No subject
Thu Jun 14 11:07:46 MST 2007
<BR>
"Hey, Grampa, tell us the story about 80 column punch cards, and =
why a<BR>
good rubber band was your best friend. You mean you couldn't just =
talk<BR>
to the computer?"<BR>
<BR>
"Well, Sonny, columns 1-5 were for your numeric labels. A 'C' in =
column<BR>
6 meant it was a continuation from the previous line, and your code =
went<BR>
in columns 7-72. Columns 73-80 were your card sequence number and it =
was<BR>
optional. Nobody liked to put numbers there because if we moved a =
block<BR>
of code, we would have to resequence the cards. Screw that - just =
make<BR>
sure you had a good rubber band, and another one as a backup in case =
the<BR>
first one broke. Gives you a whole new meaning of data backup, =
huh."<BR>
<BR>
"Grampa, what was the deal with column 1 on the printer?"<BR>
<BR>
"Oh, yeah. Put a 1 in column 1 and the printer won't advance. =
Print<BR>
about 10 lines with this:<BR>
1=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D<BR>
and all of the print wheels on the line printer would line up and =
the<BR>
strikers would synchronize and go WHOMP WHOMP WHOMP and shake the =
whole<BR>
computer center. Heh, heh, heh. The computer operators would jump out =
of<BR>
their skin - they definitely knew when I ran a job."<BR>
<BR>
"Grampa, what's a line printer?"<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
George Toft, CISSP, MSIS<BR>
623-203-1760<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
Mark Jarvis wrote:<BR>
> (repost using email address I signed up with)<BR>
><BR>
> In 1960 (+ or - a year) I took a programming class at ASU where we =
used<BR>
> the LGP-30. It had a 1000 (1024?) word drum and each =
word was 32 bits.<BR>
> The drum was the main memory--there was no other =
storage. It had<BR>
> 16--yes 16!--instructions with paper tape input and typewriter =
output<BR>
> and it had a one or two inch oscilloscope where you could watch =
the<BR>
> instructions execute. Part of each instruction was the =
address of the<BR>
> next instruction to be executed. Too few today have the =
assembly<BR>
> language background to appreciate the oddities of the =
machine, but it<BR>
> had some doozies. Five years later I had graduated and =
was working at<BR>
> Motorola Semiconductor on McDowell and transferred into the =
computer<BR>
> section of the QC department. We had a GE 205 computer =
with 8192 20 bit<BR>
> words of memory. If I remember correctly, a single word =
memory access<BR>
> took 36 microseconds. When sorting 30 row, 12 column =
table using the<BR>
> Shell sort algorithm, the console lights made a several second =
long<BR>
> pattern that was quite easy to spot. BTW, the 205 was =
the entry level<BR>
> knockoff of the GE215 box. Since the 215 had a memory =
cycle time of 18<BR>
> microseconds, GE added a bunch of circuit boards to steal every =
other<BR>
> clock cycle to make the machine slower so they could lease it for =
less.<BR>
> Go figure!<BR>
><BR>
> Yes, for lots of years I used decks of cards for both programs =
and<BR>
> data. If you had any sense, you sequenced your cards in =
col 73-80 so<BR>
> that when (not if--when) the deck was dropped, a few passes through =
the<BR>
> sorter would fix things--and you initially sequenced by 10s or 20s =
to<BR>
> allow for later additions.<BR>
><BR>
> While I wouldn't take anything for the experiences of those years, =
I<BR>
> wouldn't go back to them for anything either.<BR>
><BR>
> Mark Jarvis<BR>
><BR>
> Jim wrote:<BR>
><BR>
><BR>
>>Lynn Newton wrote:<BR>
>><BR>
>><BR>
>><BR>
>>>But I'm sure there are a number of subscribers to this =
list<BR>
>>>who can one-up me with "I remember when" stories, =
by margins<BR>
>>>of several years at least.<BR>
>>><BR>
>>><BR>
>><BR>
>>I don't know if this would be in the one up category, but I =
remember<BR>
>>being a high school freshman in 1981 and spending time after =
school in<BR>
>>the math teacher's room messing around with his TRS80 with a =
whopping<BR>
>>4KB RAM and running programs stored on cassette tape.<BR>
>><BR>
>><BR>
>><BR>
><BR>
><BR>
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<BR>
--<BR>
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_sic itur ad astra_</SPAN></P>
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