PDP-10

On Wed, Sep 26, 2012 at 2:04 PM, Rick Bensene <rickb at bensene.com> wrote: Mine too. Outside of using the CompuServe service, I never got much direct hands-on (like at the command prompt level) back in the day, but I've still always been fascinated with 36-bit machines. We had a CIS node called "CIVIC" as a functional computer room display at COSI, our science museum, complete with a "DECsystem 20/20" and plastic covers, IIRC. I even worked at CompuServe, about 10 years ago, but I missed the window when they were replacing DEC machines with Systems Concepts machines, and I also missed a garage cleanout or two from old CIS employees who saved machines, but eventually reclaimed the space. I just came along too late to get any goodies. I have set up klh10 and spend hours noodling around, and I do have an account or two on a 36-bit machine that's still powered up, but it's not quite the same as running your own. I would be happy enough with something small like an SC-25 - it's just going to be a single-user workstation, really. Given the size and the scarcity, I think if I ever run native 36-bit hardware, it's going to be an FPGA implementation, and to me, at least, that's one step more interesting than software emulation. I emulate because I must, but I'd love to run the real thing. -ethan