Classic Computers vs. Classic Computing - test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

13 Sep 2001

...
  > -----Original Message-----
 > From: owner-classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org
 > [mailto:owner-classiccmp@classiccmp.org]On Behalf Of Douglas Quebbeman
 > Sent: Thursday, September 13, 2001 3:01 PM
 > To: &#39;classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org&#39;
 > Subject: RE: Classic Computers vs. Classic Computing
 >
 >
 > > Doesn't it seem a little odd to be debating whether emulators and
 > > simulators are on-topic when the bulk of the list traffic is about
 > > politics, and even the list owner can't get full cooperation in
 > an attempt
 > > to end threads that have absolutely NO connection with computers nor
 > > computing?
 >
 > Ah, you've seen right through me...
 >
 > We need to get our minds off it for a while, now, I think...
 >
 > However, I'd actually hoped the discussion would quickly
 > leave the real vs. virtual iron and stimulate some interest
 > in the simulators and their range of capabilities.
 >
 > For example, the IBM 1620 emulator, written in Java, is
 > very nice graphically; the 1620 had a great front panel.
 > You can toggle in a program and run it; additionally,
 > it comes with a memory test (or somesuch) already "loaded".
 >
 > But it has no facilities to load/save programs to/from disk. 
It will have when it's done.  It's still a work-in-progress.   Our plan is
to have console typewriter, paper tape reader/punch and card reader/punch
done graphically like the front panel.

The IBM 1620 History project (of which the emulator is one part) has been on
hold for almost a year but is being restarted.

...
  > OTOH, Doug Jones' PDP/8E emulator provides
those capabillites,
 > and if you haven't seen Bernhard Baehr's PDP8/E emulator for
 > the Mac, you should, assuming you have a Mac on which to run it.
 >
 > Hands down, though, the DEC-10 emulators are most excellent!
 > They are able to provide me with a nearly exact duplicate of
 > one of the computing environments I grew up with and miss.
 > The few differences are: I'm the only user (something we used
 > to live for), and the machine name doesn't say  I U P U I  in
 > it. But I can change *that*...
 >
 > I can also get other users online, but that's another story...
 >
 > Regards,
 > -dq 
Thanks,
DaveB