26 Aug
2023
26 Aug
'23
1:27 p.m.
I guess not many have survived but I want to ask if someone/some place has
software (papertapes, ...) for the Texas Instruments 960 minicomputers.
We have a 960B but at the moment, it is pretty much useless. I could
toggle in a small program, but would appreciate something like FORTRAN or
an assembler.
Christian
27 Aug
27 Aug
6:02 a.m.
I guess not many have survived but I want to ask if
someone/some place has
software (papertapes, ...) for the Texas Instruments 960 minicomputers.
If any survive, please be sure to keep me at least ten feet away from them :-)
The 960B is the only computer I ever walked away from and said "I can't do
this". This was mostly, but not entirely, due to the Silent 700 and its cassette
tapes.
It took 20 minutes to load the loader, and, then, if I got that right, 20 minutes to load
the editor, and *then* I could start doing work.
As long as "work" was not "hit tab".
Because then the editor would crash, and you were back to the beginning.
Even in my younger and smarter days my error rate was more than one every 45 minutes.
I had to BS my way through the coursework that required that machine.
mcl
9:30 p.m.
On Sat, Aug 26, 2023 at 10:02 PM Mark Linimon via cctalk <
cctalk(a)classiccmp.org> wrote:
That was the first piece of hardware I ever acquired for which I had no
actual or even reasonable purpose to own. It was then (mid-1980s) that I
first became a Collector.
I guess not
many have survived but I want to ask if someone/some place
has
software (papertapes, ...) for the Texas
Instruments 960 minicomputers.
If any survive, please be sure to keep me at least ten feet away from them
:-)
The 960B is the only computer I ever walked away from and said "I can't do
this". This was mostly, but not entirely, due to the Silent 700 and its
cassette tapes.
It took 20 minutes to load the loader, and, then, if I
got that right, 20
minutes to load the editor, and *then* I could start doing work.
I love that terminal: its beefiness, the front panel with lots of
blinkenlights and switches, the vertical-mounting dual digital cassette
drives... I mean, seriously, what's to hate? I say that the hate is in
your heart! And the vintage computing gods are outputting a VALUE OUT OF
RANGE ERROR.
Butt seriously, I've worked with them on at least two separate occasions
recovering private letters to mother from seminary (in one job) and source
code (another job, space stuff, I think) and found them a joy to work
with. But then, I went into it with a positive attitude because, of
course, it was my first vintage computer love. Love at literal first site.
Yeah, I'm weird. But so are you. So you can't judge.
Sellam
28 Aug
28 Aug
5:45 a.m.
On 08/27/2023 3:30 PM CDT Sellam Abraham via cctalk
<cctalk(a)classiccmp.org> wrote:
found them a joy to work with. But then, I went into it with a positive attitude
because, of
course, it was my first vintage computer love.
By that time I was well-experienced with my high school machine (a Bendix G-15, which I
wound up maintaining because no one else wanted to), and the college's PDP-11/20,
which I also had hands-on access (wound up building an interface to a line printer).
Those machines were fun. And paper tape >> cassette tape.
This is probably why my experience differs.
mcl
1 Sep
1 Sep
8:30 a.m.
On Sun, 27 Aug 2023, Mark Linimon wrote:
The 960B is the only computer I ever walked away from
and said "I can't
do this". This was mostly, but not entirely, due to the Silent 700 and
its cassette tapes.
It took 20 minutes to load the loader, and, then, if I got that right,
20 minutes to load the editor, and *then* I could start doing work.
This would be my exact setup ;-)
I have the 960B (without software :-(( ) and a Silent 700 ASR with
cassette unit. A real beauty!
I just can't believe that no other system with software has survived. But
apparently, this system is much rarer (and much more interesting) than an
Apple 1 ;-))
Christian
4 Sep
4 Sep
1:22 p.m.
I won't give up my hopes, but it seems that this system is practically
extinct and that noone is really interested in it, although it was the
start for the later 980/990 and 9900 series.
Christian
4:27 p.m.
I'm interested, the ATS-960 automated test system in particular. I
think that's what was with the Applicon I mentioned.
jbdigriz
On Mon, 4 Sep 2023 14:22:53 +0200 (CEST)
Christian Corti via cctalk <cctalk(a)classiccmp.org> wrote:
I won't give up my hopes, but it seems that this
system is
practically extinct and that noone is really interested in it,
although it was the start for the later 980/990 and 9900 series.
Christian
9:01 p.m.
On 9/4/2023 11:27 AM, James B DiGriz via cctalk wrote:
I'm interested, the ATS-960 automated test system
in particular. I
think that's what was with the Applicon I mentioned.
jbdigriz
On Mon, 4 Sep 2023 14:22:53 +0200 (CEST)
Christian Corti via cctalk <cctalk(a)classiccmp.org> wrote:
> I won't give up my hopes, but it seems that this system is
> practically extinct and that noone is really interested in it,
> although it was the start for the later 980/990 and 9900 series.
Weren't the TI 900 series the things called Transputers?
bill
9:13 p.m.
On Mon, 4 Sep 2023, Bill Gunshannon via cctalk wrote:
Weren't the TI 900 series the things called
Transputers?
I don't think so...
You may be thinking of the Inmos T9000 Transputer - successor to the T800
and T4xx (16-bit) series Transputer...
Gordon
(Worked for one of the spin-off companies from Inmos making big things
with Transputers and other stuff)
9:23 p.m.
I can see some similarity of the 900 series CRU I/O to the Inmos
Transputer serial links, but I've never heard of them referred to as
Transputers. The 960 was called a "bit pusher", though.
jbdigriz
On Mon, 4 Sep 2023 16:01:10 -0400
Bill Gunshannon via cctalk <cctalk(a)classiccmp.org> wrote:
On 9/4/2023 11:27 AM, James B DiGriz via cctalk
wrote:
I'm interested, the ATS-960 automated test
system in particular. I
think that's what was with the Applicon I mentioned.
jbdigriz
On Mon, 4 Sep 2023 14:22:53 +0200 (CEST)
Christian Corti via cctalk <cctalk(a)classiccmp.org> wrote:
> I won't give up my hopes, but it seems that this system is
> practically extinct and that noone is really interested in it,
> although it was the start for the later 980/990 and 9900 series.
Weren't the TI 900 series the things called Transputers?
bill
11:03 p.m.
On 9/4/2023 4:23 PM, James B DiGriz via cctalk wrote:
I can see some similarity of the 900 series CRU I/O to
the Inmos
Transputer serial links, but I've never heard of them referred to as
Transputers. The 960 was called a "bit pusher", though.
Looked similar to me, too. I was just curious if an interest in Transputers
had sprung up. Maybe 20 years ago I had boxes of them and even the
ones that went into Sun-3's. I couldn't even give them away. Don't remember
what happened to them at this point. Might have thrown them in with stuff
I gave to a couple of fledgling museums.
bill
5 Sep
5 Sep
4:28 a.m.
On Mon, 4 Sep 2023 18:03:26 -0400
Bill Gunshannon via cctalk <cctalk(a)classiccmp.org> wrote:
On 9/4/2023 4:23 PM, James B DiGriz via cctalk wrote:
Oh, I've always been interested in them, just that opportunity and
means never converged when I wasn't distracted by other things, and then
they became yesterday's news and hard to find. If yours turn up, I'm
sure I wouldn't be the only one who'd want some, either.
Sorry for top-posting and not trimming, earlier. Kinda out of the
mailing list habit.
jbdigriz.
I can see some similarity of the 900 series CRU
I/O to the Inmos
Transputer serial links, but I've never heard of them referred to as
Transputers. The 960 was called a "bit pusher", though.
Looked similar to me, too. I was just curious if an interest in
Transputers
had sprung up. Maybe 20 years ago I had boxes of them and even the
ones that went into Sun-3's. I couldn't even give them away. Don't
remember
what happened to them at this point. Might have thrown them in with
stuff
I gave to a couple of fledgling museums.
bill
2:51 p.m.
James B DiGriz via cctalk <cctalk(a)classiccmp.org> writes:
Oh, I've always been interested in them, just that
opportunity and
means never converged when I wasn't distracted by other things, and
then they became yesterday's news and hard to find. If yours turn up,
I'm sure I wouldn't be the only one who'd want some, either.
I know what you mean. Transputer stuff does turn up from time to time,
though. I play with Perihelion's Helios on a Transputer array myself -
here's the story of how I finally got started (with some useful links to
more Transputer information): https://hamartun.priv.no/b004.html
-tih
--
Most people who graduate with CS degrees don't understand the significance
of Lisp. Lisp is the most important idea in computer science. --Alan Kay
6 Sep
6 Sep
8:14 a.m.
On Tue, 5 Sep 2023, Tom Ivar Helbekkmo wrote:
James B DiGriz via cctalk
<cctalk(a)classiccmp.org> writes:
Ok, I do have tons of transputer staff here. For example a transputer
board from Meico for SUN VME machines. And Inmos development systems
etc.
But I don't see any relation of that to the subject... ;-)
Christian
Oh, I've always been interested in them, just
that opportunity and
means never converged when I wasn't distracted by other things, and
then they became yesterday's news and hard to find. If yours turn up,
I'm sure I wouldn't be the only one who'd want some, either.
I know what you mean. Transputer stuff does turn up from time to time,
though. I play with Perihelion's Helios on a Transputer array myself -
here's the story of how I finally got started (with some useful links to
more Transputer information): https://hamartun.priv.no/b004.html
10:49 a.m.
On Wed, 6 Sep 2023, Christian Corti via cctalk wrote:
On Tue, 5 Sep 2023, Tom Ivar Helbekkmo wrote:
It was Meiko I worked for. I don't recall an in-Sun transputer board but
we had boards for PCs, Suns and VAXes that had the transuter link-chip on
them that then allowed them to front-end a "Computing Surface" - aka big
box full of transputers and other peripherals. You'd develop the code on
the PC/Sun/VAX then use the tools to load up the transputer array and off
you went...
I've only ever seen one Meiko system in a museum since then - Jim Austins
private collection and while it might power-up, it's missing all the SCSI
drives with all the software on - which appears to have been lost to time,
sadly.
Gordon
James B DiGriz via cctalk
<cctalk(a)classiccmp.org> writes:
Ok, I do have tons of transputer staff here. For example a transputer board
from Meico for SUN VME machines. And Inmos development systems etc.
But I don't see any relation of that to the subject... ;-) Oh, I've always been interested in them, just
that opportunity and
means never converged when I wasn't distracted by other things, and
then they became yesterday's news and hard to find. If yours turn up,
I'm sure I wouldn't be the only one who'd want some, either.
I know what you mean. Transputer stuff does turn up from time to time,
though. I play with Perihelion's Helios on a Transputer array myself -
here's the story of how I finally got started (with some useful links to
more Transputer information): https://hamartun.priv.no/b004.html 
5 Sep
5 Sep
6:21 a.m.
On 5 Sep 2023, at 06:01, Bill Gunshannon via cctalk
<cctalk(a)classiccmp.org> wrote:
…
Weren't the TI 900 series the things called
Transputers?
Closest thing to a Transputer from TI I can think of were the C-series DSP chips: eg TMS
320C40, although they used 6x byte-wide parallel ports not the 4x bit-wide serial ports of
the Transputer.
Some Transputer software was ported to them, including Perihelion’s Helios operating
system, iirc.
d
5:08 p.m.
Some of the Analog Devices Sharcs have similar interconnection topologies, e.g. the
ADSP-21160 had six bytewide link ports, doubtless an expressio of the sincerest form of
flatery.
Subsequent Sharcs were more targeted to single DSP functionality.
The baremetal 12 Sharc boards I worked on were for masochists.
Martin
-----Original Message-----
From: David Arnold via cctalk [mailto:cctalk@classiccmp.org]
Sent: 05 September 2023 06:22
To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts <cctalk(a)classiccmp.org>
Cc: David Arnold <davida(a)pobox.com>
Subject: [cctalk] Re: TI 960
On 5 Sep 2023, at 06:01, Bill Gunshannon via cctalk
<cctalk(a)classiccmp.org> wrote:
…
Weren't the TI 900 series the things called
Transputers?
Closest thing to a Transputer from TI I can think of were the C-series DSP chips: eg TMS
320C40, although they used 6x byte-wide parallel ports not the 4x bit-wide serial ports of
the Transputer.
Some Transputer software was ported to them, including Perihelion’s Helios operating
system, iirc.
d
27 Aug
27 Aug
10:04 p.m.
On Sat, 26 Aug 2023 14:27:05 +0200 (CEST)
Christian Corti via cctalk <cctalk(a)classiccmp.org> wrote:
I guess not many have survived but I want to ask if
someone/some
place has software (papertapes, ...) for the Texas Instruments 960
minicomputers. We have a 960B but at the moment, it is pretty much
useless. I could toggle in a small program, but would appreciate
something like FORTRAN or an assembler.
Christian
Whoever got that Applicon out of Indiana on Ebay a couple of years ago
might have the paper tapes with 960B software that were with it. There
were 2 960Bsin that lot; I'm thinking they were the CAM to the Applicon
CAD. They had DS44 (Diablo 44) drives with them as well. No idea
whether they were in working condition, but that whole lot was in a
mess, and no idea what software might have been on them. Never did find
out who got that whole lot. Hopefully it wasn't all scrapped.
Trying to ascertain whether there is any software in the TI archive at
SMU. Someone who's been there twice doesn't think so, but I've asked
him to keep an eye out when he goes again soon.
jbdigriz
257
days inactive
268
days old
18 comments
10 participants
participants (10)
-
Bill Gunshannon -
Chris Hanson -
Christian Corti -
David Arnold -
Gordon Henderson -
James B DiGriz -
Mark Linimon -
Martin Bishop -
Sellam Abraham -
Tom Ivar Helbekkmo