What's the rarest or most unusual software item do you own?

[jim stephens]

On 1/12/2017 7:27 AM, Charles Anthony wrote:
> On Wed, Jan 11, 2017 at 11:24 PM, jim stephens <jwsmail at jwsss.com> wrote:
>
>>
>> On 1/11/2017 11:02 PM, Lars Brinkhoff wrote:
>>
>>> What about software?
>>>
>> BCPL IBM mainframe portability package (original time frame). Common now,
>> not so common back in the day.
>>
>> The kit was used with some efforts to port to minicomputers @ USL
>>
>> Also got some Mathilda manuals from Aarhus
>>
>> http://bitsavers.informatik.uni-stuttgart.de/pdf/aarhusUnive
>> rsity/pb/PB-34_An_Overview_of_the_MATHILDA_System_Aug74.pdf
>>
>> We were running the simulator which was in BCPL on a Multics system.  The
>> visit by the Mathilda hardware was canceled a year after I was there.
>>
>>
> Strictly speaking I don't own, but I have helped breathe life back into
> some software; we have a working Multics BCPL compiler.  You can run that
> software....
>
> -- Charles
>
>
the CHM took ownership of the USL archive which would have included any 
BCPL remains.   I have only the portability package tape and image, 
which will get the BCPL compiler running on a 360 MVT or later (Also 
made it go on an AT-370 VM system, as well as VM-SP5).

you can then re-target the  code generation for portability on whatever 
platform.  That can of course be done better with the Multics BCPL.

The availability of Multics BCPL was one of the things that brought 
Professor Konerup from Aarhus to USL, and they funded and spent a couple 
of years studying in the US.  Dr. Bruce Shriver spent a couple of years 
in Aarhus on some sort of grant previously.

Professor Ted Lewis had SIGARCH for maybe 3 or 4 years as well as Dr. 
Shriver, and we put on two SIGARCH conventions at USL.  One had been 
sponsored earlier, and while I was there in 1975 another one was put on 
in New Orleans.  A very interesting town to have a lot of such folks in 
town for, and still get anything done.

Look up the Delta Towers, where the convention was held if you want to 
see another fun challenge.

thanks
jim