Richard,
This must have been said a lot of times, but I say it anyway. I have been
putting computers into factories and when you took a DEC PDP-11 you did not
have to worry so much about next months software. About drivers you would
have to write all over again. About being able to service a 5, 10, 15 year
old or even older application, even in far away countries. Yes, you paid,
but what about the cost of installing a new system every 3 or 4 years
because hardware is no longer supported with the new release or the new
version, or the hardware was phased out after months and spares no longer
exist.
This new hardware is ageing so fast that the Salvation Army is collecting
it by the time you paid for it. It is marvelous for a lot of people, but
keep it out of the factories.
Wim
----------
> From: Richard Erlacher <edick(a)idcomm.com>
> To: classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org
> Subject: !Re: Nuke Redmond!
> Date: Wednesday, April 05, 2000 9:20 PM
>
> I really can't understand what all the hostility toward Microsoft is
about.
> If it weren't for the low prices resulting from the economy of scale,
scale
> which is enabled by the fact that Microsoft made computers simple enough
to
> use that the masses could and would use them.
>
> If you want to dog somebody, the go after DEC, (God be thanked that
they're
> gone!) with their antiquated technology always a generation behind
everyone
> else and with their ridiculous prices.
>
> If DEC had had their way you'd have to use a single flip=flop pair for
which
> they charged you 10^15 bucks per year and which broke twice a month so
some
> under-trained ignoramus could come around and pretend to fix the thing.
> Then, if you had the unmitigated audacity to try to use some other
vendor's
> hardware or software, they'd raise hell and point down the wire if their
> stuff didn't behave as claimed.
>
> The only point I've seen in this thread that makes any sense at all is
the
> one about Visual Basic. If your really want that 6-7 figure income,
you'll
> learn it. I know at least half a dozen fellows who have taken that up.
>
> Forget about the C++ or C or Delphi! These guys took 6 weeks to learn
the
> VB and now most of them have paid off their houses, cards, and credit
cards
> and vacation in Arruba in the winter and Alaska in the summer. at least
> twice. The oldest of the guys I know doing this is 35 and worth over
$10^7
> net. Five years ago, he was begging me for work. How many guys do you
know
> who have net savings of over a year's gross after only five years? That
> certainly indicates VB is not just a joke.
>
> Dick
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: <healyzh(a)aracnet.com>
> To: <classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org>
> Sent: Wednesday, April 05, 2000 9:37 PM
> Subject: Re: Nuke Redmond!
>
>
> > Huw Davies wrote:
> > > I was at the Programming sectin of the local Computer Book store last
> > > week, only to discover that "Programming" == Visual Basic, C on
Windows
> > > and that's about it.
> >
> > Don't you know, being able to write in Visual Basic is what all
computer
> > professionals aspire to! Rumor has it Windows 2000 was written in
Visual
> > Basic.
> >
> > > I wonder what I learnt at Uni should be called? I used to program in
> Algol
> > > (60 and 68), Pascal, BCPL, Simula-67 and BLISS-10... At least one of
> them
> > > is still current!
> >
> > OK, I give up. Which one? I'm not aware of Microsoft having any
Windows
> > software by those names, therefore they don't exist, and never did!
> >
> > Zane
> >
> > PS let me just say for the benefit of anyone new here, I'm joking
folks!
>
>> their LAN boards incompatible with anyone else's. They also tweaked
>> their protocols to weaken their own networking system so people
>> wouldn't be tempted to mix and match.
That comment is pure cow-flop... I don't know a single engineer at DEC
(and now Compaq) who would ever have done this sort of thing...
>IP was not the rule until years after DECnet phaseIII and when IP started
>to become more wide spread there was PhaseIV and PHASEV decnet which was
>routable, capable of doing IP over decnet and a lot of other tricks that
>PCs needed. PCs under winders were doing lanman then.
Even so, much of the Internet network software has its roots on DEC
hardware... even if DEC wasn't doing it at the time...
Megan Gentry
Former RT-11 Developer
+--------------------------------+-------------------------------------+
| Megan Gentry, EMT/B, PP-ASEL | Internet (work): gentry!zk3.dec.com |
| Unix Support Engineering Group | (home): mbg!world.std.com |
| Compaq Computer Corporation | addresses need '@' in place of '!' |
| 110 Spitbrook Rd. ZK03-2/T43 | URL: http://world.std.com/~mbg/ |
| Nashua, NH 03062 | "pdp-11 programmer - some assembler |
| (603) 884 1055 | required." - mbg |
+--------------------------------+-------------------------------------+
I'm told that the power supply in the 8/L i just acquired has a problem
with ripple in the 5 volt output, and thus it had started to crash
occasionally. I'm not sure how often it crashed, as they ran the thing
constantly, so their idea of a problem crashing might be different from
mine ;)
Still, if its still possible to obtain the correct capacitors, and it
looks like we're talking about coca-cola can sized capacitors, it would
make sense to replace them. So, i'd like to find a copy of the schematic
for the power supply if anyone has it.
-Lawrence LeMay
PS: Still looking for the power cable, so i havent turned it on yet...
-----Original Message-----
From: Lawrence LeMay <lemay(a)cs.umn.edu>
To: classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org <classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org>
Date: Thursday, April 06, 2000 5:53 PM
Subject: PDP 8/L power supply docs?
>I'm told that the power supply in the 8/L i just acquired has a problem
>with ripple in the 5 volt output, and thus it had started to crash
>occasionally. I'm not sure how often it crashed, as they ran the thing
>constantly, so their idea of a problem crashing might be different from
>mine ;)
>
>Still, if its still possible to obtain the correct capacitors, and it
>looks like we're talking about coca-cola can sized capacitors, it would
>make sense to replace them. So, i'd like to find a copy of the schematic
>for the power supply if anyone has it.
Caps and other parts can be had for it. You may end up paying a few bucks
for them but hey, their good for 20-30 years. Check Highgate for prints.
Allison
I just recieved this message from a co-worker of the professor who is
giving me some pdp8/pdp11 stuff. If there is some small VAX stuff
that you're looking for, let me know and i'l see if he has it and
if i can get it. otherwise, if you want something big you come get
it yourself, the stuff is in minneapolis.
by small stuff, i mean like a few memory or expansion interface boards,
etc.
------------------
John Broadhurst mentioned you were interested in some of his old PDP-11
equipment from the Tandem Lab. Thought I'd check, while I'm cleaning
up, if you have any interest in VAX equipment:-) John is still the
major repository, but I have a box of VMS docs I am getting ready to
pitch out. Some dates back to VMS v4, and there is also some media
("Desktop VMS", Online docs, etc) on CD. We also have some hardware we
are (ahem) unlikely to need again: VAXstation 2000s, some newer
VAXstations (3100-era), a historic RRD-40 CD drive, etc.
------------------
-Lawrence LeMay
lemay(a)cs.umn.edu
Sorry for the off-topic post, but this is the best
technical resource there is. Anyway, my company
recently had an IBM Thinkpad 770 go dead. It was
sent for repair and was finally deemed "cheeper to
replace than repair". My office is the official
company electronics/computer dumpster, so it ended
up here. The note stuck to it by the repair place
says "dead motherboard". I have dissassembled it
and now have a nice 15" TFT panel. Now to the
question: What is the interface to this thing?
There are 14 wires going into it. Two are pretty
obviously power for the backlight. They are at
the bottom of the panel and were attached next to
the slide pot that controlled the display brightness.
The other 12 are attached to a connector in about
the center of the panel. The IBM part number is
09J0940.
Thanks
>Does anybody know if it's possible to run an 11/70 without the MK11 memory
>box ?
Sure, get a MJ11 memory box (or, rather, 4 times as many MJ11's as you
had MK11's) :-).
>I know it can be done with the PEP "update",
There are several other third-party memory boxes/cards available too.
> but I was wondering if there
>is another way, possibly involving standard UNIBUS memory.
I do believe that there's an option to map some of the memory space on the
Unibus into memory space. It probably doesn't work correctly at all if
you're using the Massbus slots for I/O, though, and you certainly can't
get above 124 kWords doing this.
Out of curiosity, why can't you use your MK11's? Not enough power to
run them and the 11/70 at the same time? I had to take multiple 15A
circuits to run my 11/70 with MJ11 memory boxes.
--
Tim Shoppa Email: shoppa(a)trailing-edge.com
Trailing Edge Technology WWW: http://www.trailing-edge.com/
7328 Bradley Blvd Voice: 301-767-5917
Bethesda, MD, USA 20817 Fax: 301-767-5927
Does anybody know if it's possible to run an 11/70 without the MK11 memory box ?
I know it can be done with the PEP "update", but I was wondering if there is another way, possibly involving standard UNIBUS memory.
Thanks,
Erik.
>It hurts my head trying to understand this. How the cable companies get
>their little whims written into law is beyond me. I mean anything's silly
>if you look close enough -- suppose my TV happens to be switchable to accept
>a video signal of either polarity (or whatever it is), how is it that that
>makes me a *criminal*?
Watch out - just tuning through certain high-numbered UHF channels is
now illegal, since the cellphone companies grabbed those frequencies and
then a few years later convinced congress that it's illegal for the general
public to tune in to those frequencies.
(As a practical matter, trying to listen to cellphone conversations with
an old TV is really, really tough, though you do get to hear bits and
pieces. Much better are the non-crippled scanners you can buy in Canada
and many other countries.)
--
Tim Shoppa Email: shoppa(a)trailing-edge.com
Trailing Edge Technology WWW: http://www.trailing-edge.com/
7328 Bradley Blvd Voice: 301-767-5917
Bethesda, MD, USA 20817 Fax: 301-767-5927
I'm getting closer! When I see the splash screen, I hit TAB and saw the
following Award BIOS startup screen:
Award Modular BIOS V4.51PG
Copyright (C) 1984-99, Award Software, Inc.
(IPS_TRI) EVALUATION ROM - NOT FOR SALE
IDT WinChip C6 CPU at 200MHz
Memory Test : 30720 + 2048K shared memory
Award Plug and Play BIOS Extension v1.0A
Copyright (C) 1999, Award Software, Inc.
Suggested SDRAM CAS Latency Time is " 2 "
Detecting IDE Primary Master ... None
Detecting IDE Primary Slave ... SunDisk SDTB-128
Your i-opener is undergoing a necessary update. This may
take 30 minutes or more. If for some reason the service
is not working correctly within an hour, please contact
Technical Support at 1-800-298-9525 to report the problem.
Press DEL to enter SETUP
10/01/1999-VP4-686-IPC_VIAC-00
When I hit CTRL-ALT-HOME, I get a "login:" prompt. The HOME,4 combo doesn't
get me a root prompt.
So close, and yet so far!! :-)
-- Tony
> ----------
> From: John Wilson[SMTP:wilson@dbit.dbit.com]
> Reply To: classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org
> Sent: Thursday, April 06, 2000 12:35 AM
> To: classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org
> Subject: Re: iOpener Update
>
> On Wed, Apr 05, 2000 at 04:23:10PM -0500, Eros, Anthony wrote:
> > Has anyone else seen this? The only thing I get when I power up my
> iOpener
> > is a screen that says "Welcome! i-opener Out of the box. In the
> outlets. On
> > the counter. Nothin' but 'Net!" Nothing else. No other screens, or
> startup
> > messages. Control-alt-home, or home-4 do nothing.
>
> Press TAB as soon as you see this screen. It will switch to text mode
> and give you the usual Award BIOS startup screen. It will say press Del
> for setup, that's wrong, you need Ctrl/Alt/Esc, so you'll need to put on a
> keyboard that has an Esc key.
>
> John Wilson
> D Bit
>
