test-drb April 1999

test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

170 participants
1190 discussions

by rigdonj＠intellistar.net

Aaron, OK now how the hell do I get it out to find out what's in there? Joe At 01:27 PM 4/21/99 -0700, you wrote: >The 411 is just the box. Mine has an Archive Viper QIC-150 in it that I >use with an Emulex MT-02 controller. You'll have to take a look inside to >see what you've got in there. Under SunOS, you should be able to access >this as device st[devnum]. Check the man page for "st" for some more info. > >Aaron > >On Wed, 21 Apr 1999, Joe wrote: > >> I just picked up a SUN model 411 tape drive PN 595-1711-03. I can't find it >> in the SUN FAQ , does anyone have any info on it? >> >> Joe >> > >

26 years

The "FIRST PC" and personal timelines (Was: And what were the 80s

by allisonp＠world.std.com

<Ah, but what was the first Microcomputer (including at least a monitor with <bitmap display, some sort of disk or floppy drive, as standard features, <and 'personal' in nature)? That could be a pdp-12 or a POLY-88 depending on your point of view. Clearly a northstar horizon with a compucolor would fit that requirement though at that time useres didn't feel the need for more than a good terminal. That would be 1978. Why bit mapped monitor? Allison

26 years

more chording keyboards

by gregorym＠cadvision.com

At 09:42 PM 4/21/99 +0100, you wrote: >> >> Hi, >> I still haven't built a chording keyboard, but I'd like to know, what are >> its advantages/disadvantages over a regular one? I realize the general >> differences, what I'm looking for is 'it would be great for typing >> because.., it would be awful for data entry because....' > >Well, what it's useful for often depends on how the chords are assigned. >I have a Microwriter Agenda, and it's quite difficult to type some of the >characters like '{' that are rarely used in English (but which are common >in programming). The one I built for my PERQ (hopefully) makes it easier >to type some of the common programming symbols (at the expense of making >some letters a little harder to type). > >The main advantage is that (a) they're very fast to use (once you learn >to use them, which I haven't) and (b) they can be used 1-handed. The >original idea (from Xerox IIRC) was that you used the chording pad with >one hand and the mouse with the other. I want to try a mouse with a >chording keypad built in, but I've not got round to making it. > >-tony > I thought that the chording keyboard was one of Doug Engelbart's innovations. I believe he envisioned them as a way to move through Cyberspace more efficently than with a mouse. So that would pre-date PARC, being at Arpa or at Tymshare. Mark.

26 years

z80 timing... 6502 timing

by gregorym＠cadvision.com

Now I know that many people didn't consider it a reasonable computer, but the TMS-9900 did make a memorable appearance in the TI-99/4/4A of blessed memory - 16K if I recall correctly. Once you added a PEB, RS-232 card, 32 K memory card, 2 HH DS/SD floppies and an Extended Basic cartidge, it was a fine computer. So bite your tongue. Cheers, Mark "They'll pry my TI out of my cold, dead hands" Gregory At 02:16 PM 4/21/99 -0600, you wrote: >For the longest time, the TMS 9900 didn't appear in anything one could >consider a reasonable computer. There was one model I saw at a colleagues >home which had expansion capability, but he often complained that cards for >interesting applications, like mass storage, etc, were not available. I >didn't pursue it and so I believe(d) it to be true. I saw one ad for an >SC/MP, in '77, but that one was a homebrewed model. Other than that, it was >not of much interest here. Was that not the case in Germany? The processor >was still in National's data book, but I really wasn't then and am not now >of any operating system or application software for it. I don't believe I >ever saw a real SC/MP based computer. > >Dick >-----Original Message----- >From: Hans Franke <Hans.Franke(a)mch20.sbs.de> >To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers ><classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu> >Date: Wednesday, April 21, 1999 2:10 PM >Subject: Re: z80 timing... 6502 timing > > >>> I suppose that's true, Hans, BUT, in1982, there were few other >processors >>> than the 6502 and Z-80 in popular use, with the exception of the 8080A >and >>> the 8085, of course. The majority of home computers, though, used one of >>> these two, at that time. Several years later, we found the 6510 and 6809 >in >>> commercially interesting applications, but not for as long a period as >the >>> Z-80 and 6502. These two had a life of nearly ten years before the >IBM-PC >>> and its clones wrenched the home computer market from their grasp. >> >>in 1982, the 9900 was also big and beasts like SC/MP where still on >>the run (and 680xx, 808x and 160xx comming up), but you're right if >>you want to pich the two mayor player in the SOHO market. >> >>But still, a general measurement includes them. >> >>Gruss >>H. >> >>-- >>Stimm gegen SPAM: http://www.politik-digital.de/spam/de/ >>Vote against SPAM: http://www.politik-digital.de/spam/en/ >>Votez contre le SPAM: http://www.politik-digital.de/spam/fr/ >>Ich denke, also bin ich, also gut >>HRK > > >

26 years

Saving *BIG* Old Iron...

by gregorym＠cadvision.com

This seems very melancholy to me. Delightful that you're there to preserve the machines for posterity, but sad that prodcutive machines are being shut down after long service. "Farewell, o' good and faithful servant". Cheers, Mark. At 01:37 PM 4/21/99 -0400, you wrote: > >It looks like everything is coming together... We have a team >assembled (compiled?) to decommission and move a set of KS10 >decsystem-10 36-bit machines and the move happens this weekend! > >I was in attendance earlier today as the machines were shut >down for the final time where they have been for quite a few >years. I got a picture of the final systat screen, and they >stopped timesharing... > >We then got busy unloading and shutting down all the disk drives. >I then shut down the individual boxes and power controllers for >the system cabinets and isolated the cabling (they had LOTS of >terminal cables). I then raised all the stabilizing feet and >used a tie-wrap to attach the panel keys inside the cabinet. I >then closed and latched the front doors. I also did the same >for the tape drive cabinets. They're all rolling free and ready >to go. > >On friday, we'll be pre-staging all the disk drives, and on >saturday we load-out to trucks. > >I'll be taking more pictures as we go along... > > Megan Gentry > Former RT-11 Developer > >+--------------------------------+-------------------------------------+ >| Megan Gentry, EMT/B, PP-ASEL | Internet (work): gentry(a)zk3.dec.com | >| Unix Support Engineering Group | (home): mbg(a)world.std.com | >| Compaq Computer Corporation | | >| 110 Spitbrook Rd. ZK03-2/T43 | URL: http://world.std.com/~mbg/ | >| Nashua, NH 03062 | "pdp-11 programmer - some assembler | >| (603) 884 1055 | required." - mbg | >+--------------------------------+-------------------------------------+ > >

26 years

And what were the 80s like for you? (Was: z80 timing...

by ddameron＠earthlink.net

At 03:05 PM 4/21/99 -0700, Sam wrote: >Check this excellent timeline out for updating your microcomputer history >knowledge: > >http://www1.islandnet.com/~kpolsson/comphist.htm Here's another one describing many (micro)computers: Including 2901's, 6502, Moto's 1 bit, etc. http://wwwcsif.cs.ucdavis.edu/~csclub/museum/cpu.html > >Sellam Alternate e-mail: dastar(a)siconic.com >--------------------------------------------------------------------------- --- >Don't rub the lamp if you don't want the genie to come out. > -Dave

26 years

The Paxton auction: any interest in rescues

by rigdonj＠intellistar.net

At 11:52 AM 4/21/99 -0700, you wrote: >On Wed, 21 Apr 1999, Joe wrote: > >> I'd go with a pickup load of $$$ and come back with several loads of junk, >> er, umm, stuff. Good thing I'm on the wrong side of the country. > >Hans Franke came all the way from Germany last year and bought a truck >load of stuff, so what's stopping you (besides sanity)? > >(Unfortunately, that truckload of stuff ended up taking up valuable space >in my closet...some people just don't know their limits :) LOL! At least he can say he owns it even if it's in a different country! Joe

26 years

PDP-11/44 CPU Configuration

by CLASSICCMP＠trailing-edge.COM

>> Speaking from decades of experience, you *do not* put a Unibus machine >> together in a big configuration, especially from mix-and-match used >> parts, and get it to work. You go down to the most basic configuration >> possible, and then add parts one at a time, testing as you go. >Well, with the exception of the DELUA, and RAM everything is configured the >way it was when I got the machine, but that's a good point. I hope nobody takes it as an insult when I try to encourage them to take a system down to its bare-bones and build it back up step-by-step, but this really is the best way to debug a system that one knows little about the history of. Just because something is written on the sticker on the cover of a system about its configuration doesn't mean that it was working in that last configuration! In particular, with Unibus machines you have to check the presence of the NPG jumpers on the backplane if you have the slightest reason to believe that the configuration has been meddled with in the slightest since it last worked. A single mis-placed jumper anywhere in the system can cause the entire system to lock up when the first DMA attempt is made... Tim.

26 years

Programming fixtures for Panasonic HHC

by rcini＠email.msn.com

Hello, all: A friend of mine has a small quantity (~30) of adapters to enable one to program the EPROMs used in the Panasonic HHC with a standard EPROM programmer. The adaptor houses the 8K eprom, most commonly used is the MCM68764 by Motorola, but a special crimping device is used on the chips before they can seat in the HHC proper. If this was not the case, you wouldn't need the special insertion socket to burn chips, you would be able to seat the eproms directly into the ZIF sockets on the programmer being used. These adapters were supposedly hand-crafted for the purpose. Asking price is $15@ plus shipping from New Jersey. If anyone needs more details, e-mail me privately and I can hook you up with the guy selling them. [ Rich Cini/WUGNET [ ClubWin!/CW7 [ MCP Windows 95/Windows Networking [ Collector of "classic" computers [ http://highgate.comm.sfu.ca/~rcini/classiccmp/ [ http://highgate.comm.sfu.ca/~rcini/pdp11/ <---------------------------- reply separator

26 years

And what were the 80s like for you? (Was: z80 timing...

by edick＠idcomm.com

In '76 a couple of my friends and I were ogling at ads for Alpha Micro and some self-contained Z-80-based unit from CompuTrol or some such manufacturer. The latter had a built in display and printer, though I don't recall what kind of display and printer. It might have been an EPN9120-based printer, but it appeared it was a small CRT from the ads. It might have been a small, e.g. 20-character alpha-numeric LED display, though. Dick -----Original Message----- From: Jim Strickland <jim(a)calico.litterbox.com> To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers <classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu> Date: Wednesday, April 21, 1999 4:09 PM Subject: Re: And what were the 80s like for you? (Was: z80 timing... >> >> No, I was referring to your comment of the TRS-80 M1 being the "first >> personal computer". We won't argue about the definition of "personal >> computer", but for the sake of this discussion, the Apple ][ and Commodore >> PET were both introduced in April 1977 at the first West Coast Computer >> Faire. The TRS-80 M1 was introduced in August of 1977. > >Really? I stand corrected then. I always assumed the TRS-80 came out before >the A2 and the PET. And I should have specified first commercially sold >ready-to-use personal computer. And I might have been wrong even with that. >Would you believe first computer I ever saw for sale? :) > > >-- >Jim Strickland >jim(a)DIESPAMMERSCUMcalico.litterbox.com >----------------------------------------------------------------------- >Vote Meadocrat! Bill and Opus in 2000 - Who ELSE is there? >-----------------------------------------------------------------------

26 years

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test-drb April 1999