HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: ALAN@VM1.McGill.CA (Alan Greenberg)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Subject: Re: ASSEMBLY LANGUAGE IBM
Date: 21 Nov 92 16:00:42 GMT
Organization: McGill University

In article <1992Nov21.003148.16636@leland.Stanford.EDU>
alderson@elaine46.Stanford.EDU (Rich Alderson) writes:
 
>They were microprogrammed.  That doesn't mean that there was microcode.
                             ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>
>For example, on the 360/50, the microprogram was stored in blown fuses; I think
>the 360/40 used ferrite cores--just like main memory.  As I recall, only the
>360/44 used a writable control store.
>
>(Some of this is from hazy memory--the book is in a storage locker.  Shamir
>Husson was the author's name, I think.  Something like that, anyway.  I read it
 Microcode is microcode, regardless of the technology used to store it!
 
 The 360/50, 65 and 67 used a read-only memory consisting of copper
 lines etched on glass plates.  Where the lines on the front and back
 were near each other, the capacitance was higher differentiating
 between 0s and 1s.  It was called CROS for Capacitive Read Only Storage.
 
 On the 360/40, I recall they used TROS.  The T was for Transformer
 (or close).  The storage consisted of mylar strips with copper lines
 on them.  Every 1/2 inch or so, the foil pattern formed a square.
 Something like this.
  ----[]--[]--[]--[]--[]----
 There were holes cut out in the squares and the strips all slipped
 over a buch of rods which acted as transformer cores.  To program
 the bits, a little paper punch was used to break the square pattern
 on the top or bottom.  The current would thus go around the core
 in a clockwise or counter-clockwise direction (depending on where
 you punched the whole.  This would induce a current in a pickup
 at the bottom of the mylar ribbon stack, and the direction of the
 current would indicate a zero or one.  TROS was also used on a number
 of microprogrammed disk controllers and other devices.
 
 On the model 360/30, they used things that looked like punch cards,
 and were in fact programmed on card-punches.  I don't remember the
 exact technology, but the cards were complex sandwiches and perhaps
 punching a whole actually severed a connection inside.
 
 All in all, pretty primitive by today's standards, but innovative
 in the early 1960s.
 
 I seem to recall that the 370/145 (late 1960s?) was the first IBM
 machine to use writable memory for microcode.  The code was shipped
 on a brand new type of media - an 8 inch flexible disk!  All IBM
 disk units of that era had numeric designations of 33nn (such as
 3330, 3340, 3350).  The drive to read the flexible disk was
 appropriately enough called the 33FD.  In the field, it was
 quickly called a "floppy" disk instead of a "flexible" disk and
 the rest is history.
 
 Alan
From: dik@cwi.nl (Dik T. Winter)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Subject: Re: Superstition
Date: 22 Nov 92 17:33:16 GMT
Organization: CWI, Amsterdam


 Amazing:

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

 somebody remembers line eaters!
-- 
dik t. winter, cwi, kruislaan 413, 1098 sj  amsterdam, nederland
home: bovenover 215, 1025 jn  amsterdam, nederland; e-mail: dik@cwi.nl
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
From: Jay.Ashworth@f8649.n3603.z1.FIDONET.ORG (Jay Ashworth)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Subject: Re: Computer Superstition
Date: Sun, 22 Nov 92 18:50:02 PDT
Organization: FidoNet node 1:3603/8649

Murray Moffatt, to All on 20 Nov 92:

 MM> We've all heard of common superstitions such as not walking under
 MM> ladders and throwing salt over your left shoulder if you spill some, but
 MM> are there any superstitions to do with computers?

Yup.

Face east when aligning color monitors.

Cheers,
-- jra
Ashworth & Associates * jra%acorn@tct.com * jra@psycho.fidonet.org

--  
Internet: Jay.Ashworth@f8649.n3603.z1.FIDONET.ORG
UUCP:     ...!myrddin!tct!mechanic!8649!Jay.Ashworth
Note: Mechanic is a free gateway between USENET & FIdonet.
      For information write to chief@mechanic.fidonet.org

Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
From: geertr@sci.kun.nl (Geert Rolf)
Subject: RSX-11 console light-show / HOW?
Summary: are RSX-11m console lights moved using RESET instruction?
Keywords: rsx-11m, console lights, implementation
Organization: University of Nijmegen, The Netherlands
Date: Fri, 20 Nov 1992 13:05:45 GMT

On old PDPs, those with real console lights *), the RSX-M operating
system privides an option for an idle job that plays around
with the console lights.

Apart from being nice to see, you can also watch the machine
going under load.

As far as I know, you can use a RESET instruction to get a
pattern visible on the console lights. Ie: store pattern in
177570 and do the RESET.

However, I cannot imagine the RSX-11 idle job keeps doing
RESET all the time!! (and reinitialise all devices after that)

So, how is it implemented??

Anyone, who knows how its implemented? /* How far does this
message get behind pa.enet.dec.com (=gateway between DEC's
own EASYNET and USENET) anyway?? */
Though RSX-11 gurus may be outside of DEC aswell!

I think, more people will be interested, so if you please,
post the answer.

	Thanks -- Geert

*) Ie 11/20, /40, /45, /70; not the /10 as it shares data/address lights
---------------------
Geert Rolf       Informatische Chemie & Fysica         Univ. of Nijmegen.
geertr@{sci,tvs}.kun.nl / phone@desk: 080-653034 / phone@home: 08872-3125
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
From: mdw@theory.TC.Cornell.EDU (Matt Welsh)
Subject: Jackpotting Vending Machines for Candy (was Re: Jackpotting ATM's for $$$$)
Organization: Cornell Theory Center
Date: Thu, 19 Nov 1992 06:15:16 GMT

In article <739.2B0A0AF3@mechanic.Fidonet.org> Jay.Ashworth@f8649.n3603.z1.FIDONET.ORG (Jay Ashworth) writes:
>Brent, to All on 16 Nov 92:
>> [ About ATM's internal workings... ]
>
>Interesting.  You've programmed one?

Well, I've programmed a candy machine. High tech, I know. I discovered a
candy vending machine once with the door ajar (all of the goodies had long
since been looted by passing hoodlums), but on the inside was a little
control panel for setting the prices for each item, and some other interesting
stuff. 

There wasn't much in the way of instructions there, but after tinkering
for a bit I was able to set the prices on each slot... I set the slots for the
yummy stuff (i.e. M&M's) to the lowest price, which was 5 cents, and the
slots for the cruddy stuff (potato chips) to the highest price ($15.00). 

I was hoping that the vending machine guy wouild come back and fill up
the thing without checking the prices. No such luck. "Gee, 15 bucks for
a bag of Ruffles, that's steep."

I also stole one of the plastic price labels from the inside of the machine
for $.55, and taped it to my bitty box at home (looks like a miniature
Coke machine, anyway...)

mdw

-- 
Matt Welsh    mdw@tc.cornell.edu        +1 607 253 2737
Systems Programmer, Cornell Theory Center
  "We're going away now. I fed the cat."
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
From: stevev@miser.uoregon.edu (Steve VanDevender)
Subject: Re: World's Toughest Computers
Organization: University of Oregon Chemistry Stores
Date: 20 Nov 92 00:29:43

In article <BxzED5.B0H@world.std.com> dp@world.std.com (Jeff DelPapa) writes:

   This may be UL, but I am told that mid 70's HP minicomputers got a 4
   foot drop test, DISKS SPINNING. Certainly any mil spec computer would
   have to withstand a drop at least as severe as out of a truck,
   otherwise they wouldn't be able to airdrop them.

If you count HP calculators as computers (certainly the recent
ones, which come with 32K bytes of memory and expand to 288K,
ought to) then I have been told by HP employees who have worked
at the Corvallis division that HP calculators are:

* Dropped 5 feet onto concrete

* Placed on a "shaker table" that subjects them to rapid
back-and-forth shaking at high amplitude and acceleration

* Exposed to N,000 volt elctrostatic discharge

The ones that survive get shipped.

I've never abused my calculators quite that much, but I will
occasionally make the point that HP equipment is tough by
dropping my HP 48 on the floor nonchalantly.

These tests probably also apply to the HP 95LX, a pocket DOS box.

I wouldn't be at all surprised if their other computer equipment
is drop-tested.  I have heard that their hard disk drives are.
--
Steve VanDevender 	stevev@greylady.uoregon.edu
"Bipedalism--an unrecognized disease affecting over 99% of the population.
Symptoms include lack of traffic sense, slow rate of travel, and the
classic, easily recognized behavior known as walking."
From: avg@rodan.UU.NET (Vadim Antonov)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Subject: Re: World's Toughest Computers
Date: 19 Nov 1992 19:29:33 -0500
Organization: UUNET Technologies Inc, Falls Church, VA
NNTP-Posting-Host: rodan.uu.net

In article <1992Nov19.190739.18948@rchland.ibm.com> jdahl@rchland.vnet.ibm.com (Jared Dahl) writes:
>Which computers do you consider the most rugged?  Why?
>What are some stories that you have heard about them?

There was a BESM-6 in NII (Scientific and Research Inrtitute) 
"Delta" installed right under the IC shop. Someday a pipe with
fluoric acid (? -- HF) burst and the concentrated acid poured
all over CPU and memory. Somehow the machine was revived soon.

I saw a machine drowned in sewage. Somehow nobody put hands on
it to clean up and repair, though it is understandable :-)

Another horror story -- i worked in an institute which had
Nairi 3.2; this machine was actually sawed in tho halves by
a cargo team because it was the only way to move it into
building! After connecting wires back and securing cabinet rails
it worked. The same intitute had a couple of SM-4 machines
(aka PDP-11/40) which worked routinely when the temeprature was
over 35 degrees C (110 F) because of faulty air conditioners.
Curiously, we had two VTA-2000 displays in the machine room --
one made in Cuba, another in Lithuania. Guess what -- the
Cuban one died everytime when it got hotter than 25 C (80 F).
I thought they have warmer weather in Cuba ;-)

The (un)popular CRT display (7920) for ES Ryad 1 and 2 machines
(aka IBM/360 and IBM/370) has a "military" option which basically
was a half-inch armor all around the device, thick metallic net
ovet the screen and armored cover for keyboard (like on piano).
It was rumored to be able to survive a direct hit by a round of
AK-47 bullets.

The Chernobyl controlling computer Skala continued to work and
register data until the machine room was filled with radioactive
water.

I saw a microVAX II which was dropped from a truck. It worked
right after it was connected.

Beat it :-)

--vadim
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
From: mdw@theory.TC.Cornell.EDU (Matt Welsh)
Subject: Re: Computer Superstition
Organization: Cornell Theory Center
Date: Wed, 18 Nov 1992 15:31:33 GMT

In 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?

Yes, that if you admit to using MS-DOS you'll grow hair on your palms and
go blind. Seen it happen to a guy before, once... not a pretty sight.

mdw

-- 
Matt Welsh    mdw@tc.cornell.edu        +1 607 253 2737
Systems Programmer, Cornell Theory Center
  "We're going away now. I fed the cat."
From: ags@seaman.cc.purdue.edu (Dave Seaman)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Subject: Re: Computer Superstition
Date: 19 Nov 92 19:43:16 GMT
Organization: Purdue University

In article <1992Nov19.174914.28632@osf.org> dbrooks@osf.org (David Brooks)  
writes:
> I may be the only one to do this, but I sometimes bang on the Return key  
a
> few times when I want something to hurry up (that is if the Return will  
be
> harmless when eventually read).  This goes back to the days of using an  
OS
> (Primos?) that gives you scheduling preference when it sees a CR.

I have observed that it seems to help to jiggle the mouse on a NeXT  
(particularly when using NewsGrazer). More than once I have seen the  
system sit quietly and unsresponsively for an extended period while the  
mouse is motionless, but as soon as I move it a little (without even  
clicking), things start happening. Theoretically, this shouldn't happen on  
a NeXT.

--
Dave Seaman
ags@seaman.cc.purdue.edu
From: rebill01@ulkyvx.louisville.edu (Russell E. Billings)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Subject: Re: IBM and 3
Date: 22 Nov 92 03:03:41 GMT
Organization: University of Louisville

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)

Disk Drives:  3380 and 3390s

The big number right now is the 85xx line.  Take a look at any PS/2 and you
will see 8550 (mod50), 8580 (mod80), 8514 (16" XGA Monitor) and so on.  Also,
take a close look at any IBM Proprinter, and you will see 420x.

I would bet that PropI, II, and III seriously outnumber the 3xxx products.

Russell
--
  Russell E. Billings   -   Graduate Student   -   University of Louisville
  BITNET : rebill01@ulkyvx.bitnet  UUCP : ...!psuvax1!rebill01@ulkyvx.bitnet
"You can choose a ready guide in some Celestial Voice,
   If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice!"  - Rush
From: matthews@oberon.umd.edu (Mike Matthews)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Subject: Re: Computer Superstition
Date: 20 Nov 92 00:08:26 GMT
Organization: /etc/organization

In article <1992Nov18.123436.25443@news.columbia.edu> lasner@watsun.cc.columbia.edu (Charles Lasner) writes:
>Never ever use a unix-based computer; it is ultimately fatal; there are no
>known exceptions.

Whaddya mean there are no known exceptions?  There's a whole list of 'em
somewhere in /usr/include...

>cjl
------
Mike Matthews, matthews@oberon.umd.edu (NeXTmail accepted)
------
When the government bureau's remedies do not match your problem, you
modify the problem, not the remedy.



Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
From: agc@bmdhh286.bnr.ca (Alan Carter)
Subject: Re: Computer Superstition
Organization: BNR-Europe-Limited, Maidenhead, England
Date: Wed, 18 Nov 1992 13:25:07 GMT

In 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?
|> 

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.

   Alan

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To arrive at the simplest truth, as Newton knew and practised, requires years
of contemplation. Not activity. Not reasoning. Not calculating. Not busy 
behaviour of any kind. Not reading. Not talking. Not making an effort. Simply 
bearing in mind what it is one needs to know.

   George Spencer-Brown, Laws of Form
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From: silk@mcl.ucsb.edu (ken mencher)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Subject: Re: World's Toughest Computers
Date: 20 Nov 92 20:36:05 GMT

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....

Of course, my parents didn't know that magnetic fields have fun effects on
computers, and had it sitting next to the microwave for a while...they
always did wonder why their disks kept getting erased.

Of course, coming home from school once and finding the computer buried
under two inches of dust (with the cover gone, no less) and being bored,
and having two other computers to play with, I just turned it on...I had to
clean off the scorch marks, the dust being not that packed, so it just went
"Whoom!!!" and no damage...

ken mencher
ex-owner of the Franklin Ace-1000  (go ahead, shoot it!)
silk@mcl.mcl.ucsb.edu
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers,rec.humor,alt.cascade,alt.best.of.internet
From: friar@spock.uucp (Tom Walcott)
Subject: Re: Help with XMS mailer on my Game-Boy?
Organization: Choate Rosemary Hall
Date: Mon, 16 Nov 1992 20:55:38 GMT

In article <1992Nov15.125228.9264@black.ox.ac.uk> microsoc@black.ox.ac.uk (Marc B.A. Read) writes:
>[Enormous cascade deleted]
>
>One was very funny... but does this _have_ to be crossposted to
>alt.best.of.internet so regularly?
>
>Yours (hoping not to be labelled a spoilsport),

Of course it does.  Best cascade on internet.

Friar
-- 
    "Silence isn't golden if I'm holdin' it inside."
                           --- W. Axl Rose

friar@choate.edu
From: matthews@oberon.umd.edu (Mike Matthews)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Subject: Re: CM5 pic - terribly sorry gentlemen, it's a dud
Date: 20 Nov 92 00:10:51 GMT
Organization: /etc/organization

While I think it's pretty bad that we can't even get a scanned picture of the
poster, I can understand the reasoning behind it.

Those few lucky sumb*tches :-) who have one have a very valuable, rare poster
-- that's what the company wanted.  Selling more, or worse yet - scanning it
for unlimited distribution, devalues the Real McCoys.

They obviously wanted to keep the value high.

Now, if they'd make *another* poster.....
------
Mike Matthews, matthews@oberon.umd.edu (NeXTmail accepted)
------
I will never lie to you.

Xref: sparky alt.folklore.computers:16505 sci.math:15297 rec.antiques:1575
From: pcl@oxford.ac.uk (Paul Leyland)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers,sci.math,rec.antiques
Subject: Re: Swedish Adding Machine -- Help Wanted
Date: 20 Nov 92 15:06:55 GMT
Organization: Oxford University Computing Service, 13 Banbury Rd, Oxford, OX2
	6NN
In-reply-to: pcl@oxford.ac.uk's message of 20 Nov 92 14:56:4

In article <PCL.92Nov20145646@black.oxford.ac.uk> pcl@oxford.ac.uk (Paul Leyland) writes:
  (Really Magnus Olsson <magnus@thep.lu.se> ) writes:

   In article <PCL.92Nov19174841@black.oxford.ac.uk> pcl@oxford.ac.uk (Paul Leyland) writes:

   >Last weekend, I acquired a wind-up mechanical adding machine.  

   "Wind-up" is perhaps not the best description, as it's not driven by a
   clockwork! For those who've never seen such a beast: it represents

"Wind-up" was chosen to distinguish it from the motor-driven versions.
It is operated by winding a hand-crank.  I should perhaps have called
it a "hand-cranked mechanical adding machine".

   From my childhood in the seventies I remember seeing these machines
   everywhere - offices, post offices, etc. The hand-cranked models were
   sold right until the end. The original models (late 19th century) had
   a set of levers for setting the registers; later models (mid 20th
   century) had a keyboard. Still later models had an electric motor
   instead of the hand crank. The most expensive models also had an
   electromechanical printer, and a "microprogram" for doing division. I
   remember typing in the division 0 / 0 on one of these beast, to see it
   chug away happily in an infinite loop. 

My model has the set of levers moving in slots to set the register.
So it looks like mine was designed many decades ago, but I stand by my
estimate (for the moment) of its manufacture date, based on its
physical condition, and the materials used.  There's a sliding
pointer, for instance, made of some plastic which looks like nylon.
The name plate is glued into position with something rather like epoxy
resin.

Paul

--
Paul Leyland <pcl@oxford.ac.uk>          | Hanging on in quiet desperation is
Oxford University Computing Service      |     the English way.
13 Banbury Road, Oxford, OX2 6NN, UK     | The time is come, the song is over.
Tel: +44-865-273200  Fax: +44-865-273275 | Thought I'd something more to say.
From: azog@spatula.rent.com (Billy D'Augustine)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers
Subject: Re: ASSEMBLY LANGUAGE IBM
Date: 22 Nov 92 03:21:32 GMT
Organization: A kitchen utensil somewhere in central New Jersey

In article <30546@nntp_server.ems.cdc.com> tbruseha@hollywood.ems.cdc.com (Tom Brusehaver) writes:
>In article <1992Nov19.230823.9763@spatula.rent.com> azog@spatula.rent.com (Billy D'Augustine) writes:
>
[ much blathering by myself deleted ]
>Did you really get rid of it, or did you just replace the physical
>unit (card reader/punch) with something else?  Arent most devices
>attatched to a 360 class mainframe (or sorry 390) through SNA still
>considered card readers and punchers (I haven't actually messed with
>VSE, only MVS)?
>

Well, for the longest time, the actual reference to the card reader
(2901? forget), was removed the system startup (a DEFINE card), but
the physcial machine sat around for a few months. When we got rid of it,
we rewired channel 0 (where the cardreader and printers usually live, 
due to being such slow I/O devices). Now we have 020 as a 3422 mag reel
drive, and 00E as a 4245 printer. Now, think about this addressing just
a little bit. What do you think will happen when you fire up a nice
tape sort on 020? The printer stops...

Anyways, things are still refered to as cards (and devices are 
card readers and punches). You can still see this when you 
start things up, virtual card readers and all that. ICCF (the
development system) cannot handle anything but card images, even
tho its a real file. Columns 72 thru 80 are totally unaccessable, and
used for special editing tasks (and dont start me on the ICCF editor,
the most horrid thing I ever saw)...

I could go on for hours about the badness of things. Here is something
to ponder on... All the password files (for CICS) are text files sitting
somewhere on the system. To add a new password, you have to assemble this
text file into a phase (IBMs name for an executable). The originating
text file is in no way encrypted or protected. On that same vein, a 
user simply cannot change his password by himself. 

-- 
Billy D'Augustine azog@spatula.rent.com

No lord shall stand before myself.
Xref: sparky alt.folklore.computers:16375 alt.folklore.urban:28948