Re: Value of Burroughs B9974 disk pack

2019-06-14 Thread Mike Stein via cctalk


- Original Message - 
From: "Al Kossow via cctalk" 
To: 
Sent: Friday, June 14, 2019 1:19 PM
Subject: Re: Value of Burroughs B9974 disk pack


> 
> 
> On 6/14/19 10:17 AM, Al Kossow via cctalk wrote:
>> 
>> 
>> On 6/14/19 10:14 AM, Al Kossow via cctalk wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>> On 6/14/19 9:57 AM, Alan Perry wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> I have been talking to other folks at CHM about seeing the one there, but 
>>>> need to work on my rationale.
>>>
>>> There really isn't much to see that is in the picture. It's not like the 
>>> system in in one physical location
>>> in storage. Everything is palletized and would have to be brought down from 
>>> the pallet racking.
>>>
>>> I have no way to read the packs. I may still have a drive in my storage, if 
>>> it hasn't already been scrapped
>>> as I've been downsizing over the past several years.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>> 
>> I also still have some 19xx series boards since I had wanted to pull the 
>> proms to at least attempt to save
>> enough information so someone could try simulating the machine in the 
>> future. On the list of things to do
>> is try to save some 1700 2315-style 32 sector packs that I should be able to 
>> read if I can ever get back
>> to working on digitizing non 12 sector packs.
>> 
> 
> 
> and read several dozen cold-start and diag cassettes
>
-

Have you got a suitable drive? I've been meaning to read several dozen series 
'L' tapes one of these days.

BTW, a B90 8" drive on eBay, item # 
122904436385

m


Re: Value of Burroughs B9974 disk pack

2019-06-14 Thread Noel Chiappa via cctalk
> From: Alan Perry

> a chance to see and touch something that I haven't seen in decades
> that was once a big part of my life.

I know exactly what you mean. PDP-11's were a huge part of my professional
life:

-11/20: the first computer I actually used, in high school
-11/45: the computer on which I took my first programming course in
the CS Dept (amazingly, my group later traded the next computer
for that very computer, years later)
-11/40: the first computer that was 'mine', in the sense that I
controlled it
-11/70: the computer I did a lot of my early Unix learning/work on
-11/03: my first packet switch code ran on one of these
-11/23: the most widespread machine that my early packet switches ran
on
-11/73: the timesharing machine at the company that productized my
packet switch code

I'm very fortunate to now have a lot of PDP-11's in my collection.
(Including an /04 and a /34, machines I never used BITD.) I had no contact
with PDP-11's for many years, but only a few years ago someone here gave
me an -11/84 (if I drove to Wisconsin to get it :-); I stopped off at my
in-law's house to overnight on the way back with it, and they later told
my wife it was the happiest they'd ever seen me!

Noel


Re: Value of Burroughs B9974 disk pack

2019-06-14 Thread Alan Perry via cctalk



> On Jun 14, 2019, at 10:14 AM, Al Kossow via cctalk  
> wrote:
> 
> 
> 
>> On 6/14/19 9:57 AM, Alan Perry wrote:
>> 
>> 
>> I have been talking to other folks at CHM about seeing the one there, but 
>> need to work on my rationale.
> 
> There really isn't much to see that is in the picture. It's not like the 
> system in in one physical location
> in storage. Everything is palletized and would have to be brought down from 
> the pallet racking.

Yeah, but it is like getting the disk pack, a chance to see and touch something 
that I haven’t seen in decades that was once a big part of my life.

alan 

> 
> I have no way to read the packs. I may still have a drive in my storage, if 
> it hasn't already been scrapped
> as I've been downsizing over the past several years.
> 
> 
> 



Re: Value of Burroughs B9974 disk pack

2019-06-14 Thread Al Kossow via cctalk



On 6/14/19 10:17 AM, Al Kossow via cctalk wrote:
> 
> 
> On 6/14/19 10:14 AM, Al Kossow via cctalk wrote:
>>
>>
>> On 6/14/19 9:57 AM, Alan Perry wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>> I have been talking to other folks at CHM about seeing the one there, but 
>>> need to work on my rationale.
>>
>> There really isn't much to see that is in the picture. It's not like the 
>> system in in one physical location
>> in storage. Everything is palletized and would have to be brought down from 
>> the pallet racking.
>>
>> I have no way to read the packs. I may still have a drive in my storage, if 
>> it hasn't already been scrapped
>> as I've been downsizing over the past several years.
>>
>>
>>
> 
> I also still have some 19xx series boards since I had wanted to pull the 
> proms to at least attempt to save
> enough information so someone could try simulating the machine in the future. 
> On the list of things to do
> is try to save some 1700 2315-style 32 sector packs that I should be able to 
> read if I can ever get back
> to working on digitizing non 12 sector packs.
> 


and read several dozen cold-start and diag cassettes



Re: Value of Burroughs B9974 disk pack

2019-06-14 Thread Al Kossow via cctalk



On 6/14/19 10:14 AM, Al Kossow via cctalk wrote:
> 
> 
> On 6/14/19 9:57 AM, Alan Perry wrote:
>>
>>
>> I have been talking to other folks at CHM about seeing the one there, but 
>> need to work on my rationale.
> 
> There really isn't much to see that is in the picture. It's not like the 
> system in in one physical location
> in storage. Everything is palletized and would have to be brought down from 
> the pallet racking.
> 
> I have no way to read the packs. I may still have a drive in my storage, if 
> it hasn't already been scrapped
> as I've been downsizing over the past several years.
> 
> 
> 

I also still have some 19xx series boards since I had wanted to pull the proms 
to at least attempt to save
enough information so someone could try simulating the machine in the future. 
On the list of things to do
is try to save some 1700 2315-style 32 sector packs that I should be able to 
read if I can ever get back
to working on digitizing non 12 sector packs.



Re: Value of Burroughs B9974 disk pack

2019-06-14 Thread Al Kossow via cctalk



On 6/14/19 9:57 AM, Alan Perry wrote:
> 
> 
> I have been talking to other folks at CHM about seeing the one there, but 
> need to work on my rationale.

There really isn't much to see that is in the picture. It's not like the system 
in in one physical location
in storage. Everything is palletized and would have to be brought down from the 
pallet racking.

I have no way to read the packs. I may still have a drive in my storage, if it 
hasn't already been scrapped
as I've been downsizing over the past several years.





Re: Value of Burroughs B9974 disk pack

2019-06-14 Thread Alan Perry via cctalk



> On Jun 14, 2019, at 9:25 AM, Al Kossow via cctalk  
> wrote:
> 
> 
> 
>> On 6/14/19 8:50 AM, Alan Perry via cctalk wrote:
>> The large A Series work was done in Paoli, King of Prussia, Trediffryn and 
>> probably other cities around Valley Forge that I don’t recall.
>> 
>> The B1000 work was done in Goleta (Santa Barbara), CA plus mfg in Liege, 
>> Belgium. I was responsible for a central piece of system software (GEMCOS), 
>> so I knew where the customers were based on bug reports (a large portion of 
>> the bugs were from the UK, Ford in Dagenham and the CEGB (Central 
>> Electricity Generating Board) in Bristol).
>> 
> I have a LOT of stuff that I've collected for the 1700/1800/1900 on bitsavers
> because of its unusual 'microcode per programming language' architecture.
> CHM has a B1955
> https://www.computerhistory.org/collections/search/?s=X2550.2003

That is why I like the B1000. I have been talking to other folks at CHM about 
seeing the one there, but need to work on my rationale.

> 
> I may still have some packs in storage.

Do you have a way of reading them? I am interested in seeing if there is 
anything readable on the one I just bought.

> 
>> At the most recent VCF PNW, someone who checked out my exhibit told me that 
>> there was a B1000, probably in Surplus at University of Washington, but 
>> checking with them, they don’t believe they have it.
> 
> I don't think a surplus person would know what a 'B1000' would be.
> You probably would have to add the second digit

I didn’t just say ‘B1000’. I described B18xx and B19xx cabinets because the guy 
who told me about it wasn’t sure which one it was.

alan 

> 



Re: Value of Burroughs B9974 disk pack

2019-06-14 Thread Al Kossow via cctalk



On 6/14/19 8:50 AM, Alan Perry via cctalk wrote:
> The large A Series work was done in Paoli, King of Prussia, Trediffryn and 
> probably other cities around Valley Forge that I don’t recall.
> 
> The B1000 work was done in Goleta (Santa Barbara), CA plus mfg in Liege, 
> Belgium. I was responsible for a central piece of system software (GEMCOS), 
> so I knew where the customers were based on bug reports (a large portion of 
> the bugs were from the UK, Ford in Dagenham and the CEGB (Central Electricity 
> Generating Board) in Bristol).
> 
I have a LOT of stuff that I've collected for the 1700/1800/1900 on bitsavers
because of its unusual 'microcode per programming language' architecture.
CHM has a B1955
https://www.computerhistory.org/collections/search/?s=X2550.2003

I may still have some packs in storage.

> At the most recent VCF PNW, someone who checked out my exhibit told me that 
> there was a B1000, probably in Surplus at University of Washington, but 
> checking with them, they don’t believe they have it.

I don't think a surplus person would know what a 'B1000' would be.
You probably would have to add the second digit



Re: Value of Burroughs B9974 disk pack

2019-06-14 Thread Alan Perry via cctalk
The large A Series work was done in Paoli, King of Prussia, Trediffryn and 
probably other cities around Valley Forge that I don’t recall.

The B1000 work was done in Goleta (Santa Barbara), CA plus mfg in Liege, 
Belgium. I was responsible for a central piece of system software (GEMCOS), so 
I knew where the customers were based on bug reports (a large portion of the 
bugs were from the UK, Ford in Dagenham and the CEGB (Central Electricity 
Generating Board) in Bristol).

At the most recent VCF PNW, someone who checked out my exhibit told me that 
there was a B1000, probably in Surplus at University of Washington, but 
checking with them, they don’t believe they have it.

alan

> On Jun 14, 2019, at 3:36 AM, Bill Degnan  wrote:
> 
> The Philadelphia area has more Burroughs hardware in the wild than most 
> places, you might just shake a few things free from ex employees living in 
> the area, if you're lucky.
> Bill
> 
>> On Thu, Jun 13, 2019, 11:50 PM Alan Perry via cctalk  
>> wrote:
>> So, I ended up getting it. Anyone got a running system that can try to read 
>> the data off of it?
>> 
>> > On Jun 13, 2019, at 12:33 PM, Alan Perry via cctalk 
>> >  wrote:
>> > 
>> > 
>> > When I worked for Burroughs/Unisys, I was one of the last people working 
>> > on software for B1000. I think I was the sole user of the B1965 at their 
>> > Lake Forest (Orange County) California office in '88-89. I was surrounded 
>> > in my cubicle by all of the disk packs for that system. My favorite 
>> > systems while at Burroughs was the B1000s.
>> > 
>> > One of those type of disk packs is up on eBay right now and I am trying to 
>> > decide whether to buy it. It is $60 plus another $40 for shipping. Is that 
>> > too much? I almost never see Burroughs stuff, so, if I want Burroughs 
>> > stuff, I should just get it, right?
>> > 
>> > alan
>> > 
>> 


Re: Value of Burroughs B9974 disk pack

2019-06-14 Thread Bill Degnan via cctalk
The Philadelphia area has more Burroughs hardware in the wild than most
places, you might just shake a few things free from ex employees living in
the area, if you're lucky.
Bill

On Thu, Jun 13, 2019, 11:50 PM Alan Perry via cctalk 
wrote:

> So, I ended up getting it. Anyone got a running system that can try to
> read the data off of it?
>
> > On Jun 13, 2019, at 12:33 PM, Alan Perry via cctalk <
> cctalk@classiccmp.org> wrote:
> >
> >
> > When I worked for Burroughs/Unisys, I was one of the last people working
> on software for B1000. I think I was the sole user of the B1965 at their
> Lake Forest (Orange County) California office in '88-89. I was surrounded
> in my cubicle by all of the disk packs for that system. My favorite systems
> while at Burroughs was the B1000s.
> >
> > One of those type of disk packs is up on eBay right now and I am trying
> to decide whether to buy it. It is $60 plus another $40 for shipping. Is
> that too much? I almost never see Burroughs stuff, so, if I want Burroughs
> stuff, I should just get it, right?
> >
> > alan
> >
>
>


Re: Value of Burroughs B9974 disk pack

2019-06-13 Thread Alan Perry via cctalk
So, I ended up getting it. Anyone got a running system that can try to read the 
data off of it?

> On Jun 13, 2019, at 12:33 PM, Alan Perry via cctalk  
> wrote:
> 
> 
> When I worked for Burroughs/Unisys, I was one of the last people working on 
> software for B1000. I think I was the sole user of the B1965 at their Lake 
> Forest (Orange County) California office in '88-89. I was surrounded in my 
> cubicle by all of the disk packs for that system. My favorite systems while 
> at Burroughs was the B1000s.
> 
> One of those type of disk packs is up on eBay right now and I am trying to 
> decide whether to buy it. It is $60 plus another $40 for shipping. Is that 
> too much? I almost never see Burroughs stuff, so, if I want Burroughs stuff, 
> I should just get it, right?
> 
> alan
> 



Value of Burroughs B9974 disk pack

2019-06-13 Thread Alan Perry via cctalk



When I worked for Burroughs/Unisys, I was one of the last people working 
on software for B1000. I think I was the sole user of the B1965 at their 
Lake Forest (Orange County) California office in '88-89. I was 
surrounded in my cubicle by all of the disk packs for that system. My 
favorite systems while at Burroughs was the B1000s.


One of those type of disk packs is up on eBay right now and I am trying 
to decide whether to buy it. It is $60 plus another $40 for shipping. Is 
that too much? I almost never see Burroughs stuff, so, if I want 
Burroughs stuff, I should just get it, right?


alan