3 Dec
1999
3 Dec
'99
1:13 p.m.
Rumor has it that Tony Duell may have mentioned these words:
Actually, I don't do it that much anymore... I've found hacking someone
else's source like that can be *almost* as time-consuming, so for the small
"quick-n-dirty" proggies that I've been known to frequent over the last few
years, I've found it quicker just to bag it and write my own... reinventing
the wheel doesn't take that darned long if you're just cutting it out of a
piece of paper, if you will. ;-)
Now, on longer proggies where I can't (or don't) get a handle on all the
logic & just need to add one quick little feature, I have been known muck
about in other people's source code... whether or not I actually know the
language... :-)
====================
I've got a little good news today... it sounds like I'm getting a
MicroVAX!!! Dunno what flavor, but it must be a little newer - it's running
Ultrix. So... I have a few questions:
1) Is there a webpage/FAQ of different uVAX types with initial specs? I
don't know 'zactly what I'm getting yet, but I'd like to get familiar
with
the uVAX line beforehand, so I don't sound like a complete dummy... ;-)
2) Is there a hobbyist licen[sc]e of older versions of Ultrix in case he
can't find me any OS media, or is it the consensus here of "why the #&^@^(
do you want to run that Unix crap anyway when VMS is better/more fun/etc.?"
3) Can *all* Vaxen run with a serial terminal (just in case this one
doesn't come with a framebuffer / compat. monitor... I have to Lear-Siegler
ADM-31's (IIRC - I saved 'em for $5 each and just set them in my garage...
they'll need a little cleaning.) I'd hate to get a uVAX sans monitor, and
find that it needs one to work... I don't want this box to be a doorstop -
I want to use it! :-)
Well, I don't want to flood all the VaxHeads with a ton of newbie
questions, so the FAQ locations would be really nice & I can leave you
alone until I'm smarter in these woods... but with all the bad bummin' talk
about all these computers we can't save... I saved a VAX!!! ;-)
Thanks & Cheers,
Roger "Merch" Merchberger
--
Roger "Merch" Merchberger --- sysadmin, Iceberg Computers
Recycling is good, right??? Ok, so I'll recycle an old .sig.
If at first you don't succeed, nuclear warhead
disarmament should *not* be your first career choice.
to program in
a save game function, so my buddy and I did one day... [[Boy,
those were the days... If you don't like it, Fix it! ;-) Something Gates
You mean you _don't_ still do that? I sure do -- if I get a program that
doesn't work properly (and _I_ get to define 'properly') then I hack
about with the source. Of course running entirely open-source (or at
least source-is-available) programs helps ;-)