I was amazed how much info there was in Wikipedia and had come across
the Edinburgh Univ. materials earlier. Another cultural difference: we
used punch tape not cards. Meditate on the pros and cons of that with a
256KB RAM KDF9 and overnight turnaround!
Thanks
Robert C
PS and I'd forgotten about the underlining thing which might raise one's
AP? R
On 2/5/13 2:28 PM, Steve Smith wrote:
Robert!
Even *I* think I can speak for the group giving this *Arcane Points*!
I *was* aware of the Atlas, but didn't know of Autocode before this
and didn't have a clue about the English Electric LEO Marconi KDF9
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KDF9> ... being a Yank (AKA Murrican)
and a few years your junior, I was totally unaware of these machines
(KDF8,9) until now!
Sounds like Autocode was a great introduction to modern (futuristic at
the time?) (Typing including Complex Numbers, Block Structure,
Stropping, etc!).
And just to make you more nostalgic:
http://history.dcs.ed.ac.uk/archive/scans/atlas_autocode_manual/
I'm hoping someone can come up with a strawman method for evaluating
"Arcane Points". On the traditional scale of 1-10 I'd be tempted to
give you a 9 (to avoid grade inflation) but can't decide if the KDF9
implementation being of Germanium Diodes instead of Valves (Vacuum
Tubes) should raise or lower that number?
There does seem to be a system developed for Figure Skating
(International Code of Points
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISU_Judging_System>). But it just begs
questions like "what are the Salchow or Triple Lutz of FRIAM posts?"
Actually, I was recently inspired to think that some of the
conversations here are a lot like "Curling
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curling>", another Obscure (Arcane?)
Olympic Sport performed on ice!
- Steve
PS... YES I do have better things to do with my time, which I suspect
is precisely why I'm being a "Doug with a Bone" here!
Robert -
Can I get some Arcane Points for writing my first _program_ in ISO
coded Atlas Autocode on an EELM KDF9?
Robert C
I'm not sure what is required for granting Arcane Points...
certainly, without help from Dr. Internet, I don't have a clue about
these referencesI
I suppose there is a "sweet spot" where *at least* one other member
of the group recognizes the reference... but obviously not too many.
And I suppose that only makes them Obscure, not Arcane.
Merriam Webster seems to distinguish Arcane from Obscure by invoking
an element of the Mysterious or the Occult. I think there is an
overtone of being therefore only known to "the Initiate". I suppose
all of our references to Obscure (or Arcane) details is motivated by
rememberances of our time as "Initiates", sort of offering a "secret
handshake" from an old fraternity or childhood treehouse-club?
Let's see who has an EELM KDF9 in their cupboard or a reference
manual to Atlas Autocode in their bookshelf!
- Steve
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Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College
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