Re: Exploring early GUIs

[Frank McConnell via cctalk]

On Sep 17, 2020, at 19:18, Michael Kerpan wrote:
> Something in another recent thread about LISP machines got me wondering:
> how many early graphical systems are well emulated (or emulated at all)? I
> know that there are more or less functional emulations of Alto, Star, and
> Lisa out there, but what about the various LISP machines or the early
> workstations (Sun 68K, Apollo, etc) Also, assuming that there are emulators
> for some of these systems out there, has any software to run on them and
> been archived?

Something in the "early graphical" space that I think may be difficult or 
impossible to emulate: the Culler-Fried Online System.  I think it was built 
around an IBM 360 and operated at one site (UCSB) late 1960s into 1970s with 
the goal of running a particular educational/research application programming 
environment, CHM has one of the dual keyboards, and I am not at all certain 
that software exists.  Not so early to timesharing (late 1960s) but using 
storage scopes for graphical output terminals.

Al has a couple manuals in .  
So we can get some idea of what it was like.

-Frank McConnell

RE: Exploring early GUIs

[Mike Begley via cctalk]

There's also the windowing system used on the AT 3B1 (AKA Unix PC, AK 
PC7300), which I think was called MGR.  It may have also been ported to other 
systems as well.  When I had one of these machines it was adequate, although 
terribly slow on a 512K system.

There's a writeup, with images, here:
http://toastytech.com/guis/unixpc.html

and apparently an emulator here:
https://www.philpem.me.uk/code/3b1emu

I have a parted-out 7300 in my closet, but I'm not sure I have all the pieces.  
Part of me thinks I should dig it out and revive it, part of me thinks I should 
let sleeping dogs lie...

-mike


-Original Message-
From: cctalk  On Behalf Of Michael Kerpan via 
cctalk
Sent: Thursday, September 17, 2020 7:19 PM
To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts 
Subject: Exploring early GUIs

Something in another recent thread about LISP machines got me wondering:
how many early graphical systems are well emulated (or emulated at all)? I know 
that there are more or less functional emulations of Alto, Star, and Lisa out 
there, but what about the various LISP machines or the early workstations (Sun 
68K, Apollo, etc) Also, assuming that there are emulators for some of these 
systems out there, has any software to run on them and been archived?

Mike

Interface Technology RS-432 manual

[Al Kossow via cctalk]

I don't remember if this was discussed here recently here or on the VCF site, I 
found one message here about it.
Found the manual going through some test equipment manual boxes

http://bitsavers.org/test_equipment/interfaceTechnology/Interface_Technology_RS-432_Microprocessor_Controlled_Data_and_Timing_Generator_198004.pdf

Re: Exploring early GUIs

[Noel Chiappa via cctalk]

> From: Lars Brinkhoff

> it was AI rather than MC.  As I'm sure you know, AI had the Rubin 10-11
> interface

Really? (I expect you're correct, mind.) I just remember one day MC wasn't
running as normal, and I was told it was because CHEOPS was in some
tournament, and MC had been taken offline so that it could focus on the game.
So I assumed CHEOPS was connected to MC (and had indeed wondered why/how, when
I wrote that message, with the Rubin interface being on AI).

> communicating over Chaosnet.  At least, that's how I interpret the code
> in MacHack.

Again, probably right. It was pretty early, but I guess the CHAOSNET was
already running then. My guess is that AI didn't do much but act as a
communication node between CHEOPS and MC, for that.

> There is some debate over whether the CONS had a display of its own, and
> if so whether it could draw to a bitmap.  Do you remember?

Not explicily, but I would tend to guess 'no'; I would tend to guess that they
were still in the mindset where it was a specialized co-processor, like
CHEOPS. I certainly don't recall a 'CONS display' in the room where the first
CADR display was; but that doesn't mean much. (Actually, I'm not positive
there was a CADR display in there the night I recall Moon trying to get it
running; for sure a Knight TV console, and he may have been using it to run
something on it to poke at the CADR.)

> they have a hard time pinpointing a birthdate for the CADR. Do you have
> a recollection when, even what year, the first boot attempt was?

Sorry, no; it only stuck in my memory because I was later taken at having
beeen there for the early CADR work; I think that night I only barely knew
what a CADR was. (I was kind of amused that Moon's audience that night was
someone from LCS... :-) I mean, it was pretty early, but I have no idea of
even what year it was.

 Noel

Looking for Logicraft Omni-Ware

[Camiel Vanderhoeven via cctalk]

I’m looking for a piece of software called Omni-Ware for VMS or UNIX , by a 
Nashua company called Logicraft. 

I’ve just received the pieces to build a Logicraft PC (286 motherboard with 
custom BIOS and a special network card that emulates the keyboard, mouse, CGA 
video card and hard disk). I also received the documentation for the VAX/VMS 
version of the software, but I’m now looking for the accompanying software for 
VMS or UNIX. The idea is to install this software on a workstation, and connect 
it to the Omni-Ware PC. The PC then boots off a disk image stored on the 
workstation, with input and output in an X-Windows window. Logicraft apparently 
supplied disk images with DOS, Xenix, OS/2 or MS Windows installed. 

I’m really hoping someone has a copy of this software still lying around 
somewhere. 

Cheers, 

Camiel