Hi folks,
Seems like my webserver was hacked on xmas eve by someone who managed to
install a 'nice' little script called c99shell; fortunately they left their
IP address kicking around and it resolves to a company called Staminus
Communications in Fullerton, CA. Since the majority of this list is US based
can anyone tell me if it's worth flinging them a message to abuse@ giving
the culprit's IP address? I've already told my ISP over here but I doubt
anything will happen.
Message me off list if possible please, Jay, apols for the off-topic noise!
--
Adrian/Witchy
Binary Dinosaurs creator/curator
Www.binarydinosaurs.co.uk - the UK's biggest private home computer
collection?
Jobs has announced a name change:
"SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Apple Computer CEO Steve Jobs on Tuesday made the
company's long-awaited jump into the mobile phone business and renamed the
company to just "Apple Inc.," reflecting its increasing focus on consumer
electronics.
He said the name change is meant to reflect the fact that Apple has matured
>from a computer manufacturer to a full-fledged consumer electronics
company."
I wonder if "devolved" or "degraded" might better describe the change than
"matured".
Bob
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On 1/10/07, Brad Pritts <bpritts at pritts.com> wrote:
> Well, we used lots of PDP-10's in the timesharing... business in
> the '70's and '80's. By the late '80's this business was dying fast. But it was fun.
Indeed.
> Yes, Compuserve was a big player...
There are still 36-bit machines (Systems Concepts SC-40s, IIRC)
running in Columbus at what _used_ to be called CompuServe
Headquarters (now just another AOL campus :-/ ) They got rid of the
DEC-manufactured machines well over 10 years ago, but still run their
endlessly hacked version of TOPS-10 on real (not emulated) 36-bit
hardware.
I haven't seen them since 2003, but at that time, there were more SC
machines at the WorldCom data center in Hilliard, OH (at what was
_going to be_ CompuServe Headquarters before the company was bought
and divided). I was told that WorldCom had to keep them running for
some obscure billing app that was written in FORTRAN and couldn't be
ported (or at least had been the subject of several failed attempts to
port). Given the history of things, I would think it was full of
CompuServe extensions, perhaps what they called XF4, perhaps something
descended from that.
So in Central Ohio, at least, 36-bits survived into the 21st Century
for commercial usage. Personally, the last "productive" thing I did
was to run Zork under the Panda distro of klh10/TOPS-20. I used to
have a 36-bit account when I worked at CompuServe, but they'd cleaned
all the old "service" menus and items off before I started there - it
was an empty shell of its former glory by 2001.
-ethan
It just dawned on me something that might be helpful... a quick list of the
most relevant documents to look at first when you get your first HP 21xx
box. Fortunately, Al at bitsavers has made a concerted effort to put up docs
for these boxes, there's a lot of good info there - probably everything
you'd ever need. Here are the manuals I'd suggest getting first....
For the hardware.....
If you read nothing else, here's the one to read even for folks just curious
what these boxes are. Very short (50 pages), quick read, but informative:
Whoops... wow, apparently there's no 21MX E or 21MX F short user guide on
bitsavers. Wierd! So there's no step by step tutorial on how to use the
front panel, etc. My best suggestion - skim the 2100A user guide. The front
panel is much different, but the instruction set (a subset), I/O
architecture, etc. is pretty much the same. The main difference to keep in
mind... the MX's have a store button. Use it :) 2100's autostore if you incM
or decM or select a different register (select the register you're already
viewing to revert contents). The 2100 doesn't have loader roms cause it's
core (so MX's have a IBL button to load a given rom into upper ram). I need
to get Al a 21MX E or F short user guide to put up on bitsavers, that's a
big omission. The 2100 variant is here:
http://bitsavers.vt100.net/hp/21xx/02100-90001_2100refManDec71.pdf this will
get you the basics of your machine.
Next essential reading to learn about setting up & configuring your
machine...
http://bitsavers.vt100.net/hp/1000/12992-90001_loaderRomsApr86.pdf describes
what loader roms are, what they do, how to install them, including source
code listings. Essential for learning all about booting your machine.
http://bitsavers.vt100.net/hp/1000/12791-90001_fwInstRef_Feb86.pdf describes
what firmware exists, what boards exist for you to install firmware in to,
and how to do so. Includes not just firmware options, but base set firmware
as well. You'll need this, it's the second thing to check if your machine
doesn't boot.
http://bitsavers.vt100.net/hp/1000/5955-4310_stdPerfMem_Apr79.pdf describes
the different memory boards & controllers & accesories, how to
configure/jumper them and how to install them. Standard Performance memory
only. One of the first things to check and change.
http://bitsavers.vt100.net/hp/1000/5955-4311_highPerfMem_Dec83.pdf same as
above, but for High Performance memory.
For any interface boards in the rear of the computer, see the manuals here:
http://bitsavers.vt100.net/hp/21xx/interfaces/
Now... the heavy duty everything you could possibly need in the future
definitive reference....
http://bitsavers.vt100.net/hp/1000/1000_MEF_EngrRef/
For diagnostics:
http://bitsavers.vt100.net/hp/1000/Diagnostics/02100-90157_Oct-1980.pdf This
is the diagnostic configurator manual. It's the program used to load all
other diagnostics. Learn this one well. Note - older diagnostics exist that
are standalone. Some (not all) standalones CAN run under the diagnostic
configurator. I'd suggest just learning the configurator and sticking to the
diagnostics which run under it (all are available).
http://bitsavers.vt100.net/hp/1000/Diagnostics/ is the main directory of
diagnostic manuals. Each diagnostic has it's own manual.
Note: HP diagnostics are (apparently) unlike DEC diagnostics for the 11/45
(my own experience, not neccessarily universal fact). The HP diagnostics
work, and work well/right/AsDocumented. They are extremely thorough. They
ARE the best and recommended test for if a given card is working properly
before proceeding to attempt running anything else. If a card doesn't pass
diags, DONT bother trying to use an OS/application to test it. If the card
doesn't seem to work with the application, the diags ARE the best way to
troubleshoot. They often tell you what section (or chip) on a card is
suspect. The diag manuals on bitsavers aren't the complete set, nor the
latest set. I have been working for some time on putting together a CD that
contains the entire latest (last) diagnostic library for HP1000 stuff,
including all manuals, source code, object code, and assembler output
listings (with memory addresses). That will fix the above lack of info :)
Once you have general 2100/21MX knowledge under your belt from the above, if
there is just one manual you should keep handy... it's the ce handbook. It's
a quick-reference cheat sheet on most of the above manuals. At least in the
CE handbooks I have, little attempt is made to explain anything. It's just
quick reference for jumpers, installation, etc. Note that it also includes
quick reference information for many operating systems & software. The link
is:
http://bitsavers.vt100.net/hp/1000/5950-3767_M-E-F_CEhbk_Jul84.pdf
For operating systems:
TSB:
http://bitsavers.vt100.net/hp/2000TSB/ contains the starting point for the
documentation you'll need/want.
RTE:
http://bitsavers.vt100.net/hp/1000/RTE-IV/http://bitsavers.vt100.net/hp/1000/RTE-IVB/http://bitsavers.vt100.net/hp/1000/RTE-6VM/
HP-IPL/OS:
http://www.infionline.net/~wtnewton/oldcomp/hp2100/
Hope this all helps!
Jay West
From: Scott Quinn <compoobah at valleyimplants.com>
>Pat wrote:
>
> On Tuesday 09 January 2007 21:16, Richard wrote:
>> In article <2c9905e7a0917a23c18369f94e997689 at valleyimplants.com>,
>>> Especially interesting given the scorn that the DEC-VAX agreement
>>> from the '70s had.
>>
>> Come again? That reads like a total non sequitur to me.
>
> He's probably referring to the agreement that DEC had with the company
> that makes VAX vacuum cleaners, for both of them to be able to use
> the "VAX" name for their respective products, in each other's country.
>
>As I understand it, DEC agreed not to make consumer goods, and VAX
>agreed not to make computers. To an adolescent mind back in the mid
>'90s it seemed a bit absurd and a waste of time, but maybe not so much
>anymore.
See: Apple Computer v Apple Corp
I'm looking for the cable that goes from a KLESI-UA card (M8739) to the I/O
bulkhead on the back of an 11X44. In the absence of that, would anyone know
for sure the part number for said cable? I would think it would be in the
KLESI manual, but I don't seem to see one on bitsavers (other than prints
for the Qbus version).
Thanks in advance!
Jay West
> From: Richard <legalize at xmission.com>
>
> Ah, so the mystery of who this "marvin" guy is, is finally solved! :-)
>
> Seriously.
>
> I have looked at a *lot* of your adds on vintage computer marketplace :)
Thanks! If everything that I sold or tried to sell on VCM, VCF, Ebay sold, it
wouldn't make a dent ... at least that I would be able to see :).
I could put up several thousand items, and that *might* start to make a dent.
The problem there is listing and packing time. I would *really* like to play
with some of this stuff, but it is just too much stuff right now.
Marvin
A little while back I asked about shelving. Noone suggested anything.
I found what seems to be a good solution at about half the cost of the
next nearest offering, so I thought I'd share.
I had been looking at wire rack shelving. Some nice wire racks on casters
had been purchased at work from Costco, so I started looking at those.
Costco had Safco "LAN Management System" racks 72"Wx29"Dx73"H for $340,
48"Wx29"Dx73"H for $250, 30"Wx29"Dx73"H for $205. (Casters were extra.)
They also had Safco wire shelving: 4-shelf 36"Wx18"Dx72"H for $120.
Online I could find racks for comparable prices or a little better
(like $5) and comparable shelving for $80.
I found nice 5-shelf wire racks at Walmart for $40 ea. 36"Wx16"Dx72"H,
black finish. Each shelf is rated for 200 lbs evenly distributed.
They have levelling screwcaps on the feet. "5 Shelf Multi-Purpose Rack"
by NSF is what the box says. UPC 0 34886 00012
Using this shelving, I can stack 10 terminals vertically, 2 per shelf
for 5 shelves, which is a tremendous space savings.
I had to go to several Walmart locations in order to get enough shelving
units, so I don't know if these are end of inventory "priced to move"
units or not. This shelving is not currently listed on Walmart's web
site, but each store in the Salt Lake City valley had the units. There is
also a 4-shelf unit standing 52" high with 14" deep shelves. Most of
the stores had these, with fewer having the taller 5-shelf variety.
The shelf heights are adjustable in 1" increments and no tools are
required for assembly or disassembly. They seem sturdy enough when
fully loaded, but I wouldn't want to trip and fall into them and put a
big transverse load on the whole system. It would most likely fall
over and have a danger of crushing you with what I've got loaded into
them. I certainly wouldn't want to have 10 13" CRTs dumped on me. I
should probably secure them in case of earthquake...
--
"The Direct3D Graphics Pipeline" -- DirectX 9 draft available for download
<http://www.xmission.com/~legalize/book/download/index.html>
Legalize Adulthood! <http://blogs.xmission.com/legalize/>
Pat wrote:
> On Tuesday 09 January 2007 21:16, Richard wrote:
>> In article <2c9905e7a0917a23c18369f94e997689 at valleyimplants.com>,
>>> Especially interesting given the scorn that the DEC-VAX agreement
>>> from the '70s had.
>>
>> Come again? That reads like a total non sequitur to me.
>
> He's probably referring to the agreement that DEC had with the company
> that makes VAX vacuum cleaners, for both of them to be able to use
> the "VAX" name for their respective products, in each other's country.
As I understand it, DEC agreed not to make consumer goods, and VAX
agreed not to make computers. To an adolescent mind back in the mid
'90s it seemed a bit absurd and a waste of time, but maybe not so much
anymore.
Well, we used lots of PDP-10's in the timesharing (oops, marketing calls
it REMOTE COMPUTING)
business in the '70's and '80's. By the late '80's this business was
dying fast. But it was fun.
Yes, Compuserve was a big player. I worked with ADP Network Services
(originally Cypernetics Corporation);
we had quite a few PDP-10's. (about 25). Also, we probably had 100 -
200 PDP8's and PDP-11's
as network nodes. When DEC released its KS10 processor (minicomputer
architecture), we ported
TOPS-10 to run on it. We ran about 75 or 100 of these as dedicated
mini's for individual clients.
As I recall DEC only sold the KS10 with TOPS-20. For better or worse this
machine was superceded by the VAX.
What were these users doing? Mostly interactive management applications
- financial models
(think of Fortran meets Excel); stock analysis; engineering analysis;
statistical analysis & forecasting.
It really was "personal computing".
Regards,
Brad
remembering those good old days...
> Richard wrote:
>
>
>
> So what was the typical usage for a average user on a
> PDP-10 back then? Word processing? Computer Science?
> Acounting? Fortran programs?
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 6
> Date: Tue, 09 Jan 2007 16:47:49 -0700
> From: Richard <legalize at xmission.com>
> Subject: Re: Paul Allen's DECsystem-10
> To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts"
> <cctalk at classiccmp.org>
> Message-ID: <E1H4Qh4-0002dn-00 at xmission.xmission.com>
>
>
> In article <45A4276F.8000505 at jetnet.ab.ca>,
> woodelf <bfranchuk at jetnet.ab.ca> writes:
>
>
>>> I was thinking of getting ADVENT running on it.
>>>
>> You can do that with a PDP-8. :)
>>
>
> Well, it would be a royal PITA for me. The only PDP-8 that I have is
> a DECmate I w/out the RX floppy drives.
>
> But this wasn't a question of *what* machines I can use to run ADVENT.
>
> The question was: is anyone else using a login on Paul Allen's
> DECsystem-10 or TOAD?
>
> I think the most I ever did with the DEC-10 at UDel was play ADVENT on
> it :-).
>
George Currie wrote:
> I wonder if Apple (the former computer company) paved the way for the
> name change in the last round of negotiations it had with Apple (the
> record label) as one of Apple's major arguments (hey, we're a computer
> company, no one would get confused) is now officially gone.
>
Especially interesting given the scorn that the DEC-VAX agreement from
the '70s had.
The "why" question still remains on a technical level, given that all
of their "consumer" products still are data processing equipment,
predominantly based around microprocessors. They may not be intended to
be general purpose computing machines, but then again neither was the
PlayStation 2 et al, and look what's been done with them.
It's not my intention to exacerbate the situation,
being that this lists already has a rather high drama
index, but concerning the previous rant, I don't at
all see the point of such non constructive
criticism. If your "needs" aren't being met, simply
move on. I for one find it to be unique and often
useful
exchange. The old adage sure applies here that if
you can't say anything nice...
And it wasn't that I found the reply funny, but
rather laughable. Nearly comic.
Just my 2 farthings.
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On 9 Jan 2007 at 15:32, Chris M wrote:
> *went out to the shed. Yes there is present in the
> BIOS a service to format tracks. Not all clones comply
> in this way though (but where would the routine to do
> this be if not in the bios?). I noticed in the docs
> for my NEC APC III that DOS function calls were more
> or less the same as a vanilla pc, but I don't recall
> seeing mention of the equivalent BIOS calls. Anyone know?*
I believe that the APC follows the NEC 9801 convention, but I'm not
certain. The BIOS calls are very diffierent from the PC version. A
Google should turn something up; I know the calls are mentioned in
Ralf Brown's interrupt list--and there was a rundown in one of the PC
rags--maybe DOS/Windows Developer? I probably also have a list in my
files.
Cheers,
Chuck
>> I've used a product called plastic epoxy which includes a solvent to
>> eat
>> into the items being bonded for a better bond. I've had the best luck
>> placing a small piece of metal (paperclip) across the break and
>> spreading
>> an 1/8" thick layer over that.
>
> For plastics that it will disolve (if you see what I mean), I've had
> great success using a liquid called 'Plastic Weld' available from good
> model shops. It's basically dicholoromethane (methylene chloride).
>
> What you do is put the plastic parts together and run a brush dipped in
> the solvent along the crack. For a stronger join, I cut a piece of
> cotton
> frabric to fit over the hack of the repair, put it in place and 'paint'
> it with the solvent. Then push the cotton into the softened plastic.
>
> -tony
Sun seems to use some odd plastic compound or alloy with two different
types. I usually use MEK (methyl ethyl ketone) for welding plastics,
and usually it either has no effect or works well, but with the
Sun-type (I've seen it elsewhere, but first on Suns) plastics it
dissolves one component but not the other, and the plastic turns into
this yucky granular stuff with no strength to speak of (the bond will
hold, but only until you move it). The epoxy kind of worked (it was one
of the trim pieces off of a SPARCstation 20 (one of the $1 Boeing
specials- thanks for the heads-up) it holds together O.K., but it's a
little loose now (epoxy is much slower than MEK, and stuff moved).
On 9 Jan 2007 at 19:24, Tony Duell wrote:
> What you do is put the plastic parts together and run a brush dipped in
> the solvent along the crack. For a stronger join, I cut a piece of cotton
> frabric to fit over the hack of the repair, put it in place and 'paint'
> it with the solvent. Then push the cotton into the softened plastic.
The faceplates of Overland Data tape drives are like that--try any
"regular" solvent such as xylene or MEK or (worst) acetone and the
plastic just crumbles away. Methylene chloride does seem to work
better--and any gaps can be filled in with auto-body resin filler
(Bondo) and the whole mess painted to match.
Cheers,
Chuck
On 9 Jan 2007 at 15:04, Fred Cisin wrote:
> "matured" v "devolved" v "degraded" has NOTHING to do with whether
> computers are getting better or worse. It is ENTIRELY about the
> transition from being a computer company into being a consumer electronics
> company.
Probably a very shrewd move, too. Computers are a commodity item
now; just the thing you don't want if you're trying to run a high-
profit margin operation. Better to produce new widgets that folks
will pay a premium to own.
Cheers,
Chuck
I probably have at least 1 issue of Byte that
features advertisements for this computer, but a whole
big box became unexpectedly drenched, and I don't have
the heart to look at it. If perchance anyone has a
scan of this ad, and you'll know what I'm talking
about if you've seen it, it would be awful nice to get
a scan of it. I bought one of those kits to make your
own T-shirts a while back (especially since it was
free after the rebate) and I thought a shirt with the
D68K logo would look sick. (Trouble is I have to send
for different transfer material. The stuff that came
in the box is only for light colored shirts, and I
thought black would be a better deal).
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Does anyone have a Nokia 9000 (not 9000i) or HP OmniGo 700? Oh yeah?
Want to sell them? ;)
Please reply directly to me as I am not subscribed to the list.
sellam at vintagetech.com
Thanks!
Happy New Year all!
--
Sellam Ismail Vintage Computer Festival
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Hi, these have all been taken.
Thanks
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but has an 8088 instead of the z80. Preferably the
color model, but monochrome is nice too.
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Hello all!
I?m a long time ?list lurker? but felt it was perhaps time to contribute.
I?ve just spent the morning being shown a working replica of the Manchester
Small-Scale Experimantal Machine (SSEM), also commonly referred to as the
?Manchester Baby?. It?s located in the ?1830 Warehouse? at the Manchester
Museum of Science and Industry.
One of the curators is (by lucky chance) my Uncle Michael and he?s
personally written a number of programs for this old beast. The replica is
fantastic, with incredible attention to period detail. For example, the
switchgear is proper 1940?s vintage (salvaged from RAF aircraft) and the
frames upon which the replica is built are from former GPO telecoms
exchanges. Apparently the donor of said frames was using them to prevent
his garden subsiding into a nearby river!
The computer itself, for anyone unaware of it is regarded as the world?s
first stored program computer. It ran its first program on June 21st 1948,
jointly designed by Frederic C. Williams and Tom Kilburn at the University
of Manchester, UK. The stored memory is in the form of a ?Williams Tube? -
a cathode ray tube capable of storing 32 X 32bit words. It?s an extremely
limited bit of kit (as one might imagine!) with an instruction set of only
7, and no adder (addition achieved by negating numbers during their move to
the accumulator).
It?s a great exhibit if anyone?s in this part of the world on a Tuesday with
nothing to do. No charge for entry into the museum.
Here are some informative links, including a beautifully crafted ?Manchester
Baby Emulator? (in Java).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manchester_Babyhttp://www.computer50.org/http://www.davidsharp.com/baby/index.html
Regards,
Austin.
P.S. The guys at the museum have hooked it up to a PC, so that programs
written on the emulator can be loaded into the baby to be run. Does this
qualify it as the world?s most ancient add-on / peripheral / co-processor?
;-)
I'm sure someone on the list asked a while back, but I couldn't find
it. I have the complete rt-11 docs printed out. They are too heavy to
post but can be picked up from here (Soho UK).
Dan