Paper tape format

26 May 2000

...
  The reason why
I'm asking is because I'm toying with adding a virtual paper
tape punch/reader to Claus Guiloi's IMSAI emulator.  
 Well... for my $0.225 worth (inflation you know)...

 I doubt that there is a real answer for that one, unless you select a
 particular operating 'model' for focus on.

 By that I mean, that since neither the Altair or IMSAI had a resident
 monitor program or 'native' operating system at first, there were no hard
 and fast rules as to what/how you would load code... 
Well, since they had no rom that is correct however...  Both had pre-CP/M
"monitors" Mits programming system for example.  That loaded as something
like intel hex and the editor/assmbler was ascii/intel hex/bin IO as
desired. 

My experience is (I used tty for years and also had a remex HS
reader/punch) Intel hex was the standard for portable binaries
in the 8080/z80 world.  Non portable binaries were always tied 
to a specific vendor loader but hex was most common.

I'd say in the early years P-tape was in the 75-79 timeframe the
most portable format compared to floppies or worse yet cassette 
tape.

I still have a punch of intel hex of the cpm image from my first
platform I'd put CPM on after ALTAIR/NS*MDS-A hybrid.

Allison

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Paper tape format