Re: History
On Fri, 26 Jun 2020 at 01:37, Fred Cisin via cctalk wrote: > > https://xkcd.com/2324/ > > > As accurate as most other versions of history. Finally I know where "pull request" comes from
Re: IDE Hard Drive Question
You'll look for pins on the board to instruct the drives which will be reading and which will be writing. That is my guess. Both need to work and have empty space. Probably the machine booted directly from some type of PXE, but maybe not. This gives you a hint: https://w2hx.com/x/SAIC%20V2LC/20200124_094105.jpg It must power up, that is a good sign. Good luck. On Thu, Jun 25, 2020 at 4:13 PM Jon Elson via cctech wrote: > On 06/25/2020 05:29 PM, W2HX via cctech wrote: > > Does ANYONE have any idea what these 4 wires are connected to and why? > And anyone give any odds about whether these 4 wires will prevent this > IDE-SD converter from working? > > > > > Temperature sensor and heater. Undoubtedly for start-up in > extreme cold conditions. > > Jon >
Re: IDE Hard Drive Question
On 06/25/2020 05:29 PM, W2HX via cctech wrote: Does ANYONE have any idea what these 4 wires are connected to and why? And anyone give any odds about whether these 4 wires will prevent this IDE-SD converter from working? Temperature sensor and heater. Undoubtedly for start-up in extreme cold conditions. Jon
IDE Hard Drive Question
Hi friends, Sorry for the long email that follows: I am working with an old military PC model SAIC V2LC. The PC is a 486 and is from around 1992 give or take a couple of years. Probably 1995 latest. The computer has one 3.5" floppy and a removable IDE hard drive in a removable carrier. It also seems to have a SCSI controller, but I would have to see what that is all about as the BIOS does not show anything about that so it may require a driver that I may be unlikely to find. Some pictures: https://w2hx.com/x/SAIC%20V2LC/1.JPG https://w2hx.com/x/SAIC%20V2LC/7.JPG https://w2hx.com/x/SAIC%20V2LC/9.JPG https://w2hx.com/x/SAIC%20V2LC/10.JPG IDE HD and carrier, the hard drive in the carrier is a Conner CFS540A: https://w2hx.com/x/SAIC%20V2LC/20200124_094111.jpg https://w2hx.com/x/SAIC%20V2LC/20200124_094131.jpg https://w2hx.com/x/SAIC%20V2LC/20200124_094115.jpg https://w2hx.com/x/SAIC%20V2LC/20200124_094118.jpg https://w2hx.com/x/SAIC%20V2LC/20200124_094105.jpg I purchased this SD-IDE converter to replace the failing (failed) hard drive. I got a 40 pin converter because I saw that the conner CFS540A uses 40 pins. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07G29TZPS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I received the converter and went to remove the hard drive from the carrier and saw something surprising. It appears that 4 wires from the computer are connected not to the 40 pin IDE connector, but directly to the hard drive in the center piece (is this the motor? Voice coil? I don't know). https://w2hx.com/x/SAIC%20V2LC/0625201552.jpg https://w2hx.com/x/SAIC%20V2LC/0625201605.jpg Does ANYONE have any idea what these 4 wires are connected to and why? And anyone give any odds about whether these 4 wires will prevent this IDE-SD converter from working? Any and all suggestions/advice welcome. 73 Eugene W2HX
Re: Early 3M Computer Tape Type Numbers
> On Jun 25, 2020, at 5:14 PM, Chuck Guzis via cctalk > wrote: > > On 6/25/20 1:55 PM, Tom Gardner via cctalk wrote: >> I'm trying to figure out what were the earliest Type numbers for 3M ½-inch >> reel-to-reel computer tape >> >> As best I can find, 3M began marketing a Type 777 computer tape about 1967. >> The Type 700 appears to be somewhat later. But 3M sold computer tape >> directly to at least government customers (e.g. NSA, Social Security) in the >> 1950s. The also notably OEMed tape to IBM who rebranded it under an IBM >> label until the late 1960s at which point with the help of Sony IBM began >> manufacturing its own computer tape. >> >> Anyone have any idea of the Type number for 3M computer tapes earlier than >> Type 777? >> >> There might be a place for some of these older Types at the CHM if anyone >> knows of any still in existence. >> >> Tom >> >> PS: There is a lot of information on 3M audio tape Type numbers as at >> http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/3mtape/aorprod-cust.pdf but computer tape >> seems to be an orphan > I probably do--but I'm going to have to look through my logs. Old 3M > tape is terrible for binder that sticks to everything. Before > processing the stuff, I have to lubricate it. Except for DECtape, of course. That's 3M 340 or 341, the spec (from Nov 1966) is here: http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/dec/dectape/3M_DECtape_Spec_Nov66.pdf paul
Re: VAX /785 docs
On 6/12/20 10:45 AM, Al Kossow via cctalk wrote: On 6/12/20 9:46 AM, Noel Chiappa via cctalk wrote: /785 docs are very rare (Bitsvers only has prints) so a VAX person should grab this and then scan them. done.. though I really shouldn't be spending money right now Just uploaded the scan to http://bitsavers.org/pdf/dec/vax/785 Unfortunately it is the users manual and not the CPU technical manual
History
https://xkcd.com/2324/ As accurate as most other versions of history.
Arcnet cards and lost emails!
Hello all, I had a HDD failure and I lost all of my emails going back 3 years. There was a gentleman that was looking for Arcnet cards. Could you please recontact me? GOD Bless and Thanks, rich!
Re: Future of cctalk/cctech (comment on address fields) , capturing Discord server traffi
On Thu, Jun 25, 2020 at 2:27 PM jim stephens via cctalk < cctalk@classiccmp.org> wrote: > The current message > "From" field contains the name of the original sender but with the > encoded address of the list as the email address > Unfortunately now there's no practical way for a mailing list to avoid rewriting the From header to indicate that the messages are sent from the list. If you don't do that, many (or most) mail servers (MTAs) will silently drop the mail due to DKIM/SPF/DMARC failures. If I send mail from f...@example.com to a classiccmp.org list, and then the list sends it to all the subscribers _without_ rewriting the From header, many (or most) receiving MTAs will find that the message fails origin verification because classiccmp.org can't be validated as a legitimate SMTP originator for email from example.com. I'm surprised that use of an "X-Original-From" header or similar isn't commonly used to work around this. Possibly people may think that it would help spammers harvest email addresses, but it wouldn't make the harvesting problem any worse than it was before From rewriting. Some list software puts the entire original From address in the comment part of the rewritten From header, rather than only the comment part of the original.
A tool many of you may make find useful!
Sorry, can't respond easily because I read the list on the web, can't deal with the flood of email from it, and can't respond via the web interface. >I'm not clear on what "duplicate" really means. Perhaps you can clarify >things for me. > >Duplicate in name and/or size? >Duplicate in content? > >There are lots of duplicate file finders for Windows and some of them >are quite sophisticated, being able to compare the content of files with >different encodings and provide "almost the same" type of information. Duplicate means exact duplicate size and contect, name does not matter. (I copied lots of stuff around, sometimes renaming it and want to find all the dups). Yeah, lots of nifty tools, but I needed one where I could easily control what it looks and and process it's results (text files). Also had to deal with VERY large sets of data (terabytes) and do it all in a fairly reasonable time. So I just wrote one. I'm a bit unusual that way - tend to write stuff that does exactly what I need instead of trying to use something that sort of comes close but often also does a lot I don't want. >Downloading http://dunfield.maknonsolutions.com/dos/sw/ddw2020.zip >gets flagged by Windows Defender on Windows 10 Pro (1909) >as "Worm:Win32/Spybot". Not for me, it's something I compiled from my own source myself, is packed with UPX - maybe Windows Def doesn't like that but it raises no alarms on the Win7 Pro system I'm testing on. Have no control of Windows Defender .. just one of many reasons I don't use Windows much. Not the first time good clean code of my own has triggered false alarms. FWIW, I just downloaded DDW2020.ZIP from the site, and it exactly matches my original one. Contents also exactly match my original files, here is a DIR listing: Directory of R:\DDW2020 2020-06-24 09:08 PM 3,255 DDW2020.TXT 2020-06-24 09:08 PM23,584 DFF.EXE 2020-06-24 09:08 PM23,584 EDT.EXE 2020-06-24 09:08 PM31,907 EDT.TXT 2020-06-24 09:08 PM 6,688 FDF.EXE 2020-06-24 09:08 PM 9,760 VLT.EXE 6 File(s) 98,778 bytes Note, Windows did warn me that this file is not commonly downloaded and wanted to "discard" it, but I used "Keep" - no defender or antivirus alarms triggered. Dave PS: Noticed and fixed the spelling of "Download" - may need to reload to see due to browser cache. -- -- Personal site: http://dunfield.maknonsolutions.com --
On: raising the semantic level of a program
Hi, Not hardware ... but an antique software / programming concept. Some decades ago (circa late 1970s?), I *think* I came across a concept of "raising the semantic level" of a program by using defines/macros and newly written library functions. The concept was that a given language provided a particular level of semantics. By judicious/clever use of things like macros, one could "raise" the level of semantics, effectively appearing to add new features to the language (or, in this case, the instance of the language as used in the program). I *thought* I got that concept from Terry Wingrad's excellent "Breaking the Complexity Barrier again" (Nov, 1974, https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/951761.951764 ) ...but, no. It's not in that paper. Does the concept ring a bell? Can anyone provide a pointer to where I might have seen it? It's formed the basis of my own personal programming philosophy for nearly 50 years, and I want to know where I found it, or if I might have thought of it myself. thanks! Stan
Zaiaz 933 Clipper board
Hello, Recently acquired such board and would like to ask if someone has any documentation or/and software for it. Regards, Plamen
The Old Calculator Museum - Oregon
Guys, I seem to have lost contact with Rick Bensene of that museum for the last 10 days. Can anyone tell me if he is ok? Many thanks, peter
Re: Early 3M Computer Tape Type Numbers
> On 6/25/20 1:55 PM, Tom Gardner via cctalk wrote: Off the top of my head, I have processed a lot of 701 tape. Also, several reels of 4-digit tape (e.g. 8140. 8938). But again, I'd have to look through my logs. --Chuck
Re: Future of cctalk/cctech (comment on address fields) , capturing Discord server traffi
On Thu, 25 Jun 2020, jim stephens via cctalk wrote: > I have an observation for when the list migrates. The current message "From" > field contains the name of the original sender but with the encoded address of > the list as the email address > > For example this has > > Al Kossow via cctalk That has been a nuisance in many ways, however regrettably it seems the lesser evil in the current world of e-mail infested with DMARC, invented with little concern as to its impact on mailing lists. Sigh... Maciej
Re: Early 3M Computer Tape Type Numbers
On 6/25/20 1:55 PM, Tom Gardner via cctalk wrote: > I'm trying to figure out what were the earliest Type numbers for 3M ½-inch > reel-to-reel computer tape > > As best I can find, 3M began marketing a Type 777 computer tape about 1967. > The Type 700 appears to be somewhat later. But 3M sold computer tape > directly to at least government customers (e.g. NSA, Social Security) in the > 1950s. The also notably OEMed tape to IBM who rebranded it under an IBM > label until the late 1960s at which point with the help of Sony IBM began > manufacturing its own computer tape. > > Anyone have any idea of the Type number for 3M computer tapes earlier than > Type 777? > > There might be a place for some of these older Types at the CHM if anyone > knows of any still in existence. > > Tom > > PS: There is a lot of information on 3M audio tape Type numbers as at > http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/3mtape/aorprod-cust.pdf but computer tape seems > to be an orphan I probably do--but I'm going to have to look through my logs. Old 3M tape is terrible for binder that sticks to everything. Before processing the stuff, I have to lubricate it. --Chuck
Early 3M Computer Tape Type Numbers
I'm trying to figure out what were the earliest Type numbers for 3M ½-inch reel-to-reel computer tape As best I can find, 3M began marketing a Type 777 computer tape about 1967. The Type 700 appears to be somewhat later. But 3M sold computer tape directly to at least government customers (e.g. NSA, Social Security) in the 1950s. The also notably OEMed tape to IBM who rebranded it under an IBM label until the late 1960s at which point with the help of Sony IBM began manufacturing its own computer tape. Anyone have any idea of the Type number for 3M computer tapes earlier than Type 777? There might be a place for some of these older Types at the CHM if anyone knows of any still in existence. Tom PS: There is a lot of information on 3M audio tape Type numbers as at http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/3mtape/aorprod-cust.pdf but computer tape seems to be an orphan
Re: Future of cctalk/cctech (comment on address fields) , capturing Discord server traffi
On 6/16/2020 5:21 AM, Al Kossow via cctalk wrote: With Jay retiring, what are the hosting plans for these mailing lists? I have an observation for when the list migrates. The current message "From" field contains the name of the original sender but with the encoded address of the list as the email address For example this has Al Kossow via cctalk Some email clients have a feature which try to automatically capture the "from" and add them to a local address book. Thunderbird has 3 layers (at least) of address books. The "discovered" email addresses as I describe here, the local address book if you use it with your manually added contacts, and finally if you sync it with an outside contact facility such as Google or another server. The addresses from these mailings end up with a number of captured entries in the local address books which don't point back at the actual sender, but to the list. I've not had it happen many times, but you do have to watch using short names (like if I create an email to "al") that it gets the correct address. I don't recall what the list used to do, but I know there were changes made a few years ago which resulted in this. I don't have a criticism, just an observation to toss in to the mix once the list(s) are migrated to visit this. I know Jay tore his hair out then, and appreciate this isn't a simple problem (maybe others too). I know Jay mentioned the Discord server which is very active, but I wish that it could be captured as an archive to be perused in the same way as the cctalk list (I have all the emails since I joined), the vcf list (searchable I think mostly by google). These serve as a great resource, and I'm not sure that the discord server where such information is discussed is captured. thanks Jim
Re: Tri-Data Cartrifile parts/interfaces/tapes?
On 6/25/2020 11:18 AM, Josh Dersch via cctalk wrote: Hi all -- I picked up a Tri-Data Cartrifile 4096 at VCF West last year and since I'm suddenly going to have more time on my hands, I thought it'd be fun to see if I can get it running again. The Cartrifile is a tape drive that uses cartridges containing continuous-loop 1/4" tape in various lengths, much like 8-track tape though in slightly different packaging and with a fixed head. 10ips, 600bpi. (There's a brochure on Bitsavers at http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/tridata/Tri-Data_4096_Brochure_Feb69.pdf) The unit I have has a PDP-8 compatible interface, though I only have the cabling and rear-bulkhead for posibus systems. (My 8/I is currently negibus, so some work will need to be done there.) It's in pretty decent shape and I think I should be able to get it to work again. I also have a stack of cartridges and it remains to be seen how they hold up. If they're anything like 8-track tapes, the EOT marker will probably fall off and the tape ends will need to be reconnected as well :). At minimum I hope to be able to recover the data off the tapes I have. Curious if anyone out there has one of these, has any spare parts, or interface parts (there was at one point an Omnibus interface available, and having the negibus interface would be extremely handy.) Thanks as always, Josh I have (had somewhere) two of them. Mine had I think unformatted NRZI interfaces. I ran them on the same controller as the formatted 9 track 800bpi NRZI on my 1600 systems. I think I had one that had a different interface, but forget the details. I had about half a dozen of the cartridges as well. They worked well at the time, not sure how well the media would have aged, but I suspect similarly to any 8 track tape or 4 track audio tape if it doesn't shed. I'll keep an eye out, but you know my situation having moved may be a while if ever when I see them. I think they may be optical EOT BOT, but you may know already. Thanks Jim
Re: Future of cctalk/cctech - text encoding
On 6/24/2020 12:06 PM, jim stephens via cctalk wrote: On 6/24/2020 10:02 AM, Curious Marc via cctalk wrote: But I would strongly suggest that we limit it to using characters from the Baudot set. If not they don’t print right on my 1930 Teletype. I can peruse the list on my Teletype ASR-32(s). Can archive the list with the 5 level paper tape (at least till the three rolls of tape run out). Well if you can trim the posts,and remove sigs,I bet you can don't need to buy more rolls until the next 5 years. Are there still places that sell paper tape and paper rolls? Ben.
Tri-Data Cartrifile parts/interfaces/tapes?
Hi all -- I picked up a Tri-Data Cartrifile 4096 at VCF West last year and since I'm suddenly going to have more time on my hands, I thought it'd be fun to see if I can get it running again. The Cartrifile is a tape drive that uses cartridges containing continuous-loop 1/4" tape in various lengths, much like 8-track tape though in slightly different packaging and with a fixed head. 10ips, 600bpi. (There's a brochure on Bitsavers at http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/tridata/Tri-Data_4096_Brochure_Feb69.pdf) The unit I have has a PDP-8 compatible interface, though I only have the cabling and rear-bulkhead for posibus systems. (My 8/I is currently negibus, so some work will need to be done there.) It's in pretty decent shape and I think I should be able to get it to work again. I also have a stack of cartridges and it remains to be seen how they hold up. If they're anything like 8-track tapes, the EOT marker will probably fall off and the tape ends will need to be reconnected as well :). At minimum I hope to be able to recover the data off the tapes I have. Curious if anyone out there has one of these, has any spare parts, or interface parts (there was at one point an Omnibus interface available, and having the negibus interface would be extremely handy.) Thanks as always, Josh
Re: A tool many of you may make find useful!
At 10:41 AM 6/25/2020, Dave Dunfield via cctalk wrote: >I originally wrote it for my own use, but it has proven SO useful that I took >a little time to clean it up and post it at my personal site.: Downloading http://dunfield.maknonsolutions.com/dos/sw/ddw2020.zip gets flagged by Windows Defender on Windows 10 Pro (1909) as "Worm:Win32/Spybot". - John
Re: A tool many of you may make find useful!
On 6/25/20 8:41 AM, Dave Dunfield via cctalk wrote: > Hi, > > Don't know if anyone is interested, but I'd guess that a lot of you like > me have collected a big pile of digital "stuff" over the years, and also if > like me, it may have gotten away from you a bit with a lot of duplication > etc. Hi Dave, I'm not clear on what "duplicate" really means. Perhaps you can clarify things for me. Duplicate in name and/or size? Duplicate in content? There are lots of duplicate file finders for Windows and some of them are quite sophisticated, being able to compare the content of files with different encodings and provide "almost the same" type of information. https://beebom.com/best-duplicate-file-finders-windows/ Thanks, Chuck
A tool many of you may make find useful!
Hi, Don't know if anyone is interested, but I'd guess that a lot of you like me have collected a big pile of digital "stuff" over the years, and also if like me, it may have gotten away from you a bit with a lot of duplication etc. Having some spare time, I've been organizing my collected documentation, software, drivers and other files. As part of this process I wrote "Duplicate File Finder", a WIn32/64 tool which can look at a VERY large file collection (can even be across many drives etc.) and produce a nice summary of what is duplicated and where all the duplicates are. I originally wrote it for my own use, but it has proven SO useful that I took a little time to clean it up and post it at my personal site.: http://dunfield.maknonsolutions.com If this sounds useful, have a look and grab the program. Hopefully it will be as useful to you as it has to me. Dave -- -- Personal site: http://dunfield.maknonsolutions.com --
