15 May
2009
15 May
'09
3:16 p.m.
I suspect that it is impossible to rebuild OS/8 today.
I would be
surprised if OS/8 was actually maintained on a PDP-8. All of the
diagnostic listing, for example, were generated using PAL10 on a PDP-10.
It is possible at least for parts of the OS78V4/DECMate version
See sysgen.tx for build information in files below. The BI files in
http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/academic/computer-science/history/pdp-8/os8/os78…
ftp://ftp.update.uu.se/pub/pdp8/pdp-8/os78/v4/
are batch files to build the system. I used it to build these images
http://www.pdp8online.com/images/images/os8/DECmate_I.shtml
when people couldn't find DECmate I disks. I never heard back if the
disks I made for people actually worked ok.
I remember is wasn't quite trouble free but so far I haven't found the disk
image I put everything on to build those rx02's. If you have problems email
me and I may either remember the problem or find the files I used to build.
These instructions/files should help in building earlier versions.
David Gesswein
http://www.pdp8online.com/ -- Run an old computer with blinkenlights