Re: [Simh] Release of the HP 3000 Series III simulator

[J. David Bryan]

On Tuesday, March 8, 2016 at 23:33, Sergii Kolisnyk wrote:

> I'm curious, why don't use the (user-mode) emulator included in PA-RISC
> MPE as the reference for writing portable system-mode one? 

HP was only interested in forward-compatibility, from earlier systems to 
the later ones.  The user-mode emulator, called Compatibility Mode (or 
"CM") was provided to allow users to move quickly from the classic 3000s to 
the Precision Architecture machines.  The full power of the new machines 
would only be realized when users recompiled all of their applications into 
Native Mode ("NM") code.

The classic and PA systems were entirely different -- different machine 
instruction set, different I/O interfaces, different hardware model (stack 
vs. register and CISC vs. RISC).  A system-mode emulator would have been 
very complex and would have served no purpose for HP, who wanted to sell 
new hardware, not let users run the newer MPE versions on older systems.

(From the SIMH standpoint, writing a simulator for the older 3000s is much 
easier than for the newer ones, as they are much better documented.  Prior 
to about 1980, HP hardware manuals contained full schematics and theories 
of operation.  After that, the manuals degenerated into block diagrams and 
then finally into no servicing or internal information at all.  If a unit 
failed its self-test, the serviceman was called, and he swapped circuit 
boards until the unit worked again.  The later manuals are essentially 
useless in helping to write a simulator.)

  -- Dave

___
Simh mailing list
Simh@trailing-edge.com
http://mailman.trailing-edge.com/mailman/listinfo/simh

Re: [Simh] Release of the HP 3000 Series III simulator

[Sergii Kolisnyk]

I'm curious, why don't use the (user-mode) emulator included
in PA-RISC MPE as the reference for writing portable system-mode one?

On 08/03/2016, J. David Bryan  wrote:
...
> All of the HP 3000 systems, from the earliest to the latest, ran the MPE
> operating system.  Of course, later versions had more capabilities and
> would only run on the later hardware, but one of the nice things is that
> one could generally take a user program from the first 3000 and run it on
> the last 3000.  Often, it would work the other way around too, if the
> program didn't rely on features that had been added later.
...
___
Simh mailing list
Simh@trailing-edge.com
http://mailman.trailing-edge.com/mailman/listinfo/simh

Re: [Simh] Release of the HP 3000 Series III simulator

[J. David Bryan]

Zack,


On Tuesday, March 8, 2016 at 9:20, Zachary Kline wrote:

> Gaming-wise, Empire, one of the few really complex strategy games
> playable as a blind computer user, was produced for the HP3000. I don´t
> know enough about the system to tell if this was the OS in question,
> but I´d love to get a look at it anyhow. 

All of the HP 3000 systems, from the earliest to the latest, ran the MPE 
operating system.  Of course, later versions had more capabilities and 
would only run on the later hardware, but one of the nice things is that 
one could generally take a user program from the first 3000 and run it on 
the last 3000.  Often, it would work the other way around too, if the 
program didn't rely on features that had been added later.


> Thanks for such a great bit of work.

You're welcome.

  -- Dave

___
Simh mailing list
Simh@trailing-edge.com
http://mailman.trailing-edge.com/mailman/listinfo/simh

Re: [Simh] Release of the HP 3000 Series III simulator

[J. David Bryan]

On Tuesday, March 8, 2016 at 14:27, Michael Kerpan wrote:

> Apart from the basic OS, is any other software available?

As noted in an earlier message to the list, the kit has a selection of 
compilers preinstalled.  The fundamental OS software also includes HP's 
IMAGE database product.


> Or do we have to write our own in assembly? 

The 3000 didn't offer an assembler.  :-)  The OS and a significant portion 
of customer software was written in SPL -- HP's Systems Programming 
Language.  It's similar to ALGOL but has a number of constructs that map to 
3000 hardware operations directly.

  -- Dave

___
Simh mailing list
Simh@trailing-edge.com
http://mailman.trailing-edge.com/mailman/listinfo/simh

Re: [Simh] Release of the HP 3000 Series III simulator

[J. David Bryan]

On Tuesday, March 8, 2016 at 9:27, SPC wrote:

> Hi. One question about this simulator... Where is the MPE software kit
> available ? I can't find it in the Github tree. 

From the simulator release notes in the github source tree:

  A preconfigured MPE-V/R disc image containing the Fundamental
  Operating Software (FOS), selected SUBSYS language processors (BASIC,
  BASICOMP, COBOL, COBOLII, FORTRAN, PASCAL, RPG, and SPL), and example
  programs is available from Bitsavers at: 

http://www.bitsavers.org/bits/HP/3000/

  The archive contains instructions and simulator command files that
  allow ready-to-run operation. 


  -- Dave

___
Simh mailing list
Simh@trailing-edge.com
http://mailman.trailing-edge.com/mailman/listinfo/simh

Re: [Simh] Release of the HP 3000 Series III simulator

[J. David Bryan]

On Tuesday, March 8, 2016 at 9:19, SPC wrote:

> Are there available some progamming language kit inside ? 

From the kit's readme.txt file:

  The languages preinstalled on the disc image are:

  - BASIC (interpreter and compiler)
  - COBOL 68
  - COBOL 74/85
  - FORTRAN 66
  - Pascal
  - RPG
  - SPL


> In fact I'm interested in COBOL for nostalgia reasons. I had a lot of
> work with COBOL on this system many years ago. 

You're in luck!  ;-)

  -- Dave

___
Simh mailing list
Simh@trailing-edge.com
http://mailman.trailing-edge.com/mailman/listinfo/simh

Re: [Simh] Release of the HP 3000 Series III simulator

[Sergii Kolisnyk]

Hi,

it has the only OS, AFAIK.

Best regards,
Sergii

On 08/03/2016, Zachary Kline  wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I’m looking forward to experimenting with this. Gaming-wise, Empire, one of
> the few really complex strategy games playable as a blind computer user, was
> produced for the HP3000. I don’t know enough about the system to tell if
> this was the OS in question, but I’d love to get a look at it anyhow.
>
> Thanks for such a great bit of work.
> Yours,
> Zack.
>> On Mar 7, 2016, at 9:39 PM, J. David Bryan  wrote:
>>
>> I am pleased to announce the release of a simulator for the HP 3000 Series
>>
>> III computer system.  It is available from the Computer History Simulation
>>
>> Project (SIMH) site:
>>
>>  https://github.com/simh/simh
>>
>> The simulator runs the MPE-V/R operating system, supports a selection of
>> simulated disc and tape drives, and accommodates up to sixteen concurrent
>> users.  A software kit containing a disc image with MPE preinstalled is
>> available as described in the release notes that accompany the simulator.
>>
>> I would like to thank Frank McConnell and Al Kossow for their invaluable
>> help in answering questions and supplying documentation for the HP 3000.
>>
>>  -- Dave
>>
>> ___
>> Simh mailing list
>> Simh@trailing-edge.com
>> http://mailman.trailing-edge.com/mailman/listinfo/simh
>
> ___
> Simh mailing list
> Simh@trailing-edge.com
> http://mailman.trailing-edge.com/mailman/listinfo/simh
___
Simh mailing list
Simh@trailing-edge.com
http://mailman.trailing-edge.com/mailman/listinfo/simh

Re: [Simh] Release of the HP 3000 Series III simulator

[Zachary Kline]

Hi,

I’m looking forward to experimenting with this. Gaming-wise, Empire, one of the 
few really complex strategy games playable as a blind computer user, was 
produced for the HP3000. I don’t know enough about the system to tell if this 
was the OS in question, but I’d love to get a look at it anyhow.

Thanks for such a great bit of work.
Yours,
Zack.
> On Mar 7, 2016, at 9:39 PM, J. David Bryan  wrote:
> 
> I am pleased to announce the release of a simulator for the HP 3000 Series 
> III computer system.  It is available from the Computer History Simulation 
> Project (SIMH) site:
> 
>  https://github.com/simh/simh
> 
> The simulator runs the MPE-V/R operating system, supports a selection of 
> simulated disc and tape drives, and accommodates up to sixteen concurrent 
> users.  A software kit containing a disc image with MPE preinstalled is 
> available as described in the release notes that accompany the simulator.
> 
> I would like to thank Frank McConnell and Al Kossow for their invaluable 
> help in answering questions and supplying documentation for the HP 3000.
> 
>  -- Dave
> 
> ___
> Simh mailing list
> Simh@trailing-edge.com
> http://mailman.trailing-edge.com/mailman/listinfo/simh

___
Simh mailing list
Simh@trailing-edge.com
http://mailman.trailing-edge.com/mailman/listinfo/simh

Re: [Simh] Release of the HP 3000 Series III simulator

[SPC]

2016-03-08 6:39 GMT+01:00 J. David Bryan :

> I am pleased to announce the release of a simulator for the HP 3000 Series
> III computer system.  It is available from the Computer History Simulation
> Project (SIMH) site:
>
>   https://github.com/simh/simh
>
> The simulator runs the MPE-V/R operating system, supports a selection of
> simulated disc and tape drives, and accommodates up to sixteen concurrent
> users.  A software kit containing a disc image with MPE preinstalled is
> available as described in the release notes that accompany the simulator.
>

​Great news !

​Are there available some progamming language kit inside ? In fact I'm
interested in COBOL for nostalgia reasons. I had a lot of work with COBOL
on this system many years ago.


Gracias | Regards - Saludos | Greetings | Freundliche Grüße | Salutations
​
-- 
*Sergio Pedraja*
-- 
twitter: @sergio_pedraja | skype: Sergio Pedraja
--
http://plus.google.com/u/0/101292256663392735405
http://www.linkedin.com/in/sergiopedraja
-
No crea todo lo que ve, ni crea que está viéndolo todo

​
___
Simh mailing list
Simh@trailing-edge.com
http://mailman.trailing-edge.com/mailman/listinfo/simh

[Simh] Release of the HP 3000 Series III simulator

[J. David Bryan]

I am pleased to announce the release of a simulator for the HP 3000 Series 
III computer system.  It is available from the Computer History Simulation 
Project (SIMH) site:

  https://github.com/simh/simh

The simulator runs the MPE-V/R operating system, supports a selection of 
simulated disc and tape drives, and accommodates up to sixteen concurrent 
users.  A software kit containing a disc image with MPE preinstalled is 
available as described in the release notes that accompany the simulator.

I would like to thank Frank McConnell and Al Kossow for their invaluable 
help in answering questions and supplying documentation for the HP 3000.

  -- Dave

___
Simh mailing list
Simh@trailing-edge.com
http://mailman.trailing-edge.com/mailman/listinfo/simh