11 Mar
2011
11 Mar
'11
11:04 a.m.
On Fri, Mar 11, 2011 at 1:55 PM, SPC <spedraja at ono.com> wrote:
YEARS searching for DSM-11.
I use one PC version and one more open source development, but I should like
to put my hands in the PDP-11 version, of course.
I touched it once, about 23 years ago, literally as I was heading out
the door for a camping holiday. I worked as a hardware technician for
a guy who did random DEC consulting and some PC work - whatever came
in the door. That August day in 1988, what came in the door on a
Friday at 15:00 was a PDP-11/53 with a failing hard drive. The two of
us puzzled out how to install a second drive on the machine and
convince Mumps to prep it (filesystem-level format) then copy the
contents from the failing RD53 (big surprise there) to the new RD53.
Fortunately, we got things hooked up and spinning and I was on my way.
I remember some light buzz at various 1980s DECUS symposia about
DSM-11, but IIRC, it had a niche in medical and dental offices, so
with one exception, I never saw it in the real world.
-ethan