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Re: What constitutes a dead computer language

by Mark Green

Yes, I did early development on both. At least the interface to the OS was Pascal. I still have the early documentation buried in a box somewhere. Sent from my iPhone > On Jun 20, 2026, at 2:02 PM, Fred Cisin via cctalk <cctalk(a)classiccmp.org> wrote: > > On Sat, 20 Jun 2026, ben via cctalk wrote: >> PL/1 and C are the only two high level languages a operating system is written in, that I can think of that are well documented, and easily found on the WEB. > > I heard that all of the Lisa OS, and much of Macintosh, were written in Pascal. (obviously other than some low-level drivers and performance critical routines?) > Is that correct? > > http://pascal.hansotten.com/apple-lisa-pascal/ > > When did Macintosh development switch to C? > > -- > Grumpy Ol' Fred cisin(a)xenosoft.com

1 day, 2 hours

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HP-HIL keyboard

by Adrian Godwin

Not my auction etc etc but I believe these are hard to find. Also fits HP500A and maybe B logic analyser (500C used PS/2). https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/297932090059

1 day, 3 hours

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VCF Ontario Post Event Survey Results

by Jeffrey Brace

Here are the results of the VCF Ontario Pre-Event survey. Thank you for your participation! https://www.surveymonkey.com/stories/SM-5AjaEeVZi_2BzFa6kNxznYzA_3D_3D/ :-D

1 day, 21 hours

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OS/timeshare discussion (VCF)

by Steve Lewis

Hey gang, a few months ago I presented about timeshare and some aspects about operating systems since the 1950s. To buzz through a PDF or PPT version of the notes: https://github.com/voidstar78/VCF2026 VCFSW has the talk archived here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hE235ti9XQ Sorry being a bit dull as a speaker, but a few highlights: - overview of Douglass Ross "Director Tape" for Whirlwind (only "what it looked like" evidence that I was ever able to find, would be curious if others knew more about it) - 1965 Honeywell ADMIRAL OS: while I couldn't find much info about that specific OS, what I did find what Honeywell went to bat for us all vs RAND corp, putting an end some concerns about ENIAC hardware patents (that's a very short version of it) - today we fight about \ vs / slashes, when MULTICS split the difference and used > (greater than symbol), at least as far as I could tell from the manuals - some verification that UNIX was (sort of) originally called UNICS (see footnotes in the PPT notes), never formally written down but "verified" in the past year - I made a claim that Datapoint CTOS (1972) was the only OS ever on a cassette tape (not to be confused with the late 1970s CTOS) - that said, I suppose the MCM/70 did as well; really admires Mattis Lind's work on the DP2200 I never found too much info about "tymshare" (apparently a late 1960s kind of "corporate or business-to-business digital exchange" system, maybe for inventory or check-processing?). Tons of other OS's, obviously couldn't cover them all in a VCF talk. But there are a bunch of addendum notes after the end of the slides: - Mike Muuss ENIAC archive (at a .mil ftp if anyone wants to archive it more properly?) - I still claim that the word "operating system" was never used before 1960; the "SOS" or "share OS" was a name applied later (1962ish) to those pre-1960s concepts [ afaik ] - I couldn't fit in a bit about squozed :) really wanted to, just couldn't make it fit - AOSP, EXEC II, IBM 1800 derivatives (anyone ever see one of these in the wild?), Oh, not officially launched yet, but I'm now self hosting oldsayings.info (with a telnet front-end at port 42525). Kicking around some ideas, but it's reliably staying up now with Starlink as the ISP. I got tired of waiting for fiber - but the county workers are getting closer, I see them running it ranch by ranch. Cheers, wish could have made it to VCF West this year. -Steve

2 days, 2 hours

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EAI 180 analog computer and docs at auction

by steve shumaker

There's an EAI Analog computer listed for auction on HiBid. Even has some docs: https://hibid.com/lot/317096364/analogue-computer-mod-185-240-eai180 It's in Australia and it's local pick up but for the right person in the right place..... As usual: No knowledge or relationship on my part.

2 days, 21 hours

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DEC and Asbestos

by Jennifer Manibusan

Hello! Our office represents the family of a gentleman (Mr. Marsh) who passed away from mesothelioma, a cancer caused from breathing asbestos. Mr. Marsh spent his career working for a contractor that provided third-party installation and maintenance of DEC computer equipment at various customer locations. We are curious if any DEC equipment ever contained asbestos, possibly asbestos lined brakes, gaskets etc. I am wondering if anyone in this forum has personal knowledge or documentation of asbestos use in DEC equipment OR if any of you have a tape drive with a braking mechanism that we can test for asbestos content? I can be reached via email or on my cell phone (925) 639-8593 with your thoughts. Thank you for your time! Regards, Jennifer Manibusan Legal Investigator Maune Raichle Hartley French & Mudd, LLC 1900 Powell Street, Suite 200 Emeryville, CA 94608 (925) 639-8593 Cell (314) 241-2003 Office This communication may be attorney-client privileged or otherwise confidential. If you are not the intended recipient, please delete this message and notify the sender of this error.

3 days, 2 hours

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Siemens DVA 2002 Ferrite Core Memory, c. 1961 – looking for a collector

by Julia Menden

Dear ClassicCmp community, I am looking for a new home for a rather special piece of early German computer history: An original ferrite core memory module from a Siemens DVA 2002, dating from approximately 1961. The original accompanying label has survived with the module and identifies it as: ● Ferrite core memory from a DVA 2002 ● Dating: circa 1961 ● Memory capacity: 80 × 14 bits ● According to the contemporary description: approximately 840 characters ● The ferrite cores were threaded by hand The module appears to be in very nice and largely original condition. The core matrices, wiring and contacts are clearly visible, and the historical documentation accompanying it has also survived. The Siemens 2002 was one of the early transistorized computer systems produced in Germany and represents an important part of early Siemens computing history. There is also a personal connection to Siemens in my family: my father, Hans Sessler, was the head of a Siemens data center. The module comes from this family context and our connection to computing technology of that era. I am currently parting with a few special objects from my family collection for personal and financial reasons. However, with this particular piece, it is important to me that it goes to someone who understands and appreciates what it is – ideally a collector of early computers, a computer historian, a Siemens specialist, or simply a serious core-memory enthusiast. Therefore, I am inviting serious offers rather than setting a fixed price at this stage. I am located in Germany. International sale and carefully packed shipping can be discussed. I would be happy to provide detailed high-resolution photographs of the front, back, core matrices, connectors, labels and accompanying documentation to anyone seriously interested. I would also very much welcome any additional information from members who may be able to identify the exact configuration or historical context of this particular Siemens DVA 2002 memory module. Please feel free to contact me directly with an offer or further information. Best regards, Julia https://urnenwerk.com (+49) 151 20 76 66 22 menden(a)urnenwerk.de

5 days

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Washington DC, Alex., VA area?

by Paul Anderson

If anyone is coming in from the DC area for VCFMW and can pick up some audio gear for me, please let me know. I'll be happy to compensate you for it. Thanks, Paul

5 days, 17 hours

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A few references on Tymshare

by Mark Kahrs

Starting with the Project GENIE system[1], the primary paper on the software is by Butler Lampson[2], although he did it with Peter Deutsch, then an undergraduate at Berkeley. This system was picked up by Tymshare and almost completely rewritten whilst maintaining compatibility. When it was connected to Tymnet[3], the whole character handling section of the monitor (as an OS was sometimes known) had to be rewritten. All of these changes were described in a IEEE Annals on History of Computing paper[4]. For those desiring more specific information on the "subsystems", much of it can be found on bitsavers: https://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/tymshare/ [1] The GENIE system is the correct historical name for this system. [2] "Interactive Machine-language programming", B. Lampson, 1965 AFIPS conf. [3] "TYMNET: a terminal oriented communication network", L. Tymes, 1971 AFIPS conf. [4] "Tymshare's Changes to the Project Genie SDS-940 Operating System: A Historical Review", M. Kahrs and A. Hardy, in *IEEE Annals of the History of Computing* in July–September 2021

5 days, 23 hours

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VAX shell accounts available. Please email Technoid Mutant to enroll

by Jeffrey S. Worley

I've put my Vaxstation 4000/60 up for a year. During that time it will be available to folks who have need of actual silicon for testing and evaluation. I'll just take your word, so there's no harm in asking for an account. I have allocated 256 users, though that'd be a lot to ask of the system at one time. The system will soon receive a full complement of 104 megabytes ram. The system will soon receive a dual fast-scsi controller to quadruple disk bandwith. Present storage is onboard small-word scsi with emulator and a full- suite of 4gig 'drives'. Present memory is 40mb. LCG framebuffer. Network is limited to a single 10mbit ethernet link. On the network are ample ssd storage and a dedicated i5 running the same version of netbsd as the vax for cross-compile support. The Alphastation is available on the same network at individual request, also running NetBSD 10.1 If you want/need a VAX shell account, send me an Email and I will assign one right back. I would not mind help/advice in fine-tuning this system or anything at all. best, jeff (Technoid Mutant)

1 week, 2 days

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