Hell my first network was through a null modem cable, from my Osborne to a serial display terminal. On a PC to PC it's basically swpping pin 2 to 3, 3 to 2 so that xmit goes to recv and vice-versie. You're both right though - I know these "experts" with A+ that have never hard of a 386 processor let alone a 68000 series, you mention Motorola and they go "the radio makers?". Of course many people on this list work on machines that predate me, like the Burroughs 205 that I found the command card on the net for. I got into all of this around 75 so I technically am a rookie to many of the heavy iron geeks on the list. -> -----Original Message----- -> From: owner-classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org -> [mailto:owner-classiccmp@classiccmp.org]On Behalf Of Bryan Pope -> Sent: Friday, December 14, 2001 11:04 AM -> To: classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org -> Subject: Re: if you hadn't already known this about the PDP-8 -> -> -> > -> > > -----Original Message----- -> > > From: Doc [mailto:doc@mdrconsult.com] -> > -> > > Yeah... Most distros don't even have a headless install -> > > option, and not -> > > all PCs will even complete a POST without a video card. But more -> > > relevant is the fact that hardly anybody I know, even the -> geeks, knows -> > > what a null-modem cable is for, let alone own a serial terminal. -> > -> > You must not hang around with very high-quality geeks. -> > -> -> That would be the "new" geek who believes the first computer was -> a Pentium. -> I was setting up my C64 next to my PC one day and a "geek" mad -> the comment -> "Oh you can hookup the 64 to the PCs video switchbox"... Is it -> that hard to -> belive that a computer could possibly output something *other* then VGA -> for its vidoe?!? Grrrrrr.... -> -> Bryan ->

On Fri, 14 Dec 2001, Bryan Pope wrote: OK. I guess I gotta come clean now. I'm actually a West Texas roughneck, incognito. When I first started seeing ads for "Pentium", I thought it was a computer *game*. The first time I ever sat at a keyboard was mid-95. I just happen to believe that no matter what it is you do, knowing how "it" came to be is important. Plus, of course, I really enjoy having the only <insert-whatever-here> around. Doc