1 Mar
2017
1 Mar
'17
12:09 p.m.
[ stupid gmail ]
On Wed, Mar 1, 2017 at 1:07 PM, Warner Losh <imp at bsdimp.com> wrote:
On Wed, Mar 1, 2017 at 1:03 PM, Fred Cisin via cctalk
<cctalk at classiccmp.org> wrote:
>>> On 03/01/2017 11:14 AM, Charles Anthony via cctalk wrote:
>>>>
>>>> Part of the iconic mainframe experience is the cold room sounds; for
>>>> early
>>
>> On Wed, Mar 1, 2017 at 7:39 PM, Chuck Guzis via cctalk
>>>
>>> There is no way that I'd wish anyone would have to put up with the 80+
>>> dB "white noise" of fans and vacuum pumps (tape drives), not to
mention
>>> the scream of a train printer working or a high speed card punch or the
>>> clatter of a high-speed card reader.
>
> On Wed, 1 Mar 2017, Tony Duell via cctalk wrote:
>>
>> But presumably on an emulator there will be some kind of volume control.
>> Or even unplug the speaker(s) if you want silence...
>
>
> But, the REAL experience did not include volume control or speaker
> disconnect! THAT was part of the real experience.
>
> The Computer History Museum had a running 1401 room. But, they did more
> conscientious maintenance that we were accustomed to in the old days, so it
> just didn't SMELL the same. A dish of oil on a hotplate might be close
> enough, until SMELL-O-VISION catches on.
The real experience also included the sudden assault on your nose when
a random, and sometimes unkempt, user would grab a printout from the
giant printout wall. There was no avoiding that! The users at the
terminal often times were also a mixed bag and you rolled the dice and
took your chances with what you'd get. There was no end to the random
smells from cigarettes, to pot, to whatever crazy food was on sale in
town, to lord knows what perfume or sandalwood. That part of the
experience is going to be quite difficult to replicate....
Warner