If memory serves:
EBCDIC = Extended Binary Coded Decimal Interchange Code
IBM mainframes (360, 370, etc) are the only machines I've seen that used it.
bw
----------
From: Sam Ismail
Sent: Tuesday, June 17, 1997 2:41 AM
To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers
Subject: EBCDIC
DOes anyone have a computer which uses the EBCDIC character set, rather
than ASCII (did I get the acronym right? what does it stand for anyway)?
Just curious.
Sam
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Computer Historian, Programmer, Musician, Philosopher, Athlete, Writer, Jackass
The Victor 9000 sounds like a machine sold in Australia and perhaps Europe
as the ACT Sirius and coexisted for a time with the IBM PC because of a
shortage of the latter. Chuck Peddle (spelling?) was the originator of the
Sirius.
The ACT company I think was British and later changed it's name to Apricot.
Or am I completely on the wrong track?
----------
> From: Uncle Roger <sinasohn(a)crl.com>
> To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers
<classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu>
> Subject: Re: Victor 9000
> Date: Tuesday, June 17, 1997 10:45 AM
>
> At 11:50 PM 6/15/97 -0400, you wrote:
> >So what exactly is a Victor 9000???
> >Just another PC clone?
>
> Not a clone, but similar. Max RAM was 768K, came with a Floppy Drive as
> standard (IIRC). Was the first computer to use variable speed disk
drives
> (as the early Mac's did as well.) Ran an early version of MS-DOS, I
think.
>
> Pong is not the first video game. Nolan Bushnell, who later founded
> Atari, did Pong. Several years before Pong, Nolan created a more
> sophisticated game called Computer Space, built by Nutting and
> Associates.
>
> Computer Space was the first arcade video game.
> Atari home Pong was the first home video game.
> Magnavox Odyssey1 was the first home video game system.
>
> Trust me, I own all of them.
>
> Kai
>
I just pulled out the Pong and manual. I suppose I don't have the
original pong anyway.
Super Pong, Model No. C-140 (1976). It has four different pong games
(labelled differently in the manual and on the box).
So when did the original Pong make its appearance.
Marc
Okay, enough hardware, it's time for a software trade list!
Software wanted:
- Apple DOS 3.3
- Apricot F2 DOS
- Cromemco CP/M on 8" for System 3
- Microsoft Adventure (floppy for TRS-80, Apple II or PC)
- Ithaca InterSystems CP/M, any format
- TI 99/4a Disk Manager II cartridge
- Apple /// Apple II Emulator Diskette
- /// EZ Pieces
- Anything for Spectravideo SV-3x8
Software for trade (all freely distributable to the best of my
knowledge; let me know if you know otherwise):
- Atari DOS 2.0a on 5.25"
- Atari DOS 2.5 on 5.25"
- Kaypro II CP/M, WordStar, FileStar, SpellStar on 5.25"
- Kaypro 10 CP/M (can make diskette from HD if needed)
- North Star NSDOS 2.0 on 5.25"
- Jade CP/M 2.2 on 8"
- Computer Chef on 8"
- Infocom "Suspended" and "Starcrossed" on 8" (these work on an 8080
just fine)
- Osborne CP/M on 5.25"
- Macintosh System 1.0 (yes, Apple has posted this)
- TRS-80 Model 100 floppy drive support diskette
Also, while we're talking diskettes, does anyone have a MicroSolutions
CompatiCard or a Copy II Option Board they'd be willing to sell?
thanks
Kai
Meant to mention this earlier, but over the weekend I also picked up an
Exidy (Sorcerer) dual disk drive chassis (no drives, just the power
supply circuitry) for a dollar. I was amazed to find it. I know little
to nothing about this system, although thanks to Larry Anderson I have
one that is totally hacked up with a funky power-supply that replaced the
original (sticking about 2 inches out the back with wierd cords I have no
idea how to connect) and some interesting mods inside which seem an
attempt to double its memory. Any insights on this system? It's fairly
obscure.
I was told Exidy used standard PC-type full-height 5.25 drives. Anyone
know more about this? Or perhaps know where I can get an interface card
for the beast?
Sam
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Computer Historian, Programmer, Musician, Philosopher, Athlete, Writer, Jackass
RE: Marvin <marvin(a)rain.org>
>Subject: Re: Printers and Finds of the Week
>I am not familiar with the "SuperPET"; where does it fit in with the
>rest of the Commodore line? It sounds like you also had a pretty good
>"haul" this weekend!
The SuperPET was developed by Waterloo University in Ontario, Canada and
was released by Commodore sometime around 1980/81. I read a press
release where the CBM 8096 (a close pre-cursor to the SuperPET) and
VIC-20 were being introduced. It was also referred to as the Commodore
SP9000 and Micro-Mainframe.
The SuperPET was (I'm pretty sure) the last of the PET/CBM series.
After that, in 1982, almost the entire Commodore line was re-vamped
with: the Ultimax, C-64, B-128 series, and P-128/P-500 models.
What the "PET Personal Computer Guide" Says about the SuperPET:
It was designed around the CBM 8032 but boasted a 64k bank-switched RAM
expansion and a 6809 co-processor which could emulate a 16 bit
computer. In order to be truly compatible with IBM the OS had been
retooled to use standard ASCII throughout, it also has a true RS-232
port.
It has a 'Highly flexible terminal mode,' 'highly advanced text editor,'
and 'run time monitor.' Among its more remarkable features is its
ability to trace and repair most errors without losing the current
program or its variables. Another virtue is its ability to send any
program or data to another computer at any time in any language. The
standard languages are IBM-compatible APL (including a complete APL
character set), Waterloo BASIC, COBOL, FORTRAN, and Pascal. All
languages are stored on disk (which I don't have any of *sigh*) until
used. And at the printing of the book the languages worked as
interpreters. Waterloo planned to have compiled versions available for
the SuperPET in the future. Another language is included is 6809
assembly language. SuperPET comes with an assembler, linker, and
loader.
--------------------------------
Many of the features of the SuperPET can be seen in later Commodore
units such as the B-128 and C-128 series (bank switched memory
co-processors, etc.)
Browsing the Web I have found some mentions of them, but many were no
more than that. So far it seems one or two may have more than just the
unit. I hope to get email soon from one person I wrote for info to.
DOes anyone have a computer which uses the EBCDIC character set, rather
than ASCII (did I get the acronym right? what does it stand for anyway)?
Just curious.
Sam
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Computer Historian, Programmer, Musician, Philosopher, Athlete, Writer, Jackass
> Not a clone, but similar. Max RAM was 768K, came with a Floppy Drive as
> standard (IIRC). Was the first computer to use variable speed disk drive
> (as the early Mac's did as well.) Ran an early version of MS-DOS, I think
>
> And, IIRC, it pre-dated the IBM PC.
Ok, some herstory. There were many machines that ran CP/M-86 before in IBM
PC, one in particular was the Seattle Computer co, running Q-dos which after
a deal with MS would be come MSDOS-1.0 aka PCdos to run on the first PC.
I was running a 8086 system in 1980 that clearly blow the doors off a PC.
It was 8086 not 8088 at 5.0mhz and 16bit wide memory using standard
multibuss cards. By late 81 that machine was 8mhz, and 82 brought a copy of
PC dos to it. Early MSdos could be configured like CP/M. The PC was slow,
clunky, closed and expensive! By time the XT arrived still slow, clunky and
expensive there are several S100 and other systems that were very fast
6/8/10 mhz 8088 or 8086 systems.
At 03:49 PM 6/15/97 -0700, you wrote:
>1979? The Victor 9000 came out in 1985/86 according to previous
>discussions. Indeed it would have been the "technological cutting edge"
>in 1979, and for quite some time as it would have pre-dated the computer
>it was supposed to be semi-compatible with.
My (admittedly faulty) memory puts the Victor 9000 pre-IBM. I remember my
parents considering purchasing one, and being horrified at the specs on the
IBM PC when it came out. I couldn't understand why anyone would buy one
when they could have the Victor 9000 instead.
Maybe I should check some of the docs I've got and see what they say.
--------------------------------------------------------------------- O-
Uncle Roger "There is pleasure pure in being mad
sinasohn(a)crl.com that none but madmen know."
Roger Louis Sinasohn & Associates
San Francisco, California http://www.crl.com/~sinasohn/
Was the Aquarius II compatible with the old Aquarius programs?
Can anyone give me a lead on an Aquarius II?
--
Andy Brobston brobstona(a)wartburg.edu ***NEW URL BELOW***
http://www.wartburg.edu/people/docs/personalPages/BrobstonA/home.html
My opinions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Wartburg College
as a whole.
I finally got a chance to play with my Osborne 1 and must say it is a
nice little system. For its time it was a great product. The software
is very user-friendly and overall the system runs quite nicely. The disk
drives are rather fast. I was making backups of my system disks and it
reads almost 5 tracks per second (but writes at about a rate of 5 seconds
per track).
Hey, my Osborne 1 has serial number A01284. Can anyone beat that?
Sam
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Computer Historian, Programmer, Musician, Philosopher, Athlete, Writer, Jackass
I found these while looking for the docs for my SWTP CT1024 terminal board
that I'm resurecting (it works)
These are available for sale or trade:
SWTP PR40 schematic and wiring drawing (D size sheet two sided)
SWTP MP-S serial interface (SS50, 6800) assembly, schematic
and board views.
Ohiso Scientific sams photofact service manual complete for:
Superboard-II
Model C1P
Model C1PMF
Allison
Well, not a bad weekend for Apple stuff. I visited two swap meets and a
dozen thrifts, and came up with the following stuff (the weird thing is,
all of my traditional good spots were dry, and all the dry ones had good
stuff -- and not only that, these systems weren't complete but instead
all the parts came from different locations!)
- An Apple II
- An Apple II with RAM expansion card, Grappler card, 80 column card
- An Apple /// with ProFile hard disk, second floppy and Monitor ///
- An Apple ///+ with ProFile hard disk, second floppy, serial card, and
a "///+//" Apple II emulation card (!)
- Another ProFile hard disk (that makes 3!)
- Apple /// JOYSTICK !!!!! (egads)
- Two Apple II series joysticks
- Apple II series game paddle set
Plus:
- Three Central Point Copy II Option Boards (copy Apple, Mac, TRS-80,
CP/M formats on PCs)
- Two 8-bit Plus Hard Card 20's
- Silicon Valley ADP50 (run IDE hard drives in an IBM PC)
Kai
Ok, the weekend's not even over, and here's how I did:
101 Online - A neat little terminal with a 9" screen. The keyboard
covers the screen and flips down with the push of a button. It has a
built-in 4800bps modem. It was used to connect to some online service in
California at some time or another. The whole thing is in this cute
10"x10"x10" package - $5
Laser 50 with manuals - $4 (Hi Bill!)
Commodore 64, Commodore 64C (two of 'em, one seems to be this weird clone
since the plastic looks different from the other one and it has no
markings), two 1541 drives, two Star NX-1000C dot matrix printers - All free
Data General One (Model 2) laptop. Two questions: How did the model 2
differ from the model 1? And I didn't get a power supply with this, but
was told by a couple people all it requires is a special three-prong
power cord. The receptacle is an oval with three conductors. Anyone
know about this? - $15
2 Commodore 1541 drives, 2 Commodore 1571 drives - $8
DEC Rainbow 100 with all the trimmings (extra cards, all software and
manuals) - $10
VIC-20 Modem - $1
Commodore 64 user's guide, VIC-20 User's Guide - $1
(the guy I bought this stuff from claims to have 7 PDP-11s and "several"
PDP-8s that he's been hording. Needless to say I threatened him with
great bodily harm if he didn't give me some. We agreed to meet to discuss
the "free taking" of one of each system. He also has lots of other DEC
stuff for sale and for give-away to those who would give it good homes. I
will keep us posted on any late-breaking developments. He also said he
has a Cyber hard drive unit which sounds like the size of a dishwasher as
he described it. I think the model number was 690s or something. I know
I'm way off. If anyone wants this its in California. Apparently he has
tons of mostly DEC stuff he's been collecting from local colleges and
universtities. Again, I'll keep us posted).
And let's see, oh yeah, I'm not done!
ZX-81 with manuals/power supply and...
Victor 9000 and...
IMSAI 8080!
IMSAI MPU-A (Rev 4) 8080A CPU card
IMSAI SIO (Rev 3) Serial card
DCHayes Modem (I am assuming 300baud...S100!)
Disk Jockey 2D/B 8" drive card (and some 8" drive...I forget the
manufacturer)
(4) Digital Research Company Memory Boards (I think each one is 16K)
All manuals/schematics/notes plus some extra IMSAI fron panel overlays
All this from the original owner for $100. What a bargain.
Ok, this guy is cool. First of all, to you guys complaining that you
never get anything good, here's the message I posted on my local forsale
newsgroup which brought about this acquisition:
---BEGIN USENET MESSAGE---
> First edition K&R
I ahve stapled version with bell labs technical report #31 "the C
programming language" by D.M. Richie, and M.E. lesk. october 1975
it has hand scribbles re: tiny C as it was part of communication with
Jon Gibson.
Got it back around 79 while visiting Bell labs homdel on a business call.
No offers acepted as it's my working copy for C and my bible!
Allison
Thought this may be of interest to some of you. His email address should be
Mikeooo1(a)aol.com
Lou
Subj: Aim 65 single board micro
Date: 97-06-16 16:20:52 EDT
From: Mikeooo1
I have several Aim 65's in new condition,a hot item in the 80's it was the
precursor to the pc.Features a single board microprocessor complete with
display,printer,keyboard,power supply,with a 6502 cpu.Fully functional but
also a nice collector's item.
(Embedded
image moved dastar @ crl.com
to file: 06/15/97 03:49 PM
PIC18303.PCX)
Please respond to classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu
To: classiccmp @ u.washington.edu
cc: (bcc: Clark Geisler/NORTEL-NSM)
Subject: Re: Victor 9000
Sam wrote:
>1979? The Victor 9000 came out in 1985/86 according to previous
>discussions. Indeed it would have been the "technological cutting edge"
>in 1979, and for quite some time as it would have pre-dated the computer
>it was supposed to be semi-compatible with.
I recall seeing Victor 9000's newly installed in a computer lab at the
University of British Columbia in 1983.
(Embedded
image moved ard12 @ eng.cam.ac.uk
to file: 06/15/97 02:14 PM
PIC24988.PCX)
Please respond to classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu
To: classiccmp @ u.washington.edu
cc: (bcc: Clark Geisler/NORTEL-NSM)
Subject: Re: Terak 8510a
>Talking of obscure PDP11-related machines, has anyone else ever come
>across the Tektronix 8530 etc systems. These machines were sold as micro
>development systems and lived in 2 racks - one contained an LSI11 (or
>PDP11/23) CPU card + RAM + disk controller + I/O + drives (either a couple
>of 8" floppies or one floppy and a Micropolis 1200 hard disk), while the
>other contained the development options -- in-circuit emulators, logic
>analyser, EPROM programmer, etc. They ran either a much-hacked RT11 or a
>much-hacked Unix.
This sounds a lot like a system I saw installed new at my alma mater
(University of British Columbia) my graduation year (1983). It was a
Tektronix
development system with LSI11 CPU running UNIX. There were a number
of terminals attached, and it was used to teach computer process control
concepts to non-computer eng. types. I remember seeing various pumps and
tanks connected to it.
I never used it seriously myself, but just logged on to play with it: this
was the
first Unix system I had seen. I wasn't very impressed with it at the time:
whenever I used the 'man' program, the pages would just scroll up the
screen
(no pause), then it cleared the screen, leaving the prompt.
Clark Geisler
'just have an Amiga 1000 and a VAX 11/730'
I'm so excited...this is my first post to this great group.
In 1981 I left NCR to work for Victor (Canada) Limited to organize a tech
support team and assist a calculator saleforce become successful sellers of
microcomputers - namely the Victor 9000 or Vickie as it came to be called.
The Victor 9000 came out in 1982. It was produced by a company called Sirius
Computer Corp. Mr. Chuck Peddle designed the 9000 and ran Sirius. Peddle had
preivously worked for Commodre and designed the PET. By golly, before that
he worked on the 6502 chip (the CPU in early Apples).
Now here's more corporate geneology stuff. Victor used to be called Victor
Comptometer. It was owned by the Victor family of Chicago and was bought-out
by the Kidde Corp a conglomerate. Kidde also invested in Sirius.
The 9000 was a machine designed for people. It came with a non-glare
monochrome monitor on a tilt and swivel-base - hey we're talking 1981 here!
It had an ergonomically-considerate keyboard, small footprint, and oh yah,
it had a voice chip on the motherboard. The last step of POST (power-on,
self-test) was the 9000 telling you "Hello, I am a Victor 9000." I get a
kick out of listening to the Comdex 1990 keynote speech by Bill Gates (the
one when he announced the Information at Your Fingertips campaign), because
he declared that someday computers will have voice-digitization on the
motherboard. Did you hear that Chuck?
Unforunately the 9000 didn't last long. Sirius had grand plans to become the
next IBM, they absorbed Victor, sold lots of machines (a single order of
4000 to Ford Motors), then promptly went bankrupt. Victor Canada was closed
down in the mid-1980s.
The 9000 came in two cases. Early (first) models housed the processor in a
rectangular case. Later models used a niffty angular case. I don't know if
voice digitization made it into the angular case.
My 9000 occupies a place in my subcollection of Unique Systems - systems
that were, well let's say they were ahead of their times. Other machines
here include the Lisa, Workslate, Hyperion, Star, Apple III, DG/One, etc.
Hope this helps you, I know it sure was fun for me.
Yours in good faith.
>Hello!
>
>I have a Victor 9000, cheap to good home. The technological cutting edge in
>1979, it has a keyboard that includes a 1/2 and 1/4 key, a wonderfully
>massive dot matrix printer, and a version of Wordstar that is truly hideous.
> Plus other software. The thing seems to run on DOS 1.25. It has been in my
>garage for years, and I hate to see such a monstrosity go without victims.
> Is there someone out there who would like to have it? Please respond to
>MoeHoward1(a)aol.com or David.Stevens(a)pgw.com.
>
>
At 06:21 AM 6/16/97 +0000, you wrote:
>Aaaah! That's more like it! What I meant was the home video game
>console. Now back to the original question: does anybody know where I
>can get a photo of it or at least a description). Thank you
>
>enrico
Enrico,
Try this site. It has a picture of an atari pong machine:
http://members.aol.com/cvendel/vaporware.html
Hope this helps.
Isaac Davis | Don't throw out that old computer,
idavis(a)comland.com | check out the Classic Computer Rescue List -
indavis(a)juno.com | http://www.comland.com/~idavis/classic/classic.html
>
> I don't know if I have any of the Pong advertisements or not, but I most
> likely have something close. It is pretty easy to recognize as the
> cabinet was about 27" or so wide, about 30" deep, and stood somewhere
> around 6 feet high.
Pong had a monitor?!? I didn't know that.
I have Atari's Pong here which is just the console.
First video game we ever got. I plan to pull it out of retirement for
a 1970's party being planned.
Hmm, I'd like to find a pic of that 6ft beast myself.
Marc
--
>> ANIME SENSHI <<
Marc D. Williams
marcw(a)lightside.com
marc.williams(a)mb.fidonet.org
IRC Nick: Senshi Channel: #dos
http://www.agate.net/~tvdog/internet.html -- DOS Internet Tools
Doeas anybody have a photograph of "PONG" the first video game ever? Or
where I can find one? I have never seen it and I don't know how it looks
like so I will not be able to recognize it if I ever bump into one.
Thanks
enrico
--
================================================================
Enrico Tedeschi, 54, Easthill Drive, BRIGHTON BN41 2FD, U.K.
tel/fax +(0)1273 701650 (24 hours) or 0850 104725 mobile
website <http://www.ndirect.co.uk/~e.tedeschi>
================================================================
visit Brighton: <http://www.brighton.co.uk/tourist/welcome.htm>
In a message dated 97-06-12 22:38:21 EDT, marvin(a)rain.org (Marvin) wrote:
> Back when the Atari 400 was introduced, I got hooked on Space Invaders.
> I found the Atari and other Joysticks to be a complete waste when it
> came to playing Space Invaders .....
Why didn't you use the Atari paddles?
