DEC VT05 with OS/8 -- basic system rebuild?

[Brad Parker]

Rich Alderson wrote:
>From: Charles H Dickman
>Sent: Wednesday, May 13, 2009 4:07 PM
>
>> I suspect that it is impossible to rebuild OS/8 today. I would be=20
>> surprised if OS/8 was actually maintained on a PDP-8. All of the=20
>> diagnostic listing, for example, were generated using PAL10 on a PDP-10.
>
>That is easily remedied.  We can certainly host PAL10 and any other PDP-10
>based tools (PAL11, for example) on either the Tops-10 2065 or the TOPS-20
>Toad-1 at PDPplanet.  Let me know what you need, and I'll try to track it
>down.

There seem to be two separate issues here.

One is the source for maindec diags (both pdp-8 and pdp-11), which seem
to have been created and built on a pdp-10.

Discovering those sources would be quite a find.  I've only seen
microfiche printouts.

(i've been working in "the mill" the past few months and I keep hoping
to find an old magtape in the ceiling or a closet :-)

But I'm not sure I believe (yet) the notion that OS/8 was not built on a
pdp-8.  but who knows, I'm often mistaken.

has anyone tried to track down the any maindec or os/8 authors?  they
might have kept a tape...

-brad