Does anyone need any before I list them on eBay?
I'm still trying to sell some extra Q-bus boards before I list them on ebay, and I would rather they found a happy home here. Shipping is a flat $10 within the US for as many as you want. Please ask for overseas shipping. If you need any others, or have a "wishlist" please contact me off list. Thanks, Paul M3106 DZQ11 $40 M3107 DHQ1140 M8043 DLV11-J 60 M8186 11/23 CPU 60 M8189 11/23+ CPU 60
Re: Convex C220 lives
On 9/12/17, 2:04 AM, "Laurens Vets" wrote: >There's something seriously wrong with your site >http://www.vaxbarn.com/index.php/other-bits/603-convex-c220 unless the >title of your work is indeed "Feel Like Having Sex Tonight | Best Legal >Viagra Uk" :) Where are you seeing that? I don¹t see it.
Re: ETAOIN SHRDLU (Was: RIP Jerry Pournelle, the first author to write a
On 9/11/2017 8:35 PM, Fred Cisin via cctalk wrote: Etaoin Shrdlu was most importantly one of Walt Kelly's characters in Pogo. ETAOIN SHRDLU ETA name On Mon, 11 Sep 2017, Chris Elmquist via cctalk wrote: I was told that the name came from this string which could be found in printed works and that people had always seen it but just read past it because it didn't fit or make sense. That is canonically "loren ipsum", the filler "greeking" text used to set up layout. Although admittedly ETAOIN SHRDLU was also sometimes used for greeking. ETAOIN SHRDLU is one of the common versions of the list of the relative frequency of letter in English language text. 'e' is the most common letter 't' is the next most common letter 'a' is the third most common letter, etc. That's interesting. I've always been told that the the same logic was used for choosing Morse Code characters - the shortest Morse Code sequences were the most common letters. Apparently not exactly, Morse code decoders use a slightly different sequence which is: ETIANM SURWDKGO Notably - the letter O is a fairly long sequence and is out of place. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ca/Morse_code_tree3.png Rob.
Re: Convex C220 lives
On 9/11/2017 8:47 AM, Camiel Vanderhoeven via cctech wrote: Now I¹m looking for some FORTRAN code that would typically have run on this kind of computer so I can show people what this kind of system was used for. Berkeley SPICE Rob
Re: Convex C220 lives
On 9/11/2017 2:15 PM, Chuck Guzis via cctech wrote: On 09/11/2017 08:47 AM, Camiel Vanderhoeven via cctalk wrote: Now I¹m looking for some FORTRAN code that would typically have run on this kind of computer so I can show people what this kind of system was used for. Congratulations! I'd recommend starting with LINPACK: http://www.netlib.org/linpack/ Just to get an idea of the performance of the thing. --Chuck With LINPACK you can compare your results with others, including new computers. I would suggest other benchmarks, Dhrystone, Whetstone, FFT because the FORTRAN codes are readily available and there are reports from the CONVEX era that compare results from many different computers. NEC2 is a good idea. Also, look into calculation of Pi, it is entertaining. Doug
Re: ETAOIN SHRDLU (Was: RIP Jerry Pournelle, the first author to write a
> On Sep 12, 2017, at 4:06 AM, Rob Doyle via cctalk > wrote: > > On 9/11/2017 8:35 PM, Fred Cisin via cctalk wrote: >> Etaoin Shrdlu was most importantly one of Walt Kelly's characters in Pogo. >> ETAOIN SHRDLU ETA name >> On Mon, 11 Sep 2017, Chris Elmquist via cctalk wrote: >>> I was told that the name came from this string which could be found in >>> printed works and that people had always seen it but just read past it >>> because it didn't fit or make sense. >> That is canonically "loren ipsum", the filler "greeking" text used to set up >> layout. >> Although admittedly ETAOIN SHRDLU was also sometimes used for greeking. >> ETAOIN SHRDLU >> is one of the common versions of the list of the relative frequency of >> letter in English language text. >> 'e' is the most common letter >> 't' is the next most common letter >> 'a' is the third most common letter, etc. > > That's interesting. I've always been told that the the same logic was > used for choosing Morse Code characters - the shortest Morse Code > sequences were the most common letters. Apparently not exactly, > > Morse code decoders use a slightly different sequence which is: > > ETIANM SURWDKGO > > Notably - the letter O is a fairly long sequence and is out of place. Keep in mind that you're looking at the "International Morse Code". The original American Morse Code (see Wikipedia for details) has a number of differences. Among others, the letter O is quite a lot shorter. It makes sense for the Linotype to use approximate letter frequencies in its design. For one thing, the designer had to understand that to know about the needed number of matrices. The letter E has two rows in the magazine for that reason; the key draws from either row. Also, by arranging the letters in rough frequency order, the most used letters travel the shortest distance both from magazine to assembler, and also from distributor back to magazine. The latter means they become available for reuse sooner (since the matrices move fairly slowly through the distributor) which means you're not likely to run out as you enter text rapidly. By the way, the Linotype machine is a nice example of a pipelined architecture, with two independent sections (the magazine feeding the assembler on the one hand, and the justification/casting/distribution machinery on the other). And the distribution part consists of several stages with lots of items moving through at a time. paul
Re: RIP Jerry Pournelle - Firsts
It's arguable that his daybook, Chaos Manor, was the first Blog. Very sad news. I still find myself instinctively clicking on the bookmark to his site, in the mornings. -- Robert On Tue, Sep 12, 2017 at 12:33 AM, Lars Brinkhoff via cctalk wrote: > Charles Dickman via cctalk writes: >>> He seems to have been the first to mention ARPANET in a popular >>> hobbyist-type context like BYTE. (Leading him to get kicked off >>> ARPANET!) >> Yes I remember reading something like that too. I would like to know >> the story of that. > > You should probably ask Leigh Klotz. > > http://klotz.me/
Re: ETAOIN SHRDLU (Was: RIP Jerry Pournelle, the first author to write a
On Monday (09/11/2017 at 08:57PM -0700), Chuck Guzis via cctalk wrote: > On 09/11/2017 08:35 PM, Fred Cisin via cctalk wrote: > > Etaoin Shrdlu was most importantly one of Walt Kelly's characters in Pogo. > > > > ETAOIN SHRDLU ETA name > > On Mon, 11 Sep 2017, Chris Elmquist via cctalk wrote: > >> I was told that the name came from this string which could be found in > >> printed works and that people had always seen it but just read past it > >> because it didn't fit or make sense. > > > > That is canonically "loren ipsum", the filler "greeking" text used to > > set up layout. > > Although admittedly ETAOIN SHRDLU was also sometimes used for greeking. > > It also inadvertently crept into printed copy. If the Linotype operator > made an error in a line, it was common to just fill the line out with > ETAOIN SHRDLU so that the copy editor would know to discard the line. Yes-- this was the basis of Lincoln's ETA story that the string appears in printed works because some editor missed it and didn't take it out. Chris -- Chris Elmquist
Re: RIP Jerry Pournelle, the first author to write a novel on a computer Earl...
Does my creating a procedures manual from punched cards printed on an IBM 402 back in 1962 count as word/text processing? m - Original Message - From: "Chuck Guzis via cctalk" To: "Ed via cctalk" Sent: Sunday, September 10, 2017 3:12 PM Subject: Re: RIP Jerry Pournelle, the first author to write a novel on a computer Earl... > On 09/10/2017 11:40 AM, Ed via cctalk wrote: >> then. who was. the TRUE first? >> > > We'll probably never know that one. It was an obvious application once > alphanumeric printing was possible. See, for example: > > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Word_processor#History > > One of the initial attractions was realizing that a computer program > could arrange and format text to fit on a sheet of paper--and that it > was very easy to edit said text if it resided on a deck of punched > cards; later on a video display. > > --Chuck >
Re: Convex C220 lives
On 2017-09-11 22:16, Camiel Vanderhoeven via cctech wrote: On 9/12/17, 2:04 AM, "Laurens Vets" wrote: There's something seriously wrong with your site http://www.vaxbarn.com/index.php/other-bits/603-convex-c220 unless the title of your work is indeed "Feel Like Having Sex Tonight | Best Legal Viagra Uk" :) Where are you seeing that? I don¹t see it. It's gone now. I should've taken screenshots... You can still see a version of it via Google Cache: https://www.google.ca/search?q=http://www.vaxbarn.com/index.php/other-bits/603-convex-c220&ie=UTF-8&sa=Search&channel=fe&client=browser-ubuntu&hl=en&gws_rd=cr&dcr=0&ei=Qdy3Wa6fE4ie0gLVl56gAw & http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:vT2TBtn8kDAJ:www.vaxbarn.com/index.php/other-bits/603-convex-c220+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=ca&client=ubuntu I also took screenshots from the cache.
Re: Convex C220 lives
On 9/12/17, 3:09 PM, "Laurens Vets" wrote: >On 2017-09-11 22:16, Camiel Vanderhoeven via cctech wrote: >> On 9/12/17, 2:04 AM, "Laurens Vets" wrote: >> >> >>> There's something seriously wrong with your site >>> http://www.vaxbarn.com/index.php/other-bits/603-convex-c220 unless the >>> title of your work is indeed "Feel Like Having Sex Tonight | Best >>> Legal >>> Viagra Uk" :) >> >> Where are you seeing that? I don¹t see it. > >It's gone now. I should've taken screenshots... > >You can still see a version of it via Google Cache: >https://www.google.ca/search?q=http://www.vaxbarn.com/index.php/other-bits >/603-convex-c220&ie=UTF-8&sa=Search&channel=fe&client=browser-ubuntu&hl=en >&gws_rd=cr&dcr=0&ei=Qdy3Wa6fE4ie0gLVl56gAw >& >http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:vT2TBtn8kDAJ:www.vaxb >arn.com/index.php/other-bits/603-convex-c220+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=ca&cli >ent=ubuntu > >I also took screenshots from the cache. That’s really bizarre...
Re: Convex C220 lives
- Original Message - From: "Camiel Vanderhoeven via cctech" To: "Laurens Vets" ; "General Discussion: On-Topic Posts" Sent: Tuesday, September 12, 2017 9:15 AM Subject: Re: Convex C220 lives On 9/12/17, 3:09 PM, "Laurens Vets" wrote: >On 2017-09-11 22:16, Camiel Vanderhoeven via cctech wrote: >> On 9/12/17, 2:04 AM, "Laurens Vets" wrote: >> >> >>> There's something seriously wrong with your site >>> http://www.vaxbarn.com/index.php/other-bits/603-convex-c220 unless the >>> title of your work is indeed "Feel Like Having Sex Tonight | Best >>> Legal >>> Viagra Uk" :) >> >> Where are you seeing that? I don¹t see it. > >It's gone now. I should've taken screenshots... Damn! I did feel like having sex tonight but all I saw was stuff about some kinda Convex computer... m
Re: RIP Jerry Pournelle, the first author to write a novel on a computer Earl...
On 09/12/2017 09:34 AM, Mike Stein via cctalk wrote: > Does my creating a procedures manual from punched cards printed on an IBM 402 > back in 1962 count as word/text processing? Isn't that known as an "80-80 listing run on an accounting machine?" :) Never got to use a 402 or 405--just 407s. --Chuck
RE: Tips For Soldering a Surface Mount PLCC Socket
Thanks for all the suggestions, I am still a little undecided on what to do, so I have a few follow-up questions 1. Pete, you said to use solder paste and associated flux. I had a look on the Farnell site and there seem to be quite a few different types. I don't really understand the difference (for example what does "activated" mean?). Can you suggest a reasonable general purpose option? What flux would need to go with it? 2. This talk of cracking out the bottom piece is interesting as I was looking at the socket I have bought, and reaching some of the corner pins will be tricky if using an iron from above. But what does it mean when people say putting the bottom piece back in? The socket I have is one-piece, to take out the bottom you have to break it off, so what use is it to put the bottom piece back? If there are two-piece sockets that make the bottom piece removable I have not been able to find them. 3. Am I right that one suggestion (from Shad) is to pre-solder the pads on the board instead of on the socket? I already use leaded-solder by the way. Thanks Rob
Re: RIP Jerry Pournelle, the first author to write a novel on a computer Earl...
- Original Message - From: "Chuck Guzis via cctalk" To: "Mike Stein via cctalk" Sent: Tuesday, September 12, 2017 12:56 PM Subject: Re: RIP Jerry Pournelle, the first author to write a novel on a computer Earl... > On 09/12/2017 09:34 AM, Mike Stein via cctalk wrote: >> Does my creating a procedures manual from punched cards printed on an IBM >> 402 back in 1962 count as word/text processing? > > > Isn't that known as an "80-80 listing run on an accounting machine?" :) > > Never got to use a 402 or 405--just 407s. > > > --Chuck Pshaw! Semantics; function and context are everything. We finally went from the 402/604 to a Burroughs B260, the first in Canada.
Re: Tips For Soldering a Surface Mount PLCC Socket
> On Sep 12, 2017, at 1:45 PM, Rob Jarratt via cctalk > wrote: > > Thanks for all the suggestions, I am still a little undecided on what to do, > so I have a few follow-up questions > > 1. Pete, you said to use solder paste and associated flux. I had a look on > the Farnell site and there seem to be quite a few different types. I don't > really understand the difference (for example what does "activated" mean?). > Can you suggest a reasonable general purpose option? What flux would need to > go with it? "Activated" means it is more active than basic flux in removing oxides and making the solder flow properly. Traditionally, electronic solder was "rosin activated" (RA) or "rosin mildly activated" (RMA). There now are other variants, for example water-soluble flux, which means you can wash it away under the warm faucet. Or "no clean" flux which -- theoretically -- means it's ok to leave it on the board rather than to remove it after assembly. I've had good luck with water-soluble flux, since electronic parts in general don't mind being washed down. paul
Re: Does anyone need any before I list them on eBay?
Opps... Boards were pulled from running systems, and have a 30 day exchange warranty. You pay return shipping Paul On Tue, Sep 12, 2017 at 2:02 AM, Paul Anderson wrote: > I'm still trying to sell some extra Q-bus boards before I list them on > ebay, and I would rather they found a happy home here. > > Shipping is a flat $10 within the US for as many as you want. Please ask > for overseas shipping. If you need any others, or have a "wishlist" please > contact me off list. > > Thanks, Paul > > M3106 DZQ11 $40 > M3107 DHQ1140 > M8043 DLV11-J 60 > M8186 11/23 CPU 60 > M8189 11/23+ CPU 60 >
Sun Enterprise 3500 FC-AL disks not recognized
I picked up a Sun Enterprise 3500 at VCFMW fully loaded Got it booting to Open firmware.The 8 internal FC-AL drives arent detected. >From what i can tell it requires GBIC Controllers in the disk controller card on the machine. Any ideas? Other then that it boots launches the openbsd cd and just cant find the disks. And makes a great heater :P Thanks in advance
Re: RIP Jerry Pournelle - Firsts
On Mon, Sep 11, 2017 at 7:43 PM, Charles Dickman via cctalk < cctalk@classiccmp.org> wrote: > On Mon, Sep 11, 2017 at 1:15 PM, Shoppa, Tim via cctalk > wrote: > > He seems to have been the first to mention ARPANET in a popular > hobbyist-type context like BYTE. (Leading him to get kicked off ARPANET!) > > Yes I remember reading something like that too. I would like to know > the story of that. > http://www.stormtiger.org/bob/humor/pournell/story.html
