TSS/8 with modern disks? - test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

19 Sep 2015

Seems  like a  ssd  would  make an ideal    fixed head  replacement if it 
has  to swap swap swap all   the  time?

Ed#  _www.smecc.org_ (http://www.smecc.org)  

In a message dated 9/19/2015 9:44:07 A.M. US Mountain Standard Time,  
wilson at dbit.com writes:

On Sat,  Sep 19, 2015 at 10:50:04AM -0500, Charles wrote:
...
 Some years ago I  recall reading about possibly
modifying TSS/8 to run on  more
...
 recent  disks instead of the ancient DF32 (a whopping
32Kword fixed head   disk
...
 with up to three more slaved platters). 
Or the RF08/RS08 --  luxurious compared to a DF32/DS32!

...
 Did anyone actually implement  the changes? I know it
wouldn't work well  on a
...
 moving-head disk without  significant changes, because
the swapping is  more or
...
 less  constant. 
A zillion years ago, the DECUS library had a TSS/8 hack to  make it run
on an RK05 (as the only disk I mean -- later TSS/8s already  supported RKs
as data disks, unless I've gone senile).  No idea how  they managed that --
the wordiness of the DF/RF controllers penetrates deep  into TSS/8's soul.
Maybe RFILE/WFILE weren't done compatibly with vanilla  TSS/8?  Dunno.

John Wilson [0,3]@SID
D  Bit