was the Pitney-Bowes 440/Raytheon 520 the only computer to have an operating system on high speed bidirectional paper tape?
<https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=webmail> Virus-free.www.avast.com <https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=webmail> <#DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2> On Sun, Aug 23, 2026 at 3:47 AM Steve Lewis via cctalk <[email protected]> wrote: > > Hey gang, a few months ago I presented about timeshare and some aspects > about operating systems since the 1950s. > > To buzz through a PDF or PPT version of the notes: > https://github.com/voidstar78/VCF2026 > > VCFSW has the talk archived here: > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hE235ti9XQ > > Sorry being a bit dull as a speaker, but a few highlights: > > - overview of Douglass Ross "Director Tape" for Whirlwind (only "what it > looked like" evidence that I was ever able to find, would be curious if > others knew more about it) > > - 1965 Honeywell ADMIRAL OS: while I couldn't find much info about that > specific OS, what I did find what Honeywell went to bat for us all vs RAND > corp, putting an end some concerns about ENIAC hardware patents (that's a > very short version of it) > > - today we fight about \ vs / slashes, when MULTICS split the difference > and used > (greater than symbol), at least as far as I could tell from the > manuals > > - some verification that UNIX was (sort of) originally called UNICS (see > footnotes in the PPT notes), never formally written down but "verified" in > the past year > > - I made a claim that Datapoint CTOS (1972) was the only OS ever on a > cassette tape (not to be confused with the late 1970s CTOS) - that said, I > suppose the MCM/70 did as well; really admires Mattis Lind's work on the > DP2200 > > > I never found too much info about "tymshare" (apparently a late 1960s kind > of "corporate or business-to-business digital exchange" system, maybe for > inventory or check-processing?). > > > Tons of other OS's, obviously couldn't cover them all in a VCF talk. But > there are a bunch of addendum notes after the end of the slides: > > - Mike Muuss ENIAC archive (at a .mil ftp if anyone wants to archive it > more properly?) > - I still claim that the word "operating system" was never used before > 1960; the "SOS" or "share OS" was a name applied later (1962ish) to those > pre-1960s concepts [ afaik ] > - I couldn't fit in a bit about squozed :) really wanted to, just couldn't > make it fit > - AOSP, EXEC II, IBM 1800 derivatives (anyone ever see one of these in > the wild?), > > > Oh, not officially launched yet, but I'm now self hosting oldsayings.info > (with a telnet front-end at port 42525). Kicking around some ideas, but > it's reliably staying up now with Starlink as the ISP. I got tired of > waiting for fiber - but the county workers are getting closer, I see them > running it ranch by ranch. > > > > Cheers, wish could have made it to VCF West this year. > -Steve -- --Carey
