At 01:28 p.m. 12/02/2011, Roger Hicks wrote:
Ah, those were the days, and before then! When you started a computer by toggling in the machine code bootstrap into memory from the console, when the computer had a 39-bit word or had machine code in reverse polish notation. Yes, needs beer.
I used to be able to recite the boostrap loader sequence, but these days can only remember the consol address (177576 - octal). The biggest issue was if you screwed up, you had to toggle thru memory looking for it as core was non-destructive. I have some classic bits left here, like a pdp-11/10 front panel, an old disk pack, a core module (256 words I think) and a diode ROM - all 128 words. I did have a box of blank punched cards but my mother took a shine to them for shopping lists and the paper tape was used for christmas decorations
Oh, and it was a friend in DEC who took a bottle of snake oil to Ken Olsen in his office after that famous (and I believe) mis-quoted remark; to bring the thread back to where it started
yes he was taken out of context. In the context he said it, he was right. The same for his "no one needs a computer in their home" comment; also taken out of context. Thats why later, they put an army of minders around him. wheres the beer ?