Reminiscence about old terminals

[Victor Odhner]

"John (EBo) David" wrote:
> I also just missed having to lear via puch cards by
> 3 months (they just got the brand spakink'n new ADM-3's ;-)

I worked at a railroad, 1977-1980.  I was a "railroad official"
in the system administration group, meaning I was non-union,
so I was not allowed to use a keyboard.  Any program changes
were made by writing on a coding form, submitting them to a
keypunch operator, then submitting the cards in a deck to
operations.  The source files had eight-digit sequence
numbers that were used for merging the patches.

I had a text editor designed for interactive use against
these same sequence-numbered files.  I modified it to
accept punched-card input, and greatly reduced the number
of lines I had to put on the coding sheets.  I could use
replace and move statements, man that was technology
at its finest!   ;-)

(Incidentally, the programmers were union members.  Many
of them had bid up from yard-clerk positions -- some of
the most professional programmers I've worked with!)

Vic