12 Jul
2001
12 Jul
'01
midnight
This is two years late, but the terminal the original
poster describes
sounds like an IST (model 1), a CRT-based CDC product, vintage about 1978.
There was a later edition called the IST-II, also CDC. It had two 8" drives
and a Z-80 CPU, as well as connectivity to CDC PLATO mainframe systems,
either by dialup modem (1200 bps) or multiplexer.
Actually, I was the original poster; a reply to me mentioned the
terminal you're describing.
The IST is not the oldest PLATO terminal, but it is
the oldest that CDC
manufactured, I suspect. Even my PLATO IV (Magnavox, 1971) is not the
oldest, but only the first mass-produced machine. The earliest ones date to
about 1961 and there are probably only two or three still in existence, if
we're lucky enough to have that many. A precursor to these would be Norman
Crowder's Auto-Tutor, vintage about 1958, which has characteristics very
similar to the PLATO terminals (though it is not a computer terminal, it
operates on filmstrip media), and PLATO's mechanisms are said to have been
influenced by this machine.
It's one of the mid-70s Magnavox plasma displays I'm looking for...
Say, are you able to connect to NovaNET with the magnavox terminal? if
so, we should meet for a game of Empire or Avatar some time (although
I'm sure you'll wipe me out).... or maybe a more civilized game of chess...
Regards,
-doug quebbeman
12 Jul
12 Jul
12:22 a.m.
I wouldn't mind trying to join in on that, can you supply dial-up #'s and
settings??? I think it would be interesting to see if we can all communicate
with one another using Plato access, I have one of the original Plato Terminal
ROM's developed by CDC for use on the Atari 800 computer system using Graphics
Mode 8 (320 X 192)
Curt
Douglas Quebbeman wrote:
This is two
years late, but the terminal the original poster describes
sounds like an IST (model 1), a CRT-based CDC product, vintage about 1978.
There was a later edition called the IST-II, also CDC. It had two 8" drives
and a Z-80 CPU, as well as connectivity to CDC PLATO mainframe systems,
either by dialup modem (1200 bps) or multiplexer.
Actually, I was the original poster; a reply to me mentioned the
terminal you're describing.
The IST is not the oldest PLATO terminal, but it
is the oldest that CDC
manufactured, I suspect. Even my PLATO IV (Magnavox, 1971) is not the
oldest, but only the first mass-produced machine. The earliest ones date to
about 1961 and there are probably only two or three still in existence, if
we're lucky enough to have that many. A precursor to these would be Norman
Crowder's Auto-Tutor, vintage about 1958, which has characteristics very
similar to the PLATO terminals (though it is not a computer terminal, it
operates on filmstrip media), and PLATO's mechanisms are said to have been
influenced by this machine.
It's one of the mid-70s Magnavox plasma displays I'm looking for...
Say, are you able to connect to NovaNET with the magnavox terminal? if
so, we should meet for a game of Empire or Avatar some time (although
I'm sure you'll wipe me out).... or maybe a more civilized game of chess...
Regards,
-doug quebbeman 
1 Aug
1 Aug
7:24 a.m.
Doug,
Besides collecting it, is there anything you can do with it??? Has anyone
found any of the original CDC Plato servers and been able to restore them to some
functionality so that Plato terminals could be connected and tried out???
I own several of the Atari 800 Plato carts that turn an Atari into a Plato
Terminal using the Graphics 8 mode with animated graphics. I remember first
signing up and trying it out in 1984-85 or so I was was amazed at the speed in
which code was sent to the computer to draw graphics, create animations and so
forth.
Curt
Douglas Quebbeman wrote:
This is two
years late, but the terminal the original poster describes
sounds like an IST (model 1), a CRT-based CDC product, vintage about 1978.
There was a later edition called the IST-II, also CDC. It had two 8" drives
and a Z-80 CPU, as well as connectivity to CDC PLATO mainframe systems,
either by dialup modem (1200 bps) or multiplexer.
Actually, I was the original poster; a reply to me mentioned the
terminal you're describing.
The IST is not the oldest PLATO terminal, but it
is the oldest that CDC
manufactured, I suspect. Even my PLATO IV (Magnavox, 1971) is not the
oldest, but only the first mass-produced machine. The earliest ones date to
about 1961 and there are probably only two or three still in existence, if
we're lucky enough to have that many. A precursor to these would be Norman
Crowder's Auto-Tutor, vintage about 1958, which has characteristics very
similar to the PLATO terminals (though it is not a computer terminal, it
operates on filmstrip media), and PLATO's mechanisms are said to have been
influenced by this machine.
It's one of the mid-70s Magnavox plasma displays I'm looking for...
Say, are you able to connect to NovaNET with the magnavox terminal? if
so, we should meet for a game of Empire or Avatar some time (although
I'm sure you'll wipe me out).... or maybe a more civilized game of chess...
Regards,
-doug quebbeman 
2:18 p.m.
Id love to see the old Plato running again.
Does anyone here know anyone that worked or was involved in Plato closely
and might be able to get some kinda "emulator" project going off the ground?
Writing up a terminal emulator might not be dramatic but emulating the
cybers that ran plato might be more of a challenge...
This would be totaly wild and while I dont have a lotta time for stuff like
this...this one would probably get some attention from me...
And if I could find listing of some games I had written, Id go totaly
wild...SPACE ATTACK was one of them.
Seems TELUQ (Tele-Universitee here in Quebec) was very involved in Plato.
But I have yet to find some people from "back then"....
Claude
----- Original Message -----
From: "Curt Vendel" <curt(a)atarimuseum.com>
To: <classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org>
Sent: Thursday, August 01, 2002 11:00 AM
Subject: Re: Plato terminal
Doug,
Besides collecting it, is there anything you can do with it??? Has
anyone
found any of the original CDC Plato servers and been
able to restore them
to some
functionality so that Plato terminals could be
connected and tried out???
I own several of the Atari 800 Plato carts that turn an Atari into a
Plato
Terminal using the Graphics 8 mode with animated
graphics. I remember
first
signing up and trying it out in 1984-85 or so I was
was amazed at the
speed in
which code was sent to the computer to draw graphics,
create animations
and so
forth.
Curt
Douglas Quebbeman wrote:
> > This is two years late, but the terminal the original poster describes
> > sounds like an IST (model 1), a CRT-based CDC product, vintage about
1978.
> > There was a later edition called the IST-II,
also CDC. It had two 8"
drives
> > and a Z-80 CPU, as well as connectivity to
CDC PLATO mainframe
systems,
> > either by dialup modem (1200 bps) or
multiplexer.
>
> Actually, I was the original poster; a reply to me mentioned the
> terminal you're describing.
>
> > The IST is not the oldest PLATO terminal, but it is the oldest that
CDC
> > manufactured, I suspect. Even my PLATO IV
(Magnavox, 1971) is not the
> > oldest, but only the first mass-produced machine. The earliest ones
date
to
> > about 1961 and there are probably only two
or three still in
existence, if
> > we're lucky enough to have that many. A
precursor to these would be
Norman
> > Crowder's Auto-Tutor, vintage about
1958, which has characteristics
very
> > similar to the PLATO terminals (though it is
not a computer terminal,
it
> > operates on filmstrip media), and
PLATO's mechanisms are said to have
been
> > influenced by this machine.
>
> It's one of the mid-70s Magnavox plasma displays I'm looking for...
>
> Say, are you able to connect to NovaNET with the magnavox terminal? if
> so, we should meet for a game of Empire or Avatar some time (although
> I'm sure you'll wipe me out).... or maybe a more civilized game of
chess...
Regards,
-doug quebbeman
3:51 p.m.
On Thu, 1 Aug 2002, Claude.W wrote:
Id love to see the old Plato running again.
Does anyone here know anyone that worked or was involved in Plato closely
and might be able to get some kinda "emulator" project going off the ground?
Well, when someone comes up with a CDC-110 smart termmiinal or emulator,
I will be pleased to supply copies of the CP/M-2.2 and Diagnostics disks
for it.
- don
Writing up a terminal emulator might not be dramatic
but emulating the
cybers that ran plato might be more of a challenge...
This would be totaly wild and while I dont have a lotta time for stuff like
this...this one would probably get some attention from me...
And if I could find listing of some games I had written, Id go totaly
wild...SPACE ATTACK was one of them.
Seems TELUQ (Tele-Universitee here in Quebec) was very involved in Plato.
But I have yet to find some people from "back then"....
Claude
----- Original Message -----
From: "Curt Vendel" <curt(a)atarimuseum.com>
To: <classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org>
Sent: Thursday, August 01, 2002 11:00 AM
Subject: Re: Plato terminal
Doug,
Besides collecting it, is there anything you can do with it??? Has
anyone
found any of the original CDC Plato servers and
been able to restore them
to some
functionality so that Plato terminals could be
connected and tried out???
I own several of the Atari 800 Plato carts that turn an Atari into a
Plato
Terminal using the Graphics 8 mode with animated
graphics. I remember
first
signing up and trying it out in 1984-85 or so I
was was amazed at the
speed in
which code was sent to the computer to draw
graphics, create animations
and so
forth.
Curt
Douglas Quebbeman wrote:
> > This is two years late, but the terminal the original poster describes
> > sounds like an IST (model 1), a CRT-based CDC product, vintage about
1978.
> > There was a later edition called the
IST-II, also CDC. It had two 8"
drives
> > and a Z-80 CPU, as well as connectivity
to CDC PLATO mainframe
systems,
> > either by dialup modem (1200 bps) or
multiplexer.
>
> Actually, I was the original poster; a reply to me mentioned the
> terminal you're describing.
>
> > The IST is not the oldest PLATO terminal, but it is the oldest that
CDC
> > manufactured, I suspect. Even my PLATO
IV (Magnavox, 1971) is not the
> > oldest, but only the first mass-produced machine. The earliest ones
date
to
> > about 1961 and there are probably only
two or three still in
existence, if
> > we're lucky enough to have that
many. A precursor to these would be
Norman
> > Crowder's Auto-Tutor, vintage about
1958, which has characteristics
very
> > similar to the PLATO terminals (though
it is not a computer terminal,
it
> > operates on filmstrip media), and
PLATO's mechanisms are said to have
been
> > influenced by this machine.
>
> It's one of the mid-70s Magnavox plasma displays I'm looking for...
>
> Say, are you able to connect to NovaNET with the magnavox terminal? if
> so, we should meet for a game of Empire or Avatar some time (although
> I'm sure you'll wipe me out).... or maybe a more civilized game of
chess...
Regards,
-doug quebbeman
7937
days inactive
8322
days old
4 comments
5 participants
participants (5)
-
claudew＠videotron.ca -
curt＠atari-history.com -
curt＠atarimuseum.com -
dhquebbeman＠theestopinalgroup.com -
donm＠cts.com