[cctalk] Re: First Personal Computer

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

> -Original Message-
> From: Mike Katz via cctalk 
> Sent: Sunday, May 26, 2024 12:21 AM
> To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts 
> Cc: Mike Katz 
> Subject: [cctalk] Re: First Personal Computer
> 
> You see, we are back to my original comment.  The definition of Personal
> Computer is quite fluid.  Does it have to be called a Personal Computer in
> advertising literature or does any computer that can be used by a single 
> person,
> in any environment, constitute a personal computer.

Surely when we say "Personal Computer" we mean "Turing Complete Digital 
Personal Computer" it is just a tad long winded to say so.
... and if we simply say "digital" which excludes many devices that still 
includes the Abacus 

Dave

[cctalk] Re: Other input devices.

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

> -Original Message-
> From: ben via cctalk 
> Sent: Saturday, April 13, 2024 2:56 AM
> To: cctalk@classiccmp.org
> Cc: ben 
> Subject: [cctalk] Other input devices.
> 
> Did any one ever use a keyboard to magtape as input device?

We had one where I worked, with a Honeywell badge on it. We never used it in 
that manner, it had a papertape reader attached which was used to convert 
output from Friden Flexowriters to Magtape for a Honeywell H3200.

Dave

[cctalk] Re: Two IBM 360's available in the UK

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

> -Original Message-
> From: Christian Corti via cctalk 
> Sent: Monday, March 18, 2024 8:03 AM
> To: Adam Bradley via cctalk 
> Cc: Christian Corti 
> Subject: [cctalk] Re: Two IBM 360's available in the UK
> 
> On Sat, 16 Mar 2024, Adam Bradley wrote:
> > Some of you may remember that I (Adam) and another chap (Chris)
> > rescued two IBM 360/20 systems out of an abandoned building in
> > Nuremberg back in 2019 and brought them to the UK (our blog is here:
> https://www.ibm360.co.uk/).
> >
> > We have since basically found ourselves unable to effectively progress
> > the project due to personal & professional commitments. For various
> > reasons (explained in our latest blog post) we are testing the waters
> > for making the machines available to the right sort of people.
> 
> Sad to hear that.
> We (Computermuseum Stuttgart) did place a bid, too. We were a bit
> disappointed that instead of going just 200km, it went abroad to a now
non-EU
> country (which makes re-importing unattractive). But then, after we saw
the
> pictures of the house and the system, we were somehow glad that we did not
> win ;-) We realised that, first, the overall condition is unknown or bad,
and
> second, it is simply not worth more than a couple of hundred Euros
considering
> all the forthcoming costs and time needed to transport the lot, store and
restore
> it etc.
> I don't know if History@IBM was interested, though (they have a working
> 360/20 system). And maybe the Vintage Computing Lab in Munich was
> interested, too (they have a large mainframes collection, and also the
last IBM
> 705, although not complete).
> I guess that the UK /360s are now "lost" for any non-profit/non-budget
museum
> in the EU.

Why should this be. I don't believe there is any import duty on items for
exhibit in a museum. Any VAT should be on the current value.
Yes there would be the cost of transport, but I am sure that could be crowd
funded or otherwise sorted.
I think the big question is, could it realistically be restored? Who would
actually want to do this if they don't own it and don't have any guaranteed
future rights.
These questions are why many Museums only accept unconditional donations,
but its also why people don't want to donate to museums as the future of the
objects can be uncertain. 

> 
> 
> Christian

Dave

[cctalk] Re: IBM .BOO format

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

> -Original Message-
> From: dave.g4...@gmail.com 
> Sent: Monday, December 11, 2023 9:35 AM
> To: 'General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts' 
> Subject: RE: [cctalk] Re: IBM .BOO format
> 
> > -Original Message-
> > From: Chuck Guzis via cctalk 
> > Sent: Monday, December 11, 2023 12:09 AM
> > To: Liam Proven via cctalk 
> > Cc: Chuck Guzis 
> > Subject: [cctalk] Re: IBM .BOO format
> >
> > On 12/10/23 14:04, Liam Proven via cctalk wrote:
> > > Does anyone have any experience with the IBM BookManager format and
> > > the tools to read it?
> > >
> >
> > Have you looked at http://kev009.com/wp/projects/boo2pdf/
> 
> Sadly it doesn't work, and the source code has gone as well

Sorry Chuck, the source code does appear to be in github. 
It looks like the "transmogrifier" in there might solve the problems I had with 
images 

> 
> >
> > --chuck
> >
> 
> Dave
Dave

[cctalk] Re: IBM .BOO format

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

> -Original Message-
> From: Chuck Guzis via cctalk 
> Sent: Monday, December 11, 2023 12:09 AM
> To: Liam Proven via cctalk 
> Cc: Chuck Guzis 
> Subject: [cctalk] Re: IBM .BOO format
> 
> On 12/10/23 14:04, Liam Proven via cctalk wrote:
> > Does anyone have any experience with the IBM BookManager format and
> > the tools to read it?
> >
> 
> Have you looked at http://kev009.com/wp/projects/boo2pdf/

Sadly it doesn't work, and the source code has gone as well

> 
> --chuck
> 

Dave

[cctalk] Re: IBM .BOO format

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

> -Original Message-
> From: Liam Proven via cctalk 
> Sent: Sunday, December 10, 2023 10:04 PM
> To: cctalk@classiccmp.org
> Cc: Liam Proven 
> Subject: [cctalk] IBM .BOO format
> 
> Does anyone have any experience with the IBM BookManager format and the
> tools to read it?

Yes, it’s a pain.

> 
> I've not found any way to open them on a Mac. No joy on Linux yet either;
> there's an old unmaintained tool that uses a 32-bit Java app.
> 

It should be possible to run one of the Java viewers on Linux. More info here

https://forum.vcfed.org/index.php?threads/ibm-book-boo-files.59907/

but you are probably still stuck with the only print one page bug.

> I found 2 Windows tools.
> 
> One, IBM Library Reader, won't install on Win11.
> 
> https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/ibm-library-reader-windows
> 

I used this :-

https://github.com/otya128/winevdm

to install this on Windows/11. Its clunky but it kind of works. I can't see why 
it won't run under Wine, it’s a 16-bit windows app.
It will print the whole file but it loses some images.

> The other a Java app, IBM Softcopy Reader.
> 
> https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/ibm-softcopy-reader
> 
> It installs and runs on Win11 and I can print to PDF -- but only 1 page at a 
> time.
> Selecting multiple pages give me an empty PDF.
> 

Yes, I guess there is a bug in the Java. Never managed to sort this.

> I found the original IBM CUA documentation and want to convert it to some
> more modern, open format, but I am not having much luck...
> 

It’s a problem with .boo files. Only IBM seem to understand the format.
You best bet would be the first app, but you will then need to fix the images 
in the PDF. 
A lot of work...

 actually I wonder if Dave McGuire has a copy of the full Book Manager on a 
Mainframe. That might have better print options.
If you want to send me a link to what you want converting I can try for you...

> 
> --
> Liam Proven - Profile: https://about.me/liamproven
> Email: lpro...@cix.co.uk - Google Mail/Hangouts/Plus: lpro...@gmail.com
> Twitter/Facebook/Flickr: lproven - Skype/LinkedIn: liamproven
> IoM: +44 7624 227612 ~ UK: +44 7939-087884
> ČR (+ WhatsApp/Telegram/Signal): +420 702 829 053

Dave

[cctalk] iPaqs free to good home (UK)

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

Folks,

While looking for something else I found few iPaqs. There are two later
models, mud coloured with plastic screen covers both work fine. Sadly the
silver one with the battery has a broken clip, so you need to secure it some
how works if you do this. The one with the missing door does nothing. There
are two power bricks, one USB lead, one docking station. No stylus. Can't
remember when I last looked at these. Free collection from Manchester.

Dave 

[cctalk] Re: Free to good home HP 7510a Photo Plotter - UK

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

> -Original Message-
> From: Guy Dunphy 
> Sent: Thursday, November 16, 2023 9:54 PM
> To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts

> Subject: Re: [cctalk] Free to good home HP 7510a Photo Plotter - UK
> 
> Hi Dave,
> 
> I'm very interested, and happy to pay for packing and airfreight to
Australia.

Also had one other query. I will now keep things private...

> Also something for the unit.  Do you happen to have originals of the
manuals, or
> just the digital ones you've posted?

I don't think I have any paper manuals.

> 
> Do you have a 'pack and ship' company nearby, who could do a safe packing
> using foam-in-place, or soft foam block padding, then send by airfreight
to
> Sydney Australia?
> 

I should have said the plotter came to me from France packed in expanded
foam. I think I may still have the packing.. I will check and report back...

> I'm fully aware of the costs, having recently had a HP 7586B pedestal
plotter
> sent from San Francisco in a big wooden crate (vial PCL sea freight) and a
20'
> shipping container full of thousands of service manuals arriving by sea
form the
> USA in a few days.

OK I have shipped an IBM 3174 screen controller to Europe, and a E-Prom
programmer to the USA so I may also be reasonably experienced...

> 
> If you'll pass the photo plotter on to me, please reply via private email.

Ok let me talk privately...

> 
> Kind regards,
> Guy
> 

Dave


> At 10:24 AM 16/11/2023 -, you wrote:
> >Folks,
> >
> >
> >
> >Trying to reduce the weight in my loft and I would like to donate my HP
> >Photoplotter to a good home.
> >
> >. Photos of the plotter and some sample plots are on my OneDrive here:-
> >
> >
> >
> >https://1drv.ms/f/s!Ag4BJfE5B3ongspXY7zySSZsDj-WMg
> >
> >
> >
> >It has both serial and IEEE interfaces and uses HPGL like the GP and
> >Roland pen plotters.
> >
> >The plots on there are the samples built into the plotter taken on a
> >Fuji
> >XE-1 digital camera and are cropped because the Fuji does not have a
> >full frame sensor.
> >
> >The tube is actually a white tube and the colours are generated by
> >rotating colour filters.
> >
> >Its powered by a 68000 and you can see the various boards in the
pictures.
> >
> >
> >
> >Dave
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >

[cctalk] Re: Free to good home HP 7510a Photo Plotter - UK

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

>From: Anders Nelson  
>Sent: Thursday, November 16, 2023 4:49 PM
>To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts 
>Cc: dave.g4...@gmail.com
>Subject: Re: [cctalk] Free to good home HP 7510a Photo Plotter - UK
>
>What an interesting device, I've never heard of such a thing.
>
>How does it realize full-spectrum color if it uses primary color wheels? Maybe 
>by varying exposure time of each color?

Well that’s what it says in the manual, but sure how it achieves this. The 
samples were taken by opening the shutter, running the demo and then closing 
the shutter but as you can see the sample palette comes out fine.
I don't know if it varies the brightness or the plot speed 


>--
>Anders Nelson
>http://www.andersknelson.com/

Dave

[cctalk] Re: Free to good home HP 7510a Photo Plotter - UK

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

> -Original Message-
> From: John Robertson via cctalk 
> Sent: Thursday, November 16, 2023 5:17 PM
> To: Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk 
> Cc: John Robertson 
> Subject: [cctalk] Re: Free to good home HP 7510a Photo Plotter - UK
> 
> Location?

Like it says in the subject, "UK", so Altrincham, Greater Manchester...

Dave

> 
> On 2023/11/16 2:24 a.m., Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk wrote:
> > Folks,
> >
> >
> >
> > Trying to reduce the weight in my loft and I would like to donate my
> > HP Photoplotter to a good home.
> >
> > . Photos of the plotter and some sample plots are on my OneDrive
> > here:-
> >
> >
> >
> > https://1drv.ms/f/s!Ag4BJfE5B3ongspXY7zySSZsDj-WMg
> >
> >
> >
> > It has both serial and IEEE interfaces and uses HPGL like the GP and
> > Roland pen plotters.
> >
> > The plots on there are the samples built into the plotter taken on a
> > Fuji
> > XE-1 digital camera and are cropped because the Fuji does not have a
> > full frame sensor.
> >
> > The tube is actually a white tube and the colours are generated by
> > rotating colour filters.
> >
> > Its powered by a 68000 and you can see the various boards in the pictures.
> >
> >
> >
> > Dave
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> 
> --
>   John's Jukes Ltd.
> 7 - 3979 Marine Way, Burnaby, BC, Canada V5J 5E3 Call (604)872-5757 (Pinballs,
> Jukes, Video Games)
>   flippers.com
>   "Old pinballers never die, they just flip out"

[cctalk] Free to good home HP 7510a Photo Plotter - UK

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

Folks,

 

Trying to reduce the weight in my loft and I would like to donate my HP
Photoplotter to a good home.

. Photos of the plotter and some sample plots are on my OneDrive here:-

 

https://1drv.ms/f/s!Ag4BJfE5B3ongspXY7zySSZsDj-WMg

 

It has both serial and IEEE interfaces and uses HPGL like the GP and Roland
pen plotters.

The plots on there are the samples built into the plotter taken on a Fuji
XE-1 digital camera and are cropped because the Fuji does not have a full
frame sensor.

The tube is actually a white tube and the colours are generated by rotating
colour filters.

Its powered by a 68000 and you can see the various boards in the pictures.

 

Dave

 

 

[cctalk] Re: IBM VM "CMS" tape format

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

> -Original Message-
> From: Chuck Guzis via cctalk 
> Sent: Thursday, September 21, 2023 3:39 PM
> To: Dennis Boone via cctalk 
> Cc: Chuck Guzis 
> Subject: [cctalk] Re: IBM VM "CMS" tape format
> 
> I slept on the problem a bit--good thing that I'm old; I like to sleep--and 
> think
> that I've got it sussed out.
> 
> Tape appears to consist of 4101 byte blocks, each with a "/02CMSx"
> header; the first one seems to be "CMSF" with the intervening ones being
> "CMSV" and then a final 87 byte block starting with "/02CMSN" and with
> what appears to be file metadata, including the file name.   The body of
> the 4K+ blocks appears to be 80 character card images. Last block of each file
> seems to be padded with nulls.
> 
> I'll dig into it a bit today, but I believe that I'm on the right track.
> 
> Unfortunately, the data itself is client-proprietary, so no sharing there, 
> sorry.
> 
> What threw me was that there are 5 physical files on the tape (i.e.
> blocks separated by tapemarks), so I was expecting something logical.
> Silly me.
> 
> Thanks,
> Chuck

Take a look at the link I pointed you too. There is code in there to list the 
files on the tape and copy then to a PC disk. It will work with AWS files and 
physical tapes.
Dave

[cctalk] Re: IBM VM "CMS" tape format

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

> -Original Message-
> From: Dennis Boone via cctalk 
> Sent: Thursday, September 21, 2023 4:33 AM
> To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts

> Cc: Dennis Boone 
> Subject: [cctalk] Re: IBM VM "CMS" tape format
> 
>  > Ive got a tape here from what I believe to be a VM system.  The  >
structure is
> unknown to me, although I can possibly take a stab at  > it.  Lots of data
> between tapemarks that seems to consist of a number  > of records that
start
> out something like this (translated from  > EBCIDC):
> 
> I think this might be the older VMFPLC (not VMFPLC2) format, used by IBM
for
> software distribution and other things.  The format seems fairly
> simple: Five character block header (x'02' 'CMS' 'N' or '0'), 800 bytes of
contents.
> First block is the FST for the file.

Never seen a VMFPLC format tape, only VMFPLC2 or CMS TAPE command format.
The main difference between CMSTAPE and VMFPLC2 is one has the FST at the
start, the other at the end.
I tweaked some utils from old to read and write these in AW format...

https://1drv.ms/f/s!Ag4BJfE5B3onhK8KXjiJ7iUXUgRs8A?e=qS99zs

which may help..

> 
> https://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2003b.html#42
> 
> Old VMFPLC may be just CMS TAPE DUMP under the covers.
> 
> De

Dave

[cctalk] Plotter or Chart Recorder pens - in UK

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

I have found some plotter pens. Ons pack says Calcomp 104x, 1023. The other
I can't trace. They look like they clip into ring. Pics here.

 

https://1drv.ms/f/s!Ag4BJfE5B3onnqhG_uReQsCndYafvg?e=WpT5nw

 

I have a few more of the Calcomp, packets of the un-branded sort.

 

Free for the cost of postage

 

Dave

[cctalk] Re: PDP-8/L $15,000

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

> -Original Message-
> From: Ethan O'Toole via cctalk 
> Sent: Monday, August 28, 2023 9:38 PM
> To: Mike Katz via cctalk 
> Cc: Ethan O'Toole 
> Subject: [cctalk] Re: PDP-8/L $15,000
> 
> > However, epay does charge an insertion fee so they will have to pay
> > even when it doesn't sell.

But you can re-list at different prices...

> 
> Eh, you get a lot of free listings these days. They take a huge chunk
though.
> 

All auction houses seem to take huge cuts. At traditional auction houses
there are often buyer and seller premiums.
So a place local to me reports the following :-

Based on the amount provided here is a breakdown of the additional charges
you will receive if you bid on a dash-cam :-

Name   ValueVAT
Bid Amount£32.00£6.40
Buyers Premium £6.40£1.28
Internet Charge   £1.60 £0.32
Lot Processing Fee £1.00£0.20
Total Price£49.20

So if I bid £32.00 I pay £49.20. Makes E-Bay look cheap


>   - Ethan

Dave

[cctalk] Re: Disposition of stuff

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

Mike,

Well sadly I have no PDP-8 parts. I do have a few bits of Q-BUS PDP-11. 
Probably enough to build a complete 11.

I am also in the UK ….

Dave

 

From: Mike Katz  
Sent: Saturday, August 19, 2023 3:53 PM
Cc: 'KenUnix' ; dave.g4...@gmail.com
Subject: Re: [cctalk] Re: Disposition of stuff

 

I will gladly give a nice warm loving home to any PDP-8 equipment and parts 
that you have.

 

On Aug 19, 2023 6:16 AM, Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk mailto:cctalk@classiccmp.org> > wrote:

Gentles, 
The problem is I have stuff no one wants. Large plotter, dec writer in need of 
repair, Large Alpha server 
Suggestions? 
Dave 

> -Original Message- 
> From: KenUnix via cctalk  <mailto:cctalk@classiccmp.org> > 
> Sent: Saturday, August 19, 2023 10:14 AM 
> To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts  <mailto:cctalk@classiccmp.org> > 
> Cc: KenUnix mailto:ken.unix@gmail.com> > 
> Subject: [cctalk] Re: Disposition of stuff 
> 
> Adam, 
> 
> I agree. Give it a new home. Save computing history because when it's gone 
> it's 
> gone. 
> 
> Ken 
> 
> On Fri, Aug 18, 2023 at 10:02 PM Adam Thornton via cctalk < 
> cctalk@classiccmp.org <mailto:cctalk@classiccmp.org> > wrote: 
> 
> > Been thinking about it a little recently, and, no, I definitely don't 
> > plan to send my stuff to a scrapper.  I have some younger friends with 
> > an interest in retrocomputing.  They want my stuff when I'm done with 
> > it, sure.  And if they want _just a little_ of my stuff I'll probably 
> > strike a deal like, "you can have the SGI Indy if that box of IDE 
> > drives goes with it, and you aren't allowed to throw it away until 
> > you're somewhere I'm not going to see it by the side of the road." 
> > 
> > Adam 
> > 
> 
> 
> -- 
> End of line 
> JOB TERMINATED 

 

[cctalk] Re: Disposition of stuff

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

Gentles,
The problem is I have stuff no one wants. Large plotter, dec writer in need of 
repair, Large Alpha server
Suggestions?
Dave

> -Original Message-
> From: KenUnix via cctalk 
> Sent: Saturday, August 19, 2023 10:14 AM
> To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts 
> Cc: KenUnix 
> Subject: [cctalk] Re: Disposition of stuff
> 
> Adam,
> 
> I agree. Give it a new home. Save computing history because when it's gone 
> it's
> gone.
> 
> Ken
> 
> On Fri, Aug 18, 2023 at 10:02 PM Adam Thornton via cctalk <
> cctalk@classiccmp.org> wrote:
> 
> > Been thinking about it a little recently, and, no, I definitely don't
> > plan to send my stuff to a scrapper.  I have some younger friends with
> > an interest in retrocomputing.  They want my stuff when I'm done with
> > it, sure.  And if they want _just a little_ of my stuff I'll probably
> > strike a deal like, "you can have the SGI Indy if that box of IDE
> > drives goes with it, and you aren't allowed to throw it away until
> > you're somewhere I'm not going to see it by the side of the road."
> >
> > Adam
> >
> 
> 
> --
> End of line
> JOB TERMINATED

[cctalk] Re: Houston Instruments HiPlot Plotters - Pens?

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

> -Original Message-
> From: Paul Koning via cctalk 
> Sent: Friday, August 4, 2023 2:40 PM
> To: cctalk@classiccmp.org
> Cc: Paul Koning 
> Subject: [cctalk] Re: Houston Instruments HiPlot Plotters - Pens?
> 
> 
> 
> > On Aug 4, 2023, at 9:05 AM, Gordon Henderson via cctalk
>  wrote:
> >
> >
> > I have a HiPlot plotter - it's DMP-29, but I'm fairly sure it takes the
same pens
> as the DMP-2 which I also have but in a million pieces - but right now
without
> pens.
> >
> > I have been promised some but it may be many weeks...
> >
> > I'm wondering if anyone has any old (or NOS?) pens for them? What I'm
after
> is the dimensions with a view to 3D printing new pens - or at least pen
holders so
> I can fit modern pens into. (There is no height restriction on the pen
bodys)
> >
> > Can anyone help?
> 
> Some searching turned up this:
> 
> https://www.buz-line.com/p-1766-hi-plotter-pens-k-style-for-dpp-houston-
> instrument-similar-plotters.aspx
> 
> Expensive...
> 
> It's hard to be sure, but I wonder if a standard Rotring (a.k.a.,
Radiograph)
> technical pen will work.  Those were commonly used in plotters, for
example I
> remember using a Calcomp plotter with one of those.  And those are
obviously
> refillable, and available in any number of sizes.  Not to mention great
drawing
> tools to have around -- I wonder where mine is.
> 
>   paul

Looking at the documents for the DMP-29 those need an adaptor

Dave

[cctalk] Re: BEWARE: Phishing

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

... sorry sent this to soon...

> -Original Message-
> From: Sellam Abraham via cctalk 
> Sent: Friday, July 7, 2023 8:24 PM
> To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts 
> Cc: Sellam Abraham 
> Subject: [cctalk] Re: BEWARE: Phishing
> 
> On Thu, Jul 6, 2023 at 5:47 PM Doug Jackson via cctalk <
> cctalk@classiccmp.org> wrote:
> 
> > Kind of like making sure that 400V capacitor was discharged before
> > handing it to your lab mate in class :-)
> >
> 
> How else are we to know that the capacitor is charged, or that the link is
> dangerous?

Despite what your browser says, the link itself isn't dangerous. Web browsers 
aren't dangerous. Its USERS that are dangerous.
If it’s phishing it its relying on you putting in a password from another site, 
or in selling you something like e-currency.
(bitcoin is down again today)
So before touching any high voltage capacitor best practice is to a discharge 
resistor across the terminals and not rely on time or another person to 
discharge it. 
So before putting your username and password into a web site it’s a good idea 
to check the whole URL matches what you expect.
Often such e-mails will try and convince you something is time critical so in 
this case " expires in 24 hrs time.
This is to panic you into not making such checks
... personally, I recommend a password manager. The you don't know any 
passwords and can't put them in by accident, and it knows which passwords match 
which site URL so it won't put them in a phishing site

> 
> ;)
> 
> Sellam

Dave

[cctalk] Re: BEWARE: Phishing

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

> -Original Message-
> From: Sellam Abraham via cctalk 
> Sent: Friday, July 7, 2023 8:24 PM
> To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts 
> Cc: Sellam Abraham 
> Subject: [cctalk] Re: BEWARE: Phishing
> 
> On Thu, Jul 6, 2023 at 5:47 PM Doug Jackson via cctalk <
> cctalk@classiccmp.org> wrote:
> 
> > Kind of like making sure that 400V capacitor was discharged before
> > handing it to your lab mate in class :-)
> >
> 
> How else are we to know that the capacitor is charged, or that the link is
> dangerous?

Despite what your browser says, the link itself isn't dangerous. Web browsers 
aren't dangerous. Its USERS that are dangerous.
If it’s phishing it its relying on you putting in a password from another site, 
or in selling you something like e-currency.
So before touching any high voltage capacitor best practice is to a discharge 
resistor across the terminals and not rely on time or another person to 
discharge it. 
So before putting your username and password into a web site it’s a good idea 
to check the whole URL matches what you expect.
Often such e-mails will try and convince you something is time critical so in 
this case " expires in 24 hrs time.

> 
> ;)
> 
> Sellam

Dave

[cctalk] Re: OT: Ham Radio

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

Bill,
There are moderated groups, but many don't want to use them. Not sure why, 
delays in posting etc.
As most of the noxious people are consistent in posting ids some kill filters 
can fix.
Dave 
G4UGM

> -Original Message-
> From: Bill Gunshannon via cctalk 
> Sent: Thursday, July 6, 2023 5:31 PM
> To: cctalk@classiccmp.org
> Cc: Bill Gunshannon 
> Subject: [cctalk] OT: Ham Radio
> 
> 
> 
> I know this is off topic, but I think there are a number of hams here.
> 
> Looking to get back into it but have some questions.
> 
> 
> Now that the a**holes have completely trashed all the USENET ham radio
> 
> groups where do hams go for the kinds of discussions that used to be there?
> 
> 
> bill
> 

[cctalk] Re: ST-251 Data Recovery for Glenside Color Computer Club (GCCC)

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

Jim,
I would ask on here:-

https://groups.google.com/d/forum/mfm-discuss

to see if any one has one of these

https://www.pdp8online.com/mfm/mfm.shtml

which will image an MFM disk so you are not re-reading and probably damaging 
your original, an can then analyse the content at your leisure

Dave

> -Original Message-
> From: Jim Brain via cctalk 
> Sent: Tuesday, May 16, 2023 4:16 AM
> To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts 
> Cc: Jim Brain 
> Subject: [cctalk] ST-251 Data Recovery for Glenside Color Computer Club (GCCC)
> 
> At the most recent CoCoFEST!, I brought home the old Glenside Club Computer
> Hard Drive.  The mechanism is an ST-251, and I was wondering if someone on-
> list would be willing to attempt to pull data off the drive.
> I have no ability to configure to read this drive type, and the data is not 
> precious
> or anything, I just though we should try to pull it off for historical sake. 
> I was not
> in the club when teh drive was in use, so I do not know what could be on it.  
> I
> assume BBS data, but it could be anything.
> 
> Happy to post to someone who wants to give it a go.  If the drive needs to be
> destroyed to get the data, or if attempting to read the data destroys the 
> drive, I
> will not hold anyone responsible. I don't even need the drive back, just data 
> if it
> is recoverable.
> 
> Jim
> 
> --
> 
> Jim Brain
> br...@jbrain.com
> www.jbrain.com

[cctalk] Re: on the origin of home computers

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

> -Original Message-
> From: Paul Koning via cctalk 
> Sent: Wednesday, March 8, 2023 7:25 PM
> To: cctalk@classiccmp.org
> Cc: Paul Koning 
> Subject: [cctalk] Re: on the origin of home computers
> 
> 
> > On Mar 8, 2023, at 2:13 PM, Bill Degnan via cctalk

> wrote:
> >
> > There is ample evidence of people doing personal computing before the
> > microprocessor was invented.  There was a whole terminal/time sharing
> > scene in the late 60s, plus people who did personal computung by using
> > the machine at a school, work, or library.  There were also people
> > whonowned surplussed minicomputers who used them at home.  I think you
> > should consider mentioning this somehow.
> >
> > Really, your video is about personal computers with a microprocessor
> > installed.
> >
> > A person from the 70s would not look at computing the same as we do
today.
> > The larger consumer of "home computers" were doing engineering type
> > work, not so much playing games.  Even the apple/tandy/commodore users.
> 
> Conversely, computer games predates home computers by a decade or so; the
> PLATO system is a major source of early games, documented in several
places.

Computer Games are almost as old as (Turing Complete) Computers. Alan Turing
insisted that the Manchester/Ferranti MK1 had a Random Number generator.
Christopher Strachey wrote a tic-tac-toe (noughts and crosses to the
English) program which displayed its output in patterns on the MK1 screen.
In 1951 he wrote a checkers/draughts program for the Mk1.
He also wrote the "love letters" program.
.. Turing was thinking about Chess but he couldn't fit it in the MK1

> 
>   paul

Dave

[cctalk] Re: Age of Tape Formats?

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

> -Original Message-
> From: Chuck Guzis via cctalk 
> Sent: Wednesday, March 8, 2023 6:08 PM
> To: cctalk@classiccmp.org
> Cc: Chuck Guzis 
> Subject: [cctalk] Re: Age of Tape Formats?
> 
> I think it remarkable in retrospect that the original Star Trek (ca.
> 1966) used countless mentions of "computer tapes" in the 23rd century.


Yes, but Space 1999 still had slide rules..

> 
> A lack of foresight on the part of the script writers?
> 
> What can we predict for the year 2250?
> 
> --Chuck

Dave

[cctalk] Re: Age of Tape Formats?

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

> -Original Message-
> From: Zane Healy via cctalk 
> Sent: Wednesday, March 8, 2023 4:35 AM
> To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts 
> Cc: Zane Healy 
> Subject: [cctalk] Re: Age of Tape Formats?
> 
> On Mar 7, 2023, at 5:32 PM, Paul Koning via cctalk 
> wrote:
> >
> > I'm a bit puzzled by "6250 700'" because the reel size has no bearing on the
> format.  10 inch reels (1200 feet) were by far the most common but
> occasionallly the smaller 600 foot ones would be seen. and in rare cases (the
> infamous DEC TS05 comes to mind) 600' was all that they could handle.
> 
> I’ll be the first to admit my question is a bit strange.  Basically I’m 
> trying to use
> the date that various media types were first introduced to show the oldest
> possible date for a bunch of media I’m trying to date.  The 9-Track tapes have
> been inventoried as “700 6250 BPI”, and I know they’re the smaller reels.  
> Doing
> some digging, it looks like 6250BPI tapes date back at least as far as 1971 
> with
> the IBM 3400 series drives, I’d thought that 6250 came about in the 80’s.
> 
> Zane
> 

Our Honeywell H3200 had 1200BPI NRZI 7-track drives.

http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/honeywell/datapro/70C-480-01_7404_Honeywell_200_2000.pdf

page 13 onwards... Needed chrome tape

Dave


 

[cctalk] Re: Mechanical Selectric keyboards on video terminals (was Re: Typing class in high school)

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

> -Original Message-
> From: Steve Malikoff via cctalk 
> Sent: 29 January 2023 01:35
> To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts 
> Cc: ste...@malikoff.com
> Subject: [cctalk] Mechanical Selectric keyboards on video terminals (was Re:
> Typing class in high school)
> 
> Chuck said
> > Speaking of keyboards, were there any computer keyboards or typewriter
> > keyboards with interposer mechanisms such as used on IBM keypunches?
> > I recall that was one thing that had a very different "feel" from a
> > typewriter keyboard.   It changed my keyboarding style.

Welll whilst I didn't know this until yesterday, the IBM 2260 VDU had such a 
keyboard. There is one for sale on E-Bay

https://www.ebay.com/itm/115685064067

and there are nice pictures of the keyboard.

Dave

[cctalk] Re: Computer of Thesus (was: Re: Re: Computer Museum uses GreaseWeazle to help exonerate Maryland Man)

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

> -Original Message-
> From: Chris via cctalk 
> Sent: 23 January 2023 19:28
> To: Mike Stein via cctalk 
> Cc: skogkatt...@yahoo.com
> Subject: [cctalk] Re: Computer of Thesus (was: Re: Re: Computer Museum uses
> GreaseWeazle to help exonerate Maryland Man)
> 
>  @ Mike Stein
> 
>  Not everything is criticism. I only corrected a rather obtuse notion about 
> people
> replacing mechanical drives with solid state ones. Everyone would love to use
> their original equipment if it was practical. I for 1 have NO luck with 
> floppy disks.
> Is it my part of the country? Could be.

I have had nothing but trouble with floppy disks. I have an IBM3174 which has 
2.4Mb 5.25" floppy drives. It takes ages (10-15mins perhaps) to load.
If I load from a GOTEK its equally slow but it usually loads first time. >From 
real floppy less often. 2.4Mb disks are like hens teeth. I still have the 
original disks and drives but if I use them I risk damaging irreplaceable 
delicate media. 
The experience is less noisy but only a little less. Without the GOTEK I feel 
it would be useless.

My PC Server seems to have similar issues. I have several drives for it, and I 
need them for several little tasks, like re-building the RAID array which I 
seen to need to do often.
 so its currently useless as I can get a GOTEK working.

My Atari ST also has a GOTEK.  Again it works with the GOTEK. Less good with 
the real floppy. Even though its only a 720k its unreliable Again I have 
the drives and disks still

Lastly I have a Tandy Color Computer. I don't even have a floppy, so without 
the CoCo SDC that lets me load floppy images from an SD Card. Without that its 
back to cassettes or more likely AVI files loaded from a computer...

So whilst I would love to continue to use floppies, in my experience it kills 
any chance of getting anything to work...
.. and I think many of the issues are that the media is getting soft. Perhaps 
baking would help?

Dave 



 

[cctalk] Re: Computer Museum uses GreaseWeazle to help exonerate Maryland Man

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

> -Original Message-
> From: Jim Brain via cctalk 
> Sent: 21 January 2023 19:51
> To: cctalk@classiccmp.org
> Cc: Jim Brain 
> Subject: [cctalk] Re: Computer Museum uses GreaseWeazle to help exonerate
> Maryland Man
> 
> On 1/21/2023 1:36 PM, Chris via cctalk wrote:
> > The 720kbs are ~60% more money. You have to have one of those for an
> > Atari ST, Amiga, etc. I hate overpaying. I'm quite the tight wad.
> 
> I feel like you may be confusing the two threads here.
> 
> FLashFLoppy works with Gotek hardware and requires no actual drive, as it
> replaces the floppy drive.  Most people run the FlashFloppy firmware on the 
> unit.
> FF can support 720kB disk images
> 
> GreaseWeazle requires a floppy drive, as it plays the part of the floppy
> controller.  I don't use a 3.5" drive/GW combination, since all of the disks I
> would ever need to archive are 5.25", but I *think* you cna safely write 720kB
> disks in a 1.44MB drive using GW.  IN that case, using a 1.44MB drive should
> work fine, but I'll defer to others who have used that combo.
> 
> That said, I believe there were issues in the day in using a 1.2MB 5.25"
> drive to write 360kB disks, due to drive head size and power output and
> such.  So, the conventional wisdom was to not try to write 360kB disks in a
> 1.2MB drive.  Assuming that was not a tall tale, the same issue would occur 
> with
> GW, as it's still bound by the specific characteristics of the drive head in 
> use.

It depends. 1.2Mb drives write a narrower track so if you put in a 360 or 640 
disk in that’s already been written and write to it, then existing data may not 
be properly erased on a write.
So long as you only ever write on the 1.2MB drive its fine


> 
> Jim
> 
> --
> Jim Brain
> br...@jbrain.com
> www.jbrain.com
 
Dave

[cctalk] Re: Computer Museum uses GreaseWeazle to help exonerate Maryland Man

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

> -Original Message-
> From: Christian Corti via cctalk 
> Sent: 20 January 2023 09:34
> To: ClassicCmp 
> Cc: Christian Corti 
> Subject: [cctalk] Re: Computer Museum uses GreaseWeazle to help exonerate
> Maryland Man
> 
> On Thu, 19 Jan 2023, r...@syssrc.com wrote:
> [... blob of text ...]
> > It had been written on a DEC PDP-11 minicomputer using the RSX-11
> > Operating System.  Although the museum has a PDP-11 in its collection,
> > it had not yet been restored and could not be started.  Brendan
> > Becker,
> [...]
> > Brendan set up a ?Greaseweazle,? a device that reads the magnetic flux
> > transitions on the floppy disk without regard to operating systems,
> > disk
> [...]
> 
> Isn't that a bit overcomplicated? I mean, they *are* standard IBM format
> floppys that can be read with a normal PC floppy controller.
> I really wonder why the museum did not know this. Maybe even PUTR could
> have been used to copy off the files from the disks.

They can, but once you hit a read error a PC goes into re-try mode and you
run the risk of dirtying the heads and damaging the disk.
With one of these tools you read the flux transitions of the disk, so a
whole track and then sort the data out.
This reduces the risk of damaging the disk and the drive. 

> 
> 
> Christian

Dave

[cctalk] Re: Win2K+3 on a Dell Poweredge 2600

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

John,
Win2003 had software raid. Does ghost see this?
Dave

> -Original Message-
> From: John Herron via cctalk 
> Sent: 21 December 2022 20:27
> To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts 
> Cc: John Herron 
> Subject: [cctalk] Re: Win2K+3 on a Dell Poweredge 2600
> 
> I'm not sure but Ghost will at least tell you what it sees. Then you can 
> choose to
> back it up. If you can tell it's the right size of the partition you expect 
> then you
> should be good to go. You'd just need the raid partition or a regular drive 
> of that
> size to restore it.
> 
> The catch will be wether Ghost  recognizes the raid card.
> 
> On Wed, Dec 21, 2022, 7:34 AM Bill Degnan via cctalk 
> wrote:
> 
> > So Chris, your subject should be OT: Win2K+3 on a Dell Poweredge 2600
> > because this is not on topic for this list.After all of our comments
> > about topic/off topic hopefully you understand what we're talking about.
> > If it's newer than 1990 then your post could very well be off topic
> > (OT) unless there is something novel about the item that makes it
> > unique and worth pushing into newer time periods.
> >
> > To answer your question - read up about this Dell 2600's and the RAID
> > array types available.  There will have been a driver/setup CD that
> > came with the system that allows the set up of the drives and RAID
> > prior to installation of the operating system.  RAID comes first, then
> > the OS is installed on top of it as if the multiple drives were one
> > logical hard drive.  The original OS would have been something older
> > than Win 2003.  It is a good thing to have RAID if it works for
> > redundancy purposes.  You can't remove the RAID configuration stick
> > the OS on one drive without the setup disk. That's not the mentality
> > you're looking for here.  I have one of these in my basement.  It came with
> RedHat 6.2 I believe.
> >
> > Bill
> >
> > On Wed, Dec 21, 2022 at 12:12 AM Chris via cctalk
> > 
> > wrote:
> >
> > > This beast was given to me by a neighbor. Dual socket 604. Windows
> > > 2003
> > in
> > > some RAID configuration. I understand (or used to understand) RAID
> > > levels somewhat. But iinm he tells me the OS is "split" over 6 scsi
> > > drives. Not getting this, but I don't need all the
> > > redundancy/striping. I want it all on 1 drive. What to use to image what
> comstitutes 1 volume I guess.
> > Norton
> > > Ghost? I have an extra scsi drive, I can always restore the image to
> > > the
> > 1
> > > drive (yes?), before or without alterimg the currently embedded stack.
> > >
> > > This thing is heavy. I secured a copy of the Corel Linux Starter Kit
> > > and want to load it into the Poweredge. For chips and pringles. I
> > > have other pre uefi boxes around but this is lying dormant. And 6
> > > drives for my purposes is stupid. And heavy.
> > >
> >

[cctalk] Re: Win2K+3 on a Dell Poweredge 2600

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

> -Original Message-
> From: Chris via cctalk 
> Sent: 21 December 2022 05:13
> To: cctalk@classiccmp.org
> Cc: skogkatt...@yahoo.com
> Subject: [cctalk] Win2K+3 on a Dell Poweredge 2600
> 
> This beast was given to me by a neighbor. Dual socket 604. Windows 2003 in
> some RAID configuration. I understand (or used to understand) RAID levels
> somewhat. But iinm he tells me the OS is "split" over 6 scsi drives. Not 
> getting
> this, but I don't need all the redundancy/striping. I want it all on 1 drive. 
> What to
> use to image what comstitutes 1 volume I guess. Norton Ghost? I have an extra
> scsi drive, I can always restore the image to the 1 drive (yes?), before or 
> without
> alterimg the currently embedded stack.

If the RAID is Windows Software Raid only Windows will know.

> 
> This thing is heavy. I secured a copy of the Corel Linux Starter Kit and want 
> to
> load it into the Poweredge. For chips and pringles. I have other pre uefi 
> boxes
> around but this is lying dormant. And 6 drives for my purposes is stupid. And
> heavy.

Dave

[cctalk] Re: what is on topic?

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

Chris,
We used to have two lists , cctech  for on-topic & cctalk which mirrored cctech 
and allowed off-topic,  but the level off off-topic traffic was low, so if I 
understand things we now only have one and it allows both on and off-topic..
Dave

> -Original Message-
> From: Chris via cctalk 
> Sent: 20 December 2022 22:27
> To: cctalk@classiccmp.org
> Cc: skogkatt...@yahoo.com
> Subject: [cctalk] what is on topic?
> 
> Specifically as pertaining to old/vintage/classic/retro compuing discussion, 
> what
> exactly is on topic? On top of my head as a for imstance I have some questions
> pertaining to Windows 2003 and socket 603/604. Something tells me that
> doesn't qualify, so it behooves me to ask.

[cctalk] Re: Replacement tachometer sensor for DEC RA80/1/2 drives ...

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

> -Original Message-
> From: Paul Koning via cctalk 
> Sent: 08 November 2022 01:34
> To: Bob Armstrong 
> Cc: cctalk@classiccmp.org; Paul Koning 
> Subject: [cctalk] Re: Replacement tachometer sensor for DEC RA80/1/2
drives ...
> 
> 
> 
> > On Nov 7, 2022, at 8:27 PM, Robert Armstrong  wrote:
> >
> >> Paul Koning  wrote:
> >> Does the tachometer have to be accurate, or does it just have to
> >> indicate "spinning fast enough" to satisfy the spin-up logic?
> >
> >  It's not just spin up - the firmware monitors the disk speed all the
> > time it's running.
> >
> >  But AFAIK the tachometer has nothing to do with how the bits are
> > recorded on the media.  It's just there to be sure the disk is
> > actually rotating.
> >
> >> If not, you could just use a 555 to generate a pulse train ...
> >
> >  Maybe, probably, but I'm not sure why you'd want to.  That's way more
> > complicated than just fixing the tachometer sensor, and having the
> > firmware shut down the motor in the event the belt breaks or jams, or
> > if the motor brake (yes, it has a brake!) freezes, etc is an
> > advantage.  It's a fairly big motor and a fairly (by PC standards at
> > least) heavy disk - there's a lot of mechanical energy there.
> 
> Indeed, but I was reacting to the statement that the DEC part is strange
and hard
> to find.  So if that turns out to be barrier, faking the tach signal would
be a way
> to make the drive operational again.

The replacement board does not use the DEC part.

> 
> Another approach would be a bit of mechanical work to fit a stock optical
> sensor.  That would depend on having access to the needed machining
skills.

That is what this mod does

> 
>   paul

dave

[cctalk] Re: Large private collections

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

> -Original Message-
> From: Ethan O'Toole via cctalk 
> Sent: 18 October 2022 06:45
> To: Bill Degnan via cctalk 
> Cc: Ethan O'Toole 
> Subject: [cctalk] Re: Large private collections
> 
> > However you define it, who has the largest private collections?  Is
> > there anyone who claims to have the largest private collection?  I
> > hypothesize that there is a terminal size where it becomes
> > unmanageable.
> > Bill
> 
> Largest one I know of would by System Source in Maryland?
> 
> And an awesome one at that.
> 
>   - Ethan

I suspect Jim Austin has one of the largest collections that's publicly
documented...

https://www.computermuseum.org.uk/

.. but many are very private about what they own

Dave

[cctalk] Re: PDP 8a front panel hardware

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

> -Original Message-
> From: Wayne S via cctalk 
> Sent: 11 October 2022 20:23
> To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts 
> Cc: Wayne S 
> Subject: [cctalk] Re: PDP 8a front panel hardware
> 
> A local machine shop or even a college machine shop could knock out 10 of
> those in an hour probably in steel. It’s worth investigating i think.

Many small machine shops have now switched to laser cutting. I got a load of 
paper tape stuff from a place that was getting rid of its "traditional" CNC 
stuff and switching to laser.
A year or too ago I went on a 12" train ride at a garden center. When I asked 
about where he got the train from, he said it was a downloadable design, which 
was then laser cut...
... even the wheels...

I have a 3-d printer, but I don't have much in the way of metal working tools. 
Its that way round because friends already had such things and would make stuff 
for me...

Dave

> 
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
> > On Oct 11, 2022, at 11:17, Vincent Slyngstad via cctalk
>  wrote:
> >
> > On 10/11/2022 10:48 AM, geneb via cctalk wrote:
> >> If someone wants to provide me with a drawing, I'd be happy to design a 3D
> model of the part and print a few of them for testing.
> >
> > Here's a pointer to mine:
> > https://so-much-stuff.com/pdp8/cad/3d.php
> > https://svn.so-much-stuff.com/svn/trunk/3D/8AClip/8aClip.jpg
> >
> > The two holes in the base take screws to mount to the rack.  Depending on 
> > left
> vs right, you would drill and tap the indentations on one side or the other.
> >
> > I could swear there was a recent (in the last year) conversation with 
> > Michael
> Thompson and others about this on VCForum, but it must have been before the
> VCForum site moved, as the search tool didn't find it.
> >
> > Anyway, the original is bent bar stock, with notching near the apex, and a 
> > nut
> press-fit/spot welded where I've drawn an indent.  I've drawn it as a 
> triangular
> plastic block in an effort to make it more structural.
> >
> > A recessed screw in the KC8-A screws into the nut from the bottom to attach
> the panel on each side.
> >
> >Vince

[cctalk] Re: Bendix G-15 Restoration

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

> -Original Message-
> From: Jon Elson via cctalk 
> Sent: 08 October 2022 03:10
> To: ben via cctalk 
> Cc: Jon Elson 
> Subject: [cctalk] Re: Bendix G-15 Restoration
> 
> On 10/7/22 18:14, ben via cctalk wrote:
> > On 2022-10-07 1:09 p.m., paul.kimpel--- via cctalk wrote:
> >> We'd all like to see the ALGO compiler, but be forewarned
> >> -- it's something like 14 passes on paper tape, with intermediate
> >> results punched on paper tape. I understand it's a bit more
> >> convenient to use if you have magnetic tape drives, but it's still
> >> going to be slow -- there's only so much you can do with 2K words of
> >> memory.
> >
> > Trying to hide the fact  the drum makes it slow.
> > Did any one ever replace the drum with core memory, on the early
> > serial computers?
> > Ben.
> >
> Tghe G-15 was a serial computer with an 90 KHz bit clock. The entire
> organization of teh computer revolved around the drum (pun intended).  There
> was an optimizer that organized instructions around the drum so that the next
> instruction came up on the read head just as the last instruction
> finished.  Without tearing the entire machine apart and redesigning the logic,
> core would not make it faster.
> 

I know the Ferranti Pegasus which is/was a serial machine everything was 
clocked to the drum. If the drum failed there was a special set of hardware to 
re-write the clock track.
Whilst replacing the clock would not have been hard, I don't think adding core 
would have helped there because everything was so integrated.
.. it used delay lines for registers which ran at the same speed so everything 
just worked...

> The PDP-8S did have core memory, and for a bit serial computer, it was fairly
> fast.
> 

For calculation, I believe the G-15 was fast. I can't believe any one would 
seriously run a high level compiler on such a machine.

> Jon

Dave

[cctalk] Re: VT220 North of Boston

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

> -Original Message-
> From: Peter Coghlan via cctalk 
> Sent: 09 August 2022 01:22
> To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts

> Cc: Peter Coghlan 
> Subject: [cctalk] Re: VT220 North of Boston
> 
> Boston GB, Boston USA or Boston somewhere else?

There are apparently 16 Bostons in the USA

https://geotargit.com/citiespercountry.php?qcountry_code=US=Boston

> 
> Regards,
> Peter Coghlan
> (No Bostons anywhere near where I am anyway).

I believe this is on the same isle, and the same state

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston,_County_Clare

I checked on Google Maps and there is a big sign saying welcome to Boston
and little else, so I suspect a total lack of VT220's 

Dave
G4UGM


> 
> >
> > Looks like both of them are North of Boston, but one is like a 19 hour
> > drive away and one is a half hour drive away.
> >
> > I'd guess the half hour one. :D
> >
> >  -Paul
> >
> >
> >
> >> On Aug 8, 2022, at 3:55 PM, W2HX via cctalk 
> wrote:
> >>
> >> North Andover, MA or North Andover WI?
> >>
> >> 73 Eugene W2HX
> >> Subscribe to my Youtube Channel:
> >> https://www.youtube.com/c/w2hx-channel/videos
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> -Original Message-
> >> From: Dave Mitton via cctalk 
> >> Sent: Saturday, August 6, 2022 10:34 PM
> >> To: cctalk@classiccmp.org
> >> Cc: Dave Mitton 
> >> Subject: [cctalk] VT220 North of Boston
> >>
> >> I picked up a VT220 passing by some clean out a while ago.
> >> Green phosphor, powers up and passes self test.
> >> The keyboard has 3 broken function row keys, keycaps.
> >>
> >> Free to pickup in North Andover.
> >>
> >> Shipping would be heavy and awkward with the CRT.
> >>
> >> Dave.
> >>
> >> Sent from Mail for Windows
> >>
> >

RE: How did VMSHARE user interface work?

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

> -Original Message-
> From: cctalk  On Behalf Of Andrew Kay via
> cctalk
> Sent: 24 May 2022 19:12
> To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts
> 
> Subject: How did VMSHARE user interface work?
> 
> I have been browsing through some of the VMSHARE archives at
> http://vm.marist.edu/~vmshare/, and I'm curious to know how a user would
> have interacted with this system. I tried finding a "help" file or similar 
> within
> the archive itself but couldn't find anything obvious. I think I saw a couple 
> of
> names there that I'd seen here so figure this is as good a place as any to 
> ask if
> anyone can enlighten me.

There is still a VM list and some one on their might remember...
Do you know I can't remember the details either!
There were multiple ways to interact. I think at the start we didn't have 
terminal connectivity and got daily digests.

> 
> From what I can tell users would connect to a VM host, would they each have
> their own account or was it some shared account?
> 
> Once you were connected, was there some special interface to the system -
> or did you just use CMS tools (like XEDIT)?

It was a specialist padded cell environment. The user names were local to VM 
Share.
If you look in

http://vm.marist.edu/~vmshare/browse.cgi?fn=CONTACT=MEMO

you will see that it was offered by Adesse as "CONTACT" but I can't find 
anything docs for that either..

> 
> It looks like discussions were managed by appending a message to a file (a
> file per topic), was this something that would be done "manually" or was
> there some sort of a script that would take your message and append it to
> the file?
> 

It was all handled in the package

> How would you know there were new messages in a particular file you were
> interested in? Would you have to open each file (or, perhaps look at its
> modified date) or was there a different interface used to actually read
> messages?
> 

There were commands to list new updates since you last logged in.
 
> Thanks in advance :)
> 
> 
> Andrew

Dave

RE: Replacement for a DEC 7474 Chip

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

Folks,

I probably have some, and now I have found my ICL House Codes sheet I may even 
be able to identify them.
However I won't be in the same country as my stock for a couple of weeks.
... and they are in the UK so getting them stateside may take some time.

Dave
G4UGM

> -Original Message-
> From: cctalk  On Behalf Of Chuck Guzis via
> cctalk
> Sent: 15 May 2022 16:12
> To: cctalk@classiccmp.org
> Subject: Re: Replacement for a DEC 7474 Chip
> 
> On 5/15/22 01:16, Eric Smith via cctalk wrote:
> 
> > I don't think that worked on any TTL (or CMOS) 74x74 flip flops,
> > except maybe by accident if you shorted the output enough to draw Vcc
> > down (or ground up) enough to disrupt the FF, and then you have other
> problems.
> 
> Checking my old Moto databook, the old FFs appear to be capable of
> having the outputs jammed.   At first glance, both the 7472 and 7473 FFs
> had unbuffered outputs.   Most early latches, likewise.
> 
> Of course, the very early TTL was density-constrained, so FFs like the
> MC512/MC563 are of course without buffered outputs.
> 
> --Chuck

RE: Cctalk subscription disabled

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

Jay,
Thanks for that, I hope its fixed,
Dave
G4UGM

> -Original Message-
> From: cctalk  On Behalf Of jwest--- via
> cctalk
> Sent: 11 May 2022 13:18
> To: 'Tom Hunter' ; 'Adrian Stoness'
> ; cctalk-ow...@classiccmp.org
> Cc: 'General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts'
> 
> Subject: RE: Cctalk subscription disabled
> 
> Yes, Adrian is correct – known for some time but my time/focus has been
> elsewhere. Addressed yesterday, should make gmail less fussy.
> 
> 
> 
> J
> 
> 
> 
> From: cctalk  On Behalf Of Tom Hunter
> Sent: Wednesday, May 11, 2022 7:06 AM
> To: Adrian Stoness ; cctalk-ow...@classiccmp.org
> Cc: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts
> 
> Subject: Re: Cctalk subscription disabled
> 
> 
> 
> I wonder if this problem is related to DMARC anti-spam.
> 
> Maybe the following would help the list admin:
> 
> 
> 
> https://wiki.list.org/DEV/DMARC
> 
> https://dmarc.org/wiki/FAQ
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks
> 
> Tom
> 
> 
> 
> On Wed, May 11, 2022 at 2:26 PM Adrian Stoness   > wrote:
> 
> gmail is causing it
> 
> 
> 
> On Wed, May 11, 2022 at 1:15 AM Tom Hunter via cctalk
> mailto:cctalk@classiccmp.org> > wrote:
> 
> I didn't receive any cctalk messages for a few days, so I checked my Spam
> folder (empty) and then the archive which had several new messages I
> haven't seen. I then checked my cctalk membership configuration.
> Surprisingly "Mail delivery" was disabled.
> 
> Some time ago I received a few emails from the list server about "excessive
> bounces" saying that I should simply reply to the email otherwise my
> subscription would be disabled. I replied and didn't think too much about it.
> This time I got no "excessive bounces" email but my subscription got
> disabled.
> 
> I got an otherwise reliable @gmail.com   email address.
> Does anyone else here have problems with this? Is there some way of
> preventing this from happening?
> 
> Thanks
> Tom

RE: Not just slashed zeroes/ohs

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

> -Original Message-
> From: cctalk  On Behalf Of Teo Zenios via
> cctalk
> Sent: 28 April 2022 06:43
> To: Fred Cisin ; General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-
> Topic Posts 
> Subject: Re: Not just slashed zeroes/ohs
> 
> I watched the screen and it works very well. His only problem is he
> sometimes forget to click a button to start the input going. There is a
box
> where what he speaks gets transcribed and then he cuts and pasts it to the
> correct spot in the patients worksheet.
> 
> -Original Message-
> From: Fred Cisin via cctalk
> Sent: Wednesday, April 27, 2022 11:19 PM
> To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts
> Subject: Re: Not just slashed zeroes/ohs
> 
> On Wed, 27 Apr 2022, Teo Zenios via cctalk wrote:
> > One of my mothers doctors just talks into a microphone and it does the
> > typing for him in real time.
> 
> YIKES!
> I hope that he MANUALLY edits the results!
> People that aren't familiar with such OFTEN have excessive confidence that
it
> is getting it right.  When a human transcribes, they filter through
"common
> sense"; people sometimes ASSUME that the dictation program also does so.
> 
> An auto-corrupt could be dangerous.

It could, but I know of a couple of medical folks that use similar
technology. They say it is more accurate than their typing..

Dave
G4UGM

RE: AlphaServer 2100s available

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

> -Original Message-
> From: cctalk  On Behalf Of Alan Perry via
> cctalk
> Sent: 15 April 2022 16:00
> To: cctalk@classiccmp.org
> Subject: Re: AlphaServer 2100s available
> 
> I wouldn't expect commercial value to come into the discussion on this list. I
> am wondering what other hobbyists pay in order to gauge whether the price
> that a local recycler is asking for one (which was around
> $100) is fair.

If its working and boots up I would say that is very reasonable.

Dave

RE: AlphaServer 2100s available

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

Folks,
Does no one fancy a go at this. Had zero interest...
Dave

> -Original Message-
> From: dave.g4...@gmail.com 
> Sent: 04 April 2022 12:29
> To: 'General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts'
> 
> Subject: RE: AlphaServer 2100s available
> 
> Folks,
> 
> I got one of these from Antonio. It has 4 x CPU boards in plus a few disk
> drives, but it does not want to power up. It did spin the fans up then shut
> down. . I now have a lot of other projects on the go, so if anyone would like 
> it
> please let me know.
> Its in Manchester, England.  Replies off-list please.
> 
> Dave
> 
> > -Original Message-
> > From: cctalk  On Behalf Of Antonio
> > Carlini via cctalk
> > Sent: 21 July 2020 20:58
> > To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts
> > 
> > Subject: AlphaServer 2100s available
> >
> > I have three AlphaServer 2100 systems in storage in the UK (Oxfordshire).
> > The storage, however, is due to be demolished (soon, but no fixed date).
> >
> >
> > I won't have room to store these three systems, so if anyone would be
> > interested in offering them a home, then please get in touch!
> >
> >
> > I can probably get some pictures in the next day or two.
> >
> >
> > These systems were SMP Alphas and could sport as many as 4 CPUs. I'm
> > not sure of the configuration of these systems but I can probably find
> > that out soon.
> >
> > They have not been run since ~2003 so they may be in need of some TLC.
> > OTOH they are not rusted to death so you have a chance of getting them
> > back to life.
> >
> >
> > Just so you know what you might be dealing with these systems are about:
> > 700mm H x 430mm W x 810mm L.
> >
> >
> > I can't find the weight in any of my references right now but they are
> > very heavy. Three people can move them up a slight slope with some
> > effort but you would not successfully lift it into a car (assuming
> > that it would fit). I'm planning to dismantle them to move them (i.e.
> > remove PSU/PSUs etc. until they are light enough to move). A tail-lift
> > would probably be the sane way to go (and is, indeed, how they got to
> > their current location.
> >
> >
> > I'm hoping that someone can step forward and offer one or more of
> > these machines a new home. Please contact me off-list (once you're
> > sure you understand what you are getting into :-)).
> >
> >
> > Antonio
> >
> >
> > --
> > Antonio Carlini
> > anto...@acarlini.com
> 

RE: AlphaServer 2100s available

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

Folks,

I got one of these from Antonio. It has 4 x CPU boards in plus a few disk 
drives, but it does not want to power up. It did spin the fans up then shut 
down. . I now have a lot of other projects on the go, so if anyone would like 
it please let me know.
Its in Manchester, England.  Replies off-list please.

Dave

> -Original Message-
> From: cctalk  On Behalf Of Antonio Carlini
> via cctalk
> Sent: 21 July 2020 20:58
> To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts
> 
> Subject: AlphaServer 2100s available
> 
> I have three AlphaServer 2100 systems in storage in the UK (Oxfordshire).
> The storage, however, is due to be demolished (soon, but no fixed date).
> 
> 
> I won't have room to store these three systems, so if anyone would be
> interested in offering them a home, then please get in touch!
> 
> 
> I can probably get some pictures in the next day or two.
> 
> 
> These systems were SMP Alphas and could sport as many as 4 CPUs. I'm not
> sure of the configuration of these systems but I can probably find that
> out soon.
> 
> They have not been run since ~2003 so they may be in need of some TLC.
> OTOH they are not rusted to death so you have a chance of getting them
> back to life.
> 
> 
> Just so you know what you might be dealing with these systems are about:
> 700mm H x 430mm W x 810mm L.
> 
> 
> I can't find the weight in any of my references right now but they are
> very heavy. Three people can move them up a slight slope with some
> effort but you would not successfully lift it into a car (assuming that
> it would fit). I'm planning to dismantle them to move them (i.e. remove
> PSU/PSUs etc. until they are light enough to move). A tail-lift would
> probably be the sane way to go (and is, indeed, how they got to their
> current location.
> 
> 
> I'm hoping that someone can step forward and offer one or more of these
> machines a new home. Please contact me off-list (once you're sure you
> understand what you are getting into :-)).
> 
> 
> Antonio
> 
> 
> --
> Antonio Carlini
> anto...@acarlini.com

LSSM is chasing this, was Re: General Data? Computer

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

I missed a lot of this because g-mail decided to bounce some e-mails.

I would like to make a couple of observations:-

1. Many real accredited museums have a smaller percentage of their artifacts
on display than private collectors. In the UK both TNMOC and the Science
Museum Group have large quantities of hardware that is not displayed.
The science museum usually catalogues it but it is not really helpful if you
can't see it. 

2. All the private collectors I know are very happy to show and demonstrate
what they have. It might not be catalogued so well but generally they want
to show it off

Dave
G4UGM
(Now feeling guilty because what I have is neither catalogued or on display)

RE: Source for replacement caps in H744 regulators

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

Rob,

The voltage rating is just an absolute maximum. For PSU capacitors the other
critical rating is ripple current. Lower voltages are 
The capacitance value won't be too critical either. At the time that was
made typical electrolytic tolerances were -50/+100%
So your 6,000uf could be anywhere between 3,000uf and 12,000uf when new, so
I suspect these

https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/aluminium-capacitors/8556059

Sprague, 5,800uf 50v would be ok provided they physically fit... although RS
has only one in stock...

Dave

> -Original Message-
> From: cctalk  On Behalf Of Rob Jarratt via
> cctalk
> Sent: 06 January 2022 08:53
> To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts
> 
> Subject: Source for replacement caps in H744 regulators
> 
> I think I may need to replace the two output capacitors in some of my H744
> regulators. These are screw terminal 6,000uF 10V parts. I have looked on
> Mouser, Farnell and Digikey and there don't seem to be any available, and
> any that are listed are really rather costly.
> 
> 
> 
> Does anyone know where I might find some, preferably from a reputable
> supplier. Note that I am in the UK.
> 
> 
> 
> If I can't find 10V rated ones, then, generally up to what sort of voltage
rating
> can I go? Of course, physical size will be a factor, but electrically can
it affect
> operation of the regulator if the rated voltage is too high?
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks
> 
> 
> 
> Rob

RE: VAX 780 on eBay

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

> -Original Message-
> From: cctalk  On Behalf Of ben via cctalk
> Sent: 03 January 2022 02:00
> To: cctalk@classiccmp.org
> Subject: Re: VAX 780 on eBay
> 
> On 2022-01-02 6:28 p.m., Zane Healy via cctalk wrote:
> > On Jan 2, 2022, at 5:20 PM, Nigel Johnson Ham via cctalk
>  wrote:
> >>
> >> I've always felt that in terms of performance the proper measure
> >> would have been VUPS/kW :-)
> >>
> >> That way my little MicroVAX 2 would be able to hold its head high!
> >
> > On that note a Raspberry Pi 2b running SIMH/VAX is about 1.6 VUPS.
> >
> > Zane
> >
> But can the Pi handle a gazillion students all time sharing at once @ 2400?
> How long was the VAX timesharing era as I suspect networked PC's come out
> soon after that.
> Ben.
> 


Ben,
Well if I remember properly the VAX couldn't at the time. I arranged for some 
folks from the place I worked to go on a VMS course at Liverpool University.
They came back cursing the VAX and VMS and the sluggish terminal response times 
and the dreaded "type behind".
With a few students on the VAX was great but get a decent load on and it 
crawled. 
The trouble was that VMS was usually used with the VAX handling character 
editing, so the scenario went something like this

The user types an "a"...
The line driver says "what on earth do I do with this "a"? I know I'll send it 
to the user
.. oh dear the users code is paged out...
... oh dear there are no free pages so I have to page out another user
.. and page in the users.
.. and send it the "a" 
.. the user code says "oh and "a" has arrived, what do I do , I know I will 
echo it to the terminal and go to sleep
.. in the mean time some one on the next terminal has typed a "B"

The staff came back and said "how do we get a proper mainframe; we need an IBM 
with VM" where the editing is handled in the screen controller.
... so we asked for a large amount of disk storage, allocated a small room and 
they got an IBM 4381 as at the time the VAX didn't have disks as big as the 
3380-3 .

Dave

RE: DEC RF30 Integrated Storage Element Service Guide

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

Rob,
If that is not the issue, do you need to try them in the MicroVax 4000 here?
Dave
(p.s. can SCSI terminators fit in a DSSI bus socket by mistake)

> -Original Message-
> From: Rob Jarratt 
> Sent: 02 January 2022 14:05
> To: dave.g4...@gmail.com; r...@jarratt.me.uk; 'General Discussion: On-
> Topic and Off-Topic Posts' 
> Subject: RE: DEC RF30 Integrated Storage Element Service Guide
> 
> I thought I had checked, but I can double check just to be sure. Thanks
for
> the suggestion, it certainly feels like it could be something like this.
> 
> > -Original Message-
> > From: dave.g4...@gmail.com 
> > Sent: 02 January 2022 13:01
> > To: r...@jarratt.me.uk; 'Rob Jarratt' ;
> 'General
> > Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts' 
> > Subject: RE: DEC RF30 Integrated Storage Element Service Guide
> >
> > Rob,
> >
> > I know this is probably a stupid suggestion, but are they terminated
> > correctly?
> >
> > Dave
> >
> >
> > > -Original Message-
> > > From: cctalk  On Behalf Of Rob
> > > Jarratt via cctalk
> > > Sent: 02 January 2022 07:30
> > > To: 'General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts'
> > > 
> > > Subject: RE: DEC RF30 Integrated Storage Element Service Guide
> > >
> > > Can anyone help me to understand why all my RF30 disks report the
> > > same diagnostic code 0x300B?
> > >
> > > Thanks
> > >
> > > Rob
> > >
> > > > -Original Message-
> > > > From: Rob Jarratt 
> > > > Sent: 23 December 2021 17:46
> > > > To: r...@jarratt.me.uk; 'Rob Jarratt'
> > > > ;
> > > 'General
> > > > Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts' 
> > > > Subject: RE: DEC RF30 Integrated Storage Element Service Guide
> > > >
> > > > I have tried three different RF30 disks, two of them from one
> > > > source and
> > > one
> > > > from a completely different source, so completely different
histories.
> > > They
> > > > all give me the same diagnostic error code, 0x300B, which seems to
> > > > be too much of a coincidence, so I think it may be something in my
> > > configuration.
> > > >
> > > > I am using a MicroVAX 3800 (KA655 with KFQSA). When I power on,
> > > > the fault light comes on and then goes out after a while. This I
> > > > believe is normal behaviour. However, as soon as I try to access
> > > > the disk (e.g. SHOW DEVICES in the console firmware) the fault
> > > > light come on and when I boot to VMS (from a different disk), VMS
> > > > can't see the
> drive.
> > > >
> > > > I thought it might be some kind of DSSI ID conflict because I have
> > > > an
> > > > RF72
> > > in
> > > > the machine at ID 0. Removing the RF72 does not change the
> behaviour.
> > > > Installing an ID=0 plug on the RF30 does not change the behaviour.
> > > > I set
> > > the
> > > > DIP switches on the RF30s to have an ID=1 and still it doesn't
> > > > work and PARAMS reports UNITNUM=0. I followed this page
> > > > http://mcmanis.com/chuck/computers/vaxen/dssi-plug.html but it
> > > > didn't
> > > > work:
> > > >
> > > > PARAMS> sho /mscp
> > > >
> > > > Parameter Current   DefaultType Radix
> > > > -       -
> > > > MSCPNVR   2020202020202020  2020202020202020
> > > >   2020202020202020  2020202020202020
> > > >   2020202020202020  2020202020202020
> > > >   2020202020202020  2020202020202020StringHex   RO
> > > > UNITID1502401193918703 0  QuadwordHex   RO
> > > > ALLCLASS 0 0  ByteDec   B
> > > > MEDIAID   2264601E  2264601E  LongwordHex   RO
U
> > > > UNITNUM  0 0  WordDec   U
> > > > FIVEDIME 1 1   Boolean0/1   B
> > > > FORCEUNI 1 1   Boolean0/1   U
> > > > FORCECID 1 1   Boolean0/1   RO
> > > > CNT_TMO 6060  WordDec   RO
> > > >
> > > > PARAMS> set unitnum 1
> > > >
> > > > PARAMS> set forceuni 0
> > > >
> > > > PARAMS> write
> > > > Failed to acquire unit, cannot WRITE
> > > >
> > > > Am I doing something wrong?
> > > >
> > > > Thanks
> > > >
> > > > Rob
> > > >
> > > > > -Original Message-
> > > > > From: cctalk  On Behalf Of Rob
> > > > > Jarratt via cctalk
> > > > > Sent: 23 December 2021 09:45
> > > > > To: 'General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts'
> > > > > 
> > > > > Subject: RE: DEC RF30 Integrated Storage Element Service Guide
> > > > >
> > > > > I wonder if anyone knows what diagnostic code 300B means?
> > > > >
> > > > > >>>set host/dup/uqssp/disk 2 params
> > > > > PARAMS> status config
> > > > >
> > > > > Configuration:
> > > > >   Node DIA0   is an RF30 controller
> > > > >   Software RFX V103 built on  5-MAY-1989 13:18:42
> > > > >   Electronics module name is EN94019334
> > > > >   Unit is inoperative, error code 300B(X)
> > > > >   Last known unit failure code 300B(X)
> > > > >   In 60233 

RE: DEC RF30 Integrated Storage Element Service Guide

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

Rob,

I know this is probably a stupid suggestion, but are they terminated
correctly? 

Dave


> -Original Message-
> From: cctalk  On Behalf Of Rob Jarratt via
> cctalk
> Sent: 02 January 2022 07:30
> To: 'General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts'
> 
> Subject: RE: DEC RF30 Integrated Storage Element Service Guide
> 
> Can anyone help me to understand why all my RF30 disks report the same
> diagnostic code 0x300B?
> 
> Thanks
> 
> Rob
> 
> > -Original Message-
> > From: Rob Jarratt 
> > Sent: 23 December 2021 17:46
> > To: r...@jarratt.me.uk; 'Rob Jarratt' ;
> 'General
> > Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts' 
> > Subject: RE: DEC RF30 Integrated Storage Element Service Guide
> >
> > I have tried three different RF30 disks, two of them from one source
> > and
> one
> > from a completely different source, so completely different histories.
> They
> > all give me the same diagnostic error code, 0x300B, which seems to be
> > too much of a coincidence, so I think it may be something in my
> configuration.
> >
> > I am using a MicroVAX 3800 (KA655 with KFQSA). When I power on, the
> > fault light comes on and then goes out after a while. This I believe
> > is normal behaviour. However, as soon as I try to access the disk
> > (e.g. SHOW DEVICES in the console firmware) the fault light come on
> > and when I boot to VMS (from a different disk), VMS can't see the drive.
> >
> > I thought it might be some kind of DSSI ID conflict because I have an
> > RF72
> in
> > the machine at ID 0. Removing the RF72 does not change the behaviour.
> > Installing an ID=0 plug on the RF30 does not change the behaviour. I
> > set
> the
> > DIP switches on the RF30s to have an ID=1 and still it doesn't work
> > and PARAMS reports UNITNUM=0. I followed this page
> > http://mcmanis.com/chuck/computers/vaxen/dssi-plug.html but it didn't
> > work:
> >
> > PARAMS> sho /mscp
> >
> > Parameter Current   DefaultType Radix
> > -       -
> > MSCPNVR   2020202020202020  2020202020202020
> >   2020202020202020  2020202020202020
> >   2020202020202020  2020202020202020
> >   2020202020202020  2020202020202020StringHex   RO
> > UNITID1502401193918703 0  QuadwordHex   RO
> > ALLCLASS 0 0  ByteDec   B
> > MEDIAID   2264601E  2264601E  LongwordHex   RO   U
> > UNITNUM  0 0  WordDec   U
> > FIVEDIME 1 1   Boolean0/1   B
> > FORCEUNI 1 1   Boolean0/1   U
> > FORCECID 1 1   Boolean0/1   RO
> > CNT_TMO 6060  WordDec   RO
> >
> > PARAMS> set unitnum 1
> >
> > PARAMS> set forceuni 0
> >
> > PARAMS> write
> > Failed to acquire unit, cannot WRITE
> >
> > Am I doing something wrong?
> >
> > Thanks
> >
> > Rob
> >
> > > -Original Message-
> > > From: cctalk  On Behalf Of Rob
> > > Jarratt via cctalk
> > > Sent: 23 December 2021 09:45
> > > To: 'General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts'
> > > 
> > > Subject: RE: DEC RF30 Integrated Storage Element Service Guide
> > >
> > > I wonder if anyone knows what diagnostic code 300B means?
> > >
> > > >>>set host/dup/uqssp/disk 2 params
> > > PARAMS> status config
> > >
> > > Configuration:
> > >   Node DIA0   is an RF30 controller
> > >   Software RFX V103 built on  5-MAY-1989 13:18:42
> > >   Electronics module name is EN94019334
> > >   Unit is inoperative, error code 300B(X)
> > >   Last known unit failure code 300B(X)
> > >   In 60233 power-on hours, power has cycled 189 times
> > >   System time is  5-MAY-1989 13:19:46
> > >
> > > Regards
> > >
> > > Rob
> > >
> > > > -Original Message-
> > > > From: cctalk  On Behalf Of Rob
> > > > Jarratt via cctalk
> > > > Sent: 22 December 2021 15:59
> > > > To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts
> > > > 
> > > > Subject: DEC RF30 Integrated Storage Element Service Guide
> > > >
> > > > I am looking for the service guide for the RF30 DSSI disk. It is
> > > > not on
> > > Manx and
> > > > not on BitSavers. Does anyone know of a copy? The part number is
> > > > apparently EK-RF30D-SV.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > Thanks
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > Rob

RE: Traveling to Zurich in February

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

Bill,
You should find everything is in English as well as the local languages. My 
favourite place to visit is

https://www.verkehrshaus.ch/en/footer-en/menu-quicklinks/plan-a-visit/directions.html

which is about an hour on the train from Zurich. In Zurich there is a Tram 
Museum

https://www.tram-museum.ch/en/

small but interesting

Dave
G4UGM

> -Original Message-
> From: cctalk  On Behalf Of Bill Degnan via
> cctalk
> Sent: 17 December 2021 15:07
> To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts
> 
> Subject: OT: Traveling to Zurich in February
> 
> I will be in Switzerland/Germany near Davos Feb 5-15 and I was curious what
> kinds of museums and sights were worth planning to see during this time of
> the year in that area?  Is there an orchestra concert show season there?
> Any recommendations for resources for travelers that are not overly
> commercial, in English, would be appreciated.
> 
> On the inside of an old painting of my great great great grandfather from
> around 1830 was a piece of paper with a note written by his granddaughter
> many years later about someone called "Count von Burlowe" (spelling?)
> about a partnership to found or make commercial a health resort called "Bad
> Krautzma", but I believe she was way off spelling-wise.  It's written in 19th
> century US cursive, hard to read.  So I am interested in learning a bit about
> my heritage too.
> 
> Thanks
> BIll Degnan
> Landenberg, PA USA

RE: 370 control panel

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

Is "not on EPAY" a good thing. I see there is a 10% buyers premium plus 4% for 
credit card
.. and " ALL ITEMS ARE SOLD AS IS WHERE IS AND HOW IS WITH NO WARRANTIES OF ANY 
TYPE EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED CONCERNING"

Give me EPAY any day

Dave

> -Original Message-
> From: cctech  On Behalf Of s shumaker via
> cctech
> Sent: 08 December 2021 16:44
> To: On Topic Discussion 
> Subject: 370 control panel
> 
> up for auction (and NOT on EPAY!): what appears to be an intact  System
> 370 control panel in PA
> 
> https://hibid.com/lot/107052050/ibm-370-145-mainframe-
> computer/?q==open=6=100=lot-list
> 
> steve

RE: Looking for someone in London (UK) to read 2 9 track tapes

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

Chuck,
I think TNMOC can read these tapes.

https://www.tnmoc.org/


Dave

> -Original Message-
> From: cctalk  On Behalf Of Chuck Guzis via
> cctalk
> Sent: 30 November 2021 23:57
> To: CCtalk 
> Subject: Looking for someone in London (UK) to read 2 9 track tapes
> 
> Hey list,
> 
> I received a note today from a fellow in London who has 2 9-track tapes that
> he'd like read.  Brands are CDC and BASF, so media shedding should
> not be a problem.   Dates are '92 and '93, so likely 1600 or 6259.  The
> tape seal on one (the other has no seal) is IBM-style, which may be the
> system that produced the tapes.
> 
> Any takers?  Let me know if so, I'll put you in contact and you can take 
> things
> from there.
> 
> All the best,
> 
> --Chuck
> 

RE: SCSI2SD for HVD?

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

> -Original Message-
> From: cctalk  On Behalf Of jim stephens via
> cctalk
> Sent: 20 November 2021 20:02
> To: Jonathan Katz via cctalk 
> Subject: Re: SCSI2SD for HVD?
> 
> 
> 
> On 11/20/2021 11:11 AM, Jonathan Katz via cctalk wrote:
> > Hey everyone!
> >
> > Has anyone been able to use a SCSI2SD setup where HVD is required? I
> > know by default that isn't supported, but given we can get custom kits
> > to solder, we could just change out one of the controller chips
> > (optimistically?)
> >
> > Cheers!
> >
> I'd think you could get one of the DEC or Pacific data converters to handle
> that.  They work well converting to SE anyway.  Are the SCSI2SD proper SE or
> LVD only?  Some SCSI don't do the SE voltage version properly, just the LVD.
> 
> DEC sold Pacific data converters with a DEC logo on them.
> 
> thanks
> Jim

Jim,
 SCSI2SD is old traditional SCSI so single ended 
Dave

RE: SCSI2SD project origination Re: SCSI2SD in a DEC 3000/300 - T-ERR-SCSI A

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

Chuck,
Some of the stuff is now proprietary, but basically this is the start page..

http://www.codesrc.com/mediawiki/index.php/SCSI2SD

I do find the docs a tad sparse.

Dave

> -Original Message-
> From: cctalk  On Behalf Of Charles Dickman
> via cctalk
> Sent: 02 October 2021 01:32
> To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts
> 
> Subject: SCSI2SD project origination Re: SCSI2SD in a DEC 3000/300 - T-ERR-
> SCSI A
> 
> Where is the original project for SCSI2SD? A quick google and I find a bunch 
> of
> suppliers, but where is the base project from.
> 
> -chuck

RE: Linux and the 'clssic' computing world

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

> -Original Message-
> From: cctalk  On Behalf Of Van Snyder via
> cctalk
> Sent: 28 September 2021 23:34
> To: cctalk@classiccmp.org
> Subject: Re: Linux and the 'clssic' computing world
> 
> On Tue, 2021-09-28 at 17:03 -0500, Jay Jaeger via cctalk wrote:
> > > On 2021-09-28 11:43 a.m., Vincent Long standing via cctalk wrote:
> > >
> > > > The C standards are more liberal, and continue to require char
> > > > types to be 8 or more bits.
> > > Was PL/I the only language that would let you select data size for
> > > variables? Of course the fine print would not let you have more than
> > > 16 decimal digits, or 32 bit binary. You would think by now that a
> > > language could handle any length data.
> > >
> >
> > Hardly.
> >
> > FORTRAN:  INTEGER*4 INTEGER*8 (and sometimes INTEGER*2 - e.g. Sun
> > FORTRAN-77)  was common, though never adopted as a standard.  Also
> > REAL vs. DOUBLE.
> 
> Fortran 90 introduced "kind type parameters" for all types. For REAL, one can
> use SELECTED_REAL_KIND to ask for a specific number of decimal digits. The
> standard does not require any minimum number be required.
> Both "default real" and double precision are required. Many processors
> provide quad precision. For INTEGER, one can use SELECTED_INT_KIND.
> Processors are required to provide at least one kind with at least 18 decimal
> digits. There is no specification which other sizes are required.

REXX has had this ability from the start. It only does decimal arithmetic, but 
you can set the number of numeric digits used to whatever you want

Dave

RE: Setting up a VMS system

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

> -Original Message-
> From: cctalk  On Behalf Of Philip
> Pemberton via cctalk
> Sent: 22 September 2021 13:22
> To: cctalk@classiccmp.org
> Subject: Setting up a VMS system
> 
> Hopefully a few of the DEC/VMS fans here might be able to help!
> 
> I'm on a bit of a quest. I've been given some old VAX/VMS software -- a cross
> compiler and some source code -- that I'd like to get running. My goal is to
> get the source code building and experiment with the compiler a bit.
> 

OK Well I wonder if it needs a licence. That may be an issue...

> Problem is that I've never used VMS before, and don't have a clue how to
> install or use it.
> 

You will find copies of OpenVMS and the documentation on vaxhaven.com. 
The commands are generally similar to Unix/DoS but it has many unique quirks.
It creates versions of files. So if you run the same copy command twice, you 
get two output files. 
Assuming non were there before these will have a ";1" and ";2" on the end.
I seem to remember the PURGE command cleans this up.
I would just google "openvms vax install simh" and see which one suits your 
style of working.
Lots of tutorials too.,
 
> Can any point me to an idiot's guide to VMS, how to set it up and make it
> possible to send files to it from my Linux box?
> 

Well if you are using SIMH you can probably use FTP. If the files are small 
enough you can also create an ISO and mount it on OPENVMS
This will be mounted as a "foreign" disk as VMS CDs are written using the VMS 
file format.

> I'm thinking of using SIMH, unless there's a better emulator available.
> 

I think its the best but there are many types of VAX,

https://9track.net/simh/

has many variants.

> I'm still waiting on a reply from HP with a hobbyist licence PAK (I've filled 
> out
> the form), but I figure I can get started on the learning while I wait.
> 

You won't get one from HP but there are work arounds.
HP has allowed us to share our files. Let me know of list if you need it.

> 
> Cheers
> Phil.

Dave

RE: Burnable, patched Microvax-2000 SCSI-boot EPROM images?

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

> -Original Message-
> From: Ethan Dicks 
> Sent: 21 September 2021 06:39
> To: Dave Wade ; General Discussion: On-Topic
> and Off-Topic Posts 
> Cc: Jonathan Stone 
> Subject: Re: Burnable, patched Microvax-2000 SCSI-boot EPROM images?
> 
> On Mon, Sep 20, 2021 at 5:24 PM Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk
>  wrote:
> > Do you know what type of ROM/PROM is needed
> 
> 4x 27512 (32-bit wide image)
> 
> I have a MicroVAX 2000 but haven't managed to get that SCSI hack working
> myself.
> 
> It's been many years since I last fiddled with it.
> 
> -ethan

I am sure some one on here can blow those. I can probably do it. Its been ages 
since I did any and I am a long way from the programmer for a couple of weeks.
I was going to try for my MV2000 but it not at the top of the "to-do" pile.

Dave

RE: Burnable, patched Microvax-2000 SCSI-boot EPROM images?

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

Do you know what type of ROM/PROM is needed 

Dave

> -Original Message-
> From: cctalk  On Behalf Of Jonathan Stone
> via cctalk
> Sent: 20 September 2021 20:02
> To: cctalk@classiccmp.org; port-...@netbsd.org
> Subject: Burnable, patched Microvax-2000 SCSI-boot EPROM images?
> 
> I recently rescued two Microvax-2000s but both have dead RD53s.  Does
> anyone have a ROMable image of the Microvax 2000/Vaxstation 2000 boot-
> PROM patches from Wolfgang Moeller
> at http://ftp.gwdg.de/pub/vms/pk2k/ ?   I'm looking to install NetBSD, not
> VMS and I don't have any VMS systems on which to run PATCH.   Microvax
> 2000 specs say it can sustain 3.3MB/s I/O, which has to be via the SCSI
> interface.  So a SCSI emulator should be significantly higher performance
> than an MFM drive (either 30+ year old drive, or emulator).
> 
> Web-searching shows a Sean O'Banion has burned the PROMs successfully; I
> haven't yet found other names.
> If someone is willing to burn at least one set of EPROMs for me, I'd pay for
> the service (either ship EPROMS, or pay for them).
> 
> 

RE: Looking for an IBM 3803

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

I have seen issues with 3803s in an IBM datacentres with flashover on the PSU 
PCB I believe due to water absorption into the PCB material, which I believe 
are of the paper type.
The flames were impressive, as was the knowledge of curses from my manager. I 
don't know if this issue is common, but just thought I would mention it in case 
the devices in question had been stored in damp conditions.
I should also point out that at the time I was only a Systems Programmer 
borrowing the machine..

Dave Wade

> -Original Message-
> From: cctalk  On Behalf Of Curious Marc via
> cctalk
> Sent: 06 September 2021 11:36
> To: Chuck Guzis ; General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-
> Topic Posts 
> Subject: Re: Looking for an IBM 3803
> 
> I got both the 3420s and the 3808 from Sellam. On the restoration docket,
> now with a better chance thanks to the ALDs which I recently got from
> Gabriel himself. I scanned my 3420 ALDs and gave them to Gabriel in return.
> Biggest annoyance, besides humongous size and weight, is the amount of 3
> phase power required.
> Marc
> 
> > On Sep 5, 2021, at 3:17 PM, Chuck Guzis via cctalk 
> wrote:
> >
> > On 9/5/21 2:55 PM, Chuck Guzis via cctalk wrote:
> >>> On 9/5/21 1:24 PM, Gabriel Nielson via cctalk wrote:
> >>> I was digging through the internet and found a post where a 3803 was
> >>> posted for sale, would there happen to still be one
> >>> available?Preferably a model 2 Thanks,gcniel...@yahoo.com
> >>>
> >>
> >> Aside from a couple of sales of 3420+3803 drives about 5-6 years ago,
> >> about the only current sale is just the panel:
> >>
> >>
> ttps://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/153912466858?hash=item23d5e5ddaa:g:P8QAA
> OSw
> >> 86ZeqMBo
> >>
> >
> > Edit:  For that 5-6 year old combo, the seller was Sellam and his
> > asking price was $3K.
> >
> > --Chuck

RE: Extremely CISC instructions

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

Hi Tom,
Well for me the VAX has some of the most interesting instructions, so the POLY 
instruction will evaluate a polynomial and EMOD will multiply and separate the 
integer and fractional parts.
I also find it interesting that some architectures will only allow the 
privilege state to be examined if you are in supervisor/privileged state which 
allows software virtualization.
The IBM 370 has this feature but the later machines so XA, 390, and the various 
flavours of "Z" do not. So the 370 hypervisors VM/370 and VM/SP do software 
virtualization
VM/XA, VM/ESA and zVM need to have the "SIE" instruction, Start Interpretive 
Execution which runs a virtual machine from microcode.
A similar feature exists in modern Intel/AMD chips which greatly improve the 
performance of hypervisors such as VMWARE, HyperV and VirtualBox
Dave
G4UGM

> -Original Message-
> From: cctalk  On Behalf Of Tom Stepleton
> via cctalk
> Sent: 24 August 2021 01:39
> To: cctalk@classiccmp.org
> Subject: Extremely CISC instructions
> 
> Hello,
> 
> For the sake of illustration to folks who are not necessarily used to thinking
> about what computers do at the machine code level, I'm interested in
> collecting examples of single instructions for any CPU architecture that are
> unusually prolific in one way or another. This request is highly
> underconstrained, so I have to rely on peoples' good taste to determine
> what counts as "interesting" here. Perhaps a whole lot of different kinds of
> work or lots of different resources accessed is what I'm after. I expect these
> kinds of "busy" instructions were more common in architectures that are
> now less common, so perhaps this list is a good place to ask.
> 
> For example, if we're thinking "number of times an item is retrieved from
> RAM", then any application of the x86 string instructions that could walk over
> memory for a while perhaps aren't so interesting. By contrast, by my count,
> the NS32000 series instruction "addw ext(4), ext(7)" requires at least five
> separate noncontiguous retrievals just to fetch the arguments into the ALU.
> (Note that I'm not differentiating between different sizes of data here:
> loading a 16-bit item and loading a 32-bit address both count as a "retrieval"
> in this example.)
> 
> Instructions that are simply lengthy might be interesting, but not always:
> long literals or lots of redundant prefixes on x86 aren't that impressive, for
> example.
> 
> Number of registers read or modified might be good too, but just saving or
> loading for the sake of subroutine calls (e.g. "movem.l r0-r7/a0-a6,-(sp)"
> on the 68k) seems pretty pedestrian.
> 
> Other criteria may seem worthwhile; I trust peoples' judgement on this.
> Although I don't know it well, I suspect VAX will place well in one way or
> another. But to give an example of a candidate instruction that's prolific in 
> a
> way I find more noteworthy, I'll go back to the NS32k and offer
> 
>   addw ext(4)+6[r1:w], ext(7)+12[r2:w]
> 
> which in order to get its arguments (I think) requires the five retrievals
> already mentioned and adds two shifts and four additions to the bill. I think
> this statement reads: "Add the r1'th word counting from 6 bytes past the
> fourth address in the current module's link table to the r2'th word counting
> from 12 bytes past the seventh address in the current module's link table".
> That's a mouthful --- it takes a lot of work to describe what that one line
> does! Maybe that's what I'm hoping to share with people.
> 
> I hope this is interesting to discuss,
> --Tom

RE: 3d modelling software

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

Rob,
I asked on the Radio Club net. The other program mentioned RS Design Spark

https://www.rs-online.com/designspark

Dave
G4UGM

> -Original Message-
> From: cctalk  On Behalf Of Rob Jarratt via
> cctalk
> Sent: 23 August 2021 17:29
> To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts
> 
> Subject: 3d modelling software
> 
> I think I may need to get a small part 3d printed (some plastic board
mounting
> guide rails from a PDP 11/24 H7140 PSU). What software is best for a
novice?
> Preferably free!
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks
> 
> 
> 
> Rob

RE: Help reading a 9 track tape

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

> -Original Message-
> From: cctalk  On Behalf Of Dennis Boone
> via cctalk
> Sent: 03 August 2021 21:31
> To: cctalk@classiccmp.org
> Subject: Re: Help reading a 9 track tape
> 
>  > It was intended to be a stop-gap, to be discarded when the ICL was  >
> replaced with PR1ME.  However the PR1ME was benchmarked with Fortran
> 66.
>  > When Pr1me Fortran 77 was delivered its performance was "pants" so the
> > "stop gap" ICL compiler was ported to PR1ME...
> 
> Wish we could find that Prime compiler.  I think there were one or two
> others, as well.

Well you could ask Silverfrost who now own it. I think a lot of Salford
Pr1me software was lost. 
I wish I could find the X.25 software we wrote...

> 
> De

Dave

RE: Help reading a 9 track tape

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

> > Depending on what he was trying to do that may well be a valid
> assessment.  CDC Fortran was known to be pretty good, but Fortran  is not
> the obvious answer for implementing interpreters or other language
> processors, which this sounds like.
> >
> 
> Some might argue with you about that.  PL/M was done in Fortran IV.
> 

I will argue with that. If you wanted code that was pretty portable you used 
FORTRAN (or COBOL if you had masochistic tendencies). 
You were almost certain to be able to find a FORTRAN compiler for most any 
machine.
"We" wrote X.25 networking software in FORTRAN 77 because every machine sold to 
a UK university had to have FORTRAN 77. 
Salford University even wrote a FORTRAN 77 compiler!. In the UK University 
machines had to come with 10 years of hardware and software support.
Salford originally had an ICL1900 which ICL actually replaced with a 2900  
because it  was so old and they ran out of spares but they would not upgrade 
the software so we/they were stuck with FORTRAN 66 under DME (1900 emulation)
As there was no money for upgrades from ICL but there was research money 
Salford wrote a FORTRAN77 compiler for ICL 1900.
It was intended to be a stop-gap, to be discarded when the ICL was replaced 
with PR1ME. However the PR1ME was benchmarked with Fortran 66.
When Pr1me Fortran 77 was delivered its performance was "pants" so the "stop 
gap" ICL compiler was ported to PR1ME...
.. later it was ported to MSDOS... More info here

https://www.silverfrost.com/53/ftn77_personal_edition.aspx


> bill

Dave

RE: Branching the thread away from Compaq deskpro boards: "What We Have Lost"

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

> -Original Message-
> From: cctalk  On Behalf Of Zane Healy via
> cctalk
> Sent: 02 August 2021 04:24
> To: William Donzelli 
> Cc: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts
> 
> Subject: Re: Branching the thread away from Compaq deskpro boards: "What
> We Have Lost"
> 
> 
> 
> > On Aug 1, 2021, at 5:51 PM, William Donzelli  wrote:
> >
> >> z/OS runs on IBM Mainframes, there is also “IBM i”, which was previously
> called OS/400.
> >>
> >> Last I checked, GCOS-8 is still running, but with Itanium end-of-life, I’m
> not sure what on.  It’s been a niche market for decades.  I’d argue that it 
> was
> a serious niche when I was using it in the early 90’s.
> >
> > It is amazing how many people - IBMers included - that simply do not
> > realize that Unisys exists, and both MCP and OS2200 are modern, up to
> > date operating systems running on quite a lot of sites in the real
> > world.
> 
> Actually I should remember that one as well…  I supported a Unisys
> mainframe, after I worked with GCOS-8, though I spent most of my time with
> HP-UX and SunOS at that time.
> 
> Zane
> 
> 
> 

Until very recently Fujitsu was still supporting the ICL VMS operating system, 
as I understand it for use by UK Government departments.

I think it’s a pity we don't see the S/38, AS/400, I software more widely 
available.  I am sure that it would run well on modern Intel or even ARM

Dave

RE: Branching the thread away from Compaq deskpro boards: "What We Have Lost"

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

> -Original Message-
> From: cctalk  On Behalf Of ben via cctalk
> Sent: 01 August 2021 19:46
> To: cctalk@classiccmp.org
> Subject: Re: Branching the thread away from Compaq deskpro boards: "What
> We Have Lost"
> 
> On 2021-08-01 12:32 p.m., Chuck Guzis via cctalk wrote:
> 
> > Would the 68K have succeeded if it were not for Apple and Commodore?

Atari used it as well. It also saw a lot of use in embedded cards for other 
systems

> >
> > --Chuck
> I suspect if they had the proper virtual memory, it would have been picked
> up as a Unix cpu, instead. It is the only common non segemented 16 bit cpu I
> can think in that time frame.
> Ben.
> 
> 


Dave

RE: Reading MT/ST Tapes

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

Cory,

Its only recorded at around 25BPI so I don't thing it would be too hard to 
decode.
Given its a character at a time, I suspect some iron filings or similar would 
reveal the codes and track spacing and with a bit of luck you could find a head 
that would read the data...
I am sure we used to have some when we had real tapes.

Dave


> -Original Message-
> From: cctalk  On Behalf Of Cory
> Heisterkamp via cctalk
> Sent: 29 July 2021 00:37
> To: General Discussion: On-Topic Posts 
> Subject: Reading MT/ST Tapes
> 
> This is a bit of a long shot, but is anyone aware of a successful method to 
> read
> IBM Selectric MT/ST tapes? A museum in Australia has a box of them and are
> interested in the contents.
> 
> I'm fairly involved in the global Selectric community and while 1 or 2 MT/ST’s
> exist, they’re non-functional. I know IBM offered a 2495 Tape Reader for the
> IBM 360, which could be a starting point with modification, but I suspect
> those are even scarcer than the MT/ST itself.
> 
> Even the encoding format appears to be a bit of a secret. Recording is
> character-by-character, tape spacing controlled by sprocket holes along one
> edge.
> 
> https://obsoletemedia.org/ibm-mtst/  mtst/?fbclid=IwAR28c5ej69AlF0os1PcykpHCh0Q_yz5BXbnUSi9UID-
> 4pY6GU3wLxZXFhDI>
> 
> Thanks- Cory

RE: Atari ST & MegaFile with Minix?

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

Whilst I am not an Atari "expert" I still own an STE and a have owned a Mega 
which died and a TT which I sold.
In hardware terms there is very little difference between a Mega and an ST. As 
far as I know, given the same memory, all the games work on both and they 
really exercise the hardware. 
The first obvious difference is 3Mb of memory but that shouldn't cause problems.
The second is that I would expect a Mega to have a blitter. Not all did but 
could the space occupied by the blitter be a problem.
Lastly has the Mega had any modifications made? That could also cause issues..
.. and I assume TOS finds the drives on both machines

Dave
G4UGM



> -Original Message-
> From: cctech  On Behalf Of r.stricklin via
> cctech
> Sent: 06 July 2021 05:37
> To: General Discussion: On-Topic Posts 
> Subject: Atari ST & MegaFile with Minix?
> 
> I was playing with ST Minix (v1.1, based on PC Minix v1.3). I didn’t have any
> luck with Minix (neither the boot program nor the kernel) detecting the
> MegaFile (60 or 30, both the same outcome) on the Mega 4. Both MegaFiles
> worked fine with Minix on the 1040ST.
> 
> So there must be some difference (timing?) between the ST and Mega.
> There are some usenet posts speculating on the cause of this, as well as
> contradictory user reports on whether it is known to work or not. So I’m not
> sure what to make of this.
> 
> But Minix is pretty tight in 1 MB RAM, so I would like to understand why it
> shouldn’t work on the Mega 4.
> 
> Any Atari ST experts on the list who can shed any light on why this might be
> the case?
> 
> ok
> bear.
> 

Water Cooling and Hot Climates was RE: IBM 1620; was: Early Programming Books

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

> -Original Message-
> From: cctalk  On Behalf Of Van Snyder via
> cctalk
> Sent: 22 June 2021 00:00
> To: cctalk@classiccmp.org
> Subject: Re: IBM 1620; was: Early Programming Books
> 
> On Mon, 2021-06-21 at 17:26 -0400, William Donzelli via cctalk wrote:
> > > Of course, nowadays, the old R22 systems are being refilled with
> > > purified propane, called R290.  Cheap, with better thermal
> > > properties than R22, but probably not legal when LCM picked up the
> 6500.
> >
> > When cleaning out a 3rd party CDC dealer quite a few years back, he
> > remarked that the CDC machines going way back all the way to the 800s
> > were fantastically unpicky about how they were cooled. He just used a
> > garden hose connected to the building potable water, and if the
> > machine under test needed more coolant because it was running warm, it
> > just pumped more supply. Heated waste water went down the drain.
> >
> > This unlike the IBM water machines.
> 
> I was once told that the most valuable guy in a Honeywell 6080 Multics shop
> was the plumber.
> 

I don't ever remember the 6080 being water cooled? I Thought Honeywell/GEC was 
all air cooled. All the L66s (which were from what the Multics machine was 
developed) were air cooled.

I was told the following tale by one of my Honeywell contacts

... Apparently the last Shah of Iran owned a Level 66 for the use of his secret 
police. Apart from the fact that the OS had been modified by Honeywell Italy, 
and the documentation for this was in Italian which no one on the job 
understood, and when the OS crashed it was usually in a section of the code 
with Italian comments,  there was also a problem with the power. As the 
temperature rose the power invariable failed. This was because it was run from 
a diesel generator that was out in the sun, it over heated and cut out.

... any way after many complaints the military man in charge came to the 
Honeywell staff and told them the problem was solved. They of course asked how 
and were taken to the generator and shown the latest modification. They had 
fitted a new cap to the radiator with a thermometer in it, as often found on 
vintage cars. They had painted a read line on the gauge and assigned a soldier 
to watch it. When the needle got to the line, he blew his whistle and several 
other soldiers appeared and threw buckets of water over the engine until it 
cooled down
 
I just wonder what they did while waiting for it to overheat..

> >
> > --
> > Will

Dave
G4UGM

RE: IBM 1620; was: Early Programming Books

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

> -Original Message-
> From: cctalk  On Behalf Of Chuck Guzis via
> cctalk
> Sent: 21 June 2021 19:43
> To: Paul Koning via cctalk 
> Subject: Re: IBM 1620; was: Early Programming Books
> 
> On 6/21/21 10:55 AM, Paul Koning via cctalk wrote:
> >
> memory. Nobody explained why that was a real problem.
> >
> > Core memory is fairly sensitive to temperature.  In the case of the 1620,
> there is a heating system that brings the core memory box up to its operating
> temperature, which is why it takes several minutes after you turn on power
> before the machine will run.
> >
> > Possibly the fan problem meant the temperature control system was no
> longer adequate.
> 
> For some (jprobably hallucinatory) reason, I thought there was a project
> at CHM to replace the 1620 core stack with semiconductor memory.   Guess
> that never happened.
> 
> --Chuck
> 

I believe that CHM had several issues with its 1620. There was also a project 
to produce a new console

https://hackaday.com/tag/ibm-1620/

Dave

RE: Early Programming Books

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

Paul,

What about 

Approximations for Digital Computers
Cecil Hastings Jr., Jeanne T. Wayward, and James P. Wong Jr.

Whilst its about a specific problem its not machine specific. It was
originally published as papers in 1955 and as book later, but my copy
retains its 1955 copyright.

Dave

> -Original Message-
> From: Paul Birkel 
> Sent: 20 June 2021 13:40
> To: dave.g4...@gmail.com; 'General Discussion: On-Topic Posts'
> 
> Subject: RE: Early Programming Books
> 
> Dave;
> 
> I'm much more curious about programming books that were *not* machine
> specific.
> That is, about "general principles" of designing/preparing software for
> execution.
> 
> Of course, one needs a language; McCracken (1957) defines TYDAC.
> Much later (1968) Knuth defines MIX.
> 
> In between perhaps one could argue that ALGOL 58 qualifies as such a
> language-for-demonstration, but I don't believe that there were any books
> specifically about programming in ALGOL 58.  I presume that there were
> eventually such books for ALGOL 60.
> 
> Then there's FORTRAN, in which context I first encountered McCracken
> (1961:
> Guide to FORTRAN Programming).
> 
> Obviously my first example was EDSAC-centric.  And yours is specific to
the
> Manchester MK1.
> 
> -Original Message-
> From: dave.g4...@gmail.com [mailto:dave.g4...@gmail.com]
> Sent: Sunday, June 20, 2021 6:57 AM
> To: 'Paul Birkel'; 'General Discussion: On-Topic Posts'
> Subject: RE: Early Programming Books
> 
> Paul,
> What about machine specific manuals, so for example the Manchester MK1
> programming manual, the second edition of which is archived here:-
> 
> https://web.archive.org/web/20090526192456/http://www.computer50.org
> /kgill/m
> ark1/progman.html
> 
> In fact I expect that first book refers specifically to EDSAC, so is in
effect
> machine specific. There must have been similar manuals for other machines?
> 
> I know there is a Ferranti Pegasus Programming manual, the copy I have is
> dated 1962 but as the last Pegasus was produced in 1959 there must have
> been earlier editions.
> 
> Dave
> 
> > -Original Message-
> > From: cctech  On Behalf Of Paul Birkel
> > via cctech
> > Sent: 20 June 2021 09:44
> > To: 'General Discussion: On-Topic Posts' 
> > Subject: Early Programming Books
> >
> > I know of two early computer (in the stored program sense) programming
> > books.
> >
> > 1951: Preparation of Programs for an Electronic Digital Computer
> (Wilkes, Wheeler, & Gill)
> > 1957: Digital Computer Programming (McCracken)
> >
> > What others were published prior to the McCracken text?
> >
> > Excluded are lecture compendia and symposia proceedings, such as:
> >
> > 1946: Moore School Lectures
> > 1947: Proceedings of a Symposium on Large-Scale Digital
> > Calculating
> Machinery
> > 1951: Proceedings of a Second Symposium on Large-Scale Digital
> Calculating Machinery
> > 1953: Faster Than Thought, A Symposium On Digital Computing
> > Machines
> >
> > These were principally about designs for, and experience with, new
> hardware.
> >
> > I'm curious about texts specifically focused on the act of programming.
> > Were there others prior to McCracken?
> >
> > paul
> 

RE: Early Programming Books

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

Paul,

I assumed that was the case, but the inclusion of the Wilkes book confused
me. 
I think there really is a spectrum of books, so say pre-1955 all books
assumed the reader had little knowledge of programming. 
For example the MK1 guide I pointed you to is V2. Its rumoured that Turing
wrote V1 and no one could understand it but I think it more likely the
machine changed.
I also looked at the IBM 701 manuals and they too have some generic info at
the front. 
However I also wonder what the earliest books were like.

Dave
G4UGM

(You might want to e-mail Simon Lavington 
https://www.essex.ac.uk/people/lavin12900/simon-lavington
he has done a lot of research on early computing, and might know more.)





> -Original Message-
> From: Paul Birkel 
> Sent: 20 June 2021 13:40
> To: dave.g4...@gmail.com; 'General Discussion: On-Topic Posts'
> 
> Subject: RE: Early Programming Books
> 
> Dave;
> 
> I'm much more curious about programming books that were *not* machine
> specific.
> That is, about "general principles" of designing/preparing software for
> execution.
> 
> Of course, one needs a language; McCracken (1957) defines TYDAC.
> Much later (1968) Knuth defines MIX.
> 
> In between perhaps one could argue that ALGOL 58 qualifies as such a
> language-for-demonstration, but I don't believe that there were any books
> specifically about programming in ALGOL 58.  I presume that there were
> eventually such books for ALGOL 60.
> 
> Then there's FORTRAN, in which context I first encountered McCracken
> (1961:
> Guide to FORTRAN Programming).
> 
> Obviously my first example was EDSAC-centric.  And yours is specific to
the
> Manchester MK1.
> 
> -Original Message-
> From: dave.g4...@gmail.com [mailto:dave.g4...@gmail.com]
> Sent: Sunday, June 20, 2021 6:57 AM
> To: 'Paul Birkel'; 'General Discussion: On-Topic Posts'
> Subject: RE: Early Programming Books
> 
> Paul,
> What about machine specific manuals, so for example the Manchester MK1
> programming manual, the second edition of which is archived here:-
> 
> https://web.archive.org/web/20090526192456/http://www.computer50.org
> /kgill/m
> ark1/progman.html
> 
> In fact I expect that first book refers specifically to EDSAC, so is in
effect
> machine specific. There must have been similar manuals for other machines?
> 
> I know there is a Ferranti Pegasus Programming manual, the copy I have is
> dated 1962 but as the last Pegasus was produced in 1959 there must have
> been earlier editions.
> 
> Dave
> 
> > -Original Message-
> > From: cctech  On Behalf Of Paul Birkel
> > via cctech
> > Sent: 20 June 2021 09:44
> > To: 'General Discussion: On-Topic Posts' 
> > Subject: Early Programming Books
> >
> > I know of two early computer (in the stored program sense) programming
> > books.
> >
> > 1951: Preparation of Programs for an Electronic Digital Computer
> (Wilkes, Wheeler, & Gill)
> > 1957: Digital Computer Programming (McCracken)
> >
> > What others were published prior to the McCracken text?
> >
> > Excluded are lecture compendia and symposia proceedings, such as:
> >
> > 1946: Moore School Lectures
> > 1947: Proceedings of a Symposium on Large-Scale Digital
> > Calculating
> Machinery
> > 1951: Proceedings of a Second Symposium on Large-Scale Digital
> Calculating Machinery
> > 1953: Faster Than Thought, A Symposium On Digital Computing
> > Machines
> >
> > These were principally about designs for, and experience with, new
> hardware.
> >
> > I'm curious about texts specifically focused on the act of programming.
> > Were there others prior to McCracken?
> >
> > paul
> 

RE: Early Programming Books

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

Paul,
What about machine specific manuals, so for example the Manchester MK1
programming manual, the second edition of which is archived here:-

https://web.archive.org/web/20090526192456/http://www.computer50.org/kgill/m
ark1/progman.html

In fact I expect that first book refers specifically to EDSAC, so is in
effect machine specific. There must have been similar manuals for other
machines?
I know there is a Ferranti Pegasus Programming manual, the copy I have is
dated 1962 but as the last Pegasus was produced in 1959 there must have been
earlier editions.

Dave

> -Original Message-
> From: cctech  On Behalf Of Paul Birkel via
> cctech
> Sent: 20 June 2021 09:44
> To: 'General Discussion: On-Topic Posts' 
> Subject: Early Programming Books
> 
> I know of two early computer (in the stored program sense) programming
> books.
> 
> 
> 
> 1951: Preparation of Programs for an Electronic Digital Computer
(Wilkes,
> Wheeler, & Gill)
> 
> 1957: Digital Computer Programming (McCracken)
> 
> 
> 
> What others were published prior to the McCracken text?
> 
> 
> 
> Excluded are lecture compendia and symposia proceedings, such as:
> 
> 
> 
> 1946: Moore School Lectures
> 
> 1947: Proceedings of a Symposium on Large-Scale Digital Calculating
> Machinery
> 
> 1951: Proceedings of a Second Symposium on Large-Scale Digital
Calculating
> Machinery
> 
> 1953: Faster Than Thought, A Symposium On Digital Computing Machines
> 
> 
> 
> These were principally about designs for, and experience with, new
> hardware.
> 
> 
> 
> I'm curious about texts specifically focused on the act of programming.
> Were there others prior to McCracken?
> 
> 
> 
> paul
> 
> 

RE: VT340 Emulation

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

Doug,
It looks like PERSOFT Smartterm Office for 95/NT will also do REGIS Graphics. I 
have V8.0 but have yet to try REGIS.
Dave

> -Original Message-
> From: cctech  On Behalf Of Douglas Taylor
> via cctech
> Sent: 18 June 2021 18:15
> To: General Discussion: On-Topic Posts 
> Subject: VT340 Emulation
> 
> Does anyone have experience with the Reflection software that will emulate
> a DEC VT340 color graphics terminal?

RE: VT340 Emulation

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

Its been a while but Attachate software generally only needed special
hardware for stuff like 5250 twinax, 3270 co-ax, and various SDLC
connections.
This page might help check which versions support regis but they perhaps
don't go back to the really old versions...

https://support.microfocus.com/kb/doc.php?id=7021488

Dave
G4UGM

> -Original Message-
> From: cctech  On Behalf Of Wayne S via
> cctech
> Sent: 19 June 2021 00:50
> To: Douglas Taylor ; General Discussion: On-Topic
> Posts 
> Subject: Re: VT340 Emulation
> 
> We tried to use Reflection 240 on IBM PS/2 machines circa 1990. IIRC, it
> installed easily w/o needing special drivers.
> For the most part it worked as advertised. We didn't really need Regis
> graphics so we never tested that out. It's problem was that it was really
slow
> on PCs, much slower than a real VT240 terminal. We were trying to use
Dec's
> "all in one" office automation to do word processing and spreadsheets.
It's
> slowness caused us to abandon it and just use word perfect and lotus 123
> instead. FYI, There are reflection manuals on the wayback machine for
> reference.
> 
> 
> Wayne
> 
> 
> > On Jun 18, 2021, at 12:51 PM, Douglas Taylor via cctech
>  wrote:
> >
> > Right, according to the few notes I've seen on the packages currently
for
> sale on ebay.
> >
> > I hesitate to buy because I picked up a similar piece of software,
Smarterm
> 240, which seemed to do the desired emulation.  It was old software for
DOS,
> but I have an old DOS machine I use for PUTR I thought I could install it
on and
> be up and running.  It didn't turn out that way because Smarterm wanted a
> particular video card and driver (which I didn't have, of course).  I
didn't find
> that out until I got the package open and tried installing it.
> >
> > I don't know if the Reflection software has any restrictions like that.
The
> versions I see for sale are for Win3.1 and such, not exactly the heyday of
plug
> and play.  I was hoping to get some guidance from someone who has used
> the Reflection software on what the actual hardware/software requirements
> are.
> >
> > On a side note, emulating a Tektronix 4010 is apparently free and high
> quality (see github).  It is the DEC graphics terminals that no one has
> produced an open source emulation software for, so that's why I am asking
> this question.
> > Doug
> >
> >> On 6/18/2021 1:16 PM, Bill Degnan wrote:
> >> Reflection 4 should do that, right?
> >> Bill
> >>
> >> On Fri, Jun 18, 2021 at 1:15 PM Douglas Taylor via cctech
> mailto:cct...@classiccmp.org>> wrote:
> >>
> >>Does anyone have experience with the Reflection software that will
> >>emulate a DEC VT340 color graphics terminal?
> >

RE: DEC Computer Lab for sale

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

https://discord.gg/zBcwn8Za

> -Original Message-
> From: cctalk  On Behalf Of Mike Stein via
> cctalk
> Sent: 30 May 2021 03:43
> To: William Donzelli ; General Discussion: On-Topic
> and Off-Topic Posts 
> Subject: Re: DEC Computer Lab for sale
> 
> Any way to get a Discord invite?
> 
> On Sat, May 29, 2021 at 10:58 AM William Donzelli via cctalk <
> cctalk@classiccmp.org> wrote:
> 
> > Over on the Discord, I have posted a DEC Computer Lab H-500 for sale.
> > Needs cosmetic help, but will be priced accordingly.
> >
> > Offers? Off list...
> >
> > --
> > Will
> >

RE: IBM PC Network

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

> -Original Message-
> From: cctalk  On Behalf Of Jim Brain via
> cctalk
> Sent: 23 May 2021 08:03
> To: cctalk@classiccmp.org
> Subject: Re: IBM PC Network
> 
> On 5/23/2021 12:31 AM, Grant Taylor via cctalk wrote:
> > On 5/22/21 7:12 PM, Jim Brain via cctalk wrote:
> >> I guess that's a selling point of TR, but I loathed it when
> >> introduced to it after using Ethernet at UIUC.  Having to learn
> >> CPI-C, LU-2, LU-6.2, APPC, etc. and configure Communications
> >> Manager/2 on OS/2 to emulate a FEP (3174?, not sure, my mind tended
> >> to bury such information, and in fact I'm not sure if that's what it
> >> did or if it connected to a FEP, that info is gone and I've no desire
> >> to go review it).
> >
> > Given the things that I play with, I'd like to know more.  But I
> > suspect that this isn't the forum.
> 
> Oh, I don't know, I mean, CM ES and CM/2 were just OS/2 emulators of a
> FEP, I believe (they were emulating something, I know that much), and we
> talk about other emulators on here all the time.
> 

I don't believe that any of the early LAN products emulated what IBMers would 
call an FEP.  
Generally, an FEP is a 37XX computer running NCP, EP or PEP.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_37xx

Originally these had an interface to the channel and serial interfaces to which 
a variety of devices could be connected, so simple async terminals, terminal 
cluster controllers and RJE workstations.
There were also "remote" FEPs that connected to a local FEP via a comms line. 
Later Token Ring and Ethernet interfaces were added. IBM did produce an 
emulation of the 37xx boxes as 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communications_Controller_for_Linux

but this runs on the mainframe.
  
The early tools generally appeared to the Mainframe as a 3174 Terminal Cluster 
Controller and attached screen. They did not emulate any of the 37xx or 3174 
CPUs, they "just" re-implemented the IBM protocols.
So you still (usually) needed an FEP on the mainframe although it was also 
possible to use a Token Ring interface on a channel attached 3174 (3174s could 
be directly attached to the mainframe) or even attach to the channel using PC 
channel cards. 
The tools were not limited to terminal emulation, they would also allow PC 
applications to connect to the Mainframe using a range of SNA protocols.
 
I would say they are all old enough and obsolete enough to be considered "in 
scope" on here.

Dave

RE: SCSI2SD

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

Zane,

I have one in a VaxStation. To be honest I can't remember which Vaxstation. I 
think it was the 3100/30 because it will only boot from a 1Gb or less drive and 
the SCSI2SD allows a lot of different config options.
Of course, there are lots of different Vaxstations with different SCSI 
hardware. There are many different SCSI2SD as well.
So as usual, "Your Milage might vary" 

Dave


> -Original Message-
> From: cctalk  On Behalf Of Zane Healy via
> cctalk
> Sent: 21 May 2021 21:41
> To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts
> 
> Subject: SCSI2SD
> 
> Does anyone have experience using a SCSI2SD board to replace a Hard Drive
> on a VAXstation or an AlphaStation?  I’m thinking about using them on some
> of my systems to reduce the amount of noise.  I’ve gotten used to a quiet
> office. :-)
> 
> Zane
> 
> 

RE: Motor generator

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

> -Original Message-
> From: cctalk  On Behalf Of Mark Linimon via
> cctalk
> Sent: 05 May 2021 12:10
> To: Chuck Guzis ; General Discussion: On-Topic Posts
> 
> Cc: Donald via cctalk 
> Subject: Re: Motor generator
> 
> On Tue, May 04, 2021 at 10:07:28PM -0700, Chuck Guzis via cctech wrote:
> > "Power for the basic computer consists of one 250 kva, 400 Hz motor
> > generator set.  The motor-generator set has the capability of
> > providing power for the CPU, MCS, I/O and the MCU. The optional memory
> > requires the addition of an 80 kva motor-generator set."
> 
> I'm looking at this RISC-V board sitting here on my desk (with its
"massive" 2-
> inch-long heat sink) and shaking my head at how far we have come.
> 
> mcl

We had a Motor/Generator for our Honeywell L66. Not sure it was because it
wanted US voltages or just for a clean supply
Dave

RE: That VAXStation4000vlc 3W3 video connector

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

Adam,
 IBM used the same cable on the RS6000 and these pop up on e-bay from time to 
time.
You do need a monitor that will support sync-on-green

Dave

> -Original Message-
> From: cctech  On Behalf Of Jonathan
> Stone via cctech
> Sent: 04 May 2021 01:31
> To: General Discussion: On-Topic Posts ; Adam
> Thornton 
> Subject: Re: That VAXStation4000vlc 3W3 video connector
> 
>  You need a video cable with a 3W3 connector on one end. Original was likely
> a DEC BC29G-10.
> That, plus 5BNC-to-VGA cables, and 3 F/F BNC barrels, will work with a
> multisync monitor that handles sync-on-green.
> 
> I just went through this with several DECstations, where the Turbochannel
> graphics options have the same 3W3 connector.
>  On Monday, May 3, 2021, 04:23:05 PM PDT, Adam Thornton via cctech
>  wrote:
> 
>  I assume it would be way too much to hope that HD BNC would fit it?  Does
> anyone have a pointer to the actual physical dimensions of the itty-bitty BNC-
> ish connector in the video port of the VAXStation4000vlc?  If I can get red,
> green, and blue out (assuming since there are only 3 connectors it's
> sync-on-green) I can put together a sync splitter and turn it into VGA.  I 
> have
> at least one decent multisync VGA monitor still, although none with the RGB
> BNC inputs.
> 
> Adam
> 

3B2 in Brazil on Facebook

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

Some one appears to have three AT 3B2/300 manuals, cables diskettes, sadly
in Brazil and has posted some pictures in a Facebook group

 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/vintagecomputerswapmeet/permalink/3954289997
980016/

 

You can open the link in an incognito, sandboxed, VPNd session and still see
the post..

 

Dave

G4UGM

Photo Sharing (Was RE: DEC BA11-K KY11-L mounting brackets -- how?)

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

> Wow, sorry about that...  Do folks here have an alternative service they
> like/recommend for sharing linked photos to the list?
> 

They work fine for me in the "New" Edge, Chrome and Firefox.  Noel, do you
have the updated Chromium based Edge or "Legacy" edge ? 
Not sure why they don't work for Noel in edge. If anyone still has the old
now called "Legacy" Microsoft Edge note it is no longer supported or updated
and its probably time to ditch it ...

https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/9/22321779/microsoft-edge-legacy-spartan-bro
wser-support-ended

In my experience some one has issues with every photo sharing site I have
used.

> cheers,
>   --FritzM.
> 
> 


Dave

RE: Newsreader for Windows

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

> -Original Message-
> From: cctalk  On Behalf Of Rob Jarratt via
> cctalk
> Sent: 01 April 2021 18:36
> To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts
> 
> Subject: OT: Newsreader for Windows
> 
> I am hesitant to post this because I don't want to start a massive debate,
but
> what Newsreader programs do people use on Windows?
> 

I use Thunderbird. It seems pretty competent once you have configured the
tool bars.

There is OE Classic which I havn't tried.

https://www.oeclassic.com/

but it seems like it might be usable...

 
> I don't want to use Google Groups because it wants me to sign in to
Google.
> I am generally reluctant to use a browser based reader because it will
want to
> track me. So I am after an installable client.
>

Worse than that, its not a great news reader. It doesn't carry some news
groups because they have been spammed, usually via google groups.

> 
> Thanks
> 
> Rob

Dave W

RE: DEC H8575-A DB25 to MMJ

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

Ok, MMJ plugs still seem to be available in the UK, not sure about USA. 

https://americas.rsdelivers.com/productlist/search?query=mmj%20plug=
ily=11381

also some on ebay.co.uk

I don't think a RJ45 crimp works. There are MMJ crimps available from China
on e-Bay.com

If they are the same as mine they work, after a fashion.

Dave





> -Original Message-
> From: cctalk  On Behalf Of Paul Koning via
> cctalk
> Sent: 31 March 2021 14:40
> To: id...@swcp.com; cctalk@classiccmp.org
> Subject: Re: DEC H8575-A DB25 to MMJ
> 
> 
> 
> > On Mar 31, 2021, at 2:37 AM, idinc--- via cctalk 
> wrote:
> >
> > ...
> > also need a couple of mmj to mmj cables, 10' or longer would work.
> 
> Tim,
> 
> I think MMJ connectors are still available; L-Com comes to mind as a
source.

There are some on E-Bay but I can only see UK sellers. 

> Or perhaps Digikey or similar distributors.  That would let you make your
> own.  Crimp dies might be a little harder, though an RJ-45 crimp tool
might be
> able to do the job.
> 
>   paul

RE: Hard To Believe This Person Is Serious

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

You can see the history if you click "see all revisions" you can see it has
been there since at least December 2015 so five, going on six..

Dave
G4UGM

> -Original Message-
> From: cctalk  On Behalf Of Brent Hilpert
via
> cctalk
> Sent: 26 March 2021 01:56
> To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts
> 
> Subject: Re: Hard To Believe This Person Is Serious
> 
> On 2021-Mar-25, at 5:21 PM, Chris Zach via cctalk wrote:
> > Well, if there is no cost to asking that amount, why not? It's an
inefficiency
> of Ebay that things can stay up there for years, but that is as it is.
> 
> It's been enough years I don't remember when I first saw it, this has been
> listed for 4-5 years or more:
>   https://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-VARIAN-DATA-MACHINES-
> 620-L-100-COMPUTER-620L100-620-L100/311466122329

RE: VAXstation 2000 network & hardware guides (English & German)

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

These arrived this morning and they are scanned and OCR'd here:-

https://1drv.ms/u/s!Ag4BJfE5B3onlY9td7hHhHPnUKV2bA?e=hDKwES

I think I can scan at lower resolution and/or grey scale as these are a bit on 
the huge side

Dave

> -Original Message-
> From: dave.g4...@gmail.com 
> Sent: 15 March 2021 13:39
> To: 'David Brownlee' ; 'General Discussion: On-Topic and
> Off-Topic Posts' ; r...@jarratt.me.uk
> Subject: RE: VAXstation 2000 network & hardware guides (English & German)
> 
> David & Rob
> Are these "loose leaf"? If so I am happy to scan, upload, and then pass the
> paper to Rob who isn't far from me
> Dave
> 
> > -Original Message-
> > From: cctalk  On Behalf Of David
> > Brownlee via cctalk
> > Sent: 15 March 2021 09:43
> > To: r...@jarratt.me.uk
> > Cc: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts
> > 
> > Subject: Re: VAXstation 2000 network & hardware guides (English &
> > German)
> >
> > Hi Rob
> >
> > I forgot to mention I'm in the UK :)
> >
> > I had another email in from someone in Germany who has access to a
> > book scanner - if you're setup to scan and upload EK-NETAA-UG-001
> > VAXstation &
> > EK-VAXAB-IN-002 I'm happy to part them out to you as you emailed first
> > - let me know
> >
> > David
> >
> > On Sun, 14 Mar 2021 at 19:25, Rob Jarratt
> > 
> > wrote:
> >
> > > I would be interested in EK-NETAA-UG-001 VAXstation 2000, MicroVAX
> > > 2000 and VAXmate Network Guide and the EK-VAXAB-IN-002 VAXstation
> > 2000
> > > Hardware Installation Guide would be nice if you get no takers. You
> > > don't say where you are located. I suspect shipping from the USA to
> > > the UK would be too expensive, or is this in Germany?
> > >
> > > Regards
> > >
> > > Rob
> > >
> > > > -Original Message-
> > > > From: cctalk  On Behalf Of David
> > > > Brownlee via cctalk
> > > > Sent: 14 March 2021 18:08
> > > > To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts
> > > > 
> > > > Subject: VAXstation 2000 network & hardware guides (English &
> > > > German)
> > > >
> > > > I have acquired a tiny slice of Orange Wall, and wondered if
> > > > anyone
> > > would be
> > > > interested - preference for anyone who is setup to scan and upload
> > > > the missing bits to bitsavers or similar :)
> > > >
> > > > These seem to already be generally available online
> > > > EK-NETAB-UG-002 Workstations and MicroVAX 2000 Network Guide
> > > > EK-VAXAB-OM-002 VAXstation 2000 Owner's Manual (Covers how to
> > > > replace your mouse balls, and details exciting options such as
> > > > LN03,
> > > > LN03 PLUS, LPS40, LA210, LA100, LA75, LA50. LGC01, LVP16, DF224,
> > > > DF124, DF112,
> > > VSXXX-
> > > > AB :-p)
> > > >
> > > > These I cannot immediately find
> > > > EK-NETAA-UG-001 VAXstation 2000, MicroVAX 2000 and VAXmate
> > Network
> > > > Guide
> > > > EK-VAXAB-IN-002 VAXstation 2000 Hardware Installation Guide
> > > >
> > > > Likewise these German versions
> > > > EK-NETGA-UG-001 VAXstation 2000, MicroVAX 2000 und VAXmate
> > > > Netzwerk-Anleitung EK-A0305-IN 001 VR160 Installations-und
> > > > Bedienungsanleitung
> > > > EK-A0355-OG-001 Grafikkoprozessor (8 Bildebenen) fur die
> > > > VAXstation
> > > > 2000
> > > > Installations- und Bedienungsanleitung
> > > >
> > > > Thanks
> > > >
> > > > David
> > >
> > >

RE: VAXstation 2000 network & hardware guides (English & German)

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

David & Rob
Are these "loose leaf"? If so I am happy to scan, upload, and then pass the 
paper to Rob who isn't far from me
Dave

> -Original Message-
> From: cctalk  On Behalf Of David Brownlee
> via cctalk
> Sent: 15 March 2021 09:43
> To: r...@jarratt.me.uk
> Cc: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts
> 
> Subject: Re: VAXstation 2000 network & hardware guides (English & German)
> 
> Hi Rob
> 
> I forgot to mention I'm in the UK :)
> 
> I had another email in from someone in Germany who has access to a book
> scanner - if you're setup to scan and upload EK-NETAA-UG-001 VAXstation &
> EK-VAXAB-IN-002 I'm happy to part them out to you as you emailed first - let
> me know
> 
> David
> 
> On Sun, 14 Mar 2021 at 19:25, Rob Jarratt 
> wrote:
> 
> > I would be interested in EK-NETAA-UG-001 VAXstation 2000, MicroVAX
> > 2000 and VAXmate Network Guide and the EK-VAXAB-IN-002 VAXstation
> 2000
> > Hardware Installation Guide would be nice if you get no takers. You
> > don't say where you are located. I suspect shipping from the USA to
> > the UK would be too expensive, or is this in Germany?
> >
> > Regards
> >
> > Rob
> >
> > > -Original Message-
> > > From: cctalk  On Behalf Of David
> > > Brownlee via cctalk
> > > Sent: 14 March 2021 18:08
> > > To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts
> > > 
> > > Subject: VAXstation 2000 network & hardware guides (English &
> > > German)
> > >
> > > I have acquired a tiny slice of Orange Wall, and wondered if anyone
> > would be
> > > interested - preference for anyone who is setup to scan and upload
> > > the missing bits to bitsavers or similar :)
> > >
> > > These seem to already be generally available online
> > > EK-NETAB-UG-002 Workstations and MicroVAX 2000 Network Guide
> > > EK-VAXAB-OM-002 VAXstation 2000 Owner's Manual (Covers how to
> > > replace your mouse balls, and details exciting options such as LN03,
> > > LN03 PLUS, LPS40, LA210, LA100, LA75, LA50. LGC01, LVP16, DF224,
> > > DF124, DF112,
> > VSXXX-
> > > AB :-p)
> > >
> > > These I cannot immediately find
> > > EK-NETAA-UG-001 VAXstation 2000, MicroVAX 2000 and VAXmate
> Network
> > > Guide
> > > EK-VAXAB-IN-002 VAXstation 2000 Hardware Installation Guide
> > >
> > > Likewise these German versions
> > > EK-NETGA-UG-001 VAXstation 2000, MicroVAX 2000 und VAXmate
> > > Netzwerk-Anleitung EK-A0305-IN 001 VR160 Installations-und
> > > Bedienungsanleitung
> > > EK-A0355-OG-001 Grafikkoprozessor (8 Bildebenen) fur die VAXstation
> > > 2000
> > > Installations- und Bedienungsanleitung
> > >
> > > Thanks
> > >
> > > David
> >
> >

RE: Programming in 1946 - ENIAC's Birthday

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

> -Original Message-
> From: cctalk  On Behalf Of Paul Koning via
> cctalk
> Sent: 15 February 2021 15:17
> To: Paul Koning ; cctalk@classiccmp.org
> Subject: Re: Programming in 1946 - ENIAC's Birthday
> 
> 
> 
> > On Feb 15, 2021, at 10:13 AM, Paul Koning via cctalk
>  wrote:
> >
> >
> >
> >> On Feb 15, 2021, at 7:23 AM, osi.superboard via cctalk
>  wrote:
> >>
> >> 75 years ago, February 15, 1946
> >> The ENIAC, presented to the public in 1946, is - depending on the
> definition - the first programmable digital computer in the world. Its
first
> programmers were primarily women: so-called refrigerator ladies (seen
> here: Gloria Ruth Gordon and Ester Gerston) spent hours flipping switches
> and swapping cable connections - the first computer input devices -
> >
> > Not so much input devices as rather program storage devices.  ENIAC
> wasn't a stored-program machine.
> 
> That was confusing.  I meant that ENIAC wasn't a Von Neumann machine --
> the program isn't stored in its data read/write memory.
> 

I think it corresponds more to the "Havard" architecture, but for a machine
with "unlimited" memory the two architectures can be shown to be equivalent,
in terms of computing capability.


>   paul
> 

Dave
G4UGM

RE: Programming in 1946 - ENIAC's Birthday

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

> -Original Message-
> From: cctalk  On Behalf Of osi.superboard
> via cctalk
> Sent: 15 February 2021 12:23
> To: cctalk@classiccmp.org
> Subject: Programming in 1946 - ENIAC's Birthday
> 
> 75 years ago, February 15, 1946
> The ENIAC, presented to the public in 1946, is - depending on the definition -
> the first programmable digital computer in the world. Its first programmers
> were primarily women: so-called refrigerator ladies (seen here: Gloria Ruth
> Gordon and Ester Gerston) spent hours flipping switches and swapping cable
> connections - the first computer input devices - to tell the programmable
> digital computer what it has to do next.

If believe that Tom Haigh, Mark Priestley, and Crispin Rope showed that in 
June? 1948 ENIAC ran the first "Modern" electronic computer program
They used the banks of switches originally intended to store variable 
parameters to store the instructions so in effect the program was stored in a 
"prom" or "rom"..
.. I would say the first "electronic programme". About a month later the "Baby" 
in Manchester ran a program from RAM...

Once the machine was, I suppose "micro-coded" they seldom re-plugged it, but 
simply put the program into the switches.

> 
> https://cdn1.vogel.de/unsafe/fit-
> in/1000x0/images.vogel.de/vogelonline/bdb/1796600/1796642/original.jpg

Dave
G4UGM

RE: APL\360

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

> -Original Message-
> From: cctalk  On Behalf Of Liam Proven via
> cctalk
> Sent: 01 February 2021 19:15
> To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts
> 
> Subject: Re: APL\360
> 
> On Mon, 1 Feb 2021 at 20:00, Fred Cisin via cctalk 
> wrote:
> >
> > I had always been told, "A pint is a pound, the world around."
> 
> Aha! Does that mean a pint of water weighs 1lb?
> 
> Interesting. I did not know.

Typical American statement, where "world" means "United States". Its only a 
pound in the USA. In the UK it’s 1.25 lbs and even in Canada, before 
metrication, it was 20floz same as UK.
In many metric countries the old word for a pound, so in German for example 
"pfund" informally refers to 500 grams, a little more than an American pint and 
rather less than UK pint...
It gets worse because I understand that in the Caribbean (which as an English 
man I pronounce differently to the rest of the world) you will find both size 
pint in use 

> 
> > I had already assumed that pub prices had inflated to higher than a pound.
> 
> It was under £1 for ½litre of beer when I got here. In fact it was under US$1/
> US 1pt. Now it's a bit more.
> 
> Cheapest I had was CzK 17 for half a litre. At the time that was about 50¢.
> 
> > Such worries call for having a few pints.
> 
> It is one of the things I miss most in lockdown. And there's no electricity
> supply in my man-cave/basement so I can't even go down there and play
> with my old computers. :-(
> 
> 
> 
> --
> Liam Proven – Profile: https://about.me/liamproven
> Email: lpro...@cix.co.uk – gMail/gTalk/gHangouts: lpro...@gmail.com
> Twitter/Facebook/LinkedIn/Flickr: lproven – Skype: liamproven
> UK: +44 7939-087884 – ČR (+ WhatsApp/Telegram/Signal): +420 702 829 053

Dave
G4UGM
Still stresssed after talking about mail routing at a USA Microsoft Exchange 
Conference

RE: APL\360

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

> -Original Message-
> From: cctalk  On Behalf Of Nemo Nusquam
> via cctalk
> Sent: 15 January 2021 21:51
> To: Toby Thain ; General Discussion: On-Topic
> and Off-Topic Posts 
> Subject: Re: APL\360
> 
> On 01/15/21 14:25, Toby Thain wrote:
> > On 2021-01-15 1:33 p.m., Nemo Nusquam via cctalk wrote:
> >> As a grad student, I still remember the row of APL terminals at the
> >> computer centre with their APL-specific keyboards, always ruing that
> >> I had no time to learn it.
> > Seems backwards when students have no time to learn things. Just sayin


> I was in math, not computer science.  APL would have been a curiousity and
> nothing else.

I was in Mathematics (sorry I am English) and I wrote code in APL to do 
Critical Path Analysis with Heuristic Resource Levelling in APL. Sadly I no 
longer have the code.
I believe APL was widely used by actuaries to calculate life assurance premiums 
because of its ability to do array manipulations, 


> 
> N.

Dave

RE: Bendix G-15 and Control Data 160 console on ebay

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

> -Original Message-
> From: cctalk  On Behalf Of Adrian Stoness
> via cctalk
> Sent: 06 January 2021 08:47
> To: P Gebhardt ; General Discussion: On-Topic and
> Off-Topic Posts 
> Subject: Re: Bendix G-15 and Control Data 160 console on ebay
> 
> how come when ever  people post these numbers can never find the item


Don't put them in the search box just go

http://www.ebay.co,uk/itm/

so for these

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/203239181341

&

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/203239156838

usually works. You should be able to use any country specific e-bay, the 
numbers are global.

Dave


> 
> On Wed, Jan 6, 2021 at 2:30 AM P Gebhardt via cctalk
> 
> wrote:
> 
> > If anybody of you has been looking for a Bendix System or a CDC 160
> > console and has deep pockets: That's your opportunity ;) ebay numbers
> > 203239156838 and 203239181341 Not affiliated with the seller. Just saw
> > the listings - can't believe that such cool systems are still stored
> > in some warehouses in the U.S. for business purposes ...
> >
> > Cheers,
> > Pierre
> >
> >
> > --
> > ---
> > http://www.digitalheritage.de
> >

RE: Emails going to spam folder in gmail

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

I believe that the BIG PROBLEM is the unthinking liveware that simply looks at 
Spam filtering effectiveness in terms of how much SPAM it prevents from being 
delivered, and thinks that if some real e-mail gets lost in the friendly fire 
the sender is to blame.
Apart from in technical groups as this, not one ever worries about lost mail. 
Of course as a sender you can set up DKIM and SPF records, but then so can the 
spammers. 

So if you find e-mail to cctalk or cctech goes to your JUNK folder on gmail 
create a filter to stop it... 
... it much less effort than trying to fix google

Dave
G4UGM


> -Original Message-
> From: cctalk  On Behalf Of Peter Coghlan
> via cctalk
> Sent: 01 January 2021 13:44
> To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts
> 
> Subject: Re: Emails going to spam folder in gmail
> 
> Hi Mike,
> 
> Thanks for chiming in on this.
> 
> > Disclaimer: I don't speak for Google ...
> 
> > Large corporations (Google included) are basically a scaling problem,
> > especially when it comes to customer service.  I think that's pretty
> > obvious, and stories about YouTube problems and account access are
> legion.
> > I don't have a solution that can be applied to the problems on this
> > thread.  My purpose in posting was to point out that this probably
> > isn't a matter of market share or people forgetting not to be evil;
> > it's a technical problem.  Getting the configs right is the first step.
> > Blacklists are also a problem, and clearly sometimes the filters being
> > applied are wrong.  We try to find and fix these things as they are
> > brought to our attention.
> >
> 
> The big problem is bringing it to Google's attention.
> 
> >
> > It took me less than a minute of searching to find this:
> > https://support.google.com/mail/contact/bulk_send_new
> >
> > That's the form to contact the Gmail team for getting help with
> > debugging your mail being marked as spam/phishing attempts, you get
> > SMTP temp-fails or rejects, or other problems.  (The search term was
> > "problems sending email to gmail accounts" - go to the first link,
> > follow the workflow, and assuming all of the preliminary answers to
> > the questions are "I didn't do anything wrong" then you'll get a link
> > to that contact form.)
> >
> 
> I spent hours over days looking for something like this (using Google
> searches) and I failed to find it.  I always ended up in blind alleys that
> assumed I was a Google customer trying to get an email into my mailbox, not
> a correspondant of a Google customer trying to get an email out.
> 
> My issue with Google and evil is that they provide no way that I can find to
> bring abuse of Google facilites (to send spam for example) to their attention
> so that the abuse can be stopped.  For example, someone has been testing
> my mail server to see if it can be used to relay spam by forging emails as
> coming from various email addresses in my domain name and addressed to
> check212...@gmail.com and attempting to feed these emails into my mail
> server (which doesn't accept them) from compromised ip addresses.  This
> has happened nearly two hundred times over a period of five years now.  I
> have made numerous attempts to bring this to the attention of Google so
> that they could put a stop to this check212014 mailbox being used for this
> abusive purpose yet I have failed.  You seem to have the magic touch.  Can
> you let me know how to bring this to Google's attention?
> 
> (By the way, this doesn't tend to happen with hotmail.com addresses to pick
> one example.  The reason it doesn't is because on the rare occasions when it
> does, reporting the issue to hotmail or whoever using the standard, easy to
> find abuse reporting mechanisms results in the problem being stopped and
> the spammer soon gets fed up having to set up new testing mailboxes every
> few days so they end up moving over to gmail.com instead where they can
> keep the same relay testing mailbox for at least 5 years.)
> 
> Regards,
> Peter Coghlan.
> 
> >
> > Mike
> >

RE: Zerox System 60

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

I see P labels and I remember driving past P in Haslington many times in 
the past, and even visiting once or twice for odd bits and pieces.
Odd such places are now long gone.

Dave

> -Original Message-
> From: cctalk  On Behalf Of Adrian Graham
> via cctalk
> Sent: 31 December 2020 11:17
> To: cctalk@classiccmp.org
> Subject: Zerox System 60
> 
> Hello folks,
> 
> I’ll get the ‘happy new year’ in now because later on I’ll probably be in bed 
> :)
> 
> Does anyone remember the Zerox System 60? There’s an ebay listing for one
> and a friend of mine says the PC shop he worked for back in the 90s had a
> bunch of them but no info could be found then or now.
> 
> https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Apple-II-with-extras-disk-drives-graphics-
> tablet-Xerox/164616695482  extras-disk-drives-graphics-tablet-Xerox/164616695482>
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> --
> Adrian Graham
> Owner of Binary Dinosaurs, the UK's biggest private home computer
> collection?
> t: @binarydinosaursf: facebook.com/binarydinosaurs
> w: www.binarydinosaurs.co.uk
> 
> 
> 
> 

RE: Emails going to spam folder in gmail

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

Folks,

I used to manage e-mail filters for our local council. They were "pants". 
Generally I could spot spam just from the subject line, and for some reason 
they couldn't.
Almost all the lists I am on have been having recent  issues with things going 
to SPAM. I think a lot is because of the demise of Yahoo.
... and Microsoft cleaned up Hotmail a long time ago. I seldom see SPAM from 
Hotmail addresses. GMAIL more often, but most often it appears to be from a 
compromised windows machine

Dave
G4UGM

> -Original Message-
> From: cctalk  On Behalf Of Liam Proven via
> cctalk
> Sent: 29 December 2020 11:16
> To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts
> 
> Subject: Re: Emails going to spam folder in gmail
> 
> On Tue, 29 Dec 2020 at 00:29, Nemo Nusquam via cctalk
>  wrote:
> >
> > Thank you both for your information but I am still mystified as to why
> > Gmail marks Google alerts (from Google!) as spam.
> 
> That is particularly amusing/irritating, yes.
> 
> I have 3 or 4 connected accounts -- AOL, Hotmail, Yahoo, etc. -- and when it
> detects what it thinks are intrusion attempts, Google notifies me on all of
> them. Then the ones to non-Google services get collected into Gmail, and
> promptly flagged as spam. But I suppose that, to Google, Google errors that
> didn't come from Google but from non-Google services _are_ suspicious...
> 
> --
> Liam Proven – Profile: https://about.me/liamproven
> Email: lpro...@cix.co.uk – gMail/gTalk/gHangouts: lpro...@gmail.com
> Twitter/Facebook/LinkedIn/Flickr: lproven – Skype: liamproven
> UK: +44 7939-087884 – ČR (+ WhatsApp/Telegram/Signal): +420 702 829 053

RE: misc stuff - free

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

> -Original Message-
> From: cctalk  On Behalf Of Liam Proven via
> cctalk
> Sent: 16 December 2020 10:43
> To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts
> 
> Subject: Re: misc stuff - free
> 
> On Wed, 16 Dec 2020 at 01:02, Mark J. Blair via cctalk 
> wrote:
> >
> > USENET is still around. But much like the rest of the infinite groups, it's 
> > not
> where everybody is. Sigh.
> 
> True. In fact a colleague of mine at $DAYJOB is trying to resurrect the Big 8
> committee and get some active management occuring again.

Have you ever looked at USENET recently. Most groups are moribund. Other are 
full of irrelevant garbage.
I recently considered submitting a request to close all UK groups apart from 
"uk.d-i-y" as that seems to contain questions and answers about everything from 
computer networking to open heart surgery, rendering the other useless.
The UK usenet committee approved "uk.radio.amateur.moderated" so we had a spam 
free group, but refuse announcements so I still have to look at uk.adio.amateur 
to see announcements and so I also see the garbage.
Newcomers don't understand that if they post in the unmoderated group , which 
they do because the don't want to wait for their post to be approved, that all 
that will happen is they will receive stupid un-moderated replies while the 
usual keyboard warriors hijack the thread and proceed to hurl personal abuse at 
each other. They decide USENET is not for them and toddle off to FACEBOOOK, and 
uk.radio.amateur.moderated remains pretty quiet.

Even in my favourite group, "comp.sys.ibm.ps2.hardware" one or two threads have 
gone abusive.

Yes its still there, and it has one or two interesting areas, but finding them 
can be hard work

Sorry for the rant

Dave
G4UGM

> 
> --
> Liam Proven – Profile: https://about.me/liamproven
> Email: lpro...@cix.co.uk – gMail/gTalk/gHangouts: lpro...@gmail.com
> Twitter/Facebook/LinkedIn/Flickr: lproven – Skype: liamproven
> UK: +44 7939-087884 – ČR (+ WhatsApp/Telegram/Signal): +420 702 829 053

RE: WTB: CompuPro / Godbout RAM 17

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

> -Original Message-
> From: cctalk  On Behalf Of Ethan O'Toole
> via cctalk
> Sent: 15 December 2020 20:48
> To: Bill Gunshannon ; General Discussion:
> On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts 
> Subject: Re: WTB: CompuPro / Godbout RAM 17
> 
> > Other than "Buy It Now" I have pretty much given up on ebay.  Never
> > had luck selling anything and very seldom had any luck winning a bid.
> > Got better ways to waste my time.
> > bill
> 
> eBay/paypal take a huge cut, you do all the work hiking stuff and guessing
> shipping costs.
> 
> But it's got a market that Craigslist / Facebook Marketplace doesn't.
> 
> I think Facebook Marketplace is going to hurt eBay. Finally a competitor.
> 
>   - Ethan

Having just sold an old server on Facebook Market place I suppose it must
work.
I also bought several travel cribs (cots we call them in the UK) but all
face to face.
However, I know also know that there are many dodgy sellers of dodgy goods
and there is no arbitration service.
So as a buyer, if stuff arrives damaged its your problem
So often I hear of people paying via PayPal friends and families gifting
service and losing the lot.
There are plenty of alternatives to Ebay. As well as craigs list in the UK
we have Etsy, preloved.co.uk , shpock.
Perhaps one will replace E-Bay but at the moment for many things E-Bay is my
first port of call.

Dave

RE: Ouch, but 2 Perqs out.

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

There might be info here

http://sw.ccs.bcs.org/iclarch/

You don't have mini DAO??

https://www.computerconservationsociety.org/wg-mildap.htm

Dave
G4UGM

> -Original Message-
> From: cctalk  On Behalf Of Chris Zach via
> cctalk
> Sent: 12 December 2020 22:57
> To: CCTalk mailing list 
> Subject: Ouch, but 2 Perqs out.
> 
> This was a long day. Went over to the house and started working on getting
> the Perqs out of the basement. I've been moving smaller stuff to make room
> and it was time.
> 
> First up was a Perq1 chassis that just had the big disk drive in it, side and 
> rear
> panels. I figured it was lightest and after taking off the sides and top was 
> able
> to lift it and carry it up steps. Still heavy and bulky, but it made room and 
> a
> path to get to the second one.
> 
> The second one was a mess but a lot heavier: It still had the card cage in it
> and I was not going to be able to lift. So I figured out how to take the 
> sides,
> top, front, back, and bottom (pounds are made of ounces) and then spottted
> the screws that hold the card cage and power supply in the box. Bless the
> people at perq, those two screws out and you can lift the cage out the side of
> the box.
> 
> The card cage without cards (took them out to lighten) was heavy but I got it
> up the steps. Then with a herculean amount of effort I managed to carry the
> rest of the box up, followed by the sides, top, front, back, and bottom 
> plates.
> 
> There are still two more Perqs down there. They have heavier front plates (I
> was able to take them off) with real shielding. They were different designs,
> so they were not Perq1s and they are not the same as each other.
> 
> Question: Are there any pictures of other types of Perqs?
> 
> Unfortunately they are still buried under old Sun gear and a Vaxserver of
> some sort. So I'll have to think about those, but they will need to come apart
> as well.
> 
> Question: Do the card cages and stuff come off the later Perqs as well?
> 
> Also got two different types of keyboards that say Perq, and a monitor that
> looks like a big fat white Vetrex and says Three Rivers.
> 
> Question: What does a Perq mouse look like?
> 
> At least this stuff will not be junked. I'll take pictures and such tomorrow 
> and
> throw a tarp over everything tonight because I'm too tired to get it out of 
> the
> truck.
> 
> I swore off high-mass hobbies for a reason

RE: DEC PDP-8/E wanted - still looking

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

Tom,

This is the e-mail I got from Bob Armstrong..

Dave

 

=

 

From: sparetimegiz...@yahoogroups.com   
[mailto:sparetimegiz...@yahoogroups.com] 
Sent: 15 July 2015 15:53
To: sparetimegiz...@yahoogroups.com  
Subject: RE: [sparetimegizmos] Any builders of the SBC6120 in the UK

 

  The FORTRAN RTS uses interrupts, whereas most OS/8 software does not, and so 
it reveals bugs that are not otherwise apparent.

 

  As I recall the problem was with the VGA/PS2 console implementation in the 
FPGA.   Jim didn’t handle clearing the flags and the interrupt request quite 
correctly, and it made FORTRAN hang up in an interrupt loop.   It should be 
easy enough to fix by revising the VHDL, but I’m not sure Jim ever did.  Make 
sure you have the latest IOB6120 firmware.

 

  FWIW,  FORTRAN does work with the SBC6120 onboard serial console enabled so 
you can use the IOB so long as you’re not using the VGA console.

 

  This was an issue for many people because it broke the ADVENTure game, which 
is also written in FORTRAN :-)

 

Bob

 

 

From: Tom Hunter  
Sent: 27 November 2020 01:08
To: Dave Wade 
Cc: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts 
Subject: Re: DEC PDP-8/E wanted - still looking

 

Hi Dave,

Could you please explain how exactly the VT emulation "kills" the Fortran run 
time system in OS/8?

What is the fault? How do you trigger it? Have you got a Fortran code snippet 
which reproduces the problem?

Was there some previous discussion about it answering my questions above?

I have a reasonable level of experience with VHDL and Xilinx ISE so maybe I can 
fix it if I can reproduce it.

Thanks and best regards

Tom Hunter

 

On Thu, Nov 26, 2020 at 6:28 PM mailto:dave.g4...@gmail.com> > wrote:

Tom,

If it has an IOB6120 then it the VT emulation kills the Fortran run time system 
in OS8.

Dave
G4UGM

> -Original Message-
> From: cctalk   > On Behalf Of Tom Hunter via
> cctalk
> Sent: 26 November 2020 06:02
> To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts
> mailto:cctalk@classiccmp.org> >
> Subject: DEC PDP-8/E wanted - still looking
> 
>  Tom Uban fully built "Spare Time Gizmos" SBC6120 based computer
> complete
> with front-panel and IO board is on its way to me.   :-)
> 
> I am still looking to buy one of the following PDP-8 models:
> 
> PDP-8/F
> PDP-8/E
> PDP-8/L
> PDP-8/I
> PDP-8/M
> 
> Dave, Chris, Paul and Robert I am looking forward to getting more details
> from you.
> 
> I am happy to pay a reasonable price for the right PDP-8, so a seller won't be
> disappointed.
> 
> Thanks and best regards
> Tom Hunter

RE: DEC PDP-8/E wanted - still looking

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

Tom,

If it has an IOB6120 then it the VT emulation kills the Fortran run time system 
in OS8.

Dave
G4UGM

> -Original Message-
> From: cctalk  On Behalf Of Tom Hunter via
> cctalk
> Sent: 26 November 2020 06:02
> To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts
> 
> Subject: DEC PDP-8/E wanted - still looking
> 
>  Tom Uban fully built "Spare Time Gizmos" SBC6120 based computer
> complete
> with front-panel and IO board is on its way to me.   :-)
> 
> I am still looking to buy one of the following PDP-8 models:
> 
> PDP-8/F
> PDP-8/E
> PDP-8/L
> PDP-8/I
> PDP-8/M
> 
> Dave, Chris, Paul and Robert I am looking forward to getting more details
> from you.
> 
> I am happy to pay a reasonable price for the right PDP-8, so a seller won't be
> disappointed.
> 
> Thanks and best regards
> Tom Hunter

RE: Microvax 3100 VMS 7.3 password reset.

[Dave Wade G4UGM via cctalk]

And as HP are no longer issuing hobbyist licences you might want to export the 
licence data base

Dave

> -Original Message-
> From: cctalk  On Behalf Of Nigel Johnson
> via cctalk
> Sent: 11 November 2020 14:15
> To: devin davison via cctalk 
> Subject: Re: Microvax 3100 VMS 7.3 password reset.
> 
> Try this:
> 
> http://h30266.www3.hpe.com/odl/vax/opsys/vmsos73/vmsos73/6017/6017
> pro_009.html#emerg_startup_uaf
> 
> 
> Nigel Johnson, MSc., MIEEE, VE3ID/G4AJQ/VA3MCU Amateur Radio, the
> origin of the open-source concept!
> Skype:  TILBURY2591 nw.john...@ieee.org
> 
> 
> 
> On 2020-11-11 9:11 a.m., devin davison via cctalk wrote:
> > I picked up a microvax 3100 this past weekend from a office that was
> > shutting down.
> >
> > I was able to start the system up, it boots up to a login prompt for
> > VMS VAX 7.3.
> >
> > I do not have any login info for this machine, is there a procedure i
> > can follow to reset a password to an account?
> >
> >
> >
> > Image of system :
> >
> > https://i.postimg.cc/43bG0nSx/2020-090018.jpg