22 Jun
2015
22 Jun
'15
12:16 p.m.
I saw this newpaper photo on ebay, item 191606970872, where these 2 big
wigs are proudly standing in front of their computer system looking over
some printout.
The actual computers in the picture don't look familiar to me, can
anyone ID them?
Doug
22 Jun
22 Jun
4:39 p.m.
----
I saw this newpaper photo on ebay, item 191606970872, where these 2 big wigs are proudly
standing in front of their computer system looking over some printout.
The actual computers in the picture don't look familiar to me, can anyone ID them?
----
The disc drives appear to be HP 7900A drives. I can't make out any of the cpu's or
cabinets though....
J
5:19 p.m.
It looks like three dual systems with processors sharing common storage.
Tandem? or other robust ysytem
Rod
On 22/06/2015 21:39, Jay West wrote:
----
I saw this newpaper photo on ebay, item 191606970872, where these 2 big wigs are proudly
standing in front of their computer system looking over some printout.
The actual computers in the picture don't look familiar to me, can anyone ID them?
----
The disc drives appear to be HP 7900A drives. I can't make out any of the cpu's
or cabinets though....
J
5:47 p.m.
On 2015-Jun-22, at 2:19 PM, Rod Smallwood wrote:
On 22/06/2015 21:39, Jay West wrote:
> On 2015-Jun-22, at 9:16 AM, Douglas Taylor wrote:
> I saw this newpaper photo on ebay, item 191606970872, where these 2 big wigs are
proudly standing in front of their computer system looking over some printout.
>
> The actual computers in the picture don't look familiar to me, can anyone ID
them?
> ----
> The disc drives appear to be HP 7900A drives. I can't make out any of the
cpu's or cabinets though....
It looks like three dual systems with processors
sharing common storage.
Tandem? or other robust ysytem
The manufacturer / model appears to be labeled at the top of the racks, but the photos
aren't clear enough. Might find out if one is willing to buy the clipping.
Funny looking front panels, but looks like 16-bit.
5:57 p.m.
You're sure this is a picture from 1990? Looks older.
On Mon, Jun 22, 2015 at 5:19 PM, Rod Smallwood <
rodsmallwood52 at btinternet.com> wrote:
It looks like three dual systems with processors sharing common storage.
Tandem? or other robust ysytem
Rod
On 22/06/2015 21:39, Jay West wrote:
----
I saw this newpaper photo on ebay, item 191606970872, where these 2 big
wigs are proudly standing in front of their computer system looking over
some printout.
The actual computers in the picture don't look familiar to me, can anyone
ID them?
----
The disc drives appear to be HP 7900A drives. I can't make out any of the
cpu's or cabinets though....
J
10:14 p.m.
On 06/22/2015 04:19 PM, Rod Smallwood wrote:
It looks like three dual systems with processors sharing
common storage.
Tandem? or other robust ysytem
That AIN'T tandem, I'm sure. A couple good friends worked
for Tandem from very near the beginning, so I know what a
Non-stop I looks like. He built one from scrap boards in
his basement, too.
Also, it is clearly NOT 1990 era, probably much closer to
mid-1970's. The cartridge disk drives look a little like
double-decker Diablos, with the packs in racks on top of the
cabinets. The CPUs remind me of TI machines, but these
would be earlier than the ones I had seen.
Jon
23 Jun
23 Jun
12:43 a.m.
On 22 Jun 2015, at 19:14, Jon Elson <elson at
pico-systems.com> wrote:
Also, it is clearly NOT 1990 era, probably much closer to mid-1970's. The cartridge
disk drives look a little like double-decker Diablos, with the packs in racks on top of
the cabinets. The CPUs remind me of TI machines, but these would be earlier than the ones
I had seen.
I think the hint is on the back. This is a story of Delaine Donohue retiring from D&B
where he created and ran the National Business Information Center and the Central Data
Collection Group between the early 70s and early 80s. He retired in ?89, so it?s not
unreasonable to assume 80?s vintage in the context of D&B ? although the drives do
suggest earlier rather than later in the decade.
Figuring out the computers from the date range is more difficult. Before 1978 D&B was
still a Xerox (Sigma-5 and Sigma-9) shop; in 1979 they purchased National CSS and plunged
into IBM mainframe land. NCSS had a homebrew packet-switching network that talked to IBM
and Amdahl iron (and, after the purchase, evolved to be DunsNet), so I suppose it?s
possible that these are comm processors ? although IIRC most of the original NCSS packet
stuff was PDP-11 based.
Anyone have a photo of an Interdata model 50 or 55 communications processor?
--
Christian Kennedy, Ph.D.
chris at mainecoon.com AF6AP | DB00000692 | PG00029419
http://www.mainecoon.com PGP KeyID 108DAB97
PGP fingerprint: 4E99 10B6 7253 B048 6685 6CBC 55E1 20A3 108D AB97
"Mr. McKittrick, after careful consideration?"
1:20 a.m.
On 06/22/2015 09:43 PM, Christian Kennedy wrote:
I think the hint is on the back. This is a story of
Delaine Donohue
retiring from D&B where he created and ran the National Business
Information Center and the Central Data Collection Group between the
early 70s and early 80s. He retired in ?89, so it?s not unreasonable
to assume 80?s vintage in the context of D&B ? although the drives do
suggest earlier rather than later in the decade.
I found a few mentions of the D&B setup back then. In the 60s and 70s,
D&B appeared to be a loyal IBM customer, even endorsing the 3850-beer
can-in-a-pigeon-coop MSS device. I did find a mention that D&B
installed a minicomputer network in its local offices in 1976. That's
about as far as I got, but the minis in the racks in the photo remind me
a bit of DG Novas.
--Chuck
5:11 p.m.
On 06/22/2015 11:43 PM, Christian Kennedy wrote:
I think the hint is on the back. This is a story of
Delaine Donohue
retiring from D&B where he created and ran the National Business
Information Center and the Central Data Collection Group between the
early 70s and early 80s. He retired in ?89, so it?s not unreasonable to
assume 80?s vintage in the context of D&B ? although the drives do
suggest earlier rather than later in the decade.
"If it ain't broke, don't fix it" etc. - maybe there was significant
risk
in replacing an old but reliable system.
so I suppose it?s
possible that these are comm processors ? although IIRC most of the
original NCSS packet stuff was PDP-11 based.
To me it looks like those are pairs of analog moving-coil meters on the
fronts, either side of the blinkenlights, which seems a little odd (I mean
sure, maybe one such meter for checking/monitoring power inputs, but even
then I'm surprised it would be right there on the front panels). It makes
me wonder if these aren't some form of multi-channel data logging devices,
rather than a general-purpose computer.
5:33 p.m.
Yes I noticed the rarther fancy panels with the edgewise meters.
I'm begining to wonder if they might be for monitoring private comms
circuits.
Sort of a comms test box.
The meters would be right for signal to noise and the row of buttons at
the bottom for channel to monitor selection.
On 23/06/2015 22:11, Jules Richardson wrote:
On 06/22/2015 11:43 PM, Christian Kennedy wrote:
I think the hint is on the back. This is a story
of Delaine Donohue
retiring from D&B where he created and ran the National Business
Information Center and the Central Data Collection Group between the
early 70s and early 80s. He retired in ?89, so it?s not unreasonable to
assume 80?s vintage in the context of D&B ? although the drives do
suggest earlier rather than later in the decade.
"If it ain't broke, don't fix it" etc. - maybe there was significant
risk in replacing an old but reliable system.
so I suppose it?s
possible that these are comm processors ? although IIRC most of the
original NCSS packet stuff was PDP-11 based.
To me it looks like those are pairs of analog moving-coil meters on
the fronts, either side of the blinkenlights, which seems a little odd
(I mean sure, maybe one such meter for checking/monitoring power
inputs, but even then I'm surprised it would be right there on the
front panels). It makes me wonder if these aren't some form of
multi-channel data logging devices, rather than a general-purpose
computer.
22 Jun
22 Jun
9:05 p.m.
The drives appear similar to those on the HP 3000. Could it be an OEM process control
version?
http://www.hpmuseum.net/images/3000_1972-35.jpg
Steve.
---------------------------- Original Message ----------------------------
Subject: RE: 1990 Era computer room
From: "Jay West" <jwest at classiccmp.org>
Date: Tue, June 23, 2015 6:39 am
To: "'General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts'" <cctalk
at classiccmp.org>
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
I saw this newpaper photo on ebay, item 191606970872, where these 2 big wigs are proudly
standing in front of their computer system looking over some printout.
The actual computers in the picture don't look familiar to me, can anyone ID them?
----
The disc drives appear to be HP 7900A drives. I can't make out any of the cpu's
or cabinets though....
J
23 Jun
23 Jun
2:06 p.m.
On Monday, June 22, 2015 at 15:39, Jay West wrote:
The disc drives appear to be HP 7900A drives.
I agree. A few pictures for comparison here:
http://www.hpmuseum.net/display_item.php?hw=275
The printers appear to be Data Products 2310 drum printers, also sold as
the HP 2767A; photos:
http://www.hpmuseum.net/display_item.php?hw=332
The ones in the original photo do not appear to be the HP versions, though,
as there are no HP badges present under the operator panels.
-- Dave
24 Jun
24 Jun
10:56 a.m.
If anybody has one I am interested in a Data Products 2310 if that is the
same as the DEC LP01. It should be an 80 column zone printer, and I might
take a relabeled one. The pedestal one is preferred but a table top would
be OK.
Thanks, Paul
On Tue, Jun 23, 2015 at 1:06 PM, J. David Bryan <jdbryan at acm.org> wrote:
On Monday, June 22, 2015 at 15:39, Jay West wrote:
The disc drives appear to be HP 7900A drives.
I agree. A few pictures for comparison here:
http://www.hpmuseum.net/display_item.php?hw=275
The printers appear to be Data Products 2310 drum printers, also sold as
the HP 2767A; photos:
http://www.hpmuseum.net/display_item.php?hw=332
The ones in the original photo do not appear to be the HP versions, though,
as there are no HP badges present under the operator panels.
-- Dave
22 Jun
22 Jun
4:49 p.m.
On 6/22/2015 9:16 AM, Douglas Taylor wrote:
I saw this newpaper photo on ebay, item 191606970872,
where these 2
big wigs are proudly standing in front of their computer system
looking over some printout.
The actual computers in the picture don't look familiar to me, can
anyone ID them?
Doug
The printers look like Data Printer 80 column printers. Can't tell
about the systems, but they appear to have what look like analog meters
on the panels, which is interesting.
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13 comments
13 participants
participants (13)
-
billdegnan＠gmail.com -
cclist＠sydex.com -
chris＠mainecoon.com -
dj.taylor4＠comcast.net -
elson＠pico-systems.com -
hilpert＠cs.ubc.ca -
jdbryan＠acm.org -
jules.richardson99＠gmail.com -
jwest＠classiccmp.org -
jws＠jwsss.com -
rodsmallwood52＠btinternet.com -
steven＠malikoff.com -
useddec＠gmail.com