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."<b=
r>
<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. Prin=
t<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 use=
d<br>
> the LGP-30. It had a 1000 (1024?) word drum and each word w=
as 32 bits.<br>
> The drum was the main memory--there was no other storage. I=
t 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 addr=
ess of the<br>
> next instruction to be executed. Too few today have the ass=
embly<br>
> language background to appreciate the oddities of the machi=
ne, 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<b=
r>
> 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 mem=
ory 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 e=
ntry 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 th=
e<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 rem=
ember<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 wh=
opping<br>
>>4KB RAM and running programs stored on cassette tape.<br>
>><br>
>><br>
>><br>
><br>
><br>
> ---------------------------------------------------<br>
> PLUG-discuss mailing list - </span><a href=3D"mailto:PLUG-discuss at list=
s.plug.phoenix.az.us" target=3D"_blank" onclick=3D"return top.js.OpenExtLin=
k(window,event,this)"><span lang=3D"en-us"><u><font color=3D"#0000ff">PLUG-=
discuss at lists.plug.phoenix.az.us
</font></u></span><span lang=3D"en-us"></span></a><span lang=3D"en-us"><br>
> To subscribe, unsubscribe, or to change your mail settings:<br>
> </span><a href=3D"http://lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us/mailman/listinfo/plu=
g-discuss" target=3D"_blank" onclick=3D"return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,ev=
ent,this)"><span lang=3D"en-us"><u><font color=3D"#0000ff">http://lists.PLU=
G.phoenix.az.us/mailman/listinfo/plug-discuss
</font></u></span><span lang=3D"en-us"></span></a><span lang=3D"en-us"><br>
><br>
><br>
---------------------------------------------------<br>
PLUG-discuss mailing list - </span><a href=3D"mailto:PLUG-discuss at lists.plu=
g.phoenix.az.us" target=3D"_blank" onclick=3D"return top.js.OpenExtLink(win=
dow,event,this)"><span lang=3D"en-us"><u><font color=3D"#0000ff">PLUG-discu=
ss at lists.plug.phoenix.az.us
</font></u></span><span lang=3D"en-us"></span></a><span lang=3D"en-us"><br>
To subscribe, unsubscribe, or to change your mail settings:<br>
</span><a href=3D"http://lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us/mailman/listinfo/plug-dis=
cuss" target=3D"_blank" onclick=3D"return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,t=
his)"><span lang=3D"en-us"><u><font color=3D"#0000ff">http://lists.PLUG.pho=
enix.az.us/mailman/listinfo/plug-discuss
</font></u></span><span lang=3D"en-us"></span></a><span lang=3D"en-us"></sp=
an></p>
<p dir=3D"ltr"><span lang=3D"en-us"><br>
<br>
<br>
--<br>
</span><a href=3D"mailto:powerofprimes at gmail.com" target=3D"_blank" onclick=
=3D"return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)"><span lang=3D"en-us"><u><=
font color=3D"#0000ff">powerofprimes at gmail.com</font></u></span><span lang=
=3D"en-us">
</span></a><span lang=3D"en-us"><br>
Carlos Macedo Gomes<br>
_sic itur ad astra_</span></p>
</span></div></div>
<br>---------------------------------------------------<br>PLUG-discuss mai=
ling list - <a onclick=3D"return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" hre=
f=3D"mailto:PLUG-discuss at lists.plug.phoenix.az.us">PLUG-discuss at lists.plug.=
phoenix.az.us
</a><br>To subscribe, unsubscribe, or to change your mail settings:<br><a o=
nclick=3D"return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href=3D"http://list=
s.PLUG.phoenix.az.us/mailman/listinfo/plug-discuss" target=3D"_blank">http:=
//lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us/mailman/listinfo/plug-discuss
</a><br></blockquote></div><br><br clear=3D"all"><br>-- <br>.0000. communic=
ation.<br>.0001. development.<br>.0010. strategy. &n=
bsp; <br>.0100. appeal.<br><br>JO=
SHUA M. ZEIDNER<br>IT Consultant<br><br>( 602 ) 490 8006<br>
<a href=3D"mailto:jjzeidner at gmail.com">jjzeidner at gmail.com</a>
------=_Part_79308_27836733.1183447008129--
More information about the PLUG-discuss
mailing list