14 Sep
2001
14 Sep
'01
11:09 a.m.
-----Original Message-----
[mailto:owner-classiccmp@classiccmp.org]On Behalf Of Brian Knittel
Furthermore, I think simulators can play a big role in
encouraging the long-term collection, retention and dissemination
of legacy software to run on either real or emulated hardware.
Norm Aleks and I just acquired an IBM 1130, and as far as I can
see, there is NO software archived out there anywhere. It's very
discouraging. You can bet that we're going to post whatever we can
get our hands on, along with the simh-based simulator I'm 75% done
with, to hopefully reawaken interest in the 1130.
Oh my, an 1130! I don't think we've ever encountered such a severe case of
the classic computers disease. Brian, you need help.
Do you want me to see if I have any 1130 listings in the attic? I
learned/played/worked with an 1130, and a General Automation 18/30, from
1972 to about 1975. It was the first computer I ever saw or had access to.
The college finally hired me, so they could better control what I did with
that poor machine. I might, just might, somewhere have a listing of the
in-core monitor. I implemented a hack, sort of a TSR, that took over the
monitor, and swapped multiple copies of it, plus the user program, to disk,
to make it into a multi-user system. My first computer job. I got to know
the monitor inside and out. I figured out and wrote drivers for the four (4)
Hazeltine 2000 terminals.
The OS worked similar to the way CPM worked. I can't remember the name of
it. CMS maybe? Everything revolved around the card reader.
Have you ever had your head next to a CDC disk drive when there was a power
glitch? They dump the bulk supply caps into the voice coil to retract the
heads like *NOW*. BANG! The whole things rings like a big bell. I must have
jumped two feet.
One day, when I was a student tutor, I was the last one out, and turned off
the machine. Next morning, when I came in (I always stopped by the computer
center before class) the place was ominously quiet, and was swarming with
IBM techs. I watched for a while, and then asked, "Is this switch supposed
to be on?". There was a very large blue box in the corner with all the
cables going into and out of it. We called it the "multiplexer". The only
external feature was a single switch. I had turned it off the evening before
along with everything else. The IBM guy turned it on, everything started
humming, and they left quickly, without saying much. I was in the dog house
for a couple days.
--
Jonathan Engdahl???????????????? Rockwell Automation
Principal Research Engineer????? 24800 Tungsten Road
Advanced Technology????????????? Euclid, OH 44117, USA
Euclid Labs????????????????????? engdahl(a)cle.ab.com 216-266-6409