HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: jimf@centerline.com (Jim Frost)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Subject: Re: Computer Superstition
Date: 24 Nov 1992 01:53:04 GMT
Organization: CenterLine Software, Inc.
NNTP-Posting-Host: 140.239.3.202

aldavi01@terra.spd.louisville.edu (Arlie Davis) writes:
>Yes, but the latest, greatest super-swanky optimizing compiler may realize
>that only the first two elements in the array are being used.  So, you have to
>use the more exotic form:

>	char magic[12];
>	magic[0] = magic[11];

>And if a compiler can squeeze /that/ down, well, I give up.

Even a moderately good optimizing compiler will notice that the above
assignment has no effect and will eliminate the assignment and the
array.

I'd use one of three fixes:

1. Don't optimize that file.
2. Write the caller in assembly.
3. Rewrite the #@%$# routine so it doesn't corrupt the stack in the
   first place.

Personally I'd probably pick #3 because I have implementations of
system() lying around, but your mileage may vary.

jim frost
jimf@centerline.com
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers,rec.arts.startrek.misc,rec.arts.startrek.tech
From: davesp@ecs.comm.mot.com (Dave Spensley)
Subject: Hidden Message (was Re: FORTRAN food synthesizer program)
Organization: Motorola, Inc.
Date: Tue, 17 Nov 1992 19:18:05 GMT
Summary: Sneaky programmer...

In article <1e0djoINN6a6@usenet.INS.CWRU.Edu> rfd@po.CWRU.Edu (Richard F. Drushel) writes:
>
>In a previous article, cs202144@umbc8.umbc.edu (cs202144) says:
>
>	[program repost deleted]
>
>>I wish I had C source code for this, but one thing I did was try to compile it
>>as is in fortran on a DEC Unix Machine and a SGI Irix machine. On both it
>>complained about an undefined dbl_ and I do not know fortran at all so beyond
>>trying to run it through the compiler I am lost. Yes! I did edit out the
>>message header and all that junk so that is not my problem.
>
[...stuff deleted...]
>
>	BTW most of the program is obfuscation to impress a 1978
>audience probably not familiar with computers.  Here is a version I
>translated into BASIC which may be a little easier to understand for
>those who don't know any FORTRAN:

Apparently this program is still obfuscating people.  :-)

>
>1 REM SYNTHESIZER ALGORITHM FOR DR. MCCOY'S FAVORITE DISH
>2 REM TRANSLATED INTO BASIC FROM THE FORTRAN IV PROGRAM ON PAGE XIII OF
>3 REM "THE OFFICIAL STAR TREK COOKING MANUAL" BY MARY AN PICCARD
>4 REM (NEW YORK:  BANTAM BOOKS, 1978, 203 PP.)  ISBN 0-553-11819-6
>5 REM TRANSLATED BY RICHARD F. DRUSHEL 9211.11
>100 DIM FOOD$(15),DISH$(15),PAN$(15),FRYER$(15),WAFFL$(15)
>110 FOR X=1 TO 15: READ FOOD$(X): NEXT
>120 DATA "S","I","H","T"," ","M","A","R","G","O","R","P"," ","S","I"
>130 FOR X=1 TO 15: READ DISH$(X): NEXT
>140 DATA "N","E","T","T","I","R","W"," ","N","I"," ","A","T","A","D"
>150 FOR X=1 TO 15: READ PAN$(X): NEXT
>160 DATA "L","A","R","E","N","E","G"," ","N","A","R","T","R","O","F"
>170 FOR X=1 TO 15: READ FRYER$(X): NEXT
>180 DATA "V","I"," ","T","I"," ","Y","A","M"," ","N","U","R"," ","N"
>190 FOR X=1 TO 15: READ WAFFL$(X): NEXT
>200 DATA "O"," ","K","N","U","J"," ","S","E","N","I","H","C","A","M"
>210 PRINT FOOD$(1);WAFFL$(3);DISH$(2);FOOD$(12);DISH$(3);FRYER$(2);WAFFL$(13)
[...more stuff deleted...]

Has anyone looked at the data statements backwards?  It reads "THIS PROGRAM IS
WRITTEN IN DATA GENERAL FORTRAN IV IT MAY RUN ON JUNK MACHINES".  (The funny part
is most any of today's machines would run circles around a Data General of the
late-70s era.)  Just wondering if anyone else saw the hidden message...  (No,
I don't think there's a prize involved.  :-)


                                             Dave Spensley
                                             davesp@ecs.comm.mot.com
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
From: gardner_c@apollo.hp.com (Cal Gardner)
Subject: Re: ASSEMBLY LANGUAGE IBM
Date: Sat, 21 Nov 1992 03:10:04 GMT
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Corporation, Chelmsford, MA

In article <1992Nov18.203029.18985@mnemosyne.cs.du.edu> jgriffit@nyx.cs.du.edu (Jonathan Griffitts) writes:
>lasner@watsun.cc.columbia.edu (Charles Lasner) writes:
>>                                                           As someone posted
>>earlier, the binary of any program from the beginning will run on each and
>>every model.  This assumes that the implied O/S functions are present, as
>
>Actually, this is not strictly true.
>
>Counterexample:  the 360 model 20, which implemented only a subset of the
>360 instruction set.  As I recall, it did not support fullword operations
>(halfword only), nor packed BCD memory-to-memory stuff, nor other 'fancy'
>operations.  It was basically just a 16-bit minicomputer instruction set.
>
>As far as I know, though, it WAS upward compatible to the other 360s.
>
>--
>			   --JCG
>AnyWare Engineering, Boulder CO
>303 442-0556

I say minicomputer?? The micro code was held in the main memory array
Yes the Model 20 was a strange beast.

Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
From: dagbrown@undergrad.math.waterloo.edu (Dave Brown)
Subject: Re: YKYBHTL
Keywords: I, need, a, vacation
Organization: University of Waterloo
Date: Sun, 22 Nov 1992 20:59:42 GMT

In article <1992Nov19.223622.831@noao.edu> jdavis@bordeaux.kpno.noao.edu (Jim Davis) writes:
>So I'm trying to explain to someone why a certain Department of State
>bureaucrat got canned recently.  "You see, there was this search of Bill
>Clinton's _password_ file..."
>
	Happens the other way, too...a user called me
the other day and said, "Hi, I forgot my passport..."


-- 
Dave Brown
dagbrown@undergrad.math.uwaterloo.ca
Phone: (519) 438-0530
"What God want, God gets.  God help us all."  --Roger Waters
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
From: "William M. Perry" <wmperry@cherry.ucs.indiana.edu>
Subject: Re: IBM and 3
Organization: Indiana University, Bloomington
Date: Sat, 21 Nov 1992 20:08:08 -0500

In article <2=21ck@rpi.edu> rogerj@aix.rpi.edu (Diversion (Jeff Rogers)) writes:
>Is there something that IBM loves about the number 3? Didja ever notice how
>alot of ibm equipment starts with the number 3? Like system 36, 360, 370,
>3090, 3270, etc. I'm sure people with more knowledge could give more
>examples (someone just mentioned IBM disk drives that were numbered 33xx)
>
>Is this just coincidence? Or does IBM only get things right in multiples of
>3?

   Who ever said they got it right using 3s? :)

-Bill Perry

William M. Perry          / 'When you know a thing, to hold that you know it;
wmperry@ucs.indiana.edu  / and when you do not know a thing, to allow that you
Phone: (812) 336 - 3071 / do not know it; this is knowledge.' - Confucius


-- 
William M. Perry          / 'When you know a thing, to hold that you know it;
wmperry@ucs.indiana.edu  / and when you do not know a thing, to allow that you
Phone: (812) 336 - 3071 / do not know it; this is knowledge.' - Confucius
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers,alt.folklore.urban
From: peter@NeoSoft.com (Peter da Silva)
Subject: Re: How to kill chickens with your computer...
Organization: NeoSoft Communications Services -- (713) 684-5900
Date: Sat, 21 Nov 1992 02:51:06 GMT

From article <absurd-131192125246@seuss.apple.com>, by absurd@apple.apple.com (Tim Dierks, software saboteur):
> Who would build a factory to produce 7 Hz tones?  What's the market?

The phone company. They buy the raw 7Hz and compress it in big tanks, which
raises the frequency and makes it convenient to ship. The result is dialtone.
Mostly it's stored at the central offices and piped into the phone cables
from there, but they have to deal with leaks so they have smaller tanks full
of the stuff. You've probably seen them propped up by the side of the road
near telco equipment, along with the tanks of 60 Hz hum the power company
uses to scare birds away from power lines.
-- 
Peter da Silva.  <peter@sugar.neosoft.com>.
 `-_-'   "Meglelted mr ma a farkasodat ?"
  'U`    "Zure otsoa besarkatu al duzu gaur?"
Das kann nicht mein Zimmer sein, denn ich atme kein Ammoniak.
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
From: rogerj@aix.rpi.edu (Diversion (Jeff Rogers))
Subject: Re: Superstitions: power cycling, screen savers, surge suppressors
Date: Mon, 23 Nov 1992 07:18:10 GMT

msb@sq.sq.com (Mark Brader) writes:

>I can't resist telling again about the most strongly burned-in image
>that I ever saw on a screen.  I saw it in 1982 when I was visiting the

Ever notice how on alot of video games Pac-Man is burned into the screen? I
guess the games popularity led to many machines being left on continuously,
and then when they were no onger popular and reclaimed, the screens are
reused. Yes, thru the wonder of phosphur burn, Pac-Man lives on!

Diversion

-- 
"I can see 'em                          | "Want me to create a diversion?"
    I can see 'em                       | Diversion
        Someone wake me when it's over" | rogerj@rpi.edu
From: sarr@sinshan.citi.umich.edu (Sarr J. Blumson)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Subject: Re: CM5 pic - terribly sorry gentlemen, it's a dud
Date: 19 Nov 1992 14:41:57 GMT
Organization: University of Michigan, CITI
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: sinshan.citi.umich.edu

In article <1992Nov19.032302.12488@lugb.latrobe.edu.au> cchd@lucifer.latrobe.edu.au (Huw Davies) writes:
>
>I have no problem with the limited edition prints being just that,
>limitied editions. I can't follow the logic that says a gif of a limited
>edition print reduces in any way the value of the original. Does a gif
>of the Mona Lisa reduce the value of the original????
>
It most definitely does. However, the copyright on the Mona Lisa
expired several centuries so you can make gifs of it without
restriction.



(Sarr Blumson)
Xref: sparky alt.folklore.computers:16459 alt.folklore.urban:29118
From: mst@vexpert.dbai.tuwien.ac.at (Markus Stumptner)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers,alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Re: How to kill chickens with your computer...
Date: 18 Nov 92 13:13:58 GMT
Organization: DB and ES Subdivision, TU Vienna

From article <absurd-131192125246@seuss.apple.com>, by absurd@apple.apple.com (Tim Dierks, software saboteur):
>>              This was determined empirically in                             
>>              Australia, where a new factory                                 
>>              generating 7-Hz tones was located too                          
>>              close to a chicken ranch

> Who would build a factory to produce 7 Hz tones?  What's the market?

Well, the military of course.  No doubt some super secret project that
blew its cover because of this flaw.  I wonder what else resonates at
this frequency.
-- 
Markus Stumptner                                mst@vexpert.dbai.tuwien.ac.at
University of Technology Vienna                 vexpert!mst@relay.eu.net
Paniglg. 16, A-1040 Vienna, Austria             ...mcsun!vexpert!mst
Xref: sparky alt.folklore.computers:16410 alt.folklore.urban:29045
From: linden@positive.Eng.Sun.COM (Peter van der Linden)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers,alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Famous quote
Date: 18 Nov 92 21:53:32 GMT
Organization: The Bishop Sandwich Band
NNTP-Posting-Host: positive

Who was the famous computer personality who coined the phrase:
    "If you are as clever as you know how to be when writing the code,
         how will you ever debug it?"

This is for a paper, and I want to give credit where credit is due.

Dijkstra?  Michael Jackson?  Old Pop Stacks?


--
   "Call me Ishmael"  Again and again I left a pleading message on the Captain's
   answering machine.  But he never did return my call, so I gave up whaling
   and became a computer programmer.   [Vol 1, "Moby Frob"]
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Subject: Re: Superstitions: power cycling, screen savers, surge suppressors
From: don@zl2tnm.gen.nz (Don Stokes)
Date: 22 Nov 92 06:48:05 GMT
Distribution: world
Organization: The Wolery

dpbsmith@world.std.com (Daniel P. B. Smith) writes:
> Screen-savers. A very clever way of providing a market for display hacks.
> And a very useful justification for people who just enjoy having neat
> stuff on their screen. No doubt screen-savers actually ARE needed on some
> CRT's, particular the older point-plotting and stroke-tracing models in 
> which all of the beam current was going into a tiny area. But what about
> stock CRT's in normal use on PC's and Macintoshes?  If they're really 

Yes.  I've seen lots of Macs that display the Finder menu bar while in
applications where it oughta be invisible....  Screens that display one
kind of form are particularly prone.

Phosphor burn is real.  I've seen it.  Lots of times.  Often in equipment
that does have screensavers built in, but for some reason are unable to
use them (such as displays with a lot of use, or containing constantly
updated information).

> Surge suppressors.  Again, I have to wonder why the manufacturers don't
> design them in; it should be the responsibility of the computer's own
> power supply to handle this. And why should a PC need a surge suppressor,
> but not a CD player, a VCR, a video game machine, etc. all of which contain
> similar electronics?

<chuckle> I've seen quite a few cases where the surge-suppressor/power
conditioner/UPS has caused more problems than it's solved.  On the flip side,
I've seen a lot of burned power supplies after power glitches too.

I think you'll find the main reason power conditioners aren't built into 
equipment is size & weight.  A good power conditioner, even for a PC, is an
extra box that you don't want adding to the size of a desktop system.  In
a large system, it's more economical to have one cabinet full of power
conditioner than to duplicate the thing for each component, even if the 
individual parts are smaller.  Power conditioners tend to be brute-force
devices, relying on lots of copper or big capacitors (or both) to keep
transients at bay.  The last one I had much to do with weighed over a ton.
It was serious hard work for four or five of us to shift with crowbars and
jacks.

As for surge suppressors, I have one of these little $5 button arrangements
"protecting" things here; I don't know if it does any good, but it doesn't
do any harm.  


--
Don Stokes, ZL2TNM (DS555)                        don@zl2tnm.gen.nz (home)
Network Manager, Computing Services Centre            don@vuw.ac.nz (work)
Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand              +64-4-495-5052
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
From: freek@phil.ruu.nl (Freek Wiedijk)
Subject: Re: Superstitions: power cycling, screen savers, surge suppressors
Organization: Department of Philosophy, University of Utrecht, The Netherlands
Date: Sun, 22 Nov 1992 21:52:39 GMT

peter@NeoSoft.com (Peter da Silva) writes:
>In article <By3EGq.Ko6@world.std.com> dpbsmith@world.std.com (Daniel P. B.
>Smith) writes:
>> If they're really NECESSARY why aren't they designed into the hardware?
>
>They are in terminals and some older computers (Lisa, for example), but
>it's cheaper to do it in software.

This doesn't explain why Apple doesn't provide a simple & basic screen
saver as part of their System software.

This is a bug in Apple as far as I'm concerned.

Freek
--
Third theory of Phenomenal Dynamics:  The difference between a symbol
and an object is quantitative, not qualitative.
From: jimf@centerline.com (Jim Frost)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Subject: Re: IBM and 3
Date: 23 Nov 1992 21:36:53 GMT
Organization: CenterLine Software, Inc.
NNTP-Posting-Host: 140.239.3.202

"William M. Perry" <wmperry@cherry.ucs.indiana.edu> writes:
>In article <2=21ck@rpi.edu> rogerj@aix.rpi.edu (Diversion (Jeff Rogers)) writes:
>>Is there something that IBM loves about the number 3? Didja ever notice how
>>alot of ibm equipment starts with the number 3? Like system 36, 360, 370,
>>3090, 3270, etc. I'm sure people with more knowledge could give more
>>examples (someone just mentioned IBM disk drives that were numbered 33xx)
>>
>>Is this just coincidence? Or does IBM only get things right in multiples of
>>3?

>   Who ever said they got it right using 3s? :)

Yea, if you call a /36 "something right" then you have serious mental
problems.

jim frost
jimf@centerline.com
From: jeffrey@cygnus.com (Jeffrey Osier)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Subject: Long Gone Geeking
Date: 22 Nov 92 04:45:56 GMT
Reply-To: jeffrey@cygnus.com
Organization: Cygnus Support, Mountain View, CA  415 903 1400


Ooof!  My most sincere apologies for the huge .sig...  I drew that up
like ages ago as a joke and forgot about it.  Didn't think this news
reader shoved things in there like that anyway... Please ignore.
Guess I haven't been geeking long ENOUGH...

Jeffrey Osier, OneLineSignatureThisTimeIPromise.. Cygnus Support
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
From: lasner@watsun.cc.columbia.edu (Charles Lasner)
Subject: Re: ASSEMBLY LANGUAGE IBM
Reply-To: lasner@watsun.cc.columbia.edu (Charles Lasner)
Organization: Columbia University
Date: Fri, 20 Nov 1992 04:58:46 GMT

In article <1992Nov18.134855.28580@geovision.gvc.com> pt@geovision.gvc.com writes:
>stevev@miser.uoregon.edu (Steve VanDevender) writes:
>
>>I suspect that the questions apply to IBM's most famous series of
>>machines, the 360/370 series.  If you thought them placing
>>increasingly souped-up versions of the 8088 in IBM PCs was bad,
>>note that the 360/370 series has been using the same instruction
>>set and processor architecture for nearly _30 years_.  IBM's
>>top-end mainframes (like the 3090) still run IBM 360 programs in
>>binary form.
>
>From this I infer that you consider it a ``bad thing'' that an IBM mainframe
>(or PC) user can upgrade his hardware without buying new versions of commercial
>software?

All that was stated is that the binary object modules of older programs can
be made to run on the new machine.  In practice, this may be inadequate
depending on what the newer model actually has available on it.  Moreover,
IBM has tended to proliferate excessive versions of their O/S on these
machines, as if they actually were separate and incompatible.  Those of
us used to either a relatively limited number of say VMS or unix variants
don't appreciate the extraneous nature of artifically distinct O/S variants
sold as separate entities.  This tends to make one rethink the worth of
staying with a family of machines where you actually do have to keep buying
what is substantially the same software again and again without the means
to recycle it.

In the early 370 days, IBM had a campaign to extraneously introduce 370-only
instructions into major components of O/S, so that they couldn't run on
360's.  Various users distributed patches to remove the extraneous
dependancies, so that purchased versions of O/S 370 could run on high-end
360's that were otherwise viable.  IBM wanted them plowed under and then
make the customer buy the latest and the greatest.  But companies such
as ITEL were refurbishing 360's and making them have new buss peripherals,
so it was necessary to keep the software compatible in spite of IBM's
attempts at planned obsolescence, and what effective amounts to restraint of
trade in this situation (by making ITEL's product less attractive since it
was claimed to only run obsolete versions of the software, etc.).

cjl
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers,rec.humor
From: kby@cco.caltech.edu (Kimo B. Yap)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers,misc.forsale.computers.workstation
Subject: Re: WANTED: PDP-10 or 11
Date: 24 Nov 1992 05:38:37 GMT
Organization: California Institute of Technology, Pasadena
NNTP-Posting-Host: alumni.caltech.edu

As I mentioned to the originator of this thread, Stevens had a KS years ago.
They were trying to get rid of it a couple of years ago, it's probably gone
by now.
We tried to put KS4097 (the original KS) in the Computer Museum in Boston,
but they weren't interested.  I think KL1026 will go when it is turned
off for good probably next year.  I don't remember what happened to
KL1042. -kby (formerly of kl1026.enet.dec.com; KL1026/1042)
P. S.  For the 20-ites, KL2102 was turned off a long time ago and I don't
know what happend to it.
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers,comp.misc
From: bwatson@nyx.cs.du.edu (bruce watson)
Subject: Re: How is the Net financed and what does it cost?
X-Disclaimer: Nyx is a public access Unix system run by the University
	of Denver for the Denver community.  The University has neither
	control over nor responsibility for the opinions of users.
Organization: Nyx, Public Access Unix at U. of Denver Math/CS dept.
Date: Mon, 16 Nov 92 18:00:13 GMT

In article <1dea12INN9lf@rave.larc.nasa.gov> kludge@grissom.larc.nasa.gov (Scott Dorsey) writes:
>In article <BxAzzF.C8x@mentor.cc.purdue.edu> kodak@mentor.cc.purdue.edu (Jason Balicki (KodaK)) writes:
>>In article <1992Nov6.111648.5430@infodev.cam.ac.uk> rf@cl.cam.ac.uk (Robin Fairbairns) writes:
>>>In article <1992Nov4.181923.26835@wixer.cactus.org>, rhodesia@wixer.cactus.org (Felix S. Gallo) writes:
>>>|> [in reply to Barry Margolin]
>>>|> 
>>>|> so, assuming that my figures are close to correct, your posting a 1k article
>>>|> would cost the net approximately eight packets of Top Ramen (6/$1.00) plus
>>>|> enough change for some cheap gum.
>>>
>>>This is all very well, but what on earth are Top Ramen?               
>>
>>Why, it's only the greatest invention in the history of science!   Imagine,
>>you take some dehydrated noodles, put them in some water, put it all into
>>the 'wave and cook it for a few minutes.  Take it out, (I drain the water,
>>but some people leave the water in) add the flavoring (indescribable 
>>wonderful flavoring) and you then have the answer to hunger and famine

...and *very* high in salt.

>>the world over, and it tastes good too. :)
>
>They are noodles made from scrap flour dust and vegetable oil, instead
>of semolina and eggs.  Definitely the least expensive pasta product known
>to humankind.
>--scott


--
Bruce Watson  wats@nyx.cs.du.edu  Toy Cows, Toy Cows in Africa, Toy Cows
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers,alt.sys.pdp8
From: lasner@watsun.cc.columbia.edu (Charles Lasner)
Subject: Re: What about a pdp-8? (was: value of a pdp-11,va)
Reply-To: lasner@watsun.cc.columbia.edu (Charles Lasner)
Organization: Columbia University
Date: Tue, 17 Nov 1992 04:48:26 GMT

I am cross-posting this to alt.sys.pdp8 so you can get answers.

cjl


In article <1992Nov16.152944.28565@searchtech.com> johnb@searchtech.com (John Baldwin) writes:
>In article <1992Nov11.172715.6490@mnemosyne.cs.du.edu>
>	aduell@nyx.cs.du.edu (Tony Duell) writes:
>
>>Actually, the 11/45 has the purple front panel - similar to the 11/70's
>>panel, except for 4 fewer address switches/lights, no 16/18/22 bit
>>indicators, and a re-arrangement of the status lights. 
>> Far from being only suitable as a anchor, the 11/45 was actually faster
>>than the 11/70 on some operationds, and equal speed on the others
>>(assuming bipolar memory on the 45).
>
>
>   Great!  Some PDP-11 owners still out there.
>
>   Okay, I have a similar question.  My new employer is trying to get
>   rid of a PDP-8.  So far, they haven't set a price; they haven't even
>   decided whether to open up for bids or how they want to handle it.
>   To them, its just junk.  I don't think it runs.  What's it worth?
>
>   PS: Anybody know much about restoring such a beast to operational
>   condition?    :-)
>
>
>-- 
>John Baldwin                                        johnb@searchtech.com
>Micromeritics, Inc.                                 uupsi!srchtec!johnb
>One Micromeritics Drive                             johnb@srchtec.uucp
>Norcross, Georgia  30093-1877   USA         voice:  1-(404)-662-3601