
Check your anti-MS baggage at the door, please. For that matter, drop
any posts that serve only to perpetuate the holy wars.
2.9 Can I post trophy lists?
Ahem. Er... I'm not going to go to the extent of banning this practise
but it is considered bad manners. Don't whine to me because I used to be
guilty of this and curbed myself ;). Post lists of newly acquired goods
if you actually need info on them, not just to show off.
2.10 Can I use obscene language in my posts?
Yes. Although I'm sure many people would prefer you did not. A number of
people have complained about this. I'm not going to outlaw swearing - now
that I've informed you that it bothers people you can make your choice.
--- end included text ---
Hello folks. I just moved into the SF bay area and found myself
terribly uncomfortable without my trusty pdp11, which I had to leave in
Pennsylvania due to space constraints. I just now subscribed to this
list, so I haven't seen any of the messages lately. My question is:
Are there any pdp11s being offered for sale/free anywhere near oakland,
ca?
thanks for any replies.
jake
>The dos geneology is roughly...
>
>DEC PDP-8 OS/8 (pip, stat, dir)-->
RT-11/RSTS/RSX11-->
> CPM-80-->
> CPM86-->
> dos-1.0-->
>
>The VAX OS line up VMS is off the RSX11 part fo the PDP-11
tree.
>
>DOS was a translation of 8080 CPM-80 to 8086 by seattle
computer. Unix
>has been an influence but largely not that great.
>
>UNIX has it's own tree and there are to say the least many
flavors some
>of which even resemble each other.
>Allison
To add in a bit more....
CP/M comes directly from RT-11 and the RSTS tree. Even the PIP
command (peripheral interchance program) was very similar to the
RT-11 version of PIP. CP/M had a more sophisticated file system
than RT-11, but less sophisticated device drivers.
VMS was not the first virtual memory OS that DEC wrote.
TOPS-20, for the PDP-20 (that was a PDP-10 with virtual memory)
was the first virtual system. TOPS-20 was not the same as
TOPS-10, even the system calls were invoked a different way.
(My first real systems programming job was on a 20/40, a joy to
work on, tho slow by modern standards).
Jack Peacock
Any idea where I might find documentation for Intel PDS-100? Same
place I can find a winning powerball lottery ticket I suppose?
Marty
______________________________ Reply Separator
_________________________________
Subject: Re: INTEL PDS-100
Author: classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu at internet
Date: 3/17/98 12:51 PM
<Marty wrote:
<>
<> I have an Intel PDS-100 Personal Development System but no manuals or
<> information on this unit. It is from 1979-1982 I believe, and has two
<> prom programming boards with it. The unit is the size of a slightly
<> large pc, has a carrying handle with built in monitor, keyboard and
<> two 5 1/4" half height floppy drives.
It was introduced later in the 1983-85 time frame. 1979 would have been
the more expensive and heavy MDS-2xx series.
I believe the native OS was ISIS though it's possible that IRMX was also
available and CPM as well from third parties.
Allison
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From: allisonp(a)world.std.com (Allison J Parent)
To: "Discussion re-collecting of classic computers"
<classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu>
Subject: Re: INTEL PDS-100
X-Listprocessor-Version: 8.1 beta -- ListProcessor(tm) by CREN
I have two one for $30 at Goodwill and one for $15 from scrape dealer. Now
the same Goodwill has sold about 10 more complete with mouse and everything
for $20 each. Good Luck with yours. John
At 04:12 PM 3/17/98 -0800, you wrote:
>I found one for sale with OS and extras, can anyone give me some feedback
>on it? Maybe what a fair price would be?
>
>Thanks,
>
>Aaron
>
>
>
No, that's not the problem. I can hear the other end howling away
on the modem's speaker, but the modem doesn't recognize it for some
reason. I want this thing to work so I could replace my 1200.
>To: "Discussion re-collecting of classic computers"
<classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu>
>Subject: Re: PN2400SA
>
>
>
>>I typed AT&F, the modem said OK, but it still ignored the carrier.
>>I even tried ATZ. I looked at its current settings with AT&V, and
>>the ones that I knew were fine. The ones that were not in my AT
>>reference guide (to another modem) were, for example &Qx. But I have
>>a feeling it's something else. Ideas?
>>
>Does this one have separate Line and Phone jacks? Make sure you are
using
>Line and not Phone
>
>
______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
Message with no relevant information, and especially having nothing to
do with this mailing list.
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!
I typed AT&F, the modem said OK, but it still ignored the carrier.
I even tried ATZ. I looked at its current settings with AT&V, and
the ones that I knew were fine. The ones that were not in my AT
reference guide (to another modem) were, for example &Qx. But I have
a feeling it's something else. Ideas?
______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
>I typed AT&F, the modem said OK, but it still ignored the carrier.
>I even tried ATZ. I looked at its current settings with AT&V, and
>the ones that I knew were fine. The ones that were not in my AT
>reference guide (to another modem) were, for example &Qx. But I have
>a feeling it's something else. Ideas?
>
Does this one have separate Line and Phone jacks? Make sure you are using
Line and not Phone
On 1998-03-15 classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu said to lisard(a)zetnet.co.uk
:However, there are 2 things that spring to mind. Firstly Hitachi
:were associated with the Compact Floppy disks which are normally
:called 3" disks. I've just measured one and :
:It's a black plastic case measuring 3+1/8" * 3+7/8" * 3/16"
:I've attempted to measure the actual disk through holes in the case,
:and it meassures 2.8" in diameter, or thereabouts
those'll be the things amstrad used ad nauseam, yep? you can post them
for special concessionary cassette rates in japan, we're told - it kept
them alive a little while longer than they should have stayed... ;>
:Secondly, I've heard of 2.75" disk drives. Some of them were
:_sequential_ access - there was no separate head possitioner, it
:was driven by the spindle motor. You had to start at the outside of
:the disk and read all the data up to the point that you wanted.
quick disks. msx used them, as did a few early samplers (roland s10,
akai s612(?), etc) and a few other bits.
--
Communa (together) we remember... we'll see you falling
you know soft spoken changes nothing to sing within her...
How about initial procedures when you get some new treasure
recently saved from the greedy jaws of the salvagers. Things
like: blow out the dirt, check for burnt/obviously damaged
components, frayed or pinched cables, reseat socketed parts and
clean off any corrosion or "purple plague" on the IC pins, power
supply outputs, loose screws dropped in the power supply or
motherboard. And most important of all....make copies of the
schematics and boot disks.
Another idea for the FAQ: if it isn't restorable, at least pull
all the socketed ICs (and put them in static foam) so someone
else might be able to restore one. I keep a big box of old
parts from boards I have tossed.
Jack Peacock
Be careful not jam the (diskette) magazines ;)
>
>[Kamikaze Pilot]
>
>Isn't that what's referred to as Shotgun Debugging?
>-------
>
>
______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
At 04:34 AM 3/16/98 -0600, you wrote:
>Exactly. All of the useful ideas from AI that became mainstream are no
>longer considered AI. Today, OCR, speach recognition, machine
>translation, and predictive analysis are off-the-shell apps or embedded in
>products like Microsoft Word to help catch your spelling and grammar
>errors.
What was once the stuff of science fiction epics is now mundane?
>
>There are still interesting problems, though. Machines can kick your
>chess-playing butt, but you won't find one nearly coordinated enough to
>hit a baseball and run around a few bases. IMHO, AI researchers have
>overestimated the brainstuff and underestimated the sensor and actuator
>stuff. Here's my theory of how you learn to speak, for example:
>
I have always thought that digital computers would never allow us to
achieve the ultimate goal of replicting a learning organism. Aren't we just
simple conceptual pattern recognition machines? It seems like an analog
computer, capable of integration of raw percepts and conceptualization at
high speeds, could actually learn and become better and faster than man at
thinking and working. If a computer could search a text file for a pattern
using the same method as humans, i.e. looking for a shape as the first
indicator of a match, rather than a discreet chacter pattern, it would be
able to process text much faster than a digital machine.
I think it was Ayn Rand's "Objectivist Epistemology" that got me thinking
along these lines.
>
>-- Doug
>
>
--
David Wollmann |
dwollmann(a)ibmhelp.com | Support for legacy IBM products.
DST ibmhelp.com Technical Support | Data, document and file conversion for
IBM http://www.ibmhelp.com/ | legacy file and media formats.
If you are referring to the Computer museum on Boston Harbor, it's
fine. I have no idea what they would do with anything anyone might
give them, though. They don't have much space...
>
>Spring cleaning is approaching, and the storage bins are overflowing. I
>have a lot of old PC applications, and I'd like to get rid of them, but
>would prefer to see them preserved. Is the Boston museum still in
>operation, and if so are they interested in preserving old PC apps?
>
>I'm hoping that I can find my Microport Unix while I'm at it--I want to
>build one of my old ATs and install it, just for fun.
>
>--
>David Wollmann |
>dwollmann(a)ibmhelp.com | Support for legacy IBM products.
>DST ibmhelp.com Technical Support | Data, document and file conversion
for
>IBM http://www.ibmhelp.com/ | legacy file and media formats.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
______________________________________________________
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On 1998-03-15 classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu said to lisard(a)zetnet.co.uk
:FYI the Extended BASIC interpreter for CP/M-80 and the BASCOM
:Compiler for CP/M-80 were excellent products. Neither were
:bloatware by any standard.
you know, we've heard it mooted that bill gates himself is not a bad
programmer. we've also heard that the last thing he worked on in person
was the software for the kyocera laptops of the mid 80s.
perhaps this is the problem... we have a suspicion that bill gates uses
macs - hence the cash investment ;>
--
Communa (together) we remember... we'll see you falling
you know soft spoken changes nothing to sing within her...
I have a board which came in a job lot from a bankruptcy sale about 10
years ago. I wonder if anyone can identify it. The only writing on it
says 'SYKES' and '9000 MP CONTROLLER'. The most prominent chip is marked
MCS6502. It has rows of small chips indexed along the edge of the board
A..Y down one side and 1..9 along the short edge. It is about 6" X 10"
and has a 12 contact edge connector and two sockets, one of 40 and one of
50 pins either side of the edge connector. There are 3 chips which are
(obviously?) memory as they are labelled D1/FC00, F1/FA00 and K1/FE00.
There is also a 16MHz crystal oscillator.
Any ideas what it might be?
Regards
Pete
I quote the FAQ
2.8 Can I type obscenities about Microsoft in ALL CAPS!?!
(Or, in general, be unreasonable with reagard to advocacy posts?)
Check your anti-MS baggage at the door, please. For that matter, drop
any posts that serve only to perpetuate the holy wars.
Please please guys and gals; Check your anti-MS baggage at the door.
Talk Classic computers.... classic computers.... classic computers.
Furthermore, classic computers... classic computers... get the idea?
A
On 1998-03-15 classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu said to lisard(a)zetnet.co.uk
:Can someone help Bill out? Anyone have a copy of the FAQ lying
:around?
can you make that two copies? we could use one.
--
Communa (together) we remember... we'll see you falling
you know soft spoken changes nothing to sing within her...
On 1998-03-16 classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu said to lisard(a)zetnet.co.uk
:Perhaps
:incredibly, Turing _did_ believe that there was something special
:about the brain (in particular he could/would not rule out ESP) and
:so I don't think he would ever have claimed that a Turing Machine
:could do anything that a human brain could. The TM was designed to
:solve a specific problem in mathematical theory, rather than as a
:theoretical ultimate brain.
no, the brain/intelligence thing came with the "turing *test*" which is
the idea that you could converse with a computer on one terminal, a
human on another, and not be able to reliably identify which was which.
(turing was a complex, fascinating, and very innocent human, and he was
treated despicably by the british government after the second world
war.)
:But now you've got me trying to think of something that an
:analog(ue) computer can do that a digital one can't.
fuzzy logic...? ;>
--
Communa (together) we remember... we'll see you falling
you know soft spoken changes nothing to sing within her...
On 1998-03-16 classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu said to lisard(a)zetnet.co.uk
:You know Bruce, it's offensive unthinking tirades like yours that
:make me want to unsubscribe from this list and throw my classic
:computers in the dumpster just so I would no longer have to count
:myself among your company.
:Please give me an insight as to _your_ life's work so that I may
:call it a steaming pile of horseshit as well.
hey, kai, calm down, everyone has to start somewhere... ;>
seriously, we very much doubt that everyone in microsoft is set upon
filling the world with shite software that slows everything to a dawdle
and destroys competition. however, what peeves us is (a) that microsoft
*have* eliminated competition to a large extent - it's just not healthy!
especially when mr gates has to resort to injecting cash into his most
innovative competitor to keep them in that position (hell, alive!) - and
(b) that microsoft produce software with the emphasis perpetually on
getting people into computers, widening the accessibility of machines,
but not really improving in the way that people who need to use and
develop with computers for a living require. microsoft, even more than
apple these days, produces software "for the rest of us" (inasmuch as
the rest of 'em don't try anything ambitious) but microsoft products
don't include the necessary hooks and extensibility whereby an expert
can get through the easy-features and do things properly with the
minimum of interruption.
if you can carry that message back to the powers that be, we'd all be
very much happier out here. we'd still be worried about the future,
because of the lack of competition, but at least it might not be a
future of unmitigated mediocrity.
--
Communa (together) we remember... we'll see you falling
you know soft spoken changes nothing to sing within her...
From: Uncle Roger <sinasohn(a)ricochet.net>
>If you can't communicate your meaning with plain text, you better go back
>and rethink what you're trying to say. Mind you, I don't expect everyone
>to be a Robert Frost or William Shakespeare, but you should be able to
>convey an idea in your native tongue.
>
Although English would be preferred despite the fact that it is not the
native tongue worldwide ;-)
Regards
Pete
At 06:01 PM 3/16/98 -0500, you wrote:
[snip]
>> Is it this dearth of technical information that accounts for the lack of
>> interest in collecting old IBM?
>
>Yes. That and the general unhackability of the minis. And that most people
>hate them. And that most universities had DECs and such in their CS
>departments. And the weird parts.
>
>But wait...
>
[snip]
>
>I think also that many people really think that the old IBMs are junk.
>They really are not.
Amen. You just need manuals, lots and lots of them.
>I just purchased (finally found, really) a copy of
>*IBM's System/360 and Early 370 Computers*, and a casual quick read
>revealed that the S/360 really were very advanced machines, many of
>inovations are commonplace today. Other systems, like some of the minis,
>have bizarre architectures that, once inside, are fascinating. A lack of
>decent development tools, however, is a real crutch. C for the S/3x line
>(even Small-C) would be great.
I think a lot of people fail to consider that the IBM midrange and
mainframes were designed to run businesses without down time--the
philosophy of the engineers has always been to keep those pesky hackers out
of the system. By hackers, I mean real programmers. Of course the 360 was
supposed to be an "all around machine," but from what I've seen, business
rules at IBM.
>Anyway, send me your old IBMs, size it not a problem (while I gaze at the
>photo of the multiprocessing S/370 installation).
I would if I could afford the freight. ;) I'd still like to get a 5360 to
run Displaywrite/36 folder extractions on, but I have to get the 'Vette out
of the garage and install air conditioning in the there before I can even
think about it.
>
>William Donzelli
>william(a)ans.net
>
>
>
--
David Wollmann
dwollmann(a)ibmhelp.com
<Does anyone know of a more-or-less comprehensive history of Operating
<Systems online? I'd like to come up to speed on the OSs that are being
Unknown try alta vista.
<I'd be very interested to see a geneology tree--I've noticed some Unix
<genes in DOS (few) and I'm told it was based in part on things CP/M was
<doing at the time.
The dos geneology is roughly...
DEC PDP-8 OS/8 (pip, stat, dir)--> RT-11/RSTS/RSX11-->
CPM-80-->
CPM86-->
dos-1.0-->
The VAX OS line up VMS is off the RSX11 part fo the PDP-11 tree.
DOS was a translation of 8080 CPM-80 to 8086 by seattle computer. Unix
has been an influence but largely not that great.
UNIX has it's own tree and there are to say the least many flavors some
of which even resemble each other.
Allison
Anybody got info on a Nat. Semi. 57109 "Number Oriented Processor"?
I've got one on a "calculator interface" board, that I suspect was
a primitive math coprocessor. I'd love to get specs on it, and/or
replacement chips in case this one dies.
advTHANKSance,
Bill.
I've just received notice of a system....
"have you heard of a Tandata Td-1600? It was one of those Telecom
computers I believe. It has a Z1 chip in it (whatever that may be) which I
know is not a Z-80 but may be of interest to you just the same. It has a
PS and all the right lights seem to be working. RF and RGB monitor
outputs."
I have no idea what this thing is. Have any of the readers of this list any
more information?
Cheers
A
Spring cleaning is approaching, and the storage bins are overflowing. I
have a lot of old PC applications, and I'd like to get rid of them, but
would prefer to see them preserved. Is the Boston museum still in
operation, and if so are they interested in preserving old PC apps?
I'm hoping that I can find my Microport Unix while I'm at it--I want to
build one of my old ATs and install it, just for fun.
--
David Wollmann |
dwollmann(a)ibmhelp.com | Support for legacy IBM products.
DST ibmhelp.com Technical Support | Data, document and file conversion for
IBM http://www.ibmhelp.com/ | legacy file and media formats.
>
>On 17 Mar 98 at 5:58, Daniel A. Seagraves wrote:
>
>> Besides, I name all my machines after
>> Sailormoon characters. -------
What names are these (I'm not familiar w/sailor moon)?
>
>I name systems on my home network after ships from different
>anime; Lovely Angel, White Base, Sol Bianca, etc. Guess it comes
>from working around the stuff all day. Haven't settled on a name for
>my PDP-11/34 yet.
I find that if I ever want to address my system by name, I had better
not say it anyway ;)
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<Marty wrote:
<>
<> I have an Intel PDS-100 Personal Development System but no manuals or
<> information on this unit. It is from 1979-1982 I believe, and has two
<> prom programming boards with it. The unit is the size of a slightly
<> large pc, has a carrying handle with built in monitor, keyboard and
<> two 5 1/4" half height floppy drives.
It was introduced later in the 1983-85 time frame. 1979 would have been
the more expensive and heavy MDS-2xx series.
I believe the native OS was ISIS though it's possible that IRMX was also
available and CPM as well from third parties.
Allison
<I name systems on my home network after ships from different
<anime; Lovely Angel, White Base, Sol Bianca, etc. Guess it comes
I name mine after light aircraft.
Piper, Cessna, Mooney, Beech, J3CUB, STINSN and an oddball vaxen that
was with me during my DEC days VIDSYS::.
I have to name a unix pdp11 now.
Allison
This is a general question (and a return to topic -- sorry, I didn't mean
to start a whole meaningless thread) for my fellow DEC'ers or anyone else
with knowledge on the subject; which Unix is Ultrix (notably 4.3) based on,
and how badly did DEC bastardize it?
It would help me to know, 'cause I plan to use an Ultrix box as a mail
processor eventually.
Thanks!
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Bruce Lane, Sysop, The Dragon's Cave BBS (Fidonet 1:343/272)
(Hamateur: WD6EOS) (E-mail: kyrrin(a)jps.net)
"Our science can only describe an object, event, or living thing in our own
human terms. It cannot, in any way, define any of them..."
I have an Intel PDS-100 Personal Development System but no manuals or
information on this unit. It is from 1979-1982 I believe, and has two
prom programming boards with it. The unit is the size of a slightly
large pc, has a carrying handle with built in monitor, keyboard and
two 5 1/4" half height floppy drives.
Any information would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks-
Marty Mintzell
email:marty@itgonline.com
Does anyone know of a more-or-less comprehensive history of Operating
Systems online? I'd like to come up to speed on the OSs that are being
discussed here--some of them sound very interesting.
I'd be very interested to see a geneology tree--I've noticed some Unix
genes in DOS (few) and I'm told it was based in part on things CP/M was
doing at the time.
--
David Wollmann |
dwollmann(a)ibmhelp.com | Support for legacy IBM products.
DST ibmhelp.com Technical Support | Data, document and file conversion for
IBM http://www.ibmhelp.com/ | legacy file and media formats.
The more that I think about this, the more that I hate it. People are
attacking Microsoft, which I think is *very unfair.*. Sure, they've always
got their eye on being the undisputed leader. But is that any different
>from what Intel, DEC, Apple, or any other company, no matter how grand in
technologies wants? Is that different from what *you* want? So,
Microsoft's outgrown itself. For instance, it takes weeks to get a tech
support reply back. So what? They're stepping into new territories, that
they don't really know about. It makes *competition*, what brings out the
best in companies, people, and prices. Anti-competitive measures? Everyone
tries them, the only problem is when they *work*. Then, we get upset. For
instance, Sun closing software and hardware design discourages competition.
It's the same with drivers, hardware specs, and why companies keep most beta
information under wraps.
So, we've had our fun. We've stated our opinions. Time will prove us
right, wrong, or indifferent. Let's let it take it's cource. And, enjoy it
while we're on our way.
Flaming isn't a solution, it's a problem. I implore you to think of
this.
Thanks for your time,
Tim D. Hotze
Kai Kaltenbech chose to produce the following...
>Date: Mon, 16 Mar 1998 09:45:01 -0800
>From: Kai Kaltenbach <kaikal(a)MICROSOFT.com>
>To: classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu
>Subject: RE: Arrrgh! Micro$h*t again....
>You know Bruce, it's offensive unthinking tirades like yours that make me
>want to unsubscribe from this list and throw my classic computers in the
>dumpster just so I would no longer have to count myself among your company.
I'm truly sorry you feel that way. I notice that you work for Microsoft.
With that in mind, your own statements are very understandable.
I would point out that I have not attacked you, personally, in any way.
You have given me no reason to. You, on the other wing, seem intent on
attacking me strictly on the basis of my statement of a personal opinion.
Chill out, have a brew, sit back, and think about this for a minute. Who's
the one that really produced the "unthinking tirade?" ;-)
We are all entitled to our own opinions. I welcome the fact that you
obviously disagree with me (if everyone on the planet agreed on everything,
I think we'd all be in more trouble than we are now, as a race!). If you
would like clarification on why I feel the way I do, and the basis behind
my statements, feel free to E-mail me so we don't end up cluttering the list.
If you do not feel inclined to do so, that's no problem either. I will say
this much and let it go. I have no great love for Microsoft products or for
Billy-boy Gates' arrogant attitudes. I am not alone in these beliefs. I am
a firm believer in consumer choice for hardware and software. Microsoft
seems to support that choice -- as long as it's Microsoft's code-bloated,
resource-wasteful software that is chosen.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get to work. BTW, my apologies to the
other readers of this list. This is the last you'll hear from me on this
thread.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Bruce Lane, Sysop, The Dragon's Cave BBS (Fidonet 1:343/272)
(Hamateur: WD6EOS) (E-mail: kyrrin(a)jps.net)
"Our science can only describe an object, event, or living thing in our own
human terms. It cannot, in any way, define any of them..."
<Does anyone remember Basic5, for CP/M IIRC? It was a 5k Basic which
<took up about 8k. As for small languages, ETI published 'Simple' for
I do and I have about a truckload of different basics for 8080/z80.
The WC CP/M cdrom has at least that many and I haven't looked at all the
CPMUG and SIGM files.
amoung them:
LLL basic
Li Chen Wang TBX
TINY basic
TDL 5k basic
Zbasic
NS* basic
Ebasic
Cbasic
Sbasic
MITS8k
MS 8k basic in rom (netronics explorer).
MS BASCOM
MS extended disk basic
I'll bet this is not a definitive list either.
<the 8080 c.1977 which was a non-trivial self-contained interactive
<interpreter, in 256 bytes including space for your own UART drivers.
Simple yes, useful?
Allison
Doesn't help much, sorry. COmmon Business Oriented Language and you
say that the C is the only part that's good? What is COBOL like, anyway?
>>What's wrong with COBOL?
>
>The OBOL part.
>
>
______________________________________________________
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"Max Eskin" <maxeskin(a)hotmail.com> wrote:
>A few years ago, I got a Practical Peripherals thing which was
>supposed to be a modem. The model number is PM2400SA. It is external.
>It dials out, but for some reason, does not connect when the carrier
>on the other end starts. Could someone tell me what this thing is?
I believe that's called a "non-functional modem". Try "AT&F" to see
if it's resettable to factory defaults.
- John
Jefferson Computer Museum <http://www.threedee.com/jcm>
Subject: Hardware for PDP
From: H G Duehring <duhring(a)meister.aball.de>
Date: Mon, 16 Mar 1998 23:46:52 +0100
Organization: aball Internet Netzdienste GmbH, Hannover, Germany
Newsgroups: vmsnet.pdp-11
I give some hardware for free for UNIBUS and PDP 11/34, pick up by
yourself in Germany:
RL01/02 Drives ; differtent boards ; R;L01/02 Disks.
RX01/02 parts ; 8" Diskettes.
RX50 Drives ; RD 51 Drives ; LA50 Printers ; VR201 Screens.
Kai Kaltenbach <kaikal(a)MICROSOFT.com> wrote:
>Please give me an insight as to _your_ life's work so that I may call it a
>steaming pile of horseshit as well.
Is this the first time you've heard someone criticize Microsoft or its
products?
>You know Bruce, it's offensive unthinking tirades like yours that make me
>want to unsubscribe from this list and throw my classic computers in the
>dumpster just so I would no longer have to count myself among your company.
I'd be glad to pay shipping... Do you have a web page describing
what you're giving away? :-) Me? I find myself defending Bill at
every turn, and that has nothing to do with sending him/you thousands
of dollars a year.
- John
Jefferson Computer Museum <http://www.threedee.com/jcm>
MS bashing in a MODERN context is off-topic, yes, but saying how
BASIC for the Altair was bloated certainly is the best of both worlds
IMHO. But to go even further back, was there any IBM-bashing before
the 80's?
>I'd like to see less Microsoft bashing in my inbox; I'm on this list
for
>the discussion of classic computers, NOT the benefits of Linux vs
Windows,
>NOR the arguments about HTML. If the FAQ/guidelines for the mailing
list
>say NO HTML, thats all there need be said... "read the FAQ". Please,
lets
>cut down the traffic on these subjects and get back to the things we
all
>enjoy discussing!!!
>A
>
>
______________________________________________________
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Have anybody some Sord M5 related files ? ( manuals etc.). I have all
this in paper version and electronic kind of this is practical.
I need Sord m5 FD drive files- floppy disk with system utilities and
docs about this all. Donor of this things will be first where I send
SW emulator of this comp. for PC.
Thank you ...
--
S pozdravem
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Jiri Cechmeister - TOPCAD, Electronic and Software Development
Demlova 4, 58601 JIHLAVA, CZ, phone /fax : +420 66 31051
http://www.topcad.anet.cz , e-mail: cechy(a)jitel.cz
----------------------------------------------------------------------
At 11:50 PM 3/16/98 -0600, you wrote:
>For those in Silicon Valley who haven't been to the new Fry's in
>Sunnyvale: go check out CHAC's Apple 1 on display. Unlike the gaudy Mayan
>and Aztec themes of some other recent Fry's, this one has sort of an art
>deco theme with large posters of HP35s, Xerox Altos, and other machines
>worthy of worship.
Nah, don't need to. Had it in my living room for a night a couple of years
ago. 8^)
(Well, actually, it was all packaged for transport and I didn't dare open
it up, so maybe I will...)
--------------------------------------------------------------------- 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.sinasohn.com/
>"We are a lot closer to being able to create an artificial human than we
>are to being able to comprehend the consequences of creating an
>artificial human."
>
>I realise that this is not *directly* about +10 year old computer systems,
>but it does directly relate to the them and their role in the history of
>this field (which is what I originally asked the list about). Does anyone
>on the list want to take it outside to a temporary list to discuss the
>moral/ethical/probability issues of artificial life? Let me know by
>email and I'll set one up.
If you choose to set one up, this is what my thesis is all about - the
moral status of such AI systems should they ever be created. :)
Adam.
At 06:23 PM 3/15/98 -0500, you wrote:
>need for a company to have a fancy letterhead, nor a mass mailer to have
>colored brochures, nor ladies to have flowered and/or scented stationery,
>yet we do have all these things, and more. Consider how boring text-only,
Note that for most of these, there is no difference to the recipient. It
doesn't take any longer to open a color brochure than one in black and
white, logos don't take up any more space than the text, etc. In terms of
e-mail, it's completely different. Those logos do take up space, color
stuff does take longer to download. (And btw, there are a lot of people
who are very allergic to the scented ads included with Macy's bills, and
even a fair number of us who just get nauseated.)
>not trivial point. Nevertheless, technology marches on, and as cable modems
>(or whatever) become the norm rather than the exception, "waste" of
Really? As of last fall, 80% of americans accessed the net at 14.4Kbps or
less. (According to a speaker at the Bay Area Internet Users Group.) Add
in the rest of the world and that goes way down. Damn yanks, always
thinking nobody else matters!
>public at large. If my wife wants to embed scanned newspaper clippings or a
>kid's picture in an email to her cousin across country, who am I (or anyone)
>to object?
That's a different matter. If I send an e-mail to a potential client
touting my services, that's one thing. To send a message selling used golf
balls to every e-mail address I can find, that's spam.
--------------------------------------------------------------------- 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.sinasohn.com/
At 03:20 PM 3/15/98 +0000, you wrote:
>All too often, formatting, multiple fonts, embedded pictures, colour, etc
>are used as a replacement for content. I've got plenty of monospaced
>documents with ascii-art diagrams that provide useful information, and an
>equal number of nicely formatted documents with pictures that contain no
>information at all.
Substitute "web pages" for "documents" and it would be just as true.
If you can't communicate your meaning with plain text, you better go back
and rethink what you're trying to say. Mind you, I don't expect everyone
to be a Robert Frost or William Shakespeare, but you should be able to
convey an idea in your native tongue.
Email is meant for communicating.
Me, I use Eudora. It dumps that sort of thing into a disk file in my
download directory; periodically I go and clean it up.
Mind you, I love the web, I think it's the best thing since sliced bread.
It's simple, powerful, and really lets you do a lot without a lot of
resources. (I've developed web pages on my portfolio, and view them
regularly under DOS with Arachne.) But it's not intended for e-mail.
Putting HTML in an e-mail message is like sending a video tape of yourself
instead of a letter. It works, some people might prefer it, even need it,
but for most people, what you've got to say isn't worth setting up a VCR/TV
and sitting around to listen to you.
If you really need e-mail in color with different size/font text, get
yourself a subscription to penthouse. You'll be much happier in the long run.
--------------------------------------------------------------------- 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.sinasohn.com/
At 08:46 AM 3/14/98 -0800, you wrote:
>> PS: NONE of this is trash! They actually USE all this stuff to test
>> equipment!
>
>I am always amazed when you express amazement that computers that aren't
>brand new are being used to do useful stuff :-). Ten, twenty, and
>thirty-year old computers are used to run everything from gas chromotagraphy
>units to MRI's, subway systems, factories, and cyclotrons, and some of us
>make at least a part of our living ensuring that they continue to do the job.
I'm currently working with Long's Drugs, a chain of pharmacies (up to 352
this week!) in the western US. About 15 years ago or so, they put an
HP3000 in each store to manage the pharmacy systems. They're still there.
Most of the stores are micro3000's (mid 80's?) but there are still some
series 42 and 40 machines out there. (I used to have a list of what was at
each store somehwere.)
--------------------------------------------------------------------- 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.sinasohn.com/
At 23:50 3/16/98 -0600, you wrote:
>For those in Silicon Valley who haven't been to the new Fry's in
>Sunnyvale: go check out CHAC's Apple 1 on display....
It's a lot prettier in that armorglass pyramid in the Books section than it
was in a brown cardboard box in my bedroom closet ;-)
__________________________________________
Kip Crosby engine(a)chac.org
http://www.chac.org/index.html
Computer History Association of California
Hi all,
If anyone's interested, I put a great 3/50 up on Ebay today. I ran out of
room for it (19" mono monitor). No disk, since I was using it as an X
terminal, 12M ram upgrade,flat-top (not the dimple monitor-mount style).
If you want, I'll give you a dimple top model with bad video in the
package. I forgot to get the item number and all that, but there can't be
too many 3/50's up for auction right now, eh?
Regards,
Aaron
<Anybody got info on a Nat. Semi. 57109 "Number Oriented Processor"?
<I've got one on a "calculator interface" board, that I suspect was
<a primitive math coprocessor. I'd love to get specs on it, and/or
It was a calculator chip I believed based on the 4bit cop series. It's
been a long time. Anyhow the board used a calculator chip despite it's
slowness to avoid higher math (to 8 digits) in software. It was however
not a coprocessor, it is a limited slave at best.
<replacement chips in case this one dies.
You might get lucky...
Allison
What's wrong with COBOL?
>
>Well, according to the Jargon File (aka The Hacker's Dictionary), IBM
>minis and mainframes were not liked by hackers (who prefered DEC, etc),
>not only because they were generally programmed in things like Cobol,
but
>also because technical info was next-to-impossible to obtain. It was
>difficult to do neat things with them.
>
>I don't know if that counts as IBM bashing or not.
>
>-tony
>
>
______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
----Original Message-----
From: Allison J Parent <allisonp(a)world.std.com>
>I would say that 8kbasic was the first decent software product from MS
>though it was soon to change in the early 80s.
>
>FYI the Extended BASIC interpreter for CP/M-80 and the BASCOM Compiler
>for CP/M-80 were excellent products. Neither were bloatware by any
>standard.
Quite right. Early MS products were extremely good quality software,
particularly compared to their competitors at the time. Tight, largely
bug-free and with well thought-out interfaces (exclude Multiplan, but
highlight MS Decathlon). Pity they couldn't (or wouldn't) keep up the good
work. Does the demise of quality stem from the departure of Paul Allen? I
don't know when he left MS.
David
"I am a Bear of Very Little Brain, and long words Bother me."
A. A. Milne Winnie-the-Pooh, Ch. 4
Given that a fair number of us are probably reading this on dumb
terminals, HTML and MIME are as out-of-place as binaries.
It strikes me that the mail/HTML thing indicates something about
attitudes, and I'm genuinely surprised that anyone on this list
would push for HTML in e-mail. The wintel PC world thrives on
style over substance; glitz rather than content. It sells to the
mass market that doesn't know any better and never will. If you
have nothing to say, you better say it loudly or no-one will listen.
The spirit of so many of these old machines was the delicate balance
between expressiveness and resource usage. As admirers of that,
shouldn't we, of all people, prefer plain text whenever it suffices?
Put only plain text in my mailbox, please. I'll be quite happy to
visit your pictures and HTML on the web. (URL's _are_ plain text!)
Bill.
Ive got an aftermarket mac external 800k drive if anyone wants it. it wont
read a disk even after cleaning. its about the same size but a bit heavier
than the 400k mac drive. otherwise it's gonna get round filed.
david
I've just been offered a "1 foot by 2 foot" manual schematic and technical
repair manual set for the Superbrain computer. The guy imported it from
Intertcech, he said. On its way to me now, I'm just letting people on the
list know of its availability.
Cheers
A
On Sun, 15 Mar 1998 20:56:58 -0500 (EST), J. Maynard Gelinas <jmg(a)iac.net>
wrote:
{big snip about b st(0,4,0)}
I did try setting the tape to both ID=4 and ID=6, both with the same
results. And, no, when I created the install tape, I did not use the "osync"
parameter. More to come...
Rich Cini/WUGNET
<nospam_rcini(a)msn.com> (remove nospam_ to use)
ClubWin! Charter Member (6)
MCP Windows 95/Windows Networking
============================================
>> > Oh, CDC...Computer Dinosaur Corporation...
>>
>> And one I coined after I'd been given the price for some trivial spare
>> part (a light bulb, I think) for a PDP11..
>>
>> DEC - Darn Expensive Components :-)
>
>And most of the Unibus PDP-11's delivered in the 70's and early 80's had
>cabinet trim and/or front panel color scheme as "Purple/Magenta", leading
>to:
>
>PDP=Purple Data Processor
IBM=Intern-run Brainless Corporation (But not any more!)
<I still want a Cyber, however (any other 180s being decommissioned
<lately?).
Personally I'd love to find a Cincinati Millicron CM2000, 2100 or 2200.
I haven't seen one in about 25 years.
Allison
Thanks Don/David. Maxtor must have posted those settings after I looked
about 2 months ago. All that they had at the time was the geometry
information.
Rich Cini/WUGNET
<nospam_rcini(a)msn.com> (remove nospam_ to use)
ClubWin! Charter Member (6)
MCP Windows 95/Windows Networking
============================================
>
>Actually, very little. Most of the AI researchers in the 70's/early
80's
>were working on one of the following:
>
>1. PDP-10's running a very advanced operating system such as TOPS-20,
What do you mean by "advanced"?
>2. Things such as the Symbolics LISP machine, specifically designed
for
> AI research and with all sorts of spiffy hardware features that
make
> it automatic to do some really nice things (such as actual
machine-level
> "objects" that aren't just locations in memory but are real data
types.
I HATE object oriented stuff. Hate it, hate it, hate it. At least in
C++, Java, and Visual Basic, which have been my only expoures to it.
>Unfortunately, now if you go to a CS department it's rare to see people
>using anything other than generic Unix boxes. This is a crying shame,
as
>Unix was a pretty poor choice of OS's in 1972 (when it was started) and
>on today's big computers it's a much, much poorer choice compared to
>all the OS's developed by advanced research groups in the 70's and
80's.
Well, would any "advanced" OS like TOPS be suitable for modern
machines? Anyone want to be the second Linus Torvalds?
>
>To get a feel of what life was like in a AI lab, you ought to read one
>(or both) of the following:
>
>_The Hacker's Dictionary_, compiled by Eric S. Raymond. (Yes, it is
mainly
>just the jargon file, but there's also essays by Raymond and others
which
>nicely illustrate the AI researcher's "state of mind" in the book.)
>
>_The UNIX-Hater's Handbook_, discusses many OS's developed in the 70's
>and 80's which are far superior to Unix, but never caught on because
they
>weren't "lowest-common-denominator" OS's.
Ironic that now it's the other way around -- we're pushing UNIX-like
stuff like Linux, BeOS and Rhapsody, against DOS, Windows, NT, and
MacOS
______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
At the risk of getting incinerated, I would like to put in my two bits on
the great MS debate.
You fellows tend to resemble a lot of Grand Prix drivers running down
Fords and Chevvies. What it comes right down to is that there are a whole
bunch of people who are doing useful things with computers who would not be
if they had to depend on the equipment and software that was available
before PC's, Mac's, MS-Dos and Windows.
I saw the same thing with the introduction of self threading 16mm
projectors about twenty five years ago. The National Film Board of Canada
banned them because they chewed up film, but they made it possible for
thousands of teachers to use film in their classes.
Someday possibly we can run our modern computers with an operating system
that comes on one single sided floppy, but until then lets appreciate what
we have.
Cheers
Charlie Fox
>> So STAY ON TOPIC...THE
>> RESTORATION, REAPIR AND USE OF OLD COMPUTERS.
Unless that HTML is running on a Z80 or an F8 I'm not interested
either.
On topic....someone once did an S-100 memory board for Seeq
52B13 EEPROMs (2Kx8, 5v only, 6116 pinout), I think it was a
16KB board, made in the early 1980s. Does anyone have any info
on this board, I don't remember the manufacturer. I have two
hundred 52B13s I just found in the junk closet, thought it would
be neat to have a solid state disk on the old IMSAI. These are
not flash parts, each byte can be individually programmed and
erased.
Jack Peacock
<Text. If the e-mail that you wish to respond to's in plain text, that's
<what it'll send. The problem is that if M$ supports it, the WHOLE WORLD
<suddenly has to all have HTML-ized e-mail readers. It's nice if you hav
<it, but a pain in the A** if you don't.
There is the little matter of some several million (or more) unix(linux,
and related cuzins) systems out there where HTML is far from a standard.
For me and many of the hybrid users HTML means slow, slower and special
utilities to handle it and for what? What a waste of bandwidth.
Allison
A few years ago, I got a Practical Peripherals thing which was
supposed to be a modem. The model number is PM2400SA. It is external.
It dials out, but for some reason, does not connect when the carrier
on the other end starts. Could someone tell me what this thing is?
______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
>A few years ago, I got a Practical Peripherals thing which was
>supposed to be a modem. The model number is PM2400SA. It is
external.
>It dials out, but for some reason, does not connect when the
carrier
>on the other end starts. Could someone tell me what this thing
is?
>
I think that's a 2400 baud async modem (I had one, sounds like
the same model). If it doesn''t connect, maybe whatever you are
calling doesn't support 2400 anymore, or it's looking for an
error correcting protocol. Make sure you are on factory default
(AT&F if memory serves me right).
Jack Peacock
On 1998-03-14 classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu said to lisard(a)zetnet.co.uk
:I'm almost certain that IE4/outlook express HTMLizes email you send
:from it. there is a way to turn it off, but i dont remember how one
:does it. i'm staying far away from IE4 myself!
make sure you set the "send mail as text only" property somewhere
obscure in the settings.
--
Communa (together) we remember... we'll see you falling
you know soft spoken changes nothing to sing within her...
Very interesting. Please elaborate. My reasons for disliking OOP
stems from the fact that a Windows app in C++ is much harder to
understand than one in plain non-oop code. Who started oop anyway?
>I'be not tried VB, and almost zero Java, but I had to use Ada for three
years.
> Ada 95 has a lot of OO features (though you needn't use it that way).
It is
>my most unfavourite language. Some of us have described Ada as a
read-only
>language (cf. C as a write-only language).
>
>--
>
>Pete Peter Turnbull
> Dept. of Computer Science
> University of York
>
______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
>> make sure you set the "send mail as text only" property somewhere
>> obscure in the settings.
>
>Doesn't that shut down HTML for ALL mail though? You'd think a person could
>specify what type messages (easily) to each person individually instead of
>as a whole.--
You CAN. The IE bashing is ill-informed. It's a great product. However,
in specific response to the above, you simply select that mail is responded
to in the format it was sent. Quite simple and obvious.
A
On Mar 16, 9:10, Max Eskin wrote:
> >2. Things such as the Symbolics LISP machine, specifically designed for
> > AI research and with all sorts of spiffy hardware features that make
> > it automatic to do some really nice things (such as actual machine-level
> > "objects" that aren't just locations in memory but are real data types.
> I HATE object oriented stuff. Hate it, hate it, hate it. At least in
> C++, Java, and Visual Basic, which have been my only expoures to it.
I'be not tried VB, and almost zero Java, but I had to use Ada for three years.
Ada 95 has a lot of OO features (though you needn't use it that way). It is
my most unfavourite language. Some of us have described Ada as a read-only
language (cf. C as a write-only language).
--
Pete Peter Turnbull
Dept. of Computer Science
University of York
>>Early MS products were extremely good quality software,
>>particularly compared to their competitors at the time. Tight,
largely
>>bug-free and with well thought-out interfaces (exclude Multiplan, but
>>highlight MS Decathlon).
What is Decathlon? Is there a list of all these products somewhere?
>I have a copy of Microsoft Word for DOS 4.0; looks a lot like
>Multiplan. (A pity!)
I prefer the Word interface to Word Perfect. Less memorizing of strange
function keys
>Barry Peterson bmpete(a)swbell.net
>Husband to Diane, Father to Doug,
>Grandfather to Zoe and Tegan.
>
______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
>>If you believe Turing, there's nothing an analog computer can comput
>>a digital one can't. A brain is many things: it's wet, it's analog,
>>it's massively parallel. I don't think anybody believes that it's w
>>or analogness that matters, but clearly a high degree of parallel
>>processing seems important to solving perception problems quickly.
This
>>is the basic inspiration that drove Danny Hillis to create the Conne
>>Machine, with 64,000 simple processors working in parallel.
>Perhaps incredibly, Turing _did_ believe that there was something
>special about the brain (in particular he could/would not rule out ES
>and so I don't think he would ever have claimed that a Turing Machine
>could do anything that a human brain could. The TM was designed to
>solve a specific problem in mathematical theory, rather than as a
>theoretical ultimate brain.
>
>But now you've got me trying to think of something that an analog(ue)
>computer can do that a digital one can't. Reversibility might be one
>thing. I guess it's reasonable to argue that digital computers are a
>subset of analogue computers, as transistors are analogue.
>
>I'm going to stop thinking about this before I recurse.
a)If you think about it, a neuron in the brain is very much like an
AND gate or a transistor. It has multiple inputs and needs a certain
amount of electricty across them for its single output to go high.
b)I heard that people are working on computers with transistors so
small, they would be affected by quantum laws, and thus be analog
______________________________________________________
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After long hoping to get one someday, this weekend I found an
Teletype ASR-33 in a dumpster at the UW-Madison surplus center.
It appears to be working in most respects. In local mode, I was able
to type characters although the ribbon was a bit dry. However, when
it reached the right margin, it would not "return". Line feed works.
The geared belt is tight, and pressing additional characters strains
it and sometimes makes it "chunk" as if it were trying to jump a tooth.
I tinkered with the L-shaped catch on the belt that appears to engage
a lever when the carriage reaches the right side. Right now, this
L-catch is to the left of the lever, which gives me the impression
that it didn't catch the way it was supposed to, and now the machine
is stuck in a position that I need to learn how to free. Any ideas?
The data cable has nine wires to an HP-labelled edge-card connector.
Is this 20 ma current loop? I thought that was just four wires.
How difficult is it to get a service manual for one of these?
Is there a date-code some where on it? Will it read a five-level
Baudot paper tape as well as seven-bit, assuming I can translate
Baudot to ASCII?
- John
Jefferson Computer Museum <http://www.threedee.com/jcm>
>
>And I just learned that it was safe to tuch motherboard/cards when your
>computers on! (BTW, any one know aout DIMM stuff?)
> Ciao,
>
>Tim D. Hotze
Actually, I find most precautions such as anti-static and so forth to
be baloney. I must have done every illegal thing in the book, and the
only things I haven't gotten away with was plugging chips in
backwards (by accident). When I was upgrading RAM in the machines in
my school's MacLab, the person in charge of it constantly looked over
my shoulder and bleated, "Touch the case again, Max. I want to SEE you
touch the case. OK, now gently, gently, now. Oooh! Yeesh! DON'T touch
those chips!",etc.etc. I didn't damage anything, but he thinks there
is a problem even with touching the actual plastic case of the chip.
I don't discharge static all over chips, mind you, I just think most
precautions are waay overblown. Or have I just been lucky?
Also, have chips gotten more static-sensitive, or less? Should I be
more careful with a 64 MB DIMM or a 16K chip (cost aside)?
>>Same here but some of the kids may never have heard of a propane
torch!
I'm insulted...
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You know Bruce, it's offensive unthinking tirades like yours that make me
want to unsubscribe from this list and throw my classic computers in the
dumpster just so I would no longer have to count myself among your company.
Please give me an insight as to _your_ life's work so that I may call it a
steaming pile of horseshit as well.
Kai
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Bruce Lane [SMTP:kyrrin@jps.net]
> Sent: Sunday, March 15, 1998 8:36 AM
> To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers
> Subject: Arrrgh! Micro$h*t again....
>
> First, Tim Shoppa noted...
>
> >contains a plaintext version of the message AND the HTML-ified version,
> >which is what your plaintext email reader is seeing while Eudora and
> >Netscape can pick out the plaintext version.
>
> Then Kip Crosby added...
>
> >That's it. MIME-enabled clients read the MIME part; MSIE4 reads the HTML
> >part; MS-Outlook and Outlook Express I _think_ offer the choice between
> the
> >two. Microsoft no longer considers flat-ASCII mail to be an important
> >fraction of the traffic.
>
> <grrrrrr!>
>
> The more I hear about Billy-boy, and the more I see of his company's
> "products" and arrogant attitudes, the less I like either one! Is there no
> amount of bandwidth waste or code-bloat that Micro$quat won't stoop to?!
>
> I knew there was a reason I'd started to get into Unix boxes.
> Thanks, guys!
>
>
> -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
> Bruce Lane, Sysop, The Dragon's Cave BBS (Fidonet 1:343/272)
> (Hamateur: WD6EOS) (E-mail: kyrrin(a)jps.net)
> "Our science can only describe an object, event, or living thing in our
> own
> human terms. It cannot, in any way, define any of them..."
On this subject, I'm interested in where CYC fits in. Hasn't the cyc "baby"
been running for a number of years? I really should look this up myself,
shouldn't I? I will.
Cheers
A
>So, the connectionists tried to create machines and structures modeled
>after the brain, but they didn't get too far. Let's say that you build
>an OS and a programming language that allows you to accurately model a
>brain. If you stick a human brain in front of a newspaper, you get
>nothing. So add some input devices and actuators. Now you stick a baby
>in front of a newspaper -- still nothing. So let the baby run for a
>while, experience a variety of sensations, make a whole bunch of
>associations, stick it in front of many newpapers and many non-newspapers
>for many years, and finally you get a pretty good character recognizer.
At 01:31 AM 3/16/98 -0800, you wrote:
>
>I just finished watching that Discovery program on Robots and was
>wondering if anyone involved in the list has previously/is currently
>working in that field
>
>Also, does anyone know how much of an influence the use of computer
>systems by all of those AI reasearches in the late 70's/early 80's had on
>system designs? I'd be interested to hear any opinions/anecdotes/etc on
>this stuff.
>
>
>
>Aaron
I just caught the end of that special. I didn't realize that interest in AI
had expired.
Come to think of it, whatever happened to Prolog? I had always planned to
pick up Borland's Prolog and learn it, but I guess it's too late for that now.
Was there just no demand for AI, or has the market just taken the useful
aspects and abandoned the remainder? Isn't the Neural Net technology being
used in various pattern recognition applications (i.e. OCR) descended from
the AI research of the the 70's and 80's?
--
David Wollmann |
dwollmann(a)ibmhelp.com | Support for legacy IBM products.
DST ibmhelp.com Technical Support | Data, document and file conversion for
IBM http://www.ibmhelp.com/ | legacy file and media formats.
Tim Shoppa <shoppa(a)alph02.triumf.ca> wrote:
>I know some folks who work at Microsoft and everything they send me from
their
>"work" address is a several-hundred-line MS-Word document that is, of
>course, MIME-encoded. Typically I can decode it and dump the file to
>find the single line of real text that they thought they were sending me.
For those few of us who might also check their Word documents in
binary, you'll find that Word also stores quite a bit of its undo
buffers in the saved document. Yes, no kidding. I've received
letters and contracts from people who didn't realize this.
By studying the binary, you can see their last few revisions. :-)
People often create a "new" letter by revising an old document.
- John
Jefferson Computer Museum <http://www.threedee.com/jcm>
I need to unload a lot of things that are taking up way too much room.
In many cases I'm willing to part with large quantities of my items in
exchange for just a single little thing I might need:
Available
---------
1 - Complete working systems and lots of accessories and software for:
Apple II (no systems, just boards, drives, s/w)
Atari 8 bits
Atari 520ST/1040ST (including monitors)
Commodore Vic-20, 64, 128 (including monitors)
TI-99/4A
Tandy TRS-80 CoCo II and III
(Just let me know of anything specific you are looking for)
2 - Commodore SX-64. Missing the carry handle, the keyboard cable
(should be easy to make, I'll pinout the one I have), and the sound is
not working. Picture is good though and other than sound it works fine.
3 - Fairly dirty little Tandy MC-10. Has a substitute 6VDC adapter and
works fine.
4 - Several external SCSI HD (20, 65, 80 Mb models) and SCSI Syquest-44
compatible drive (PLI Infinity). These are all tested and work fine
with my Macs.
5 - Lots of older MPU, MCU, Peripheral, RAM, EPROM chips--some NOS, some
pulls--just inquire.
6 - Some non-classiccmp stuff but closely related:
Classic Video game systems and carts (2600, 5200, Colco, Intv, etc.)
Compaq DeskPro 4/33 w/DX4-100 CPU upgrd, 12Mb RAM, 1Gb HD (have 3)
Compaq ProSignia server 486-66
Wanted
------
1 - Disk Drives w/cables for CBM PET
2 - Modem and cassette cables, ROM upgrades, expansion items for Tandy
100/102
3 - CP/M cart for C64/128
4 - SpartaDos cart for Atari 8 bit
5 - Keyboard w/cable and DOS for HP 150A
6 - RGB DB-25 cable for Sony SMC-70
7 - Intel 8224 and 8228 peripheral chips
8 - Good battery packs for TI calcs: SR-50, SR-52, and TI-58C
9 - Systems: RCA Cosmac, AdventureVision game console, Exidy Sorcerer,
Magnavox Odyssey, Vector Graphics (anything but MZ), P.T. SOL-20... er
Apple 1, III, Lisa...
I'll consider just about any condition item from the last section above,
and would also consider most any working system or good drives, boards,
terminals, etc. from pre-1980, that I don't already have. Just let me
know what you've got...
BTW, I'm in California, about 20 minutes north of SF.
--
mor(a)crl.com
http://www.crl.com/~mor/tps/
Actually, I got my own copy of the "NAQ" when I subscribed; I don't
need another. I was just pointing out to Sam that the official
classiccmp web page has been out of reach for quite a long time
now, so there is no point in referring people to it.
So, once again, I'd like to urge everyone to participate in building
a classiccmp distributed web page. Take a look at this URL,
http://www.cs.unc.edu/~yakowenk/classiccmp/dwp.html
and then go add those meta-tags to your pages. Okay, now I'll stop
pushing this once and for all.
Cheers,
Bill.
] From dastar(a)wco.com Sun Mar 15 10:33:26 1998
]
] On Sat, 14 Mar 1998, Bill Yakowenko wrote:
] > As near as I can tell, the classiccmp web site has been down for
] > months now. I've tried probably fifty times since I-don't-know-when,
] > but haven't got it to come up. Do you have the inside scoop on that?
] > Without that, referring people to the FAQ isn't going to help much.
]
] Oh, sorry. That does tend to be a big problem. And yes, that web site
] has been flaky as hell for months now. I believe there is a mirror site
] somewhere that carries the FAQ.
]
] Can someone help Bill out? Anyone have a copy of the FAQ lying around?
]
] 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!
On Mar 15, 19:46, Thorhallur Ragnarsson wrote:
> Subject: Re: Getting bent (ON topic if not thread)
>
> [ plain text
> Encoded with "quoted-printable" ] :
Hooray!
At 07:26 15.03.1998 PST, Max Eskin wrote:
>
> >Actually, I find most precautions such as anti-static and so forth to
> >be baloney.......
I've spent a lot of my working life repairing boards that have been blown up,
so I can't agree.
> No, unfortunately this can be a real problem, some years ago when working
> as test engineer for DNG Electronics, we suddenly had skyrocketing failure
> rates in assembly of equipment containing CMOS logic. Everybody involved
> was grounded with a 1Mohm wrist strap so this was quite a mystery until we
> noticed that when carrying the boards from the test bench to the final
> assembly, the lead from the strap was too short and the carrier had to
> disconnect it for the 6 feet trip across the floor, this zapped approx. 30%
> of the boards. His shoes must have been something!!
>
> >...................... When I was upgrading RAM in the machines in
> >my school's MacLab, the person in charge of it constantly looked over
> >my shoulder and bleated, "Touch the case again, Max. I want to SEE you
> >touch the case. OK, now gently, gently, now. Oooh! Yeesh! DON'T touch
> >those chips!",etc.etc. I didn't damage anything, ......
>
> Well, we have no way of knowing that. Static damage may just weaken the
> chips so they fail later.
That's quite a common effect. One of the big electronics companies published
some figures on it a ten years or so ago. Often, it may alter a device's
response to high frequencies as well. But I don't agree with those who say you
must never touch a chip, or must hold it by the ends without touching the pins.
If I have to carry an EPROM or similar without antistatic foam, I make a point
of ensuring that all the pins are touching my finger, on the grounds that my
slightly-conductive skin is keeping all the pins at the same potential.
> Yes, I hope we are lucky. I do not normally wear an antistatic wrist strap,
> I just try to wear cotton clothes, "touch the case" often and avoid rubbing
> against all those synthetic surfaces (table, chair, carpet etc.).
> When dealing with old equipment I try to be even more careful as it may be
> more static sensitive and spares harder to find.
I once (mid-80s) had several calls from a school that had refitted a computer
room; machines kept crashing, usually at the start of a class. I only remember
one permanent fault, but when I eventually asked the right question, it turned
out they had a new carpet with a high nylon content. I suggested they spray
the carpet with very dilute carpet cleaner in one of those mister bottles that
plant lovers always seem to have, and to repeat that once a week or so. The
problems went, and never came back.
--
Pete Peter Turnbull
Dept. of Computer Science
University of York
On Mar 15, 8:33, Tim Shoppa wrote:
> Subject: Re: What's with the raw HTML?
> [ snip ] but to me
> the real standard is:
>
> Flat text should be sent as flat text.
I couldn't agree more :-)
> The number of MIME-encoded flat text documents I receive every day is
> just plain silly.
And with this. That's why I don't even bother to read a lot of that stuff,
unless the Subject: line and/or From: makes me think I need to.
--
Pete Peter Turnbull
Dept. of Computer Science
University of York
On Mar 15, 10:09, Dan Stephans II wrote:
> Subject: Re: What's with the raw HTML?
> Umm, HTML is pretty much a standard no matter what platform you are on as it
> is most certainly not platform dependent. The standard for 1.1 is specified
> in RFC 2068 and for 1.0 in RFC 1945.
Sure, but that's not really the issue. In any case, M$ blatantly ignore those
standards.
> If you mean that there are not standard
> tools to read html'ized mail under unix/linux, I say Netscape is available
> for almost any linux and most other unices running on sparc/intel/alpha
> hardware.
HTML is a markup language designed for web pages. Netscape is primarily
designed for web pages, not mail. It is a very inefficient tool for mail. And
what if you're not running X Windows? I completely agree with Allison and
others, that HTML has no place in textual mail. It is completely unneccessary,
and wastes both bandwidth and time. I suspect you agree, at least in part,
with that.
> I don't argue that HTML rich text is fine for mailing lists,
> however if you are going to argue that it is not you should formulate a
> proper argument.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Dan
>
> Allison J Parent wrote:
>
> > <Text. If the e-mail that you wish to respond to's in plain text, that's
> > <what it'll send. The problem is that if M$ supports it, the WHOLE WORLD
> > <suddenly has to all have HTML-ized e-mail readers. It's nice if you hav
> > <it, but a pain in the A** if you don't.
> >
> > There is the little matter of some several million (or more) unix(linux,
> > and related cuzins) systems out there where HTML is far from a standard.
> > For me and many of the hybrid users HTML means slow, slower and special
> > utilities to handle it and for what? What a waste of bandwidth.
> >
> > Allison
--
Pete Peter Turnbull
Dept. of Computer Science
University of York
Aaah, I see! When it comes to system stability, you Linux geeks come
>from all over saying how you can DEVELOP patches, but when we have
some software that you don't, where is that trusty gcc? huh? huh?
But seriously, is it so hard to patch Linux mail for HTML?
>There is the little matter of some several million (or more)
unix(linux,
>and related cuzins) systems out there where HTML is far from a
standard.
>For me and many of the hybrid users HTML means slow, slower and special
>utilities to handle it and for what? What a waste of bandwidth.
>
>Allison
>
>
______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
Well, I was finally able to make two QIC tapes (boot and install) using
NetBSD for x86. The tape drive ran fine, with no errors.
So then I hooked the shoebox up to the 3/50 that I have, and using the
monitor, issued "b st(0,6,0)" to boot from the tape. The 3/50 seems to
access the drive (I can see the heads move), but either aborts with a
"Device Not Found" error, or the following:
scsi getbyte failed
invalid status message = FFFFFFFF
st: sense key = 6 error = 29
I'm not able to get any further than this. Any thoughts??
Rich Cini/WUGNET
<nospam_rcini(a)msn.com> (remove nospam_ to use)
ClubWin! Charter Member (6)
MCP Windows 95/Windows Networking
============================================
[Viewing an attached word file on an HP-UX]
a)Most people working on PCs with Word have no idea what an HP-UX is
b)Most such people have no idea that there is a machine on the planet
not running word
c)Most such people don't even realize that they are running word or
attaching a word format file to email
It is a byproduct of things being easy to use. Same reason as many
americans have no idea where England is.
______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
<I mean it's "software for the the masses," everything's a black box. If t
<Win 95 registry gets hosed, re-install the whole OS (I've yet to remedy
It's why win3.1 is the windowing system on my dosbox. It's stable enough
for me and my standard is VAX/VMS (24x7x365 and it's no joke!). But I had
to work to get it that way.
<damaged registry by restoring a backup), then all your apps (10 or 15 in
<case); it's a full 10 hour project for me, even with Win95 and most apps
<CD, and any install diskettes loaded on a single Zip disk.
Windows(3.x, 95, ???) is the only OS that ever needed to reload to fix!
VMS files that are that critical can be protected to the stars if need be.
<Linux/Unix OTOH, if it's screwed up, just figure out which script to fix
While I'm not excited about linux yet, I've never seen it eat itself
either.
<I think if there were only one target to go after, Gates would have the
<"owners" of Linux in his board room tomorrow, trying to pressure them int
<selling out so he could eliminate the threat. I wonder if he's tried to
<romance Linus yet?
Wouldn't do him much as the OS is PD and even if successivve versions
weren't it would be hard to lock that market.
<>But AFAIK, Gates's BASIC
<>interpreter for the altair required a RAM add-on pack! Truly bloatware
<>from day one. Why Gates decided to flip the switches on the front
<>panel several thousand extra times mystifies me. Maybe that's why
<>you're all getting Altairs with worn out switches;)
HUH? What? The altairs needed 4k of ram to run 4k basic and 8k to run
8kbasic. Basic8k for altair was only about 6100 bytes. THere were
smaller basics but all of them gave up something, like floating point
or strings.
As to the switch flipping, that was due to the crummy MITS 88ACR that
would often require several tries to get a clean load. After it BASIC
loaded the switches were an artifact though to could input data via port
FFh under program control. To beat the need to pound switches I put a
small 64byte bootrom on a board and copied the loaded image to phase
encoded digital tape(home brew) to get from the slow error prone 300baud
to a zippy and I may add very reliable 4800. Don't blame the cow for
soggy cereal.
I would say that 8kbasic was the first decent software product from MS
though it was soon to change in the early 80s.
FYI the Extended BASIC interpreter for CP/M-80 and the BASCOM Compiler
for CP/M-80 were excellent products. Neither were bloatware by any
standard.
Allison
I don't want to be the skunk at the lawn party here, but it should be
pointed out that e-mail is fast becoming the communication medium of choice
for both business and pleasure. I suppose you could argue that there is no
need for a company to have a fancy letterhead, nor a mass mailer to have
colored brochures, nor ladies to have flowered and/or scented stationery,
yet we do have all these things, and more. Consider how boring text-only,
fixed-font mail would be. Or did Henry Ford have it right when he proclaimed
that all we really "needed" was black automobiles?
Yes, I understand the argument that in the case of snail mail, the sender
pays for all the frills, but in the case of e-mail, the recipient more than
likely pays with longer download times, disk clutter, etc. A very valid and
not trivial point. Nevertheless, technology marches on, and as cable modems
(or whatever) become the norm rather than the exception, "waste" of
bandwidth and its associated costs will cease to an issue with the computing
public at large. If my wife wants to embed scanned newspaper clippings or a
kid's picture in an email to her cousin across country, who am I (or anyone)
to object?
I don't disagree with much that has been said here on the subject. I don't
use HTML formatted e-mail, and don't especially like receiving it,
nonetheless I accept that sooner or later it will become the norm (I don't
like the term "standard") rather than the exception. Formatted email may
never be, nor probably should be, appropriate on a classic computer
mailing list; yet, who knows, in ten years or so the definition of "classic
computer" may change as well.
Cliff Gregory
cgregory(a)lrbcg.com
-----Original Message-----
From: classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu <classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu>
To: Cgregory <Cgregory>
Date: Sunday, March 15, 1998 3:14 PM
Subject: Re: What's with the raw HTML?
>
>You missed the point. There is no argument. As far as I'm concerned,
>there's absolutely no point to sending e-mail as HTML.
>
>Allison said it best though...
>
>> What a waste of bandwidth.
>
>And how.
>
>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!
>
>
>> Also it was connected to an Apple IIe via a super serial port on the GS
and
>> an I/O controller on the IIe side. Is that some sort of "Networking"?
There
>> was no disk drive attached to the IIe.
>
>Either someone's idea of a joke or thrift shop ignorance.
Well actaully the guy pointed to the IIe when I asked about the keyboard.
They probably thought the the IIe WAS the keyboard!
BTW what kind of problems can I expect with the ROM 01 (wich is the one I
have)?
-------------------------------------------------------------
Francois
Visit the Sanctuary at: http://home.att.net/~francois.auradon
<And in my experience, IC's are not that easy to damage by overheating.
<I've soldered and desoldered hundreds of chips and never once overheated
<one. Yes I do use a temperature controlled iron, etc.
FYI in the old days when people would salvage chips of old unmarked cards
a popular way to remove them was a propane torch and pliers! Obviously
the board would get toasted but you could get the chips off fairly clean
and fast. Though once I seriously over did it on the heat. The result
is a old 7400 that is bent some in the middle...it still worked!
I also made copper heads with the right shape for round, 16pin and even
40pin footprints that I would use a ungar element to heat and desolder
chips cleanly from the board. I've also lifted chips by passing the
board through the wave solder machine that put them down to start with.
No majik, just carefull application of heat. The trick is heating all of
the pins or finding a way that doesn't require all of them to be heated
at once.
Allison
Hello, all:
Does anyone have the jumper settings for a Maxtor XT4380S hard drive?
This thing is part of a Sun-clone "shoebox." The Maxtor Web site only has
information on the drive's geometry and not the jumpers. I can't seem to get
the SCSI address to show anything other than 4.
TIA!
Rich Cini/WUGNET
<nospam_rcini(a)msn.com> (remove nospam_ to use)
ClubWin! Charter Member (6)
MCP Windows 95/Windows Networking
============================================
I'd like to see less Microsoft bashing in my inbox; I'm on this list for
the discussion of classic computers, NOT the benefits of Linux vs Windows,
NOR the arguments about HTML. If the FAQ/guidelines for the mailing list
say NO HTML, thats all there need be said... "read the FAQ". Please, lets
cut down the traffic on these subjects and get back to the things we all
enjoy discussing!!!
A
First, Tim Shoppa noted...
>contains a plaintext version of the message AND the HTML-ified version,
>which is what your plaintext email reader is seeing while Eudora and
>Netscape can pick out the plaintext version.
Then Kip Crosby added...
>That's it. MIME-enabled clients read the MIME part; MSIE4 reads the HTML
>part; MS-Outlook and Outlook Express I _think_ offer the choice between the
>two. Microsoft no longer considers flat-ASCII mail to be an important
>fraction of the traffic.
<grrrrrr!>
The more I hear about Billy-boy, and the more I see of his company's
"products" and arrogant attitudes, the less I like either one! Is there no
amount of bandwidth waste or code-bloat that Micro$quat won't stoop to?!
I knew there was a reason I'd started to get into Unix boxes. Thanks, guys!
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Bruce Lane, Sysop, The Dragon's Cave BBS (Fidonet 1:343/272)
(Hamateur: WD6EOS) (E-mail: kyrrin(a)jps.net)
"Our science can only describe an object, event, or living thing in our own
human terms. It cannot, in any way, define any of them..."
<> What HTML utility works on my pro350 under venix.
<>
<
<Lynx?
Venix does not have IP suite only uucp. A version is not installed nor
have I found one. It would however have to fit on the 10mb disk.
<> Same question for my PDP-11s running RT-11?
<> Or my ISP shell account (choice of ELM, PINE or MAIL)?
<
<Lynx? (which of course can be set up as a viewer for text/html mime types
<pine)
Keep in mind that the access in that mode is terminal(not a PC) so
graphics is out.
<> Then there is the matter of my laptop (EPSON PX-8 running CP/M-80)?
<
<You do a lot of mail reading from this machine then? I can list a bunch
<machines that don't have any tools or utilities that handle HTML too, but
<don't use them for reading mail.
I do if I need portability (on the road). I have a scripted modem tool
that interacts with ISPs shell and mail to download mail and send mail.
storage is critical (120k ramdisk!) so bloat is problematic.
<> How about my VS2000 tunning ultrix-4.2 off a 71meg disk?
<> Then there is the matter of my vaxen running VMS-5.5?
<
<Pine/lynx again.I think one of your problems is that you obviously read y
<mail on far too many different machines. :) How do you keep track of whe
<things are?
Your avoiding the question. If I were limited any of those I'd need
tools specific to them. As there are many people that do not or cannot
afford the latest and greatest it's not a moot point.
In reality my 486dx2/50 with 8meg of ram is the primary mailreader.
However I'm not about to drag up eudora or nyetscrape to read mail as
it's too slow for simple plain text. Of course if you sincerely believe
that using a 486 is stupid I'll gladly accept a P100 donation.
Allison
Sorry for any whitespace, folks...
When was this interview taken?
>advocated "Top 40" bloatware from day one. No one should be
surprised--I
>mean, Microshaft has always intended it's products to be "toasterware,"
as
>easy as plugging toast into a toaster--that is, if you want to write a
>letter to Aunt Minny or play Solitaire from 9am to 5pm every day.
I don't quite see what you mean..
I have concluded a while ago that he isn't quite sane. I mean, in
"Triumph of the Nerds", they said he gets up every day afraid of being
taken over...
>rethink his crapware strategy. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that
there
>is a dark corner in a sub-basement somewhere in Redmond where a small
team
>of hackers are already working on a potential Microsoft Linux
distribution,
>just in case. I'm taking bets on Netscape doing the same thing--a
complete
I'll bet Win95 is compiled on Linux! But AFAIK, Gates's BASIC
interpreter for the altair required a RAM add-on pack! Truly bloatware
>from day one. Why Gates decided to flip the switches on the front
panel several thousand extra times mystifies me. Maybe that's why
you're all getting Altairs with worn out switches;)
>--
>David Wollmann |
>dwollmann(a)ibmhelp.com | Support for legacy IBM products.
>DST ibmhelp.com Technical Support | Data, document and file conversion
for
>IBM http://www.ibmhelp.com/ | legacy file and media formats.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
Just in case someone has missed their advertising blitz, the Discovery
Channel is showing a special called Robots Rising tonight at 9pm ET. From
the little preview on the Discovery web site (what I can see of it with
lynx) it looks like there should be a lot of shots of classic machines in
action....
Aaron
Sorry, I don't keep e-mail addresses handy.
> Sorry , I missed the previous parts to this thread , but I do have a
> copy of the 3-part FAQ. Where should I forward it ?
Could the one who was asking please e-mail Larry Walker at:
lwalkerN0spaM(a)interlog.com
...removing the anti-spam features of his e-mail address of course.
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!
<But seriously, is it so hard to patch Linux mail for HTML?
<>There is the little matter of some several million (or more)
<>unix(linux, and related cuzins) systems out there where HTML is
<>far from a standard.
First off Standard in this case refers to established and present on
every system.
My reference to cusins referes to the non-public source unixes like Venix
and also the non-unix, non-DOS, non-NT OSs that exist. Since I'll never
run nyetscrape on the z80, 8088 or PDP-11.
Sure it's possible (trivial) to write your own handler to strip the
excess baggage, but I personally feel its rude to impose it on the reader.
ALlison
<That said, it is certainly very possible to damage individual chips and/o
<subassemblies with static electricity, and precautions such as anti-stati
<bags, tubes, and workplaces make perfect economic sense to the
<manufacturers, distributors, and professional installers of this
<equipment. In other words, not the entire industry is a scam - they're
<quite satisfied that ordinary affordable measures and work practices
<are important.
The basic wrist strap safety ground is usually adaquate. More often some
basic care is all that is needed to insure nothing bad happens.
However, The last day or so in eastern MA, I've been able to draw sparks
over 0.25" with ease and there is no question that can be damaging.
Allison
<> Umm, HTML is pretty much a standard no matter what platform you are on
<> is most certainly not platform dependent. The standard for 1.1 is spec
<> in RFC 2068 and for 1.0 in RFC 1945. If you mean that there are not st
<> tools to read html'ized mail under unix/linux, I say Netscape is availa
<> for almost any linux and most other unices running on sparc/intel/alph
<> hardware. I don't argue that HTML rich text is fine for mailing lists
<> however if you are going to argue that it is not you should formulate
<> proper argument.
OK,
What HTML utility works on my pro350 under venix.
Same question for my PDP-11s running RT-11?
Or my ISP shell account (choice of ELM, PINE or MAIL)?
Then there is the matter of my laptop (EPSON PX-8 running CP/M-80)?
How about my VS2000 tunning ultrix-4.2 off a 71meg disk?
Then there is the matter of my vaxen running VMS-5.5?
The assumption of HTML standard, is modern CPU, lot's of ram, fast modem
big disk and bandwidth to waste when the message doesn't warrent any of
the above. This is particulary true when in some cases the message is
repeated twice in clear text and HTML. Myself I find ti analogous of a
ham firing up a full kilowatt to talk to the guy across the street,
excessive and burdening to others.
Both RFCs are not retro specification and do not make HTML required.
They do make clear what HTML is and hwo to deal with it.
Allison
<Actually, I find most precautions such as anti-static and so forth to
<be baloney. I must have done every illegal thing in the book, and the
<only things I haven't gotten away with was plugging chips in
Well it's really pay me now or later. While at DEC we (participated) did
and ESD study and we found even TTL was susceptable. It accounted for a
very significant number of boards that shipped good and failed on install
or very shortly afterwards. ESD can damage devices without immediately
failing them. It contributed to many burned in and tested at the facory
only to fail in the field boards and made for a high incidence of failures
in chips associted with interconnects (edge connectors and plugs/sockets).
When a program of ESD grounding was instituted the failures drom 20% over
a year and would continue to drop for several years and habits were
broken.
The problem is difference in charge so try to maintain contact to keep the
static charges equalized/dissipated especially on the
cold dry days were have up north here.
Also handling edge connectors is long term not good. Oils and salts from
the hands are not good even for gold plated connectors.
Allison
First, Uncle Roger declared...
>I have [music] CD's going back to the mid-80's. They all work fine.
>(P.S., never buy an Aiwa CD player.)
Max responded with...
>Why do you say this? I found an AIWA all-in-one thing (radio,tape,
>phono,cd) in the trash a few years ago, and it has worked fine. Does
>it damage CDs or something?
I think I know what Roger may be referring to, Max. About a year and
something ago, I bought my mate an Aiwa 3-disc CD player/changer that also
sported a SCSI port for the benefit of using data CDs.
The thing was new, still in the box. After about a month, it died. I sent
it off to Aiwa, they repaired it under warranty. It came back, lasted for
about another year, then the mechanicals in the transport died. Permanently.
Needless to say, I'm not impressed with Aiwa's later stuff (after 1993 or
so).
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Bruce Lane, Sysop, The Dragon's Cave BBS (Fidonet 1:343/272)
(Hamateur: WD6EOS) (E-mail: kyrrin(a)jps.net)
"Our science can only describe an object, event, or living thing in our own
human terms. It cannot, in any way, define any of them..."
I am right now sitting in a room containing a few interesting parts...
There's an 11/70 here, and 11/44, and 11/83.
And that's not all.
Lining the back wall are VAX 7650, 8530, 11/785...
There's other DEC stuff around... There's apparently a RSX/11M
distrib RL02 pack around, but it's been lost in a sea of XXDP+ packs...
Numbersome MicroVAXen...
I am talking to you right now from the 785! Truly impressive!
The room also holds an AlphaServer 7100, and a lot of Windoze boxen.
This is ATS's lab, where they test things!
Already scored a lot of manuals, PDP-11, VAX, and PDP-8 stuff.
Maybe I can talk them out of this 785, or maybe a DELUA or something... :)
See ya later, I'm gonna see what else I can find!
PS: NONE of this is trash! They actually USE all this stuff to test equipment!
-------
On Sat, 14 Mar 1998, Bill Yakowenko wrote:
> As near as I can tell, the classiccmp web site has been down for
> months now. I've tried probably fifty times since I-don't-know-when,
> but haven't got it to come up. Do you have the inside scoop on that?
> Without that, referring people to the FAQ isn't going to help much.
Oh, sorry. That does tend to be a big problem. And yes, that web site
has been flaky as hell for months now. I believe there is a mirror site
somewhere that carries the FAQ.
Can someone help Bill out? Anyone have a copy of the FAQ lying around?
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!
On Mar 13, 16:54, Keith Whitehead wrote:
> Ok...here's the problem
> The machine come up with garbage on the screen.It would also seem that the
> video is inverted, I can see the retrace lines etc, so the horizontal
> blanking is not working either by the looks of it.
>
> What I suspect is wrong is that either U42 (the 6845 labeled in my machine
> as a motorola SC80757P) or U102 (the 4.3 video support chip) is faulty (or
> both?).
The 6845 isn't much more than a programmable video timing generator. Since you
have *some* video, it's unlikely to be at fault.
It could be a memory-addressing problem, or a bad connection, or... My first
suggestion would be to *gently* prise each socketed chip from it's socket, and
reseat them all. This helps clean any oxidation off the pins at the point of
contact. Used to be a favourite problem with Apple ]['s, but it's a
widely-applicable technique.
I don't wish to teach my granny to suck eggs, but I'd also suggest you take
care that *all* the pins go back in the socket when you reseat anything; it's
not hard to bend a pin underneath sometimes. For many years I was a
component-level repair technician for an education authority, and I once had
someone bring me a malfunctioning machine which had that problem. When I
pointed it out, the response was "but NEARLY all the pins are in, and it
doesn't work AT ALL".
--
Pete Peter Turnbull
Dept. of Computer Science
University of York
In a message dated 98-03-13 21:22:35 EST, you write:
<< <And in my experience, IC's are not that easy to damage by overheating.
<I've soldered and desoldered hundreds of chips and never once overheated
<one. Yes I do use a temperature controlled iron, etc. >>
with all this talk of soldering and desoldering, is it possible for a layman
to do this with just a regular low wattage soldering iron? any tips from the
pros?
david
] From: Wirehead Prime <wirehead(a)retrocomputing.com>
]
] In repairing the SWTPC 6800 MP-A CPU board, I've discovered I THINK that
] a 7474 which is used to generate NOT HALT to the CPU (and to halt it
] under certain circumstances) is keeping the CPU halted all the time even
] though the bus says there's no reason for it to be halted.
]
...deletia
]
] Thanks...
]
] Anthony Clifton - Wirehead
> From: "Jack Peacock" <peacock(a)simconv.com>
>
> considering the low speed of a 6800, an LS (or even an HCT)
> should work...but, are you sure it isn't the case of a fast
> pulse on the D input when CLK is hit (on the falling edge if
> memory is correct)? and you aren't seeing it (using a logic
> probe or a triggered scope)? did you check the voltage in to D?
> maybe it's in no mans land (i.e. around 2v). Maybe its the IC
> driving the flip flop D input thats bad, or a fast pulse is
> hitting the R* input
>
> Anyway, I'd take it out and put in a socket if you think its
> most likely cause
> Jack Peacock
Do you have anything funky plugged into that box? Later SWTPC systems
had disk controllers doing DMA, but I'm not sure about the 6800.
Does it lock up all the time? If so, can you yank everything except
the MP-A and an MP-C or MP-S in port 1, and see if it still happens?
In that case, there should be nothing wanting to do DMA, so the HALT*
line should be permanently high - no possibility of sneaky fast pulses
on the HALT line that you might overlook. Then everything is simple:
If HALT* is still high on the SS-50 and low on the output of that
7474, then that 7474 is definitely ill. If the problem goes away
when you do this, then maybe the 7474 is okay and maybe you've got
some board doing spurious HALTs.
OTOH, to keep the CPU halted, you'd have to be getting one of those
sneaky pulses on the HALT line in every clock cycle; just one here
and there wouldn't keep the CPU totally halted. Just on that basis
alone, I'd say it's almost certain that the 7474's flip-flopping
days are over.
As for 7474 vs. 74LS74, since the output of this is only driving the
one CPU input, I expect it should be okay. I think the main concern
would be whether or not the replacement chip can drive as many inputs
as the chip it is replacing, and an LS output can certainly drive one
standard input. (Experts are welcome to correct me here!)
Cheers,
Bill.
At 06:53 PM 3/14/98 -0800, Sam Ismail wrote:
>On Sat, 14 Mar 1998, Max Eskin wrote:
>
>[In response to Uncle Roger's spontaneous anti-AIWA quip...]
>
>> Why do you say this? I found an AIWA all-in-one thing (radio,tape,
>> phono,cd) in the trash a few years ago, and it has worked fine. Does
>> it damage CDs or something?
>> >
>> >I have [music] CD's going back to the mid-80's. They all work fine.
>> >(P.S., never buy an Aiwa CD player.)
>
>This is an example of the kind of message that should go to private
>e-mail. Thanks.
>
>Sam Alternate e-mail: dastar(a)siconic.com
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So is this.
No, Thank YOU
Les