[ Re: UNIX- Grad-daddy of all modern operating systems?]

[Gilbert T. Gutierrez, Jr.]

> http://georgetoft.com/georgeslaw.shtml
>  From my college days . . .
> 
> "Hey, Grampa, tell us the story about 80 column punch cards, and why a 
> good rubber band was your best friend. You mean you couldn't just talk 
> to the computer?"
> 
> "Well, Sonny, columns 1-5 were for your numeric labels. A 'C' in column 
> 6 meant it was a continuation from the previous line, and your code went 
> in columns 7-72. Columns 73-80 were your card sequence number and it was 
> optional. Nobody liked to put numbers there because if we moved a block 
> of code, we would have to resequence the cards. Screw that - just make 
> sure you had a good rubber band, and another one as a backup in case the 
> first one broke. Gives you a whole new meaning of data backup, huh."
> 
> "Grampa, what was the deal with column 1 on the printer?"
> 
> "Oh, yeah. Put a 1 in column 1 and the printer won't advance. Print 
> about 10 lines with this:
> 1====================================================
> and all of the print wheels on the line printer would line up and the 
> strikers would synchronize and go WHOMP WHOMP WHOMP and shake the whole 
> computer center. Heh, heh, heh. The computer operators would jump out of 
> their skin - they definitely knew when I ran a job."
> 
> "Grampa, what's a line printer?"

Nice reminiscing guys.  Laugh out loud!  The next thing you guys are going
to start talking about is how Jesus and his disciples signed your high
school yearbook.  My parents used those pesky cards in engineering school
and some device called the slide rule???  ;)

Gilbert