Punch read-feed might not have been included in OS360 (Why OS?) but is was
in DOS.  Our 2540 punch station had the optional read feature and we read
cards and punched new info in them all the time.  This was on a 360-40
running three partition DOS.

        -----Original Message-----
        From:   Don Stubbs [SMTP:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
        Sent:   Tuesday, January 29, 2002 8:17 AM
        To:     [EMAIL PROTECTED]
        Subject:        Re: IBM announces LINUX-only 1 to 4 engine zSeries

        Not true!!!! IBM had other lines such as the 7090 series that were
more
        powerful, high-end
        machines.

        The 1401 was a string machine using BCD.  Fields were delimited by
wordmarks
        and each instruction's
        opcode had to be wordmarked.  Machine registers could not be
directly
        addressed but one could use the
        residual value to "chain" instructions.

        I/O did occur to fix storage locations

        1-80 card reader
        101-180 card punch
        201-332(?) printer

        op codes

                / clear storage
                . set wordmark
                , clear wordmark
                1 read from card readers
                2 punch
                3 print
                above could be combined so that 4 is read and print
                M move
                L - load charaters to A-field workmark
                B - branch
                C - compare
                A - add
                S - subtract

        Interesting capability is the ability to read cards through the
punch (punch
        feed read feature of 1402) and
        then punch additional fields into the cards.  Punch feed read was
not
        supported in OS/360 and I had to
        write the EXCP code to migrate applications using this capability.

        Hardware multiply and divide was an optional feature along with I/O
overlap.
        Base machine had 1,200
        character storage.  Tape and disk were available.  An optical mark
reader
        was an additional peripheral
        for which I did some programming.  It used "sonic delay lines" to
store the
        marks read.

        All of the above is from long term storage and may be subject to
random bit
        loss!!!

        Don

        -----Original Message-----
        From: Linux on 390 Port [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of
        George Haeh
        Sent: Monday, January 28, 2002 10:39 PM
        To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
        Subject: Re: IBM announces LINUX-only 1 to 4 engine zSeries


        Something closer in architecture to PC technology is the 1401, a
mid-sixties
        machine that
        was the precursor of the mainframe dinosaur.  Substitute the
keyboard for
        the card reader
        and a character monitor for the printer and it's basically an
expensive PC
        running DOS...

        ----- Original Message -----
        From: "Ledbetter, Scott E" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
        To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
        Sent: Monday, January 28, 2002 6:27 PM
        Subject: Re: IBM announces LINUX-only 1 to 4 engine zSeries


        > I don't know about VM being the best PC operating system.  I'm
trying to
        > imagine explaining to my 10 year old about readers, punches,
CTC's, RSCS
        and
        > 80 byte records!
        >
        > Scott Ledbetter
        > StorageTek
        >
        > "Call the operators and tell them to mount the HR pack and load
the check
        > train so we can get this payroll done"
        >
        >
        >
        >
        > -----Original Message-----
        > From: Karl Tucker [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
        > Sent: January 28, 2002 4:23 PM
        > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
        > Subject: Re: IBM announces LINUX-only 1 to 4 engine zSeries
        >
        >
        > Michael,
        >             I have worked with many different operating systems as
a
        sysprog
        > over the course of the last 33 years. I now support MVS (OS/390,
ZOS
        (these
        > are IBM marketing terms as I am sure you are aware)), VM/ESA,
Linux
        (Redhat
        > and SUSE) and all resources susch as DASD. My experience includes
CICS,
        IMS,
        > and DB2 with low level programming in assembler. I can do Windows
and OS/2
        > also.
        >             Of all operatng systems, I believe that VM (any
flavor) far
        > exceeds the quality and usability of any other operating system.
In fact,
        I
        > believe it would have been the best PC system and could have been
the best
        > mainframe system.
        >              This is why I applaud your statements.

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