Lyle scores a WIN for our hobby!

[Rod Smallwood]

On 29/04/2016 04:58, Jerome H. Fine wrote:
> >Rod Smallwood wrote:
>
>> >On 28/04/2016 18:25, Evan Koblentz wrote:
>>
>>>> We all owe a big "Thanks!" to Harry Sanders at S&H Computer Systems 
>>>> and his
>>>> Board of Directors for making this release a reality for all vintage
>>>> computer folks! Also, the hobby owes huge thanks to Lyle Bickley for
>>>> tirelessly pursuing this for us all! I've always been a huge fan of 
>>>> TSX-Plus
>>>> and I'm thrilled there's now a personal (hobbyist) license thanks 
>>>> to Lyle. 
>>>
>>> Great work Lyle!!
>>
>> Excellent  --  One minor point you need RT11 to run it I think.
>
> At the present time, RT-11 is used in running TSX-Plus in three ways:
>
> (a)  To boot TSX-Plus, either it is usual to initiate TSX.SAV via one 
> of the
>      UnMapped RT-11 monitors such as RT11SJ or RT11FB since most,
>      probably all, Mapped RT-11 monitors are too large.
>
> (b)  Certain RT-11 utilities such as DIR.SAV and PIP.SAV are often 
> used in
>       addition to other RT-11 programs such as MACRO.SAV to accomplish
>       goals under TSX-Plus which S&H did not write.
>
> (c)  Many of the TSX-Plus device drivers were originally RT-11 device 
> drivers
>      modified to conform to TSX-Plus requirements.
>
> It is probably (c) that is actually the reason that RT-11 is needed to 
> run
> TSX-Plus since S&H could have managed to write the boot code in
> addition to the RT-11 programs that are used.  But as long as an RT-11
> license was a pre-requisite to run TSX-Plus, there really was no need to
> also write all of the device drivers from scratch as well.  For the 
> actual
> situation, as long as RT-11 was already present, the straight forward
> solution was the one used.
>
> If my comments are incorrect, it would be appreciated if someone could
> provide the actual information.
>
> Jerome Fine
I can remember sitting in the training room at digital in Parker Street 
(HQ had moved out of the mill by then)
in November 1973 and doing the RT11 course. It was included in my new 
hire training (six weeks in the US)
I was a bit distracted as one of girls running the course came in and 
sought out non-US hires and gave us a 50 dollar bill each.
I asked what that was about.  Cost of living allowance because the US 
was considered to be higher.
She did that every day for the rest of the course, except Fridays when 
you got 150 dollars.

We had already had a big expense advance before leaving the UK.
When I got back I duly worked out all my US expenses including  the 
50dollars and presented them to my new boss.
There was a big surplus and I was all ready to return it.
He laughed and said full marks for honesty but we are are a cost center 
and cant take money back in.
Keep it. He then endorsed my copy of the expense sheet  "return of 
excess declined - employee to retain"
Happy days!!

Rod (Panelman) Smallwood