From: jeq@i88.isc.com (Jonathan E. Quist)
Subject: Re: What I've got and what I'd like to have
Organization: INTERACTIVE Systems Corporation, Naperville, IL
Date: Wed, 18 Nov 1992 19:47:20 GMT

In article <1992Nov18.165758.6984@mr.med.ge.com> scafati@incoming.med.ge.com (Victor-charles Scafati 4-6784 MR Srv) writes:
>In article <1992Nov18.041602.20897@vpnet.chi.il.us>, cgordon@vpnet.chi.il.us (gordon hlavenka) writes:
>|>  scafati@incoming.med.ge.com (Victor-charles Scafati 4-6784 MR Srv) writes:
>|> >"REAL MEN" (and real women) don't use paper tape.  They use front panels.
>|> 
>|> Ah, yes...  I remember the contests we used to have, seeing who could
>|> toggle in the RIM loader the fastest.  (That's probably one of the
>|> reasons I need new switch handles :-)  I don't remember the record
>|> time, but I used to be about average -- I'll time myself and see what
>|> it comes out to.
>|> 
>|> -- 
>|> ----------------------------------------------------
>|> Gordon S. Hlavenka           cgordon@vpnet.chi.il.us
>|> Vote straight ticket Procrastination party Dec. 3rd!
>
>Ah yes, 6016, 6011, 5027, 6016....  We used to compete on a PDP8/I which
>had the smooth rocker switches rather than the toggle type.  The rockers
>were far superior-  you could kind of "flow" down the switches rather
>than flick up or down.  I have a PDP8/L, but I'd really like an PDP8/I
>someday

Yep - the 8/I was my favorite, even at the expense of a slightly slower
instruction time than the other machines in the lab.  (Someone had added
pots to the system clocks - a couple times a year during PM they'd
tune the clock speed up as fast as the processor could handle it, then back
off a few percent.)  Aside from the rocker switches, my favorite part
was the full register display - made debugging that much easier.

RIM loader?  We never had to do that...  Just toggle in the network
bootstrap, then 7600, Load Address, Go.

All the PDP-8's I worked with were on a star network, with a pair
("Network Central") at the hub running the disks.  Years before anyone
thought up the term "file server".

And, of course, the first thing that the OS did when it booted was to
load the bootstrap into all available extended memory - if you only had
a minor crash, you could just select an alternate segment and boot
from there.

Question:  Was the network part of a standard OS, or was it just
something developed at Northwestern?  (The hardware looked homemade.
As I recall, it was a 40kword/sec network - add to that CRT terminals,
instead of the usual ASR's - pretty nifty.  Not to mention the system
with extra hardware for doing 4-channel realtime music synthesis, or
the one with the vectorscope display that did "Asteroids" years before
the game hit the arcades...)

My nomination for PDP-8.godhood:  Mr. Rich Karhuse.  Formerly head of
the Northwestern CS Research Lab; last I heard, working for Bell Labs.
I heard stories from several reliable sources that, upon discovering
a bug in the network central systems, he would halt the machines from
the front panel, toggle in the changes in memory and AC/L, then continue.
(And then, of course, document the fix... :')  From talking with him
on numerous occaisions, I have no reason to doubt the stories.
Rich, if you're out there, many thanks.  The environment you provided
was one of the single greatest influences on my professional skills.

These kids today just don't know what they're missing.
-- 
Jonathan E. Quist                              INTERACTIVE Systems Corporation
jeq@i88.isc.com  '71 CL450-K4 "Gleep", DoD #094        Naperville, IL
        There are many things a person should experience in a lifetime.
       Among them are an infant's first cry, and an infant's first laugh.