21 Apr
2012
21 Apr
'12
5:59 a.m.
Shocking headline: "23 year old computer still in daily use at a
silver mine. MicroVAX 3100 running openVMS on 12mb memory."
Pictures:
http://www.reddit.com/tb/sl3ll
Comments:
http://www.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/sl3ll/23_year_old_computer_stil…
--
Liam Proven ? Profile: http://lproven.livejournal.com/profile
Email: lproven at cix.co.uk ? GMail/G+/Twitter/Flickr/Facebook: lproven
MSN: lproven at hotmail.com ? Skype/AIM/Yahoo/LinkedIn: liamproven
Tel: +44 20-8685-0498 ? Cell: +44 7939-087884
21 Apr
21 Apr
7:56 a.m.
On 21/04/2012, at 10:59 PM, Liam Proven wrote:
Shocking headline: "23 year old computer still in
daily use at a
silver mine. MicroVAX 3100 running openVMS on 12mb memory."
Pictures:
http://www.reddit.com/tb/sl3ll
Comments:
http://www.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/sl3ll/23_year_old_computer_stil…
Shocking headline: "Knowledgeable VMS experts not surprised 23 year old VAX still
working. 12MB considered excessive" :-)
Huw Davies | e-mail: Huw.Davies at kerberos.davies.net.au
Melbourne | "If soccer was meant to be played in the
Australia | air, the sky would be painted green"
9:03 a.m.
mts alstream still has a vax in service that runs its billing system from
what i have herd from friends that work there. its under lock and key cause
anytime anyone has ever walked in the room its crashed so they're scared to
go near it its so integrated into their system its cheaper to just leave it
alone
11:51 a.m.
On 04/21/2012 12:03 PM, Adrian Stoness wrote:
mts alstream still has a vax in service that runs its
billing system from
what i have herd from friends that work there. its under lock and key cause
anytime anyone has ever walked in the room its crashed so they're scared to
go near it its so integrated into their system its cheaper to just leave it
alone
Crashes?? That's not too common for that sort of box. There's
something very wrong with it if it's that unstable. Almost definitely
something that can be fixed.
-Dave
--
Dave McGuire, AK4HZ
New Kensington, PA
12:13 p.m.
it does not do it if no one walks in the room so who knows could just be a
loose wire or somthing lol
On Sat, Apr 21, 2012 at 1:51 PM, Dave McGuire <mcguire at neurotica.com> wrote:
On 04/21/2012 12:03 PM, Adrian Stoness wrote:
mts alstream still has a vax in service that runs
its billing system from
what i have herd from friends that work there. its under lock and key
cause
anytime anyone has ever walked in the room its
crashed so they're scared
to
go near it its so integrated into their system
its cheaper to just leave
it
alone
Crashes?? That's not too common for that sort of box. There's
something very wrong with it if it's that unstable. Almost definitely
something that can be fixed.
-Dave
--
Dave McGuire, AK4HZ
New Kensington, PA
6:16 p.m.
When I was in the Navy there was a Tactical computer system that I
was not allowed to touch the keyboard on. If I touched the keyboard,
it would crash, otherwise it was nice and stable. The theory was
that it was something to do with me, and the metal enclosure holding
the keyboard. I didn't have to actually type anything on the
keyboard, and it happened multiple times. It didn't happen with
anyone else, and I've never had it happen with another computer.
Zane
At 2:13 PM -0500 4/21/12, Adrian Stoness wrote:
it does not do it if no one walks in the room so who
knows could just be a
loose wire or somthing lol
On Sat, Apr 21, 2012 at 1:51 PM, Dave McGuire <mcguire at neurotica.com> wrote:
> On 04/21/2012 12:03 PM, Adrian Stoness wrote:
> > mts alstream still has a vax in service that runs its billing system from
> > what i have herd from friends that work there. its under lock and key
> cause
> > anytime anyone has ever walked in the room its crashed so they're scared
> to
> > go near it its so integrated into their system its cheaper to just leave
> it
> > alone
>
> Crashes?? That's not too common for that sort of box. There's
> something very wrong with it if it's that unstable. Almost definitely
> something that can be fixed.
>
> -Dave
>
> --
> Dave McGuire, AK4HZ
> New Kensington, PA
>
--
| Zane H. Healy | UNIX Systems Administrator |
| healyzh at aracnet.com | OpenVMS Enthusiast |
| | Photographer |
+----------------------------------+----------------------------+
| My flickr Photostream |
| http://www.flickr.com/photos/33848088 at N03/ |
6:47 p.m.
When I was in the Navy there was a Tactical computer
system that I was not
allowed to touch the keyboard on. If I touched the keyboard, it would
crash, otherwise it was nice and stable. The theory was that it was
something to do with me, and the metal enclosure holding the keyboard. I
didn't have to actually type anything on the keyboard, and it happened
multiple times. It didn't happen with anyone else, and I've never had it
happen with another computer.
I had a business partner before that happened that to him. Every
computer he touched, would crash and wouldn't recover in his hands. Maybe he
was full of static, he had lots of body hair and usually would wear nylon
22 Apr
22 Apr
9:51 a.m.
On Sat, 21 Apr 2012, Zane H. Healy wrote:
When I was in the Navy there was a Tactical computer
system that I was not
allowed to touch the keyboard on. If I touched the keyboard, it would crash,
otherwise it was nice and stable. The theory was that it was something to do
with me, and the metal enclosure holding the keyboard. I didn't have to
actually type anything on the keyboard, and it happened multiple times. It
didn't happen with anyone else, and I've never had it happen with another
computer.
Sounds like a variant of the "more magic" switch. :)
g.
--
Proud owner of F-15C 80-0007
http://www.f15sim.com - The only one of its kind.
http://www.diy-cockpits.org/coll - Go Collimated or Go Home.
Some people collect things for a hobby. Geeks collect hobbies.
ScarletDME - The red hot Data Management Environment
A Multi-Value database for the masses, not the classes.
http://www.scarletdme.org - Get it _today_!
Buying desktop hardware and installing a server OS doesn't make a
server-class system any more than sitting in a puddle makes you a duck.
[Cipher in a.s.r]
10:38 a.m.
On 22 Apr 2012 at 9:51, Gene Buckle wrote:
Sounds like a variant of the "more magic"
switch. :)
I'd first check out my shoes. Could be ESD.
I recall a tale told by a friend, Roger, from CDC. Armed with a
shiny new degree, he was assigned as his first job to work with Greg
Mansfield. When he was working on MACE, Greg would come in after
hours and appropriate one of the systems on the manufacturing QA test
floor (that's one of the reasons for the O26 console application--the
keypunch was a long way away).
At any rate, Greg was showing Roger how things work and then excused
himself for a call of nature. He invited Roger to fool around a bit
at the console while he was gone.
After a couple of minutes, Roger decided to type something in. Right
at that moment, a power failure hit and the facility was plunged into
darkness...
--Chuck
10:54 a.m.
Sounds like a
variant of the "more magic" switch. :)
I'd first check out my shoes.
Could be ESD. 
2:25 p.m.
On Sun, 22 Apr 2012, Mouse wrote:
I go barefoot pretty much whenever I can get away with it and I don't
consider it completely boneheaded (occasionally even on city streets).
At work, I rarely get any static for it (er, so to speak), but, when
asked, I point out that it cuts down ESD potential substantially -
while I actually started it because I'm more comfortable that way, it
_is_ true.... :)
Soldering while barefoot allows you to grasp something grounded with your
toes rather than wearing one of those ill-fitting grounding straps.
--
David Griffith
dgriffi at cs.csubak.edu
A: Because it fouls the order in which people normally read text.
Q: Why is top-posting such a bad thing?
A: Top-posting.
Q: What is the most annoying thing in e-mail?
Sounds like a variant of the "more magic"
switch. :)
I'd first check out my shoes. Could be ESD. 
23 Apr
23 Apr
11:15 a.m.
Soldering while barefoot allows you to grasp something
grounded with your
toes rather than wearing one of those ill-fitting grounding straps.
It also lets you pick up dropped componets with your toes... And emit odd
screams when you drop a blob of solder on your foot.
(Done both.... The former all the time, the latter too often for my
liking. But I hate having things on my feet too).
-tony
22 Apr
22 Apr
10:56 a.m.
talk about timing lol
On Sun, Apr 22, 2012 at 12:38 PM, Chuck Guzis <cclist at sydex.com> wrote:
On 22 Apr 2012 at 9:51, Gene Buckle wrote:
Sounds like a variant of the "more
magic" switch. :)
I'd first check out my shoes. Could be ESD.
I recall a tale told by a friend, Roger, from CDC. Armed with a
shiny new degree, he was assigned as his first job to work with Greg
Mansfield. When he was working on MACE, Greg would come in after
hours and appropriate one of the systems on the manufacturing QA test
floor (that's one of the reasons for the O26 console application--the
keypunch was a long way away).
At any rate, Greg was showing Roger how things work and then excused
himself for a call of nature. He invited Roger to fool around a bit
at the console while he was gone.
After a couple of minutes, Roger decided to type something in. Right
at that moment, a power failure hit and the facility was plunged into
darkness...
--Chuck
21 Apr
21 Apr
11:52 a.m.
On 04/21/2012 08:59 AM, Liam Proven wrote:
Shocking headline: "23 year old computer still in
daily use at a
silver mine. MicroVAX 3100 running openVMS on 12mb memory."
Pictures:
http://www.reddit.com/tb/sl3ll
Comments:
http://www.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/sl3ll/23_year_old_computer_stil…
Very cool. And not at all unusual, which apparently surprises many
people.
-Dave
--
Dave McGuire, AK4HZ
New Kensington, PA
12:36 p.m.
On 21/04/12 2:52 PM, Dave McGuire wrote:
On 04/21/2012 08:59 AM, Liam Proven wrote:
i.e. people under 40.
--Toby
Shocking headline: "23 year old computer
still in daily use at a
silver mine. MicroVAX 3100 running openVMS on 12mb memory."
Pictures:
http://www.reddit.com/tb/sl3ll
Comments:
http://www.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/sl3ll/23_year_old_computer_stil…
Very cool. And not at all unusual, which apparently surprises many
people.
-Dave
9:36 p.m.
On Sat, Apr 21, 2012 at 03:36:37PM -0400, Toby Thain wrote:
On 21/04/12 2:52 PM, Dave McGuire wrote:
Hey, I'm (not much, admittedly) under 40 and I'm not surprised ;-)
DEC built solid systems. A damn shame they're gone.
Kind regards,
Alex.
--
"Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and
looks like work." -- Thomas A. Edison
On 04/21/2012 08:59 AM, Liam Proven wrote:
i.e. people under 40. Shocking headline: "23 year old computer
still in daily use at a
silver mine. MicroVAX 3100 running openVMS on 12mb memory."
Pictures:
http://www.reddit.com/tb/sl3ll
Comments:
http://www.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/sl3ll/23_year_old_computer_stil…
Very cool. And not at all unusual, which apparently surprises many
people.
-Dave
3:51 p.m.
On 04/21/2012 08:59 AM, Liam Proven wrote:
Shocking headline: "23 year old computer still in
daily use at a
silver mine. MicroVAX 3100 running openVMS on 12mb memory."
Pictures:
http://www.reddit.com/tb/sl3ll
Comments:
http://www.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/sl3ll/23_year_old_computer_stil…
Very common. They have no idea how many of the 50,000++ Bridgeport
3axis mill systems
are still running LSI11/2 (KD11) and another 25K of the KDF11 (11/23)
out there. I Would guess
there are still many of the PDP8 and 8a based units still going. I
don't think the San Francisco
Cable car system has retired all the pdp8s yet.
I have 10 uVAX 3100s of them and they all still run.
This is a classic self contained system where changing the host system
and redeveloping the
software and interfaces is more costly than buying a dozen spares.
FYI: the people I'd gotten my uVAX systems from hadn't even gotten them
out the door to me
and were regretting the PC based boxes for their propensity to fail..
often for hardware and
software.
"We" often forget how little horsepower is needed to simply fetch the mail!
Allison
4:56 p.m.
On 4/21/12 3:51 PM, "allison" <ajp166 at verizon.net> wrote:
On 04/21/2012 08:59 AM, Liam Proven wrote:
Funny coincidence: I was just chatting with someone from the University
Hospital Nuclear Medicine Unit (at University of Washington) about their
PDP-11/23. It's still an integral part of the cyclotron installation they
use to generate nuclear materials for medical use as well as neutron beams
for cancer therapy. When I first saw the machine a couple of years ago,
they were talking about decommissioning it, not because it isn't still
rock solid but because the custom interface hardware is getting harder to
maintain! They're still using it while they validate a replacement
solution. -- Ian
Shocking headline: "23 year old computer
still in daily use at a
silver mine. MicroVAX 3100 running openVMS on 12mb memory."
Pictures:
http://www.reddit.com/tb/sl3ll
Comments:
http://www.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/sl3ll/23_year_old_computer_st
ill_in_daily_use_at_a/
Very common. They have no idea how many of the 50,000++ Bridgeport
3axis mill systems
are still running LSI11/2 (KD11) and another 25K of the KDF11 (11/23)
out there. I Would guess
there are still many of the PDP8 and 8a based units still going. I
don't think the San Francisco
Cable car system has retired all the pdp8s yet.
I have 10 uVAX 3100s of them and they all still run.
This is a classic self contained system where changing the host system
and redeveloping the
software and interfaces is more costly than buying a dozen spares.
FYI: the people I'd gotten my uVAX systems from hadn't even gotten them
out the door to me
and were regretting the PC based boxes for their propensity to fail..
often for hardware and
software.
"We" often forget how little horsepower is needed to simply fetch the
mail!
Allison
11:13 p.m.
On Sat, Apr 21, 2012 at 6:51 PM, allison <ajp166 at verizon.net> wrote:
Very common. ?They have no idea how many of the
50,000++ Bridgeport 3axis
mill systems
are still running LSI11/2 (KD11) and another 25K of the KDF11 (11/23) out
there.
We had one at our hackerspace until it was sent to the scrap yard last
year - the whole mill.
I did get the chance to pull the KD11 board and the paper tape reader.
If anyone happens to need original boards for a Bridgeport Series II,
I may be able to help.
-ethan
11:18 p.m.
reader punch?
On Sun, Apr 22, 2012 at 1:13 AM, Ethan Dicks <ethan.dicks at gmail.com> wrote:
On Sat, Apr 21, 2012 at 6:51 PM, allison <ajp166 at
verizon.net> wrote:
Very common. They have no idea how many of the
50,000++ Bridgeport 3axis
mill systems
are still running LSI11/2 (KD11) and another 25K of the KDF11 (11/23) out
there.
We had one at our hackerspace until it was sent to the scrap yard last
year - the whole mill.
I did get the chance to pull the KD11 board and the paper tape reader.
If anyone happens to need original boards for a Bridgeport Series II,
I may be able to help.
-ethan
22 Apr
22 Apr
3:08 a.m.
On Sat, 21 Apr 2012, Liam Proven wrote:
Shocking headline: "23 year old computer still in
daily use at a
silver mine. MicroVAX 3100 running openVMS on 12mb memory."
Pictures:
http://www.reddit.com/tb/sl3ll
Comments:
http://www.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/sl3ll/23_year_old_computer_stil…
And so what?
Here's one of our machines at the institute, a SUN 4/260, put into service
in 1988:
SunOS Release 4.1.1 (AZU-MZ-XP-MODEM-SCSI2p) #9: Wed
Jan 23 16:12:56 MET 2008
Copyright (c) 1983-1990, Sun Microsystems, Inc.
cpu = Sun 4/200 Series
mem = 32768K (0x2000000)
avail mem = 31653888
[...]
Christian
5:34 a.m.
On Sun, 22 Apr 2012 12:08:34 +0200 (CEST)
Christian Corti <cc at informatik.uni-stuttgart.de> wrote:
Here's one of our machines at the institute, a SUN
4/260, put into
service in 1988:
Interresting. What is its purpose? Controling an expensive
scientific
instrument like a NMR spectroscope?
--
\end{Jochen}
\ref{http://www.unixag-kl.fh-kl.de/~jkunz/}
23 Apr
23 Apr
1:33 a.m.
On Sun, 22 Apr 2012, Jochen Kunz wrote:
Originally, file, NIS and login server. Today, mail host, DHCP and
TFTP server for one of our subnets. Additionally, it has become part of
our museum. I also still have our very first Gopher and HTTP server
machine, a SUN 4/110, but it's in storage.
Christian
Here's one
of our machines at the institute, a SUN 4/260, put into
service in 1988:
Interresting. What is its purpose? Controling an expensive
scientific
instrument like a NMR spectroscope?
4626
days inactive
4628
days old
22 comments
18 participants
participants (18)
-
ajp166＠verizon.net -
als＠thangorodrim.de -
ard＠p850ug1.demon.co.uk -
cc＠informatik.uni-stuttgart.de -
cclist＠sydex.com -
dgriffi＠cs.csubak.edu -
ethan.dicks＠gmail.com -
geneb＠deltasoft.com -
healyzh＠aracnet.com -
huw.davies＠mail.vsm.com.au -
IanK＠vulcan.com -
jkunz＠unixag-kl.fh-kl.de -
lproven＠gmail.com -
mcguire＠neurotica.com -
mouse＠Rodents-Montreal.ORG -
pu1bzz.listas＠gmail.com -
tdk.knight＠gmail.com -
toby＠telegraphics.com.au