test-drb August 2005

test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

227 participants
528 discussions

by ajp166＠bellatlantic.net

> >Subject: Bit of CP/M trivia needed > From: "Brian Knittel" <brian at quarterbyte.com> > Date: Sat, 27 Aug 2005 00:58:01 -0700 > To: cctalk at classiccmp.org > >Hi all, > >Does anybody out there know for certain when the >term BIOS was coined? I believe it was Gary Kildall, >and from what I can find, it was around 1978 that >he abstracted the I/O and localized it in what >he called the BIOS. Anyone know differently? The term BIOS is older, early '77. It came into use with V1.3 I think and for cetertain in V1.4. >Also -- was the BIOS stored on the CP/M >floppy, or was it in ROM/EPROM? If not, how >did CP/M machines boot? Was there a dedicated >boot ROM that was used just for startup, and >then the BIOS took over? I had one back in >the day, but I sure can't remember this detail. The easy answer is yes. Tranditional CP/M systems the CCP/BDOS and BIOS were on the first two reserved tracks of the floppy (8" SSSD) and those were loaded by a boot rom. Other implmentations from V2 on it was easily to store the BIOS in ROM and use that to boot the system. >This is for a writing project, so I'd like >to get it right, > >Thanks! >Brian Thre is much myth, and misinformation of old cpm. Much of it was from people that had never used or never been there (in time) and their sense of reference is the PC rather than what came before. Allison

20 years, 1 month

Help with restoring an Altair 680 -- Logo silkscreen

by ragooman＠comcast.net

Hi, I was wondering if anyone might know where I can get the logo artwork reproduced for the front on my Altair 680. This was an original computer my late brother bought as a kit back in the 70's. I helped him build this and we sure had some fun programming this. I'm finally getting around to restoring this. I dug it out from the last trip visiting them. All my stuff was stored in their garage since we moved. The logo silkscreen has faded away alot there's nothing left that resembles a logo. I was hoping there is some way to restore this, either by replacing the front panel or getting this repainted(or silkscreened). In the meantime, I can get the hardware cleaned up and hopefully get this to run again. thanks, =Dan -- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ [My Corner of Cyberspace http://ragooman.home.comcast.net/] [Pittsburgh Robotics Society http://www.pghrobotics.org/] [Pittsburgh Vintage Comp.Society http://groups.yahoo.com/group/pghvintagecomp/] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. Version: 7.0.344 / Virus Database: 267.10.16/83 - Release Date: 8/26/2005

20 years, 1 month

More spare BYTEs available

by rcini＠optonline.net

All: I just got another load of BYTE magazines, all of which are spares: 1982: full year 1984: 1-3, 7, 11 1985: 9, 10 1986: 12 1987: 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 I need a few BYTEs to fill out my collection: 1/77, 6/80, 1/86, 3/86. Contact me off-list if interested. Rich Rich Cini Collector of classic computers Build Master for the Altair32 Emulation Project Web site: http://highgate.comm.sfu.ca/~rcini/classiccmp/ /************************************************************/

20 years, 1 month

OT: Outlook 2000 woes & this list

by ajp166＠bellatlantic.net

> >Subject: OT: Outlook 2000 woes & this list > From: "Jules Richardson" <julesrichardsonuk at yahoo.co.uk> > Date: Thu, 25 Aug 2005 14:54:33 +0100 > To: "xx_classiccmp" <cctalk at classiccmp.org> > > >OK OK pretty OT even for me, but I figure some of you others must have >wrestled with this abortion of a MUA and this list so have overcome the same >problem I have right now... > >(I'm currently over in sunny MN on the laptop, otherwise I'd be snug at home >with a decent OS and mail client :) > >All classiccmp messages appear in the message list with the correct sender >name (or sender email address if the author's MUA didn't send a 'friendly' >name along with the address). That much is fine. However in Outlook's >preview pane the From: address always appears as >'cctalk-bounces at classiccmp.org' rather than the sender (no other MUA I've >ever used with this list has ever done that!) > >If I double-click on a list message to open in its own window, then I get >something different yet again - in the From: field something like: >"cctalk-bounces at classiccmp.org; on behalf of; Jules Richardson >[julesrichardsonuk at yahoo.co.uk]" > Real simple go into your address book and find the "cctalk-bounces at classiccmp.org" entry and delete it. Somehow you associated that with a CCTALK. Solution two: install Thunderbird, works better, more virus resistant and NOT >from mickyspooge. Solution three: Popcorn, A really minimal text only emailer that is very tiny and fast (even on a P90!). Very handy for reading headers then deleting those not wanted off the server without downloading the content. I use solution Two and Three. On my NT4 box I have fully removed Outlookexpress(OE) and InternetExplorer (use Firefox and OFFBYone instead). A side effect was no more Blue Screens of death while reading the mail. Allison

20 years, 1 month

Qualstar 1260S tape drives

by sdc695＠yahoo.com

I recently obtained a Qualstar 1260S tape drive. It looks like a wonderful device, and ought to work under Linux (SCSI interface). I've got a couple of questions: 1) Does anyone have a manual for this beast? Qualstar disavows all knowledge of it. You would expect they MIGHT have a manual... 2) I opened it up to remove the SCSI terminator (sucessfully), and looked at the SCSI to Pertec interface board (has buffers, etc..). It looks like the board has options and indicators, and includes a very large pushbutton intended for something. Any info on the options available here? 3) I hooked it up to my Linux box on a SCSI adapter. The driver identified the drive as an "HP 7980S" of all things. Is this "normal"? 4) Lacking a manual, does anyone have setup information for running this under Linux? 5) I've read that there exists someway to get 800 bpi NRZI tapes read with this drive. Any clues here? Is a seperate board needed?? I may not need any information to get something operational, but I'd really like to have some "background" information. p.s. Sending the manual to bitsavers would be a nice gesture. Save postage and all that. Thanks. -- Tom Watson tsw at johana.com ____________________________________________________ Start your day with Yahoo! - make it your home page http://www.yahoo.com/r/hs

20 years, 1 month

Dolch V.P.A.C. 386-SX or portables.

by jpero＠sympatico.ca

What I'm wondering about is is this dolch lunchbox can take a standard AT boards or not? I saw this on ebay and I was wondering because google didn't turn up photos of innards of these Dolch lunchboxes. Was looking to outfit a lunchbox with my parts laying around. (386DX, all the goodies.) Eurocom did have a cached 386DX LCD semi-notebook that takes 3.5" 1" height HD. I have seen one before and it's innards. Know of one of those? Cheers, Wizard

20 years, 1 month

DECassette pictures

by bqt＠Update.UU.SE

On Fri, 26 Aug 2005 "Rick Bensene" <rickb at bensene.com> wrote: > > "Deccasette should be TU60, see: > > http://www.iivs.de/home/fm.arnold/Fotoos/DEC/TU60/DSCN0870.JPG > > http://www.iivs.de/home/fm.arnold/Fotoos/DEC/TU60/DSCN0871.JPG > > http://www.iivs.de/home/fm.arnold/Fotoos/DEC/TU60/DSCN0872.JPG > > http://www.iivs.de/home/fm.arnold/Fotoos/DEC/TU60/DSCN0874.JPG > > > > And yes I know this beast pretty well, more than I liked in > > the old days. > > > > DEC made CAPS-11 "operating-system" especially arount this > > peripheral, basically the papertape programming software on casettes. > > > > I'm not aware of any surviving copy of this..." > > > I've got one of these, but no interface board for 8e or 11/34. > Anyone know where one might be found? Same here. It would be fun to just have it. > It'd be cool to try to bring it up. Probably no device driver support in > any later OS's, but at least I could try writing some machine code to see if > it works. RSX have support. It's CT:. > Would be cool if someone has a copy of CAPS out there. Does anyone know if > you > could boot off of these things? Of course you could. How else do you think CAPS worked? Johnny Johnny Billquist || "I'm on a bus || on a psychedelic trip email: bqt at update.uu.se || Reading murder books pdp is alive! || tryin' to stay hip" - B. Idol

20 years, 1 month

Fwd: pdp8 virtual memory disk system -pick up free, or will be junked!

by tradde＠excite.com

--- On Wed 08/24, Al Kossow < aek at bitsavers.org > wrote: From: Al Kossow [mailto: aek at bitsavers.org] To: classiccmp at classiccmp.org Date: Tue, 23 Aug 2005 23:27:04 -0700 Subject: Fwd: pdp8 virtual memory disk system -pick up free, or will be junked! Begin forwarded message: > From: Patrick Jankowiak <recycler at swbell.net> > Date: August 23, 2005 7:25:57 PM PDT > To: General at robot.net, Discussion at robot.net:On-Topic and Off-Topic > Posts <cctalk at classiccmp.org> > Cc: Al Kossow <aek at spies.com> > Subject: pdp8 virtual memory disk system -pick up free, or will be > junked! > > I hate to do this but someone please come get this, there is no space > and it will have to be scrapped if not rescued. It's for a pdp8i and > gives you about 700K more "RAM" memory on top of the 4 or 8K of core > you already have. > > This has to go this weekend or next at the latest, time is of the > utmost! > > Please follow the link and see > > "1969 BSL model 7118 Disk-Based Core Memory Expansion for pdp8 " > > http://rawfire.torche.com/~opcom/ > > contact 214-763-4764 > > thanks, > Patrick > Dallas Texas > Is there anyone in or near Dallas that can save this. Then there is a chance someone on this list who might be able to use it could arrange pickup or shipping. There does not seem to be much time, so this is my best suggestion. If Dallas were a hop, skip, and jump >from me I would drive down to get it myself. :( _______________________________________________ Join Excite! - http://www.excite.com The most personalized portal on the Web!

20 years, 2 months

SWTPC and Datapoint Computers.

by swtpc6800＠comcast.net

Southwest Technical Products and Datapoint were both San Antonio companies so it would be natural to find some things in common. Here is are some comments about how the SWTPC 6800 Computer (1975) was influenced by the Datapoint 2200. http://www.swtpc.com/mholley/History/Gary_Kay.htm Another item is that the designer of the CT-1024 TV Typewriter II, Ed Colle, had previously designed terminals for Datapoint. http://www.swtpc.com/mholley/CT_1024/TV_Typewriter_II.htm Michael Holley

20 years, 2 months

sun, FHL stuff in Los Angeles

by blarson＠blars.org

I'm trying to reduce the clutter at my house, and would like to get rid of some of the old junk I never expect to use: Sun: Sun 4/260 nonworking with 128 MB, cg9, cg3, etc. Sparcstation 5 Sparcstation classic Sparcstation 20 Sun 19" monitor Type 4 keyboards Frank Hogg Labs os9/68k systems: one 68000 system, no hard drive one 68020 system Radio Shack Color Computer, modded with expantion stuff Bits: Exabyte 8200 50 pin scsi hard drives Prime 2250 Power supply Prime 2250 disk drives (14" sasi?) aui trancivers Local pickup only on the heavy stuff. -- Blars Blarson blarson at blars.org http://www.blars.org/blars.html With Microsoft, failure is not an option. It is a standard feature.

20 years, 2 months

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test-drb August 2005