PDP-8 Handbooks

Kevin's message propelled me to look through our library catalog for all the DEC handbooks we have. (I already sent the list to him.) That made me think of a question I've had for a while. Megan or Allison, maybe you know the answer? You two seem to have vast collections of manuals. Our library has volume 1 of a two-volume _Introduction to Programming_ set. I've always wondered what was in the other volume. (It covers details of the languages supported on the PDP-8.) But I've never seen the two-volume set anywhere else, just a one-volume book. And while I'm at it... We have the OS/8 handbook as well. I've never been clear on what the different versions of OS/8 are, so I don't know how early or late our handbook is. The OS/8 book does mention using a TD8E system, which requires either 12K of RAM or a special ROM page. Unfortunately, the Intro to Programming handbook doesn't explain how the ROM is installed. The programming handbook is specific to the 8/E, but it omits a lot of details about customizing your 8/E. I do understand that the TD8E was a total corner-cutting move -- it shifted the burden of getting the bits off the tape from the hardware to the software, right? -- and is universally regarded as a disgrace. -- Derek