HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: kevinr@ceco.ceco.com (Kevin R. Rumbaugh)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Subject: Re: World's Toughest Computers
Date: 21 Nov 92 03:14:10 GMT
Reply-To: kevinr@gamma.UUCP (Kevin R. Rumbaugh)
Organization: Commonwealth Edison Co.

In article <silk.722291765@mcl> silk@mcl.ucsb.edu (ken mencher) writes:
>Fine, after seeing all these mainframes surviving, how about a lowly pc???
>
>My old Franklin had a bullet hole thru the motherboard...(actually two but
>one didn't hit anything vital.)  It still ran...of course, a nice portion
>of the memory didn't work....
>
   We had a Sun 3/50 that proved tough..
   
   Our lab area a few months ago started filling with a haze and
   a terrible smell.  After finding that we had no visible fire we
   cut AC to the room and was prepared to abort the Halon dump.  After 
   isolating what we thought was probably causing the problem power was
   brought back to the rest of the room.  The Sun in question was powered 
   up at this time and somehow managed to power up and boot successfully!  
   The suspected Westinghouse computer has then carefully powered back up 
   and seemed to work just fine.  At this point we became very leary of 
   what had happened.  The area near the Westinghouse which housed 
   a couple of Suns still smelled pretty strong, but no smoke or anything.
   The decision was finally made to start taking apart anything and
   everything in that area.  This was two days after the original 
   event, that was when we found the Sun 3/50, which was still running 
   just fine, had a component nearly melted in half.  One of the hardware
   people here said the component was a DC->DC Convertor. 


   PS.  The running joke was that the RTU (Right To Use) liscense
	had expired and this was Sun's way of making you buy a 
	new machine. :-)

                     Kevin Rumbaugh  'The Marauder'
		      --- Commonwealth Edison ---
E-MAIL    : kevinr@ceco.com  OR   uunet!ceco!kevinr
AT&T      : (312) 294-8894        FAX	: (312) 294-4233
USMAIL    : Information Systems; Room 1139; 125 S. Clark; Chicago IL 60603
From: xyzzy@mertwig.UUCP (Daniel Drucker)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Subject: Re: Need Intel 8080A emulator, Interact info.
Date: Sun, 22 Nov 92 15:24:58 EST
Organization: Odd Parity Hacker's Group

Charlie_Gibbs@mindlink.bc.ca (Charlie Gibbs) writes:

> In article <1992Nov16.231929.22549@msuinfo.cl.msu.edu>
> dunham@studentd.cl.msu.edu (Steven B Dunham) writes:
> 
> >Hello,
> >I'm thinking of writing an emulator for the computer that I learned
> >on.  An 8080A machine called an `Interact', which was produced by a
> >Michigan based company.
> >
> >I was wondering if anyone knows where I can get some C or 68k source
> >for an emulator of the Intel 8080A.

How about a Commodore 64 Emulator? Is such a thing possible, or are the 
disks too different? I'd like to run Commodore software on my MS-DOS 
(don't laugh, I have to use it) machine.

--  "Xyzzy T. Plugh"                               mertwig!xyzzy@jaflrn.uucp
                     Amateur radio callsign pending
        Daniel Max P. Drucker, the 14 year old networks wizard.

"Difficulty! It's the single simplest machine in the entire Universe!" -HHGTTG
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
From: kodak@mentor.cc.purdue.edu (Jason Balicki (KodaK))
Subject: Re: ASSEMBLY LANGUAGE IBM
Organization: Purdue University Computing Center
Date: Mon, 16 Nov 1992 19:16:05 GMT

In article <16NOV92.12250000.0072@VM1.MCGILL.CA> IEGS@MUSICB.MCGILL.CA (IEGS) writes:
>HOW COULD YOU SOLVE THIS:
>DETERMINE HOW MANY MICRO-INSTRUCTIONS ARE REQUIRE TO PERFORM
>THE ASSEMBLY INSTRUCTIONS WITH OPERATION CODES FROM 0 TO 4.
>  WRITE A (MAC-1) ASSEMBLY IBM PROGRAM TO COMPUTE X = MIN(A,B)
>{IF (A<B) X=A ELSE X=B}
>PLEASE REPLY TO MC.BER

Since you posted it twice I have to ask:  Is this your homework?

If yes then: DO IT YOURSELF!!

If no then: Sorry, I don't know Intel. (I *THINK* you're talking about a PC)

--Jason Balicki
kodak@mentor.cc.purdue.edu
From: cchd@lucifer.latrobe.edu.au (Huw Davies)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Subject: Re: CM5 pic - terribly sorry gentlemen, it's a dud
Date: 19 Nov 92 03:23:02 GMT
Organization: La Trobe University

In article <andrew.722122473@daneel.rdt.monash.edu.au> andrew.moore@rdt.monash.edu.au writes:
>
>After my previous post someone (Hi Barry) pointed out to me that limiting
>the prints (by numbering etc) is pretty acceptable for other art (other
>drawings, photographs, etc) so just because the picture is of a
>Computer (was that a capital C ? :-) ) surely this does not exempt it
>from such protection.

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????

I too beg that noone posts something to the effect "I'll go look at my
real xyzzy...." otherwise I'll retort with "I'll go look at my PDP-8a" :-)
-- 
  Huw Davies           | Huw.Davies@latrobe.edu.au
  Computing Services   | Phone: +61 3 479 1500   Fax: +61 3 479 1999
  La Trobe University  | I own an Alfa to keep me poor in a monetary
  Melbourne Australia  | sense, but rich in so many other ways
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Subject: Re: Computer Superstition
From: andrewb@nezsdc.icl.co.nz (Andrew Bevin)
Date: Sun, 22 Nov 92 23:58:19 GMT
Organization: Fujitsu New Zealand

>In article <10292323.7317.11306@kcbbs.gen.nz>  writes:
>> We've all heard of common superstitions such as not walking under  
>ladders 
>> and throwing salt over your left shoulder if you spill some, but are 
>> there any superstitions to do with computers?

I had a Mac with the now infamous sticky 40 meg drive. The drive would 
occassionally stick when first started. A Apple engineer showed me how
to overcome the problem. It involved picking up the mac and giving it 
a sharp twist, at which point the disk would spin up and the mac would
start booting.

People were quite bemused when I had to demonstrate this before being able
to use the Mac.

-- 
Andrew Bevin      			                     andrewb@icl.co.nz
SDC, Fujitsu New Zealand                      ## I do not speak for Fujitsu! ##
Auckland, New Zealand   
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: kevind@pogo.wv.tek.com (Kevin Draz)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Subject: Re: QUESTION: What was the 1st computer game?
Date: 18 Nov 92 08:52:36 GMT
Organization: Tektronix, Inc., Wilsonville,  OR.

In article <1992Nov14.002401.10531@news.columbia.edu> lasner@watsun.cc.columbia.edu (Charles Lasner) writes:
>>
>>The Tektronix 405x series desktop micros (6800 based?) had a nice
>>spacewar type game (I've never seen the real spacewar so the similarity
>>is based on my interpretation of other people's description - several
>>levels of indirection there).  You didn't need to turn off the
>>persistence to make a usable game since the initial drawing was so much
>>brighter than the stored image.  The ships were just redrawn
>>continuously, making a bright image, and the stored afterimages left a
>>trail behind each ship.  The screen got a little cluttered after while,
>>but it wasn't distracting or anything. 
>>
>>Sam
>A crude approximation.
>
>Many people have discussed the shortcomings of video adaptations of games
>trivially written for D-A and scopes.  The tradeoffs are large, and
>all subtleties are destroyed.
>
>Video games move objects by display lists which have objects deleted, or
>possibly you use XOR logic to display planes to erase the object and then
>redraw a similar one at another position.  Any approach like this is crude
>compared to the truly random access X-Y coordinate system of an analog
>scope.


Charles, the 4050 computers essentialy used storage scopes as displays, and
were addressed through DA converters.  In fact, Tektronix developed DVST
(direct-view storage tubes) for 'scopes, and later used them as displays for
computers, because they could (and did) offer resolution up to 12 bits X & Y
without the need for the attendant refresh RAM. 

Vectors, ovals, etc. were drawn from point-to-point (directed beam, not
rastered), and using low-pass filters, were truly analog in appearance,
especially considering there were only 11" diagonally on which to map all
these bits of resolution.

In fact, you could recreate any image that a 'scope could display on a DVST
computer (though not necessarily in realtime, due to CPU limits those days).
But for a game with limited graphics requirements, as compared to real time
scope waveforms, the machine could do it.

I never saw the original spacewar, so I can't refute your label of this
implementation as a "crude approximation", but if so, it certainly isn't for
the reason of display capabilities.

KD
-- 
----
kevind@pogo.wv.tek.com  | For most software publishers, quality is job 1.01.
Tektronix Color Printers|                            -- MacWeek Magazine
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
From: peter@NeoSoft.com (Peter da Silva)
Subject: Re: Superstitions: power cycling, screen savers, surge suppressors
Organization: NeoSoft Communications Services -- (713) 684-5900
Date: Sun, 22 Nov 1992 15:42:05 GMT

In article <By3EGq.Ko6@world.std.com> dpbsmith@world.std.com (Daniel P. B. Smith) writes:
> Screen-savers. A very clever way of providing a market for display hacks.

I take it you've never used a monitor more than a few years old. I had
an ADM3A with ";login:" permanently burned into the phosphor, and we have
a bunch of monitors at work with ghostly images of login screens, editors,
and spreadsheets burned into the phosphor. That Emacs status line is very
distinctive.

> 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.

> Surge suppressors.  Again, I have to wonder why the manufacturers don't
> design them in;

Surge supressors are consumables. After they've suppressed a surge, they have
to be replaced.

> 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?

They're cheaper, and it's easier to get them fixed. Plus, you don't have as
much time invested in their current setup (software, configuration, and so
on). I've replaced at least one VCR that died due to a surge, and it was
pretty painless. What seems to get most hurt by glitches, though, are
telephones and modems.

> Personally, I don't futz with screen savers because I hate adding yet another
> layer of TSR-like software into my system.

Get a real operating system.
-- 
Peter da Silva.  <peter@sugar.neosoft.com>.
 `-_-'   Oletko halannut suttasi tnn?
  'U`    
Tarjoilija, tm ateria el viel.
From: pete@minster.york.ac.uk
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Subject: Re: Computer disguises (was Re: Jackpotting Vending Machines for Candy)
Date: 20 Nov 92 14:03:18 GMT
Organization: Department of Computer Science, University of York, England

Paul Tomblin (pt@geovision.gvc.com) wrote:
: 
: I remember when some product - I can't remember whether it was a Cobol
: compiler or a PC version of SPF (sorry - ISPF now-a-days) - came with a
: little sticker to replace the "IBM PC" sticker with one that said "IBM 370".

Actually I remember this being an advert for DBase III which had a little
cutout 370 label, because with DBase III your XT was ``as powerful as'' a
mainframe.

Oh how I long for the days when things were so innocent!

Alternatively you may be thinking of the PC/370 which was an incredible hack
which featured a card with a couple of microcoded 68000s emulating a 370 
running a single user version of CMS.... 

Pete
--
*Peter Fenelon -- Research Associate -- Software Safety Assessment Procedures*
Dept. of Computer Science, University of York, York, Y01 5DD (+44/0)904 433388
EMAIL: pete@minster.york.ac.uk `There's no room for enigmas in built up areas'
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
From: tlukka@lk-hp-8.hut.fi (Tuomas J. Lukka)
Subject: Re: base -2 arithmetic (was: Re: Trinary)
Organization: Helsinki University of Technology, Finland
Date: 16 Nov 92 15:32:57 GMT

In <1992Nov13.205443.19527@cubic.com> hees@cubic.com (Phil Hees) writes:

>pete@minster.york.ac.uk writes:
>>In article <3ug2TB6w165w@mertwig.UUCP> xyzzy@mertwig.UUCP (Daniel
>>Drucker) writes:
>>:    Daniel Max P. Drucker            | #define SLOGAN Hey! Lets port it to COBOL!
>>:    The 14 year old LISP/C++ genius. | Disclaimer: I don't know COBOL.
>>: 

>Daniel, you might want to tone your .sig down a bit.  There are quite
>a few _real_ geniuses reading this newsgroup, and they don't go around
       ^^^^^^
>flaunting it quite so openly.  Someone might ask you for proof.

How DO you define a _real_ genius, then?

>Besides, _Real_ geniuses know COBOL (even if they refuse to use it).

Is this really the definition? ;-)

	TJL
From: xyzzy@mertwig.UUCP (Daniel Drucker)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Subject: Re: Computer Superstition
Date: Sun, 22 Nov 92 09:36:23 EST
Organization: Odd Parity Hacker's Group

agc@bmdhh286.bnr.ca (Alan Carter) writes:

> In article <10292323.7317.11306@kcbbs.gen.nz>, Murray_Moffatt@kcbbs.gen.nz (M
> |> We've all heard of common superstitions such as not walking under ladders 
> |> and throwing salt over your left shoulder if you spill some, but are 
> |> there any superstitions to do with computers?
> |> 
> 
> How about the way that UNIX System Administrators type
> 
>    sync
>    sync
>    sync
> 
> at shutdown time, when one sync would be quite enough? When questioned 
> they sometimes give the lame excuse that this gives the first one time 
> to work! I was taught to do this, and still do, even though I have 
> figured it out for myself that it is nonsense.

Say it four times and the beast re-awakens.

--  "Xyzzy T. Plugh"                               mertwig!xyzzy@jaflrn.uucp
                     Amateur radio callsign pending
        Daniel Max P. Drucker, the 14 year old networks wizard.

"Difficulty! It's the single simplest machine in the entire Universe!" -HHGTTG
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
From: mcovingt@aisun3.ai.uga.edu (Michael Covington)
Subject: Workstations; was: Re: Value of a PDP-11,VAX-11/750?
Organization: AI Programs, University of Georgia, Athens
Date: Thu, 19 Nov 1992 05:16:43 GMT

In article <1992Nov16.181644.3861@mnemosyne.cs.du.edu> bwatson@nyx.cs.du.edu (bruce watson) writes:
>In 1970 a basic PDP-11 went for US$10800.

Same as a generously configured Sparcstation today.

A workstation or lab computer = whatever 10 kilodollars will buy at time T.


-- 
:-  Michael A. Covington     internet mcovingt@uga.cc.uga.edu 
:-  Artificial Intelligence Programs       phone 706 542-0358
:-  The University of Georgia                fax 706 542-0349
:-  Athens, Georgia 30602-7415 U.S.A.     amateur radio N4TMI
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
From: rogerj@aix.rpi.edu (Diversion (Jeff Rogers))
Subject: Re: sync; sync; sync; was Re: Computer Superstition
Date: Mon, 23 Nov 1992 10:13:17 GMT

thecure@mullian.ee.mu.OZ.AU (matthew aardvarkious) writes:

>dagbrown@napier.uwaterloo.ca (Dave Brown) writes:

>>In article <1992Nov19.134510.16559@uvm.edu> wollman@sadye (Garrett Wollman) writes:
>>>Or today's modern operating systems which know to sync their disks
>>>before rebooting or halting.  From reboot(1):
>>                                          ^^^ Cool!  I want an account
>>on a computer where any user can invoke reboot....

>>;-)

>Some of the early machines had a command called crash(1).

Some still do. On the Sun IPC's here, crashme (available from a variety of
places, none of which I can think of - probably comp.sources.unix archives
or something similar) works nicely (with the proper parameters). Or it used 
to, I'm not sure if it still does. I haven't tried it in a while. 

>The logic was, that if you took away the challenge of crashing the machine,
>then people wouldn't bother. It worked until people started using
>computers that they knew nothing about. 

I'm not too sure if this still holds... (well, I guess figuring out what
parameters to use was a challenge ;-)

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: PDP ftp archive
Date: 23 Nov 1992 14:30:52 GMT
Organization: University of Michigan, CITI
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: sinshan.citi.umich.edu

In article <1992Nov22.114337.15485@news.columbia.edu> lasner@watsun.cc.columbia.edu (Charles Lasner) writes:
>
>But the -20 *is* a -10.  What's the difference between a KL-10 and the
>high-end -20, the color of the cabinet?  Yes, you don't run TOPS-20 on
>a KA-10, but a KL can be called anything you want.  The point is that model
>numbers can be muddled, and clearly marketroids are the source of the
>muddling.  Calling them all -10's would've been fine, but...
>
Not quite; there were microcode differences as well.  While you could
buy a KL-10 either way, the smaller KS-10 was on;y sold as a 20
(marketing and engineering didn't talk to each other then either, I
guess) although some customers built 10 microcode for the KS as well.




(Sarr Blumson)
From: jeffrey@cygnus.com (Jeffrey Osier)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Subject: Long gone geeking
Date: 17 Nov 92 10:30:05 GMT
Reply-To: jeffrey@cygnus.com
Organization: Cygnus Support, Mountain View, CA; Phone +1 415 903 1400


The following are tidbits from a conversation I had with a friend once
about who had been geeking longer.  I think he won.
--------------------------------------------------------
I've been geeking since fur was in fashion and democrats were
president.

I've been a hardcore geek since before PacMan was as popular as
Madonna is now.

I've been geeking since the first geek (a friend of mine) clubbed his
girlfriend over the head with his pocket slide rule and dragged her
off into his cave.

I started geeking when we had to play PONG with rocks.  As a
"programmer", I was responsible for standing on the sidelines and
yelling out instructions:

10 ROCK bob, phil 
20 YELL ouch, phil 
30 MOVE phil, bob's side 
40 HIT  phil, bob 
50 CALL ambulance;

You see?  Things were much more difficult then.

   _  _   _  _
  / \/@\_/@\/ \		Jeffrey Osier, Cygnus Support
  \ (`-----') /		in lieu of a .signature, I submit this frog
  _ /\ ___ /\ _
      U   U

--
   _    			    __
  / \   			   /  \
 /   |  			  /    \      o
 |   |  			  |    |                 
 \   / /\  /  /  /\   /\ \  / 	  \    /  /\  |   /\  /\
  \_/ (/__/__/__/ /__(/___\/       \__/  /__)_/__(/__/ /___'
   /     /\ /\           /
  /     / // /          /		Cygnus Support
_/      \/ \/        __/		1937 Landings Drive
					Mountain View, CA  94043
Ah, for just one time I would take	415 903 1400, 415 903 0122 (fax)
the Northwest Passage, to find the	jeffrey@cygnus.com
hand of Franklin reaching for the Beaufort Sea....
From: sarr@sinshan.citi.umich.edu (Sarr J. Blumson)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Subject: Re: Computer Superstition
Date: 19 Nov 1992 22:15:20 GMT
Organization: University of Michigan, CITI
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: sinshan.citi.umich.edu

>article <10292323.7317.11306@kcbbs.gen.nz>, Murray_Moffatt@kcbbs.gen.nz (Murray Moffatt) writes:
>We've all heard of common superstitions such as not walking under ladders 
> and throwing salt over your left shoulder if you spill some, but are 
> there any superstitions to do with computers?

Many years ago Dartmouth College had a GE-235 (part of the original
GE-265 time sharing system) with what we now know to have been the
card reader from hell.  On the system maintenance panel was a switch
labeled "Inhibit resync" which, when set, made the clock which sampled
card columns free run rather than re syncing om every column.  It was
"well known" that if you started getting errors on the reader you
shoul open the panel and change the position of this switch.  It
didn't matter what position it was currently in, just switch it and
the reader would get better.

It worked, too.



(Sarr Blumson)
From: john@gu.uwa.edu.au (John West)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Subject: Re: Superstitions: power cycling, screen savers, surge suppressors
Date: 23 Nov 1992 03:15:21 GMT
Organization: The University of Western Australia
NNTP-Posting-Host: mackerel.gu.uwa.edu.au

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 
>NECESSARY why aren't they designed into the hardware? I've seen a classic
>(1984, monochrome) Mac that was essentially left on 24 hours a day for years,
>and the menu bar had darkened just a bit -- but it didn't matter when the
>menu bar was being DISPLAYED in normal use.

They are essential. We've got a monitor (monochrome) that was used for a
couple of years as the display on our BBS box. You can still see the 'I'm
waiting for a connection' screen.
Perhaps someone should mention the Atari games that went into colour cycling
mode if left alone too long.

>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?

Because when a CD player gets hit, it goes 'BLUUURRP', and stops playing. You
then press the 'Play' button again. When your computer gets hit, you lose your
data/program/whatever it is that you don't want to lose. They don't design them
in because they are too expensive, and most people don't need them.

John West
--
For the humour impaired: Insert a :-) after every third word
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers,alt.sys.pdp8
From: mm459504@longs.lance.colostate.edu
Subject: Any need for a Ti-994a?
Date: Tue, 17 Nov 1992 23:47:07 GMT
Organization: My Computer! Mine! Mine!


I've got a Ti-99/4a I use as a dust collector, paid $350.00 for it in May of '84
It sold in August  of '84 for about $50.00 when Ti stopped making it.

It never held the same interest after I got OOP working in it's ROM-Basic.

It was kind of neat tho' When you loaded programs off tape, you could hear it
throught the TV speaker. (Obviously by the time a program loaded however, you're
eyes had already been irradiated out of your head)


Mike
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
From: quirk@pioneer.unm.edu (Gym Z. Quirk)
Subject: Re: Superstition
Date: Sun, 22 Nov 92 04:59:39 GMT
Organization: Nit-Pickers for a Better Tomorow Afternoon

[Captain!  Sensors indicate the presence of a line ea...{*munch* *burp!*} ]

In article <By1ppx.G85@NeoSoft.com> peter@NeoSoft.com (Peter da Silva) writes:
>Nobody mentioned the line eater yet? Amazing!

Just a matter of time. ;-)

-- 
Capt. Gym Z. Quirk  (Known to some as Taki Kogoma)  quirk@pioneer.unm.edu
 I'll get a life when someone demonstrates that it would be superior to
                          what I have now...
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers,alt.fan.spinal-tap