DUNGEON - test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

25 Apr 2006

"Eric F." <elf at ucsd.edu> wrote:

...
  Eric F. wrote:

  Actually, I saw (and used) the original ZORK
running on an SDS
 (later XDS) Sigma 7 computer (the actual ARPAnet machine name
 was MIT-DMS).  
 Apparently I fired off my original reply prematurely.  The original MIT 
 machine running ZORK (MIT-DMS) was, in fact, a PDP-10.  But I'm quite sure 
 that one of the other machines back there (i.e., MIT-AI, MIT-MC, or MIT-ML) 
 was an SDS Sigma machine (or even an SDS-940).

 Sorry for my mis-informed post. :0 
I had an account on MIT-AI, and that was definitely a PDP-10. I'm very 
sure that MIT-MC also was a PDP-10. MIT-ML however I don't know about.

As for ZORK, it was definitely written on a PDP-10. Infocom rented time 
on a PDP-10 for quite a while. I know I've also seen mentioned somewhere 
at one time that they even had their own -2020 for a while, but I'm not 
sure I remember correctly.

If ZORK were ever to run on any other machine that machine first and 
foremost would have to have MDL. You know if SDS had that?
Second, ZORK used a lot of memory. Unless the OS supported virtual 
memory, and a fairly large address space, that would also stop it.
Appearantly ZORK on the PDP-10 needed over 600K to run (if that is bytes 
or 36-bit words I don't know, but I suspect bytes).

	Johnny

-- 
Johnny Billquist                  || "I'm on a bus
                                   ||  on a psychedelic trip
email: bqt at update.uu.se           ||  Reading murder books
pdp is alive!                     ||  tryin' to stay hip" - B. Idol