29 Apr
2012
29 Apr
'12
11:17 a.m.
On 29 Apr 2012 at 10:33, Fred Cisin wrote:
Because we have an interest in the computers that
existed before y'all
cared and/or we REALIZE that we came in late, and we're INTERESTED
in what had already been happening. OR we're just a bunch of old
farts who wish that we could go back half a century.
Heh. Recently I ran across a list posting by a fellow, who back in
2006 was looking for information on a particular CDC operating system
used in some special projects in the early 70s. He was frustrated
because there apparently is no extant documentation on it and he
couldn't find anyone who knew it.
I wrote him back telling him that I was involved intimately in the
system and could probably tell him the people who were involved, the
code that was written, the details of operation and the hardware used-
-and the history of the system (nothing springs from nothing),
including the "war stories".
He'd only needed to post his request on this list and he could have
gotten an answer. But his article, with its lack of detail was
published in the ACM Annals back in 2006 and there was no longer a
need for the information.
And so it goes--what could have been a very detailed article was,
instead a question mark--and that's not likely to be remedied anytime
soon--I certainly don't want to write an article for the Annals about
it.
My point is that many of the old farts here experienced the history
and so have a very different perception that someone who does a
little research of printed material and then writes a book.
"Vass you dere, Shollie?" is a very relevant question in any computer
history work.
--Chuck