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Engineer Identifies & Explains Every ’90s Computer Seen In “Jurassic Park”

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  Engineer Identifies & Explains Every ’90s Computer Seen In “Jurassic Park” Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2026-07-16 04:37 +0000
    Re: Engineer Identifies & Explains Every ?90s Computer Seen In ?Jurassic Park? ant@zimage.comANT (Ant) - 2026-07-16 21:19 +0000
      Re: Engineer Identifies & Explains Every ?90s Computer Seen In ?Jurassic Park? Jan van den Broek <balglaas@dds.nl> - 2026-07-17 06:54 +0000
        Re: Engineer Identifies & Explains Every ?90s Computer Seen In ?Jurassic Park? ant@zimage.comANT (Ant) - 2026-07-18 06:27 +0000
        Re: Engineer Identifies & Explains Every ’90s Computer Seen In “Jurassic Park” Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2026-07-18 06:57 +0000
          Re: Engineer Identifies & Explains Every ’90s Computer Seen In “Jurassic Park” David Lesher <wb8foz@panix.com> - 2026-07-24 05:47 +0000
            Re: Engineer Identifies & Explains Every ’90s Computer Seen In “Jurassic Park” Bud Frede <frede@mouse-potato.com> - 2026-08-06 14:00 -0400
              Re: Engineer Identifies & Explains Every ’90s Computer Seen In “Jurassic Park” scott@slp53.sl.home (Scott Lurndal) - 2026-08-06 18:22 +0000
              Re: Engineer Identifies & Explains Every ’90s Computer Seen In “Jurassic Park” Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2026-08-06 23:55 +0000
                Re: Engineer Identifies & Explains Every ’90s Computer Seen In “Jurassic Park” SpallsHurgenson(NG) <user14325@newsgrouper.org.invalid> - 2026-08-07 00:53 +0000
                  Re: Engineer Identifies & Explains Every ’90s =?UTF "Kurt Weiske" <kurt.weiske@realitycheckbbs.org.remove-afx-this> - 2026-08-07 08:51 -0700
                  Re: Engineer Identifies & Explains Every ’90s Computer Seen In “Jurassic Park” Charlie Gibbs <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid> - 2026-08-07 19:16 +0000
                    Re: Engineer Identifies & Explains Every ’90s Computer Seen In “Jurassic Park” Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2026-08-07 21:44 +0000
                    Re: Engineer Identifies & Explains Every ’90s Computer Seen In “Jurassic Park” Thomas Prufer <prufer.public@mnet-online.de.invalid> - 2026-08-12 09:03 +0200
              Re: Engineer Identifies & Explains Every ’90s Computer Seen In “Jurassic Park” Chris Ahlstrom <OFeem1987@teleworm.us> - 2026-08-07 11:17 -0400
                Modern blinkenlights: (was: Re: Engineer Identifies & Explains Every ’90s Computer Seen In “Jurassic Park”) Johann 'Myrkraverk' Oskarsson <johann@myrkraverk.invalid> - 2026-08-20 14:12 +0800
                  Re: Modern blinkenlights: (was: Re: Engineer Identifies & Explains Every ’90s Computer Seen In “Jurassic Park”) John Ames <commodorejohn@gmail.com> - 2026-08-20 07:53 -0700
                    Re: Modern blinkenlights: Peter Flass <Peter@Iron-Spring.com> - 2026-08-20 09:30 -0700
                      Re: Modern blinkenlights: Charlie Gibbs <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid> - 2026-08-20 18:04 +0000
                        Re: Modern blinkenlights: scott@slp53.sl.home (Scott Lurndal) - 2026-08-20 18:24 +0000
                    Re: Modern blinkenlights: Johann 'Myrkraverk' Oskarsson <johann@myrkraverk.invalid> - 2026-08-21 00:36 +0800
                    Re: Modern blinkenlights: (was: Re: Engineer Identifies & Explains Every ’90s Computer Seen In “Jurassic Park”) SpallsHurgenson(NG) <user14325@newsgrouper.org.invalid> - 2026-08-20 16:41 +0000

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#235164 — Engineer Identifies & Explains Every ’90s Computer Seen In “Jurassic Park”

“This is a Unix system! I know this!”

Every piece of computer hardware in the original “Jurassic Park”
hardware was real -- loaned by the vendors for use in the film. In the
blog post linked to in this report, Google engineer Fabien Sanglard
goes through it all -- including of course the SGI machines that were
the subject of the famous line above.

<https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/07/engineer-identifies-and-explains-every-90s-computer-seen-in-jurassic-park/>

(RIP Sam Neill)

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#235166 — Re: Engineer Identifies & Explains Every ?90s Computer Seen In ?Jurassic Park?

This was awesome. Are there more of these?


Lawrence D?Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> wrote:
> ?This is a Unix system! I know this!?

> Every piece of computer hardware in the original ?Jurassic Park?
> hardware was real -- loaned by the vendors for use in the film. In the
> blog post linked to in this report, Google engineer Fabien Sanglard
> goes through it all -- including of course the SGI machines that were
> the subject of the famous line above.

> <https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/07/engineer-identifies-and-explains-every-90s-computer-seen-in-jurassic-park/>

> (RIP Sam Neill)
-- 
"In Christ, all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority." --Colossians 2:9-10
Note: A fixed width font (Courier, Monospace, etc.) is required to see this signature correctly.
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#235167 — Re: Engineer Identifies & Explains Every ?90s Computer Seen In ?Jurassic Park?

2026-07-16, Ant <ant@zimage.comANT> schrieb:
> This was awesome. Are there more of these?

You mean like "Starring the Computer"?
https://www.starringthecomputer.com/

[Schnipp]
-- 
Jan v/d Broek                                 balglaas@dds.nl

                "We're through being cool."

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#235168 — Re: Engineer Identifies & Explains Every ?90s Computer Seen In ?Jurassic Park?

Jan van den Broek <balglaas@dds.nl> wrote:
> 2026-07-16, Ant <ant@zimage.comANT> schrieb:
> > This was awesome. Are there more of these?

> You mean like "Starring the Computer"?
> https://www.starringthecomputer.com/

> [Schnipp]

Even better. Thanks. :)
-- 
"I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes." --Romans 1:16
Note: A fixed width font (Courier, Monospace, etc.) is required to see this signature correctly.
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   \ _ /
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#235169

On Fri, 17 Jul 2026 06:54:17 -0000 (UTC), Jan van den Broek wrote:

> https://www.starringthecomputer.com/

Which one has the longest list of entries
<https://www.starringthecomputer.com/computers.html>? I think it’s a
toss-up between the Commodore 64
<https://www.starringthecomputer.com/computer.html?c=66> and the IBM
AN/FSQ-7 <https://www.starringthecomputer.com/computer.html?c=73>.

I don’t think any of the latter featured as actual working units. They
were huge mainframe computers, built for the US Air Force SAGE system
to guard against attack by Soviet nuclear bombers. Billions were spent
to build and run the system for about a decade, before the whole thing
was decommissioned as it became clear that the main threat would
henceforth come from ICBMs. It was never used in anger, of course;
some felt that it would never have worked anyway.

Pieces kept popping up in movies and TV for many years after the
system was dismantled, since buying and adapting those second-hand
parts was usually cheaper than building your own props from scratch.
And they looked pretty impressive, too.

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#235173

Lawrence =?iso-8859-13?q?D=FFOliveiro?= <ldo@nz.invalid> writes:

> IBM >AN/FSQ-7 <https://www.starringthecomputer.com/computer.html?c=73>.

>I don't think any of the latter featured as actual working units. They
>were huge mainframe computers, built for the US Air Force SAGE system
>to guard against attack by Soviet nuclear bombers. Billions were spent
>to build and run the system for about a decade, before the whole thing
>was decommissioned as it became clear that the main threat would
>henceforth come from ICBMs. It was never used in anger, of course;
>some felt that it would never have worked anyway.

There was the minor problem pointed out by Les Ernest: it could
not deal with radar jamming, so TPTB just pretended it didn't
exist. AND as it turns out, the USSR long-range bomber fleet 
was ~5-6 total aircraft.


>Pieces kept popping up in movies and TV for many years after the
>system was dismantled, since buying and adapting those second-hand
>parts was usually cheaper than building your own props from scratch.
>And they looked pretty impressive, too.

A wall of blinking lamps was purchased by a Hollywood prop shop
and used by Irwin Allen in Time Tunnel, Voyage to the Bottom of
the Sea, etc. and many of his other schlocky series of the
era.


-- 
A host is a host from coast to coast...............wb8foz@panix.com
& no one will talk to a host that's close..........................
Unless the host (that isn't close).........................pob 1433
is busy, hung or dead....................................20915-1433

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#235243

David Lesher <wb8foz@panix.com> writes:

> Lawrence =?iso-8859-13?q?D=FFOliveiro?= <ldo@nz.invalid> writes:
>
>> IBM >AN/FSQ-7 <https://www.starringthecomputer.com/computer.html?c=73>.
>
>>I don't think any of the latter featured as actual working units. They
>>were huge mainframe computers, built for the US Air Force SAGE system
>>to guard against attack by Soviet nuclear bombers. Billions were spent
>>to build and run the system for about a decade, before the whole thing
>>was decommissioned as it became clear that the main threat would
>>henceforth come from ICBMs. It was never used in anger, of course;
>>some felt that it would never have worked anyway.
>
> There was the minor problem pointed out by Les Ernest: it could
> not deal with radar jamming, so TPTB just pretended it didn't
> exist. AND as it turns out, the USSR long-range bomber fleet 
> was ~5-6 total aircraft.
>
>
>>Pieces kept popping up in movies and TV for many years after the
>>system was dismantled, since buying and adapting those second-hand
>>parts was usually cheaper than building your own props from scratch.
>>And they looked pretty impressive, too.
>
> A wall of blinking lamps was purchased by a Hollywood prop shop
> and used by Irwin Allen in Time Tunnel, Voyage to the Bottom of
> the Sea, etc. and many of his other schlocky series of the
> era.

That seemed to be the popular impression of computers for many
people. Lots and lots of blinking lights.

Hmmm.... worked for the Wizard of Oz too. :-)

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#235245

Bud Frede <frede@mouse-potato.com> writes:
>David Lesher <wb8foz@panix.com> writes:
>

>> A wall of blinking lamps was purchased by a Hollywood prop shop
>> and used by Irwin Allen in Time Tunnel, Voyage to the Bottom of
>> the Sea, etc. and many of his other schlocky series of the
>> era.
>
>That seemed to be the popular impression of computers for many
>people. Lots and lots of blinking lights.

Prior to 1980, most computers had lots and lots of blinking lights.

Worked with a burroughs B4800 (the engineering prototype) that
had smoked glass doors on the processor cabinets to expose
the status lights on the edge of the processor cards.  72"
tall by 96" wide with thousands of status LEDs.   Impressive
to watch.  It also had an LED per I/O channel that showed
channel activity[*] (something still done today on NIC
expansion cards and most modern HDD controllers have pins for
an activity LED).


[*] A rather useful debug tool.

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#235248

On Thu, 06 Aug 2026 14:00:24 -0400, Bud Frede wrote:

> That seemed to be the popular impression of computers for many
> people. Lots and lots of blinking lights.

Don’t forget lots of spinning reel-tape drives!

This continued right into the 1980s, about a decade or so after most
backing store (on big computers) had already moved from tapes to
disks, with tapes used primarily for backup.

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#235250

Lawrence =?iso-8859-13?q?D=FFOliveiro?= <ldo@nz.invalid> posted:

> On Thu, 06 Aug 2026 14:00:24 -0400, Bud Frede wrote:
> 
> > That seemed to be the popular impression of computers for many
> > people. Lots and lots of blinking lights.
> 
> Don’t forget lots of spinning reel-tape drives!
> 
> This continued right into the 1980s, about a decade or so after most
> backing store (on big computers) had already moved from tapes to
> disks, with tapes used primarily for backup.


    "I mean, down here there are literally hundreds and thousands 
     of blinking, beeping, and flashing lights, blinking, beeping 
     and flashing - they're flashing and they're beeping. I can't \
     stand it anymore! They're blinking and beeping and flashing! 
     Why doesn't somebody pull the plug?"


I never had a true blinkenlight machine to take care of, but that's okay; 
the flickering diodes on the modern routers and rack-servers were good enough 
for me. I even put up a blinkenlight warning sign... until the C-levels made
me take it down after a few months for some reason that was never entirely 
clear to me (I suspect a terminal lack of humor).

     "Achtung! Alles Lookenspeepers!
      Das computermaschine ist nicht für gefingerpoken und 
      mittengrabben. Ist easy schnappen der springenwerk, blowenfusen
      und poppencorken mit spitzensparken. Ist nicht für gewerken bei 
      das dummkopfen. Das rubbernecken sightseeren keepen das 
      cottenpickenen hans in das pockets muss; relaxen und watchen 
      das blinkenlichten."

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#235254 — Re: Engineer Identifies & Explains Every ’90s =?UTF

  To: SpallsHurgenson(NG)
-=> SpallsHurgenson(NG) wrote to alt.folklore.computers <=-

 Sp> I never had a true blinkenlight machine to take care of, but that's
 Sp> okay; the flickering diodes on the modern routers and rack-servers were
 Sp> good enough for me.

 The closest I ever came was a dial-up WAN with 32 modems in a rack. It
 managed a store retail point-of-sale system, and you could tell when
 the stores closed by when the modems would light up. They'd all be
 blinking away for about 10-15 minutes every hour, then settle down to
 nothing. It became a nice way of keeping time when working in the
 server room.

         kurt weiske | kweiske at realitycheckbbs dot org
                     | http://realitycheckbbs.org
                     | 1:218/700@fidonet




... The tape is now the music
--- MultiMail/Win v0.52
--- Synchronet 3.22a-Win32 NewsLink 1.2
 *  realitycheckBBS - Aptos, CA - telnet://realitycheckbbs.org

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#235256

On 2026-08-07, SpallsHurgenson <user14325@newsgrouper.org.invalid> wrote:

> I never had a true blinkenlight machine to take care of, but that's okay; 
> the flickering diodes on the modern routers and rack-servers were good enough 
> for me. I even put up a blinkenlight warning sign... until the C-levels made
> me take it down after a few months for some reason that was never entirely 
> clear to me (I suspect a terminal lack of humor).
>
>      "Achtung! Alles Lookenspeepers!
>       Das computermaschine ist nicht für gefingerpoken und 
>       mittengrabben. Ist easy schnappen der springenwerk, blowenfusen
>       und poppencorken mit spitzensparken. Ist nicht für gewerken bei 
>       das dummkopfen. Das rubbernecken sightseeren keepen das 
>       cottenpickenen hans in das pockets muss; relaxen und watchen 
>       das blinkenlichten."

I had access to a number of rooms full of computers with
lots of blinkenlichten.  The power supply section in these
machines had a blank plate that was just begging for a notice
of some sort, so I made up a sign for each one and installed
them in a professional-looking manner in enough places to
maybe make people think they were official.  They read:

      DANGER!
    50,000 OHMS

-- 
/~\  Charlie Gibbs                  |  In this world there are
\ /  <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid>      |  two kinds of people:
 X   I'm really at ac.dekanfrus     |  1. Those who can extrapolate
/ \  if you read it the right way.  |  from incomplete data.

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#235258

On Fri, 07 Aug 2026 19:16:25 GMT, Charlie Gibbs wrote:

> I had access to a number of rooms full of computers with lots of
> blinkenlichten. The power supply section in these machines had a
> blank plate that was just begging for a notice of some sort, so I
> made up a sign for each one and installed them in a
> professional-looking manner in enough places to maybe make people
> think they were official. They read:
>
>       DANGER!
>     50,000 OHMS

That’s about the resistance of the human body?

Put that on a T-shirt, and it would make sense. ;)

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#235293

On Fri, 07 Aug 2026 19:16:25 GMT, Charlie Gibbs <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid> wrote:

>On 2026-08-07, SpallsHurgenson <user14325@newsgrouper.org.invalid> wrote:
>
>> I never had a true blinkenlight machine to take care of, but that's okay; 
>> the flickering diodes on the modern routers and rack-servers were good enough 
>> for me. I even put up a blinkenlight warning sign... until the C-levels made
>> me take it down after a few months for some reason that was never entirely 
>> clear to me (I suspect a terminal lack of humor).
>>
>>      "Achtung! Alles Lookenspeepers!
>>       Das computermaschine ist nicht für gefingerpoken und 
>>       mittengrabben. Ist easy schnappen der springenwerk, blowenfusen
>>       und poppencorken mit spitzensparken. Ist nicht für gewerken bei 
>>       das dummkopfen. Das rubbernecken sightseeren keepen das 
>>       cottenpickenen hans in das pockets muss; relaxen und watchen 
>>       das blinkenlichten."
>
>I had access to a number of rooms full of computers with
>lots of blinkenlichten.  The power supply section in these
>machines had a blank plate that was just begging for a notice
>of some sort, so I made up a sign for each one and installed
>them in a professional-looking manner in enough places to
>maybe make people think they were official.  They read:
>
>      DANGER!
>    50,000 OHMS

Test stickers with date: 

https://pr0mart.com/Nach-Kategorien/

German, mostly. 

"do not connect device to internet no matter how much it asks"
"Temporary solution since MM YY"
"so that's how you do it"

etc.

Thomas Prufer

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#235253

Bud Frede wrote this screed in ALL-CAPS (fixed):

> David Lesher <wb8foz@panix.com> writes:
>
>> Lawrence =?iso-8859-13?q?D=FFOliveiro?= <ldo@nz.invalid> writes:
>>
>>> IBM >AN/FSQ-7 <https://www.starringthecomputer.com/computer.html?c=73>.
>>
>> <snip>
>>
>> A wall of blinking lamps was purchased by a Hollywood prop shop
>> and used by Irwin Allen in Time Tunnel, Voyage to the Bottom of
>> the Sea, etc. and many of his other schlocky series of the
>> era.
>
> That seemed to be the popular impression of computers for many
> people. Lots and lots of blinking lights.

That's partly because they used to have a lot of lights, iirc.

> Hmmm.... worked for the Wizard of Oz too. :-)

If you have a lot of USB MIDI gear running, you will see lights on
the hub(s), the audio codec box, USB noise filter, the MIDI grid
controller, the network switch, and even some brands of USB
speakers.

-- 
Less is more or less more
		-- Y_Plentyn on #LinuxGER

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#235330 — Modern blinkenlights: (was: Re: Engineer Identifies & Explains Every ’90s Computer Seen In “Jurassic Park”)

On 07/08/2026 11:17 PM, Chris Ahlstrom wrote:
> Bud Frede wrote this screed in ALL-CAPS (fixed):
> 
>> David Lesher <wb8foz@panix.com> writes:
>>
>>> Lawrence =?iso-8859-13?q?D=FFOliveiro?= <ldo@nz.invalid> writes:
>>>
>>>> IBM >AN/FSQ-7 <https://www.starringthecomputer.com/computer.html?c=73>.
>>>
>>> <snip>
>>>
>>> A wall of blinking lamps was purchased by a Hollywood prop shop
>>> and used by Irwin Allen in Time Tunnel, Voyage to the Bottom of
>>> the Sea, etc. and many of his other schlocky series of the
>>> era.
>>
>> That seemed to be the popular impression of computers for many
>> people. Lots and lots of blinking lights.
> 
> That's partly because they used to have a lot of lights, iirc.
> 
>> Hmmm.... worked for the Wizard of Oz too. :-)
> 
> If you have a lot of USB MIDI gear running, you will see lights on
> the hub(s), the audio codec box, USB noise filter, the MIDI grid
> controller, the network switch, and even some brands of USB
> speakers.
> 

My /white tower/ of blinkenlights has the fan blinking, and the two RAM
sticks.  The /graphical prognostication unit/ also blinks an arrow and
a Gigabyte.

It's a veritable /industrial computer/!

The switches and U.S.B. lights pale in comparison.

-- 
Johann | email: invalid -> com | http://www.myrkraverk.com/blog/
I'm not from the Internet, I just work there. | via Easynews.com
https://bsky.app/profile/myrkraverk.bsky.social | for ( ;; ) _:;

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#235331 — Re: Modern blinkenlights: (was: Re: Engineer Identifies & Explains Every ’90s Computer Seen In “Jurassic Park”)

On Thu, 20 Aug 2026 14:12:09 +0800
Johann 'Myrkraverk' Oskarsson <johann@myrkraverk.invalid> wrote:

> My /white tower/ of blinkenlights has the fan blinking, and the two
> RAM sticks.  The /graphical prognostication unit/ also blinks an
> arrow and a Gigabyte.
> 
> It's a veritable /industrial computer/!

AFAIK those lights don't *tell* you anything, though, other than that
the power's on. I know the BeBox blinkenlights would indicate CPU load
in either of the dual processors, but I don't think anyone has done an
equivalent for modern motherboards and their surfeit of LED pulsers...?

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#235332 — Re: Modern blinkenlights:

On 8/20/26 07:53, John Ames wrote:
> On Thu, 20 Aug 2026 14:12:09 +0800
> Johann 'Myrkraverk' Oskarsson <johann@myrkraverk.invalid> wrote:
> 
>> My /white tower/ of blinkenlights has the fan blinking, and the two
>> RAM sticks.  The /graphical prognostication unit/ also blinks an
>> arrow and a Gigabyte.
>>
>> It's a veritable /industrial computer/!
> 
> AFAIK those lights don't *tell* you anything, though, other than that
> the power's on. I know the BeBox blinkenlights would indicate CPU load
> in either of the dual processors, but I don't think anyone has done an
> equivalent for modern motherboards and their surfeit of LED pulsers...?
> 

Even in the elder days their use was fading. Sometimes a light pattern 
might indicate a loop. I can recall an IBMer debugging on a 360/30 using 
console switches and lights, but they were gone by the System/370.

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#235335 — Re: Modern blinkenlights:

On 2026-08-20, Peter Flass <Peter@Iron-Spring.com> wrote:

> On 8/20/26 07:53, John Ames wrote:
>
>> On Thu, 20 Aug 2026 14:12:09 +0800
>> Johann 'Myrkraverk' Oskarsson <johann@myrkraverk.invalid> wrote:
>> 
>>> My /white tower/ of blinkenlights has the fan blinking, and the two
>>> RAM sticks.  The /graphical prognostication unit/ also blinks an
>>> arrow and a Gigabyte.
>>>
>>> It's a veritable /industrial computer/!
>> 
>> AFAIK those lights don't *tell* you anything, though, other than that
>> the power's on. I know the BeBox blinkenlights would indicate CPU load
>> in either of the dual processors, but I don't think anyone has done an
>> equivalent for modern motherboards and their surfeit of LED pulsers...?

Yeah, it's all just bling, existing solely to win pissing contests.
The last thing I want is pulsating rainbows everywhere - especially
on the keyboard.  :-p

> Even in the elder days their use was fading. Sometimes a light pattern 
> might indicate a loop. I can recall an IBMer debugging on a 360/30 using 
> console switches and lights, but they were gone by the System/370.

The Univac 90/30s on which I mostly worked from 1975 to 1985 were
among the last machines with a couple of rows of LEDs with rollers
by which you could select various internal signals.  I found one
display where the internal disk controller would display the
currently-active drive number and the length of the current seek;
it was useful for detecting disk thrashing, especially after the
new drives came out that had opaque covers so you could no longer
see the head assembly and its movements.

The earlier 9300 would by default display the first two bytes of
the currently-executing instruction.  Due to the inertia of the
incandescent lamps the most recent instructions were effectively
ORed together.  However, you could tell whether a program was CPU-
or I/O-bound (and if I/O-bound, which device it was waiting for).
Naturally I wrote some hacks which would display strange things,
like a 4-bit binary counter that would cycle repeatedly.  Since this
machine treated 0x00 as a NOP, I wrote a program that cleared most of
memory, put a return at the bottom, and called it while waiting for
the card reader to complete.  It would run the reader at full speed
with all of the lights out, something which was normally impossible.
I titled the program "Read Cards in the Dark".

-- 
/~\  Charlie Gibbs                  |  In this world there are
\ /  <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid>      |  two kinds of people:
 X   I'm really at ac.dekanfrus     |  1. Those who can extrapolate
/ \  if you read it the right way.  |  from incomplete data.

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#235336 — Re: Modern blinkenlights:

Charlie Gibbs <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid> writes:
>On 2026-08-20, Peter Flass <Peter@Iron-Spring.com> wrote:

>> Even in the elder days their use was fading. Sometimes a light pattern 
>> might indicate a loop. I can recall an IBMer debugging on a 360/30 using 
>> console switches and lights, but they were gone by the System/370.
>
>The Univac 90/30s on which I mostly worked from 1975 to 1985 were
>among the last machines with a couple of rows of LEDs with rollers
>by which you could select various internal signals.  I found one
>display where the internal disk controller would display the
>currently-active drive number and the length of the current seek;
>it was useful for detecting disk thrashing, especially after the
>new drives came out that had opaque covers so you could no longer
>see the head assembly and its movements.

The Burroughs B6800 was famous for displaying the
big B (B in a circle) logo on the console light
matrix during the idle loop.

We had the engineering prototype B4800 in the software
lab and had replaced the metal skins (190cm  tall) with
smoked glass.  The processor logic 15cm tall cards were racked
in the cabinets in trays, with the non-backplane
end of each card loaded with signal LEDs.

Halt/Loading the system in the dark was impressive to watch.

The most useful diagnostics were the channel lights, which
blinked for every I/O operation initiated to the channel;
we actually built a portable version of the channel lights
to plug into the subsequent B4900 I/O processor to help debugging the
MCP.

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