12 Jun
2001
12 Jun
'01
4:18 a.m.
About the Cyber 205...CDC started the design of the
"Star 100" in
the mid 1960s. It wasn't completed until 1973, and being based on
1960s technology, it wasn't competitive. It was redesigned in newer
LSI technology and re-released as the "Cyber 203E" in 1979. Shortly
thereafter it was renamed to "Cyber 205".
This is correct, my previous post not (re the architecture).
But yes, it is rectangular. And big. I would give
my right arm to
be able to restore/preserve/own a functional Cyber205 (or any Cyber
for that matter, anybody have a smaller one available?)...the one at
Purdue seems to have been gutted, sigh.
Many of the later-model version of what was originally called
the Cyber 170 series (it got renamed later) are still running
and under support contract.
It appears that, at least as recently as August 2000, a Cyber
170 driving the Early Warning Radar System at Cape Cod Air
Force Station, known as "Pave Paws", was still in operation.
Discussions were going on at that time w/r/t its replacement.
This machine, sans media, disks, etc, might be a good candidate
for a future rescue (since it's military, they may want to
wipe the disks using hammers).
-dq