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

by manney＠nwohio.com

Ya wanna get rid of it? manney(a)nwohio.com > possibly the TI-2500. i have one from the old college days - vintage early > 70's; definitely preceded the SR models. it is tan and has the label > "Datamath" next to the TI logo. 4-banger, no memory. perhaps most > recognizable by the orange "=" key in the lower right. So did the TI SR-10, IIRC

28 years, 4 months

1
0
0 0

Past Computer Manufacturers (fwd from mailbase)

by chemif＠mbox.queen.it

At 08:16 12/02/98 -0600, you wrote: >> EXATRON Stringy floppy (used tiny carts with 1/8" wide tape) > ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ >I remember those. They were about the only mass storage you could >get for the ZX-81 IIRC. Didn't know they were continuous loop. SINCLAIR made endless tape "MICRODRIVE" for the ZX Spectrum >> There are at least two that used modified 8track drives. Forgot their >> names. I tried 8tr for data, it was ok but the wait even for a 3minutes >> loop was painful. > >They wouldn't seem practical for on-line storage; I was thinking more >for archival applications. Of course, the $600+ pricetags for the >FDD's available at the time were painful in of themselves. TRUE was a small upgrade comparing to the tape speed. Riccardo ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ? Riccardo Romagnoli,collector of:CLASSIC COMPUTERS,TELETYPE UNITS,PHONE ? ? AND PHONECARDS I-47100 Forli'/Emilia-Romagna/Food Valley/ITALY ? ? Pager:DTMF PHONES=+39/16888(hear msg.and BEEP then 5130274*YOUR TEL.No.* ? ? where*=asterisk key | help visit http://www.tim.it/tldrin_eg/tlde03.html ? ? e-mail=chemif(a)mbox.queen.it ? ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

28 years, 4 months

1
0
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System/34 once again

by maxeskin＠hotmail.com

It now looks like I might at least get the manuals and so on for the thing, I don't know about actually running it. What I am wondering is if it's actually worth it. If I go ahead, it will be my first experience with a non-microcomputer. Is using this thing something I could learn from and be interested in, or is it something you would roll your eyes and groan over? Could someone who has used the thing tell me what it's like? Is its OS very system-level or does it have some degree of ease of use? ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com

28 years, 4 months

2
1
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Are We Not Men? (& Women?) [OT^2] (Was Re: PDP-8/Es available [NOT!]) (fwd)

by wirehead＠retrocomputing.com

I think the following says all that need be said about this debate. I received it from Mr. Ismail this evening. Anthony Clifton - Wirehead ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Sun, 25 Jan 1998 17:12:53 -0800 (PST) From: Sam Ismail <dastar(a)wco.com> To: Wirehead Prime <wirehead(a)www.retrocomputing.com> Subject: Re: Are We Not Men? (& Women?) [OT^2] (Was Re: PDP-8/Es available [NOT!]) On Sun, 25 Jan 1998, Wirehead Prime wrote: > My mail server must have been down the day you were put in charge. I, > for one, would like to hear Mr Whitson's comments on this matter. Mr. Whitson doesn't have to comment on the matter as he already has, IN THE MANNER OF A FAQ WHICH CLEARLY EXPLAINS WHAT IS AND IS NOT ACCEPTABLE DISCUSSION FOR THIS GROUP. Any drug addled moron can determine from the FAQ that the last five days of you blowing your wad over yourself is not what is considered on-topic for a discussion group on CLASSIC COMPUTERS. > Clearly there is a question of interpretation here and, seeing as how I've > received no warnings or chastisements directly from Bill or from anyone > else for that matter, I'll assume > that your opinion is either that of the minority or differs from his to > such a degree that it isn't worth the bits wasted in its transmission. No, its really just that Bill is too busy to police the discussion. Otherwise, I'm sure he'd be objecting. Your "interpretation" of what belongs in this discussion must be based on the "This-is-my-life" FAQ, because nowhere in the FAQ does it say that what you've been discussing in acceptable. It is my interpretation that anyone who would violate the rules of the FAQ so blatantly as you have is a total ass. > I suspect that you would do well to discard your copy of _Roberts Rules of > Order_ and procure a copy of _When Anger Hurts_. A (wo)man's > maturity is > defined not so much by his principles and unwavering rigidity in the face > of that which offends him as it is by the depth of his patience and his > tolerance for others in spite of his dissatisfaction with their behavior. My god, what is your problem? Don't quote any passages from some fucken self-help book to me. Please. I'd suspect that you'd do much better to read the ClassicCmp FAQ over and over until it registers with you. > As I've said, I am not only confident but resolute that the > aforementioned discussion WAS, indeed, within the parameters set forth > for the group...IE the discussion of computer collecting, which is driven > by various motivations which are worthy of discussion in and of > themselves inasmuch as they reveal why one may wish to collect one sort > of computer over another or collect computers at all and recognizing that > we all need some reassurance, from time to time, that computer collecting > is not merely a deviance or eccentricity. Yeah, that would be all fine and dandy if that is what you were discussing, but the fact is, you were telling us all about how you never went to college, you started an ISP, you became relatively successful with it, you make twice the median income of your state, you married a beautiful woman, you think drugs are bad, blah blah blah. So what!? What does THAT have to do with collecting computers? You claim to be making some point about the motivation for collecting computers, but where was it? I think your point was more to brag about your accomplishment, which I really couldn't care less about, considering: a) I don't know you, and thus don't care and b) this is not a discussion group for talking about how good we feel about ourselves. > You reveal yourself in your words and the manner in which you convey > them. Should chastisement rain down upon me by the TRUE powers that be, > then I will accept such knowing that I did so as a mature adult and not as a > sniveling whiner. I will know that however just or unjust such If you were a "mature adult" you'd realize you are out of order and would police yourself. Think about it...only a child need be chastised for breaking rules. Why not act your physical, rather than mental, age. > judgement may be, many will recognize my sincerity and respect me for > my forthright and honest nature and my respect for others. But I will NOT Blah blah blah. There you go blowing yourself again. Thus proving my point that all you are interested in is promoting yourself. Go put up a web page about yourself if you think you're such a fantastic guy. I think the only thing people will realize in this case is that you are obscenely off-topic. > accept condescension or judgement from YOU so descend from your horse and > stand amongst men (and women) as an equal rather than a self-appointed > proclaimer of what is worthy and what is unworthy of discussion. How dramatic. Are you for real? > As for your threat of spamming, it carries little weight here as it will > result in the implementation of various hacks which function to deny > incoming mail from specific mail servers or from specific addresses. How impressive. Sam Alternate e-mail: dastar(a)siconic.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Computer Historian, Programmer, Musician, Philosopher, Athlete, Writer, Jackass Coming Soon...Vintage Computer Festival 2.0 See http://www.siconic.com/vcf for details!

28 years, 4 months

6
7
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disk equals license

by jfoust＠threedee.com

John Higginbotham <higginbo(a)netpath.net> wrote: >If I then came across a higher version for that >product and it was cheaper if you already owned a previous version (say it >takes the older version disk to upgrade to newer, then I'd expect to pay >the cheaper price, because it is upgrading the program found on my original >set of install disks, that I rightfully own. You might hope to pay the lower upgrade price, but Autodesk will surely tell you that you have someone else's copy, and without a letter of transfer, they won't sell you an upgrade. Or if the copy had already been upgraded, they'll transfer you to their anti-piracy department. >I look at it this way: If someone throws away the disks, they are giving up >their license to use the product. Not if they upgraded. It may seem ridiculous of me to pretend for the sake of argument that these disks came from a dumpster, but that's in fact the way a lot of us collectors get our stuff. :-) >I'm sure any cold blooded lawyer worth his salt could tear down my logic >and send me to the big house for having those disks and running them, but >how many would take the time, effort and money to try? That doesn't sit right with me. I don't think I should be able to reproduce someone else's software just because they can't catch me. If you have that lawyer's phone number, ask about if there are any conditions under which copyright can expire apart from the mandated number of years of protection. To help keep this on-topic, I have tried to persuade the UCSD licensing department to allow me to reproduce the Terak version of the P-System. They did once grant a right to a TI-99 user group to reproduce a P-System cartridge. I didn't have much luck because they didn't want to offend the current sole non-exclusive license holder, who is trying to sell the P-System as an alternative to Java in set-top boxes. Good luck, guys. :-) - John Jefferson Computer Museum <http://www.threedee.com/jcm>

28 years, 4 months

5
4
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first bug was a myth

by manney＠nwohio.com

> I seem to remember a certain species of cockroach that was quite fond of > wire insulation... I really doubt that, sincd cockroaches eat human food. (Termites, maybe?) My brother usta work in an abandoned building. His screen went funny, and he looked down -- a rat large enough to require a driver's license was gnawing on the cable. (This was over 10 years ago, just to _pretend_ to keep this on topic).

28 years, 4 months

4
3
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Apricot F1 - help, please!

by adavie＠mad.scientist.com

Having just obtained a 1984 Apricot F1 computer (and a lovely looking machine they are!) I find I can only get to the ROM boot stage. Onscreen, I have Aprictot F1, a floppy icon, a chip icon, a hand pointing down, an arrow pointing up, and thats about it. The arrow and hand are flashing. When I place disks in the drive, it spins for a bit and places an X and a number on the screen. Numbers I've seen are 4, 8 and 99. So... any proud Apricot owners out there who can help me out? I'd love to see this one go. The keyboard, by the way, is infra red - and working just fine. The mouse (I don't have one - its shown in the manuals) is actually a handheld trackball - that is, you spin it with your fingers - and its the size of mmmh.... well I guess a bread roll is a good approximation. Neat. I'll do an image of it if there is any interest. Any help appreciated. Cheers Andrew

28 years, 4 months

2
1
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disk equals license

by photze＠batelco.com.bh

OK, what if people simply called up the maker of the software, told them how they got it, etc. and gave them info that they have. Chances are, that they'll either tell you to do whatever, or they'll be too busy with other things to care, and just tell you to keep it, etc. Or, they could tell you just to put it back where you found it, but you've given it your best. Tim D. Hotze -----Original Message----- From: John Foust <jfoust(a)threedee.com> To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers <classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu> Date: Thursday, February 12, 1998 6:56 PM Subject: Re: disk equals license >John Higginbotham <higginbo(a)netpath.net> wrote: >>If I then came across a higher version for that >>product and it was cheaper if you already owned a previous version (say it >>takes the older version disk to upgrade to newer, then I'd expect to pay >>the cheaper price, because it is upgrading the program found on my original >>set of install disks, that I rightfully own. > >You might hope to pay the lower upgrade price, but Autodesk will surely >tell you that you have someone else's copy, and without a letter of transfer, >they won't sell you an upgrade. Or if the copy had already been upgraded, >they'll transfer you to their anti-piracy department. > >>I look at it this way: If someone throws away the disks, they are giving up >>their license to use the product. > >Not if they upgraded. It may seem ridiculous of me to pretend for the sake >of argument that these disks came from a dumpster, but that's in fact the >way a lot of us collectors get our stuff. :-) > >>I'm sure any cold blooded lawyer worth his salt could tear down my logic >>and send me to the big house for having those disks and running them, but >>how many would take the time, effort and money to try? > >That doesn't sit right with me. I don't think I should be able to >reproduce someone else's software just because they can't catch me. >If you have that lawyer's phone number, ask about if there are >any conditions under which copyright can expire apart from the >mandated number of years of protection. > >To help keep this on-topic, I have tried to persuade the UCSD licensing >department to allow me to reproduce the Terak version of the P-System. >They did once grant a right to a TI-99 user group to reproduce a >P-System cartridge. I didn't have much luck because they didn't >want to offend the current sole non-exclusive license holder, who >is trying to sell the P-System as an alternative to Java in set-top >boxes. Good luck, guys. :-) > >- John >Jefferson Computer Museum <http://www.threedee.com/jcm> >

28 years, 4 months

1
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The Vintage Computer Library grows...

by jfoust＠threedee.com

Sam Ismail <dastar(a)wco.com> wrote: >I found a California Access "Bodega Bay". It's an Amiga 500 >expansion chassis! >Does anyone have any solid technical information on this? Unfortunately >in all the books and manuals I brought home not one was for this thing. Sure, I've got all the Amiga developer conference notes and developer packets from Commodore in the basement, including the rare Janus (Bridgeboard) programming guide, if you find a Bridgeboard. Circa 1987, I was technical editor of an Amiga magazine and was once known as "the father of Amiga journalism." :-) I stopped paying close attention around 1991, though. There's plenty of info on the web - just start entering keywords into www.hotbot.com and www.dejanews.com and you'll find more than you want to know. >I remember last >year picking up a California Access 3.5" floppy drive with a DB-25 >connector, and now I know what it went to! They sold external Amiga floppies that could be used on any model of Amiga - but its floppy port has 23 pins, not 25. - John Jefferson Computer Museum <http://www.threedee.com/jcm>

28 years, 4 months

1
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first bug was a myth

by adavie＠mad.scientist.com

>The programmer was Grace Hopper (later to become Admiral). Rear-Admiral, I think.

28 years, 4 months

2
1
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Past Computer Manufacturers (fwd from mailbase)

by allisonp＠world.std.com

<8-Track was such a corporate 'Soap Opera'. I'm a little bit <surprised that endless loop recording wasn't used much for computer <data back then. You missed something then. EXATRON Stringy floppy (used tiny carts with 1/8" wide tape) There are at least two that used modified 8track drives. Forgot their names. I tried 8tr for data, it was ok but the wait even for a 3minutes loop was painful. Allison

28 years, 4 months

2
1
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No Subject

by Marty＠itgonline.com

Re: Early PC kit mfgr? If I'm not mistaken this sounds like the MITS (Altair 8800) story. An excellent source of information relating to early pc history can be found in the book 'Hackers' by Steven Levy, published in 1984. It was available in paperback (mine is falling apart). Marty Mintzell

28 years, 4 months

1
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No Subject

by Marty＠itgonline.com

Re: Possible source for parts Now that the Psychic Hotline so fervently pitched by Dionne Warwick has filed for bankruptcy (go figure > these were the REAL PSYCHICS, not those other phony ones) I suppose we should expect to see infomercials for 'The Gold Recovery Expert' on late night cable. I can't wait. Anyway, I don't think this guy is a crook, just another gold digger. I agree with Zane, don't expect to get any spare parts from this guy unless you want to pay by the Troy ounce. For a reputable scrap dealer look under scrap/salvage in your local yellow pages. Marty Mintzell

28 years, 4 months

1
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Disk problems/questions.

by allisonp＠world.std.com

<Yes, the head widths are different, but I have always been under the <impression that using the /f or /f:360 switch with format changes the wri <current on the drive to adjust for the different coercitivity (sp?) of th Assuming the drive/controller are correctly configured. My FD55Gs have three different jumpers for write current, speed and a dual function one. Of course the media must match the write current/speeds. The narrower head is a big factor as it is optimized for a narrower track and the gap dimensions are tuned a bit for that. When I first encounterd it I could not understand it and then I O'scoped a pair of drives and the read on a 360k(48tpi) drive data from a track written on a 96tpi and the data waveforms were terrible. Too much noise from the periphery of the adjacent track and effectively less than half the magnetic strength imparted on the read head. Having played seriously with magnetics the media and head do have to be matched. This however does not solve the posters question. My cut on that is if the media was created on a know good 360k drive and it doesn't read right on a unknown drive, one of them is broken. ;) Allison

28 years, 4 months

2
1
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Disk problems/questions.

by bmpete＠swbell.net

I have encountered a puzzling problem and hope for some insight; I've been trying to verify my box of DSDD floppy drives (On-topically >10 years old) so I set up a 386DX-33 (Consider it a perpiperal to my older systems) After configuring B: to 360KB, I can format/verify a diskette. When I run Norton DD, (Ver. 6.01, IIRC) it says the disk, and I assume the drive, is/are fine. When I run Scandisk (MSDOS 6.22) it says the Media Descriptor Byte is wrong and warns of dire consequences. It also says the FAT copy is wrong! I check the Media Descriptor byte, before and after Scandisk fixes it, and it's always $FD. Does Scandisk have a bug WRT 360KB disks? I'm tempted to ignore it, but... _______________ Barry Peterson bmpete(a)swbell.net Husband to Diane, Father to Doug, Grandfather to Zoe and Tegan.

28 years, 4 months

3
4
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Real hackers

by photze＠batelco.com.bh

><From CLASSICCMP-owner(a)u.washington.edu Wed Feb 11 17:59:22 1998 > ><People try, but the age of hacking is gone. Right now, there is just ><nothing exciting in the computing industry. Wait till holographic ><memory, and so on. As for people who think that they are "hackers" and > >You got to be kidding. Just look around the edges at things like >autonomus robots and navagation to suggest a few. Theres plenty to be >done. Yes, and one of the most evedeint (to me) is Artificial Intelligence. If they're programmers that can do it, they'll probably be hackers. And, you can tie that in with robotics, etc. to make a true human-computer interface, something which could completely revolutionize what we're doing, or, better yet, trying to do.

28 years, 4 months

1
0
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disk equals license

by higginbo＠netpath.net

At 09:23 PM 2/11/98 -0600, you wrote: >It really depends upon the company, I imagine, but I support the notion >that if your dumpster set is the last version purchased for that license, >(i.e., the former owner hasn't upgraded and is no longer using the program) >then sure, you can upgrade it. If, however, that's not the last version, >then it is not a valid version. But if you don't know if it is the latest version on that license, is it really hurting the company? If I'm dumpster diving for this stuff, it stands to reason that I wouldn't normally buy that same product in the store. >eliminate any of those, you can reduce the price. Downloading software >with on-line manuals eliminates the media and packaging cost, so that is >often cheaper. That's one thing that gets me: Software coming out today with no manuals still cost the same ammount when first released as earlier manual included packages. >The SPA has done that -- to set examples. But realistically, I wouldn't >worry about it. I never do. :) -John Higginbotham- -limbo.netpath.net-

28 years, 4 months

1
0
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disk equals license

by sinasohn＠ricochet.net

At 12:24 PM 2/11/98 -0500, you wrote: >Sounds legit to me. If I found a disk set of Autodesk 3d Studio in the >dumpster, just the disks, no manuals, I'd sure as heck use it, but wouldn't >expect any company support. If I then came across a higher version for that >product and it was cheaper if you already owned a previous version (say it >takes the older version disk to upgrade to newer, then I'd expect to pay >the cheaper price, because it is upgrading the program found on my original It really depends upon the company, I imagine, but I support the notion that if your dumpster set is the last version purchased for that license, (i.e., the former owner hasn't upgraded and is no longer using the program) then sure, you can upgrade it. If, however, that's not the last version, then it is not a valid version. As I see it, there is a reason for offering an upgrade discount. The cost of a piece of software is made up of several things: development costs, media/packaging costs, support costs, and (of course) profit. If you can eliminate any of those, you can reduce the price. Downloading software with on-line manuals eliminates the media and packaging cost, so that is often cheaper. If you sell a piece of software to someone who already knows how to use it, you can budget a lower support cost, hence the upgrade price. Fishing a set of disks out of the dumpster does not necessarily reduce your expected support needs; in some cases it may (hey, if you're dumpster diving for software, you're probably not a newbie) and in some cases, it might increase your need for support ("I installed this software, but it won't run" [three hours later] "oh, you're missing the frobnitzer disk. I'll send it to you."). (Note that making your software compatible with XYZ, the most popular program can reduce support needs as well, hence the competitive upgrade idea.) >I'm sure any cold blooded lawyer worth his salt could tear down my logic >and send me to the big house for having those disks and running them, but >how many would take the time, effort and money to try? The SPA has done that -- to set examples. But realistically, I wouldn't worry about it. --------------------------------------------------------------------- O- Uncle Roger "There is pleasure pure in being mad roger(a)sinasohn.com that none but madmen know." Roger Louis Sinasohn & Associates San Francisco, California http://www.crl.com/~sinasohn/

28 years, 4 months

1
0
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Slipsticks and calculators and a clock

by allisonp＠world.std.com

<At 16:37 2/4/98 -0500, Allison wrote: <><>My first one was the SR-10...the <><>"wedge". $110, IIRC....Was that TI's first? <> <>Not by a long shot. The first was in late '71 and went for about $140 <>(8digit 4banger). I had one going into EE school. < <But that WAS the SR-10. No it was not. the sr-10 was two years later and wedge shaped. This was barely pocket sized and not wedge shaped. the sr10 has a few things this one didn't like constant. I also have an SR11. Allison

28 years, 4 months

2
1
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Early PC kit mfgr?

by wpe＠interserv.com

Someone related a story to me about a company (now defunct, and he couldn't remember the name) in the Southwest, that manufactured calculators... Supposedly, in an effort to obtain a loan (and thus, stave off bankruptcy), they told a lending institution that they wanted to "manufacture computers for the home hobbyist market, in kit form"... Supposedly, word got out, and they received copious orders (which I presume (never got the details)) they couldn't fill... Anybody know the "story behind the story", or was this guy "snowing" me? Will

28 years, 4 months

1
0
0 0

Real hackers

by allisonp＠world.std.com

<From CLASSICCMP-owner(a)u.washington.edu Wed Feb 11 17:59:22 1998 <People try, but the age of hacking is gone. Right now, there is just <nothing exciting in the computing industry. Wait till holographic <memory, and so on. As for people who think that they are "hackers" and You got to be kidding. Just look around the edges at things like autonomus robots and navagation to suggest a few. Theres plenty to be done. Allison

28 years, 4 months

1
0
0 0

Past Computer Manufacturers (fwd from mailbase)

by engine＠chac.org

>Organization: The University of Huddersfield HEC >Date: Wed, 11 Feb 1998 17:08:31 +0100 >Subject: Past Computer Manufacturers >From: "P.ATKINSON" <sdespa(a)pegasus.hud.ac.uk> > >I am currently working on a paper looking at the development of the >designed form of the office computer, and to that end am trying to >find out if certain computer manufacturers still exist or if not, what >happened to them. If anyone has any idea I would be grateful, as I >have to try to contact them in order to obtain copyright clearance. > >The companies concerned are: > >Muldivo >Sanders >Lear Siegler (Data Dynamics) >Kienzle >Mael >Torch > >Hope someone can help [and if anybody can, we can.... ;-) -- kc] >Paul Atkinson __________________________________________ Kip Crosby engine(a)chac.org http://www.chac.org/index.html Computer History Association of California

28 years, 4 months

4
5
0 0

Real hackers

by maxeskin＠hotmail.com

>I always thought it was a desire to _attain_ knowledge and apply it. > ^^^^^^ > Technology = applied knowledge, therefore a desire to attain knowledge and use technology. Now, unfortunately, people know that there is no reason to make a good product because a) Noone makes good products b) They won't be proud of it anyway because the product won't be noticed in the face of estabilished stuff. People try, but the age of hacking is gone. Right now, there is just nothing exciting in the computing industry. Wait till holographic memory, and so on. As for people who think that they are "hackers" and all they can do is use a Wardialer, I think they just need to feel proud of something they do. These are mainly people who have no other way of supporting themselves morally/emotionally. As the Unabomber would say, "They have a disruption in their power process". What really doesn't help is the "Hackers Manifesto", which pretends to imply that the hackers are "fighting for a cause" of "freedom of information". If you ask me, these "modern", "new age" ideas of freedom and community will invariably lead to either something like the USSR or the USA. The USSR is unquestionably a disaster in so many ways, and the USA is, in my opinion, getting there. Ok, kiddies, back on topic now... :) ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com

28 years, 4 months

1
0
0 0

Off topic, but a decent question...

by manney＠nwohio.com

Check that the partition is active (use FDISK). Have you checked it for a virus? manney(a)nwohio.com

28 years, 4 months

1
0
0 0

first bug was a myth

by manney＠nwohio.com

This is not the origin of the term "bug". My source sez that it was in use at least as far back as Edison's time. > Can anyone confirm this is the origin of the term "bug"?

28 years, 4 months

1
0
0 0

Off topic, but a decent question

by Marty＠itgonline.com

When you do a dir C: can you read what was originally on the hdd prior to the upgrade attempt? If so, try booting with a DOS 5.0 boot diskette which contains sys.com in A:, then copy command.com to C: and do a SYS C: from A: as well. This might get this system bootable again. On the other hand, if you can access your original data, now would be a good time to back it up. Good Luck. Marty Mintzell

28 years, 4 months

1
0
0 0

Off topic, but a decent question...

by DSEAGRAV＠toad.xkl.com

We just gave a teacher a Magnavox Headstart 486SX PC. It has a large yellow sticker on the back that reads "DO NOT FORMAT THE HARDDISK". So what do you think he did? :-) Tried upgrading DOS. (5.0 > 6.2) Dos says, "Wanna format the harddisk?" User says "OK, Whatever..." Now we have a dead PC. It will boot off the floppy, it will do dir C:, but it refuses to boot from the harddisk. I'm thinking they hid something proprietary in the bootsector. Anyone else know anything? We have no docs for it, but there's another PC like it in the building somewhere, I have to go find it... Would it fix my problem if I were to get the partition table off the other (good) machine and write it to this one, would that fix it? We already laplinked it to another Magnavox Headstart and tried transferring everything back, that finished OK but still won't boot. I'm getting ready to hand the guy a bootdisk and say "Here, you have to boot from that..." -------

28 years, 4 months

3
2
0 0

Apple II info ?

by fmc＠reanimators.org

Sam Ismail <dastar(a)wco.com> wrote: > The Grappler was without RAM buffer. The Grappler+ had the 64K RAM. I > should know...Power Demon I (my souped-up //e with 3.3Mhz accelerator, 1MB > RAM, 20MB HD...) had one. The Grappler/Grappler+ thing came to mind, but I came across a Grappler+ a couple of months ago, had the presence of mind to note it as such in my inventory, and don't remember there being any obvious RAM on it. That probably says more about my memory than about any on the card though, and I can't remember whether the Grappler I had in my old ][+ was a + or not, just that it didn't have RAM. Whatever it is, it's a parallel printer interface. > > > > CableTV kludge to a "SUP 'R' MOD CH.33 TV Interface Unit ?? > But there was a necessity for Apple to ship one with every Apple ][ as > Kip's message alluded to. Right around the time was when the FCC started > laying down the law with regards to computer emissions. I'll have to > look-up the specific why's but I know that's the basic gist of it. Huh? The necessity was that there be some way to hook a ][ up to a TV set, because not having to buy a monitor kept the overall cost of the ][ down for the many people who were willing to do that. But designing an RF modulator in meant more work, time, money (and hence a later, more expensive product) to get the sort of FCC certification required for devices that are expected to produce RF. Read what Kip wrote again: K>The Sup'r Mod was the RF demodulator that one of the Steves talked Marty K>Spergel into making as a third-party product, because then the Apple II K>could be marketed under a much less stringent FCC restriction. As you might K>imagine, Marty got passably rich. What Apple did was to get someone else to make and sell the RF modulator. They didn't make it, they didn't sell it, and the ][ worked fine without it (using a monitor with composite video input) so when they went for FCC type acceptance they didn't have to include it. Of course, something needed to happen to make sure that all those prospective ][ buyers knew what they needed to get to hook the ][ up to the TV, and that it was readily available to them. Kip? Care to shed any light on how this was accomplished? Anyway, I installed a brand-new Sup'R'Mod in my then brand-new ][+ before I turned it on for the first time, and I expect I wasn't the only one who did, so you can't take the presence of a Sup'R'Mod as an indication that what's in front of you is a ][ as opposed to a ][+. -Frank McConnell

28 years, 4 months

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BYTE Magazine

by Marty＠itgonline.com

I am in search of BYTE Magazine from Issue #1 until December 1977. Does anyone know where I might find these for sale and what a reasonable price would be to pay? Thanks- Marty Mintzell email: marty(a)itgonline.com

28 years, 4 months

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Apple CMS SCSI jumper info

by rcini＠email.msn.com

I just got a CMS SCSI card for my Apple // computer, but it came without a manual. Does anyone have info on the jumper settings? TIA! ------------------------------------------------- Rich Cini/WUGNET <nospam_rcini(a)msn.com> (remove nospam_ to use) - ClubWin Charter Member (6) - MCP Windows 95/Windows Networking

28 years, 4 months

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VMS distribution?

by jfoust＠threedee.com

Joe <rigdonj(a)intellistar.net> wrote: >>OK, let's say I pull an old PC and some boxes out of a dumpster, and >>there's a set of original AutoCAD Release 9 disks. By your rule, how >>can I tell if I own a legit copy or not? > > Real simple. It they're original disks then it's a legit copy! Doesn't >matter if it came from a dumpster or not. No, it's not necessarily a legit copy. Autodesk sold one license of the software, not one for each upgrade. You can't give away your old disks if you upgrade. Licenses do not multiply when you upgrade. >But unless you specificly agreed to that BEFORE you bought the software >they can't hold you to it. The shrink-wrapped "agreements" are completely >worthless. The US federal courts have made that ruling several times. Leaving aside your quick dismissal of swaths of software precedent, how exactly do you define "separate, licensed copies of software"? Your "disk equals license" rule seems far too wishy-washy to me. What's special about a disk? Are you saying that every copy a company sends you is a separate "copy" that can be given away? - John Jefferson Computer Museum <http://www.threedee.com/jcm>

28 years, 4 months

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first bug was a myth

by IVIE＠cc.usu.edu

> Or maybe a moth. > One of my favourite pictures - but is this a myth as WELL as a moth? > http://wwwcsif.cs.ucdavis.edu/~csclub/museum/items/first_bug.html > Can anyone confirm this is the origin of the term "bug"? > Its a nice site for Classic computer collectors, anyway. A few years ago someone wrote a letter to the editor of Scientific American about this moth. The letter quoted a letter from Thomas Edison which uses "bug" in this way and explains the term. The moth can at most claim to be the first time a bug was caused by a _real_ bug. Roger Ivie ivie(a)cc.usu.edu

28 years, 4 months

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Mac hi-res monitor

by A_Finney＠wfi-inc.com

Sorry David, it's taken. It took about 5 minutes.... Cheers, Aaron 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). >> > >

28 years, 4 months

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The Vintage Computer Library grows...

by dastar＠wco.com

I added another 50+ volumes to the Vintage Computer Library today. A very ecclectic bunch of books, manuals, leaflets (no I didn't count the leaflets). I love collecting the books because in the dry times where I don't find much hardware they still can give that "what a find!" thrill, especially when you find a book from the 60's (or sometimes even the 50's!) on data processing or computer science with lots of nice pictures of old data processing gear. However, today's quick trip to the thrift store produced a very cool piece of hardware. I found a California Access "Bodega Bay". It's an Amiga 500 expansion chassis! First of all, Bodega Bay is a cute play on words, since that is also the name of a northern California coastal town, perhaps where this particular piece of hardware was manufactured. I remember last year picking up a California Access 3.5" floppy drive with a DB-25 connector, and now I know what it went to! The chassis is a desktop PC sized case. Inside there is a passive backplane with several slots. There are two cards occupying two of the slots. One is a memory board and the other is a hard disk controller. The chassis also houses an ST-225 hard drive. The 3.5" floppy was removed >from the A500 and re-installed inside the chassis. What is very interesting about the backplane is that it also seems to have 4 PC-style 16-bit slots. I only had an 8-bit card handy to try out but it fit perfectly in the "8-bit" portion of the slot. I am almost sure this unit could allow one to use IBM compatible hardware. Am I wrong about this? The passive backplane extends into a protrusion coming out the front of the chassis and plugs into the side expansion slot of the A500, which connects neatly to the chassis to form one unified computer system. Does anyone have any solid technical information on this? Unfortunately in all the books and manuals I brought home not one was for this thing. Sam Alternate e-mail: dastar(a)siconic.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Computer Historian, Programmer, Musician, Philosopher, Athlete, Writer, Jackass Coming Soon...Vintage Computer Festival 2.0 See http://www.siconic.com/vcf for details!

28 years, 4 months

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TRS 80 model II (fwd)

by siconic＠jasmine.psyber.com

I'm sure someone in the Toronto area would like to help Ennio out. Please respond directly to ennio.cellucci(a)Canada.Sun.COM in you're interested. Sam Alternate e-mail: dastar(a)wco.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Computer Historian, Programmer, Musician, Philosopher, Athlete, Writer, Jackass Coming soon...Vintage Computer Festival 2.0! See http://www.siconic.com/vcf for details ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Wed, 11 Feb 1998 10:14:33 -0500 From: ENNIO CELLUCCI <ennio.cellucci(a)Canada.Sun.COM> To: vcf(a)siconic.com Subject: TRS 80 model II Hi, I was hoping you could help me. I have an old TRS 80 model II I just don't have room for anymore. It comes with three BIG hard drives (physical size rather than storage capacity). Would you happen to know anyone in the Toronto area willing to give it a home? Thanks...Ennio

28 years, 4 months

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Mac hi-res monitor

by SUPRDAVE＠aol.com

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). >>

28 years, 4 months

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first bug was a myth

by adavie＠mad.scientist.com

Or maybe a moth. One of my favourite pictures - but is this a myth as WELL as a moth? http://wwwcsif.cs.ucdavis.edu/~csclub/museum/items/first_bug.html Can anyone confirm this is the origin of the term "bug"? Its a nice site for Classic computer collectors, anyway. Cheers Andrew

28 years, 4 months

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first bug was a myth

by higginbo＠netpath.net

At 09:35 AM 2/11/98 -0500, you wrote: >Yes, indeed the term "bug" is older than th earliest electrical computer. >As eveidence, one could check out some of the 1930s issues of QST (a >hamradio magazine), and the term shows up. If I could dig them out, I >could give you exact dates. I seem to remember a certain species of cockroach that was quite fond of wire insulation... - John Higginbotham - limbo.netpath.net

28 years, 4 months

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VMS distribution?

by jfoust＠threedee.com

Joe <rigdonj(a)intellistar.net> wrote: >If you have the original disk then that is normally considered proof >that you have a legal copy of the software. ... > You're trying to read too much into this. I never said the having one >copy of disks allowed you to have all the upgrades or newer versions. If >you have a set of original disks for XYZ v 1.0, then that is generally >considered proof of ownership of XYZ v 1.0 PERIOD. OK, let's say I pull an old PC and some boxes out of a dumpster, and there's a set of original AutoCAD Release 9 disks. By your rule, how can I tell if I own a legit copy or not? - John Jefferson Computer Museum <http://www.threedee.com/jcm>

28 years, 4 months

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I did it AGAIN!

by DSEAGRAV＠toad.xkl.com

Is there a command to make TOPS-20 kill something from the mail queue BEFORE it gets sent? That's really aggrivating(sp?) when you see so(a)and.so#Internet -- Queued and you realize that's NOT the intended reciever, and it sits in the queue for awhile before getting sent, and theoretically you COULD stop it but I can't figure out how... Go ahead and (all but Sam) disregard that! -------

28 years, 4 months

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VMS distribution?

by kroma＠worldnet.att.net

> >That depends on the terms of the license. A few years ago when I took >up an offer from Borland to upgrade Turbo C from version 1.5 to 2.0 I >asked them if I could sell on the old disks and manuals legally and they >said that they fully supported that course of action because it >increased their user base. > Now that would be just too logical, cut out this heresy. Next thing you know MS and Netscape will get along and PC's and Mac's will be compatible. -- Kirk

28 years, 4 months

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first bug was a myth

by allisonp＠world.std.com

<I saw what was supposed to be the first Bug at the Smithsonian last week <It was indeed a Moth and it was taped to a computer log sheet. < <George The machine was one of the early relay based machines where a "bug" in the contacts would indeed mess up execution. The programmer was Grace Hopper (later to become Admiral). Allison

28 years, 4 months

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Real hackers

by allisonp＠world.std.com

Personal point of view: <I always thought it was a desire and knowledge (and making use of same) I always thought it was a desire to _attain_ knowledge and apply it. ^^^^^^ Allison

28 years, 4 months

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GRiD Compass and Bubble Memory

by yowza＠yowza.com

I picked up a nice example of an old GRiD Compass 1100, the first, most rugged, and most beautifully rendered clamshell design laptop (1982). For the most part, it works great. But it won't boot. It wants to boot from it's internal bubble memory, a set of three Intel Magnetics 7110s. I queried MemTech, the company that acquired Intel Magnetics, and they'd like $400 a bubble to replace them, or, for $150, they'll try to "reseed" mine and fix the "bootloop". I'm not bubble savvy, and I would like to see this Compass live again. Any suggestions on how I can boot my bubbles? Are there any other 1100 owners out there that have a spare boot bubble bobbing about (sorry, it's late). Thanks, Doug

28 years, 4 months

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Apple II info ?

by fmc＠reanimators.org

Sam Ismail <dastar(a)wco.com> wrote: > On Mon, 9 Feb 1998, Lawrence Walker wrote: > > Grapple+ Printer Interface......... Serial, Parallel ?? > > A very nice parallel printer interface with a 64K buffer. Um, maybe. I'm pretty sure I remember the Grappler+ printer interfaces (like the ones I have) being parallel printer interfaces with no RAM buffer. > > CableTV kludge to a "SUP 'R' MOD CH.33 TV Interface Unit ?? > > This enabled Apple to comply the FCC requirements for a Class ? computing > device. This means you did in fact get an Apple ][ and not a ][+. Very > nice find, especially for a thrift store. No, it doesn't mean that. The Sup'R'Mod was sold separately, there was nothing to stop you putting one in a ][+, and there was no less reason to do so because the ][+ didn't have any more of an RF modulator in it than the ][. -Frank McConnell

28 years, 4 months

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VMS distribution?

by kroma＠worldnet.att.net

>>OK, let's say I pull an old PC and some boxes out of a dumpster, and >>there's a set of original AutoCAD Release 9 disks. By your rule, how >>can I tell if I own a legit copy or not? > > Real simple. It they're original disks then it's a legit copy! Doesn't >matter if it came from a dumpster or not. > Though some software manufactures would like you to officially transfer the license to a new party. It's usually buried in the fine print of the software agreement. -- Kirk

28 years, 4 months

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VMS distribution?

by allisonp＠world.std.com

< Actually, if they are an earlier version and the software has been <upgraded they should stay with the upgrade disk(s) and computer. If the <owner throws them out, he no longer has a legit software package. For example with VMS there are two types of kits, install and patch. An install is complete and installs the current version of which you must have a valid license key for. A patch kit is only those pieces upgraded and is tied to a specific version or set or sequential versions. So if some one tosses their V5.4 kit and installed 5.6 or 6.1 those are seperate kits. If they went from 5.4-4c to 5.4-5h then it was patched. The first case where the revlevel changes there is a seperate key(a license). So if you cound a kit for 4.7 in the can it is a distinct copy however without the key it would run only in minimal standalone mode(limited usefulness) and only adaquately so for the purposes of installation and key validation. Keys are either yours (legal) or obtained by other means. Allison

28 years, 4 months

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manual for Wang 300 series

by adavie＠mad.scientist.com

I have one and will be happy to scan / photocopy for anyone in need of one. Its dated 1967 and has a few piccies. Cheers Andrew

28 years, 4 months

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Thrift Store Find & Quick Cam

by foxnhare＠claim.goldrush.com

From: Sam Ismail <dastar(a)wco.com> Subject: More books added to the library >One finds the best stuff at thrift stores. Check out what I found today: >The Anatomy of the 1541 Disk Drive >By Abacus Software, 1984 >ISBN: 0-916439-01-1 >It contains a full description of the file system, the file structure, the >file commands, and also has a full 6502 assembler listing for the drive's >ROM! Very cool. This book apparently also came with a "Test/Demo" disk >but the programs are printed in the book so they can be duplicated. What >a treasure. If I recall correctly the book also describes tha basics of coding your own fast drive access routines (fast loader, etc.) which is mighty handy. 001010100101110100100011010110100011100101001000010100010111001001010000 Somewhat Classic Computer related was my acquisition of a Color QuickCam for my Mac, I know it isn't even near 10 years old but it is worthy to mention for its almost instant imaging capabilities... The thing has a range of 1" to infinity (you can zoom in on the numbers printed on tops of chips and have them readable!) So now I have to clear the piles of papers away from a corner so I can use the cam to do shots of some of my equipment (like a better picture of the P-500, etc.) To give you an idea of the detail I am extolling, check out this pic I put on-line for you to see for yourself: http://www.goldrush.com/~foxnhare/CLOSEUP.JPG The pictue is of a 12/24 edge connector (.156" spacing), a Commodore monitor connector and the top of a 6510 microprocessor DIP chip. (best I could do in a couple minutes of scrounging. Note this is 'medium size' and the resolution can go up to 640x400. The real bummer to it is I don't think I can get it to work on my Commodores,also it's leash (interface cable) is 6'long... :/ Larry Anderson -- -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- Visit our web page at: http://www.goldrush.com/~foxnhare/ Call our Commodore 64 BBS (Silicon Realms 300-2400 baud) at: (209) 754-1363 -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

28 years, 4 months

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Portables

by manney＠nwohio.com

I just picked up an 8088-based NEC, which reports a bad HDD, but has a 720K Floppy. manney(a)nwohio.com > Does anyone have any portable computers that are 15lb or less that > they could give or sell to me? This includes Z88, Intel stuff, etc. > Not the Mac Portable, since I have that. Preferrably, I would like > something that could run without being plugged in (having replaced > the battery :). Anyone have an IBM Convertible? > > ______________________________________________________ > Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com

28 years, 4 months

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