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Groups > alt.folklore.computers > #211682 > unrolled thread

What ASCII Should Have Been

Started byQuadibloc <jsavard@ecn.ab.ca>
First post2020-06-01 19:25 -0700
Last post2020-07-05 16:35 -0700
Articles 20 on this page of 197 — 32 participants

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Contents

  What ASCII Should Have Been Quadibloc <jsavard@ecn.ab.ca> - 2020-06-01 19:25 -0700
    Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Andy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk> - 2020-06-02 07:49 +0100
      Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Quadibloc <jsavard@ecn.ab.ca> - 2020-06-02 00:26 -0700
        Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Quadibloc <jsavard@ecn.ab.ca> - 2020-06-02 00:35 -0700
    Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Bob Eager <news0073@eager.cx> - 2020-06-02 08:18 +0000
      Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Quadibloc <jsavard@ecn.ab.ca> - 2020-06-02 02:45 -0700
        Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Quadibloc <jsavard@ecn.ab.ca> - 2020-06-02 02:57 -0700
        Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Jorgen Grahn <grahn+nntp@snipabacken.se> - 2020-06-02 10:06 +0000
        Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Bob Eager <news0073@eager.cx> - 2020-06-02 11:52 +0000
        Re: What ASCII Should Have Been songbird <songbird@anthive.com> - 2020-06-02 12:18 -0400
    Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Theo <theom+news@chiark.greenend.org.uk> - 2020-06-02 11:31 +0100
      Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Quadibloc <jsavard@ecn.ab.ca> - 2020-06-02 05:05 -0700
        Re: What ASCII Should Have Been daphne@panix.com (Daphne Eftychia Arthur) - 2020-06-03 18:09 +0000
          Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Quadibloc <jsavard@ecn.ab.ca> - 2020-06-03 14:01 -0700
          Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Quadibloc <jsavard@ecn.ab.ca> - 2020-06-03 17:54 -0700
            Re: What ASCII actually is John Levine <johnl@taugh.com> - 2020-06-04 02:11 +0000
            Re: What ASCII Should Have Been daphne@panix.com (Daphne Eftychia Arthur) - 2020-06-04 03:05 +0000
              Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Quadibloc <jsavard@ecn.ab.ca> - 2020-06-03 20:26 -0700
                Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Peter Flass <peter_flass@yahoo.com> - 2020-06-04 07:06 -0700
              Re: What ASCII Should Have Been daphne@panix.com (Daphne Eftychia Arthur) - 2020-06-04 03:27 +0000
                Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Quadibloc <jsavard@ecn.ab.ca> - 2020-06-03 20:31 -0700
                  Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Quadibloc <jsavard@ecn.ab.ca> - 2020-06-03 20:41 -0700
          Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Johann 'Myrkraverk' Oskarsson <johann@myrkraverk.invalid> - 2020-06-06 02:22 +0800
            Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Peter Flass <peter_flass@yahoo.com> - 2020-06-05 11:33 -0700
              Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Johann 'Myrkraverk' Oskarsson <johann@myrkraverk.invalid> - 2020-06-06 13:58 +0800
                Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Peter Flass <peter_flass@yahoo.com> - 2020-06-06 11:10 -0700
    Re: What ASCII Should Have Been robin.vowels@gmail.com - 2020-06-02 19:46 -0700
      Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Quadibloc <jsavard@ecn.ab.ca> - 2020-06-02 23:24 -0700
        Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Quadibloc <jsavard@ecn.ab.ca> - 2020-06-02 23:36 -0700
        Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Charlie Gibbs <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid> - 2020-06-03 17:22 +0000
          Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Quadibloc <jsavard@ecn.ab.ca> - 2020-06-03 10:33 -0700
            Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Charlie Gibbs <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid> - 2020-06-03 20:30 +0000
              Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Quadibloc <jsavard@ecn.ab.ca> - 2020-06-03 13:40 -0700
                Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Peter Flass <peter_flass@yahoo.com> - 2020-06-04 07:06 -0700
                  Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Charlie Gibbs <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid> - 2020-06-04 16:59 +0000
              Re: What ASCII Should Have Been J. Clarke <jclarke.873638@gmail.com> - 2020-06-03 19:50 -0400
                Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Quadibloc <jsavard@ecn.ab.ca> - 2020-06-03 17:47 -0700
                Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Peter Flass <peter_flass@yahoo.com> - 2020-06-04 07:06 -0700
              Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Mike Spencer <mds@bogus.nodomain.nowhere> - 2020-06-03 20:53 -0300
                Re: What ASCII Should Have Been John Levine <johnl@taugh.com> - 2020-06-04 00:08 +0000
                Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Gerard Schildberger <gerard46@rrt.net> - 2020-06-03 17:10 -0700
                Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Quadibloc <jsavard@ecn.ab.ca> - 2020-06-03 17:48 -0700
                  Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Mike Spencer <mds@bogus.nodomain.nowhere> - 2020-06-04 03:11 -0300
                    Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Quadibloc <jsavard@ecn.ab.ca> - 2020-06-04 01:18 -0700
                      Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Mike Spencer <mds@bogus.nodomain.nowhere> - 2020-06-05 03:50 -0300
              Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Peter Flass <peter_flass@yahoo.com> - 2020-06-04 07:06 -0700
                Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Quadibloc <jsavard@ecn.ab.ca> - 2020-06-05 00:44 -0700
                  Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Peter Flass <peter_flass@yahoo.com> - 2020-06-05 07:53 -0700
                    Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Quadibloc <jsavard@ecn.ab.ca> - 2020-06-05 08:04 -0700
                      Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Peter Flass <peter_flass@yahoo.com> - 2020-06-05 10:03 -0700
                    Re: What ASCII Should Have Been JimP <solosam90@gmail.com> - 2020-06-05 11:05 -0500
                      Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Quadibloc <jsavard@ecn.ab.ca> - 2020-06-05 09:27 -0700
                        Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Dallas <dallas@texas.usa> - 2020-06-05 11:45 -0500
                          Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Quadibloc <jsavard@ecn.ab.ca> - 2020-06-05 09:55 -0700
                            Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Peter Flass <peter_flass@yahoo.com> - 2020-06-05 10:16 -0700
                            Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Ahem A Rivet's Shot <steveo@eircom.net> - 2020-06-05 18:23 +0100
                          Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Peter Flass <peter_flass@yahoo.com> - 2020-06-05 10:03 -0700
                            Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Niklas Karlsson <anksil@yahoo.se> - 2020-06-07 15:05 +0000
                              Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Peter Flass <peter_flass@yahoo.com> - 2020-06-07 09:28 -0700
                                Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Niklas Karlsson <anksil@yahoo.se> - 2020-06-07 19:56 +0000
                                  Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Dallas <dallas@texas.usa> - 2020-06-07 16:15 -0500
                          Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Charlie Gibbs <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid> - 2020-06-05 17:31 +0000
                            Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Peter Flass <peter_flass@yahoo.com> - 2020-06-05 11:24 -0700
                          Re: What ASCII Should Have Been robin.vowels@gmail.com - 2020-06-05 15:02 -0700
                            Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Dallas <dallas@texas.usa> - 2020-06-05 17:40 -0500
                          Re: What ASCII Should Have Been John Levine <johnl@taugh.com> - 2020-06-06 00:10 +0000
                            Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Dallas <dallas@texas.usa> - 2020-06-05 19:44 -0500
                              Re: What ASCII Should Have Been John Levine <johnl@taugh.com> - 2020-06-06 01:54 +0000
                        Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Peter Flass <peter_flass@yahoo.com> - 2020-06-05 10:03 -0700
                          Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Quadibloc <jsavard@ecn.ab.ca> - 2020-06-05 11:57 -0700
                        Re: What ASCII Should Have Been JimP <solosam90@gmail.com> - 2020-06-06 11:15 -0500
                          Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Peter Flass <peter_flass@yahoo.com> - 2020-06-06 11:10 -0700
                            Re: What ASCII Should Have Been JimP <solosam90@gmail.com> - 2020-06-06 16:14 -0500
                              Brest U-boat pens (was: Re: What ASCII Should Have Been "Kerr-Mudd,John" <notsaying@invalid.org> - 2020-06-07 10:01 +0000
                                Re: Brest U-boat pens (was: Re: What ASCII Should Have Been "Kerr-Mudd,John" <notsaying@invalid.org> - 2020-06-07 17:58 +0000
                                  Re: Brest U-boat pens Dallas <dallas@texas.usa> - 2020-06-07 15:54 -0500
                          Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Joy Beeson <jbeeson@invalid.net.invalid> - 2020-06-06 19:12 -0400
                            Re: What ASCII Should Have Been J. Clarke <jclarke.873638@gmail.com> - 2020-06-06 19:40 -0400
                              Re: What ASCII Should Have Been John Levine <johnl@taugh.com> - 2020-06-07 01:22 +0000
                                Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Dallas <dallas@texas.usa> - 2020-06-06 22:22 -0500
                                Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Andy Walker <anw@cuboid.co.uk> - 2020-06-07 10:46 +0100
                                Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Peter Flass <peter_flass@yahoo.com> - 2020-06-07 07:58 -0700
                                Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Thomas Koenig <tkoenig@netcologne.de> - 2020-06-07 15:37 +0000
                              Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Gareth Evans <headstone255@yahoo.com> - 2020-06-07 21:52 +0100
                            Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Quadibloc <jsavard@ecn.ab.ca> - 2020-06-06 19:44 -0700
                              Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Alfred Falk <aefalk@telus.net> - 2020-06-07 03:11 +0000
      Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Quadibloc <jsavard@ecn.ab.ca> - 2020-06-02 23:25 -0700
      Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Quadibloc <jsavard@ecn.ab.ca> - 2020-06-02 23:27 -0700
      Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Andy Walker <anw@cuboid.co.uk> - 2020-06-03 10:40 +0100
        Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Andy Walker <anw@cuboid.co.uk> - 2020-06-03 12:05 +0100
        Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Bob Eager <news0073@eager.cx> - 2020-06-03 13:08 +0000
          Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Andy Walker <anw@cuboid.co.uk> - 2020-06-03 15:47 +0100
            Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Bob Eager <news0073@eager.cx> - 2020-06-03 17:20 +0000
              Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Thomas Koenig <tkoenig@netcologne.de> - 2020-06-03 17:26 +0000
                Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Quadibloc <jsavard@ecn.ab.ca> - 2020-06-03 10:35 -0700
                  Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Bob Eager <news0073@eager.cx> - 2020-06-03 18:03 +0000
              Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Andy Walker <anw@cuboid.co.uk> - 2020-06-03 19:27 +0100
                Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Bob Eager <news0073@eager.cx> - 2020-06-03 18:38 +0000
                  Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Quadibloc <jsavard@ecn.ab.ca> - 2020-06-03 13:41 -0700
                    Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Bob Eager <news0073@eager.cx> - 2020-06-03 21:15 +0000
                  Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Andy Walker <anw@cuboid.co.uk> - 2020-06-04 00:25 +0100
                    Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Peter Flass <peter_flass@yahoo.com> - 2020-06-04 07:06 -0700
            Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Peter Flass <peter_flass@yahoo.com> - 2020-06-04 07:06 -0700
              Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Thomas Koenig <tkoenig@netcologne.de> - 2020-06-05 18:27 +0000
                Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Quadibloc <jsavard@ecn.ab.ca> - 2020-06-05 12:00 -0700
                  Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Thomas Koenig <tkoenig@netcologne.de> - 2020-06-07 16:52 +0000
                    Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Quadibloc <jsavard@ecn.ab.ca> - 2020-06-07 10:21 -0700
                    Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Peter Flass <peter_flass@yahoo.com> - 2020-06-07 11:03 -0700
                      Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Thomas Koenig <tkoenig@netcologne.de> - 2020-06-07 19:08 +0000
                        Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Peter Flass <peter_flass@yahoo.com> - 2020-06-07 13:00 -0700
                        Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Quadibloc <jsavard@ecn.ab.ca> - 2020-06-07 16:09 -0700
                          Re: What ASCII Should Have Been usenet@only.tnx (Questor) - 2020-06-09 09:18 +0000
                            Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Quadibloc <jsavard@ecn.ab.ca> - 2020-06-09 07:22 -0700
                              Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Peter Flass <peter_flass@yahoo.com> - 2020-06-09 11:51 -0700
                              Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Rich Alderson <news@alderson.users.panix.com> - 2020-06-09 15:40 -0400
                                Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Quadibloc <jsavard@ecn.ab.ca> - 2020-06-09 16:25 -0700
                                  Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Thomas Koenig <tkoenig@netcologne.de> - 2020-06-10 06:52 +0000
                                    Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Bob Eager <news0073@eager.cx> - 2020-06-10 10:22 +0000
                                    Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Rich Alderson <news@alderson.users.panix.com> - 2020-06-10 14:26 -0400
                                      Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Charlie Gibbs <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid> - 2020-06-10 20:54 +0000
                                    Re: What the DEC-20 was, not ASCII Should Have Been John Levine <johnl@taugh.com> - 2020-06-10 18:30 +0000
                                      Re: What the DEC-20 was, not ASCII Should Have Been Rich Alderson <news@alderson.users.panix.com> - 2020-06-11 19:01 -0400
                                    Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Jorgen Grahn <grahn+nntp@snipabacken.se> - 2020-06-10 19:35 +0000
                                      Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Thomas Koenig <tkoenig@netcologne.de> - 2020-06-11 12:59 +0000
                                        Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Peter Flass <peter_flass@yahoo.com> - 2020-06-11 07:59 -0700
                                          Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Thomas Koenig <tkoenig@netcologne.de> - 2020-06-11 17:31 +0000
                                            Re: BATTERY RADIOS & STIRLING MOTORS robin.vowels@gmail.com - 2020-06-11 21:29 -0700
                                              Re: BATTERY RADIOS & STIRLING MOTORS Thomas Koenig <tkoenig@netcologne.de> - 2020-06-12 07:04 +0000
                                              Re: BATTERY RADIOS & STIRLING MOTORS Bob Eager <news0073@eager.cx> - 2020-06-12 09:06 +0000
                                                Re: BATTERY RADIOS & STIRLING MOTORS robin.vowels@gmail.com - 2020-06-12 05:32 -0700
                                                Re: BATTERY RADIOS & STIRLING MOTORS Gareth Evans <headstone255@yahoo.com> - 2020-06-12 14:11 +0100
                                                  Re: BATTERY RADIOS & STIRLING MOTORS => Alfred Morgan ted@loft.tnolan.com (Ted Nolan <tednolan>) - 2020-06-12 13:41 +0000
                                                    Re: BATTERY RADIOS & STIRLING MOTORS => Alfred Morgan Bob Eager <news0073@eager.cx> - 2020-06-12 14:33 +0000
                                                      Re: BATTERY RADIOS & STIRLING MOTORS => Alfred Morgan Gareth Evans <headstone255@yahoo.com> - 2020-06-12 16:14 +0100
                                                    Re: BATTERY RADIOS & STIRLING MOTORS => Alfred Morgan Gareth Evans <headstone255@yahoo.com> - 2020-06-12 16:07 +0100
                                                      Re: BATTERY RADIOS & STIRLING MOTORS => Alfred Morgan ted@loft.tnolan.com (Ted Nolan <tednolan>) - 2020-06-12 16:59 +0000
                                                      Re: BATTERY RADIOS & STIRLING MOTORS => Alfred Morgan Peter Flass <peter_flass@yahoo.com> - 2020-06-12 10:31 -0700
                                                        Re: BATTERY RADIOS & STIRLING MOTORS => Alfred Morgan Ahem A Rivet's Shot <steveo@eircom.net> - 2020-06-12 20:33 +0100
                                                      Fun with X-raays (thread drift from  BATTERY RADIOS & STIRLING...) Mike Spencer <mds@bogus.nodomain.nowhere> - 2020-06-12 17:09 -0300
                                                        Re: Fun with X-raays (thread drift from  BATTERY RADIOS & STIRLING...) Quadibloc <jsavard@ecn.ab.ca> - 2020-06-12 14:12 -0700
                                                          Re: Fun with X-raays (thread drift from  BATTERY RADIOS & STIRLING...) J. Clarke <jclarke.873638@gmail.com> - 2020-06-12 19:54 -0400
                                                            Re: Fun with X-raays (thread drift from  BATTERY RADIOS & STIRLING...) J. Clarke <jclarke.873638@gmail.com> - 2020-06-12 19:54 -0400
                                                          Re: Fun with X-raays (thread drift from  BATTERY RADIOS & STIRLING...) Mike Spencer <mds@bogus.nodomain.nowhere> - 2020-06-13 02:57 -0300
                                                            Re: Fun with X-raays (thread drift from  BATTERY RADIOS & STIRLING...) J. Clarke <jclarke.873638@gmail.com> - 2020-06-13 02:15 -0400
                                                        Re: Fun with X-raays (thread drift from BATTERY RADIOS & STIRLING...) Gareth Evans <headstone255@yahoo.com> - 2020-06-14 13:54 +0100
                                                          Re: Fun with X-raays (thread drift from BATTERY RADIOS & STIRLING...) Peter Flass <peter_flass@yahoo.com> - 2020-06-14 15:30 -0700
                                                            Re: Fun with X-raays (thread drift from BATTERY RADIOS & STIRLING...) Mike Spencer <mds@bogus.nodomain.nowhere> - 2020-06-14 22:57 -0300
                                                            Re: Fun with X-raays (thread drift from BATTERY RADIOS & STIRLING...) JimP <solosam90@gmail.com> - 2020-06-14 21:00 -0500
                                                              Re: Fun with X-rays robin.vowels@gmail.com - 2020-06-14 21:12 -0700
                                                                Re: Fun with X-rays JimP <solosam90@gmail.com> - 2020-06-15 10:05 -0500
                                                                  Re: Fun with X-rays Peter Flass <peter_flass@yahoo.com> - 2020-06-15 10:05 -0700
                                                                    Re: Fun with X-rays Dallas <dallas@texas.usa> - 2020-06-15 13:26 -0500
                                                                      Re: Fun with X-rays John Levine <johnl@taugh.com> - 2020-06-15 18:46 +0000
                                                                        Re: Fun with X-rays J. Clarke <jclarke.873638@gmail.com> - 2020-06-15 19:30 -0400
                                                                          Re: Fun with X-rays Dallas <dallas@texas.usa> - 2020-06-15 20:36 -0500
                                                                            Re: Fun with X-rays J. Clarke <jclarke.873638@gmail.com> - 2020-06-15 22:27 -0400
                                                                            Re: Fun with X-rays Bob Eager <news0073@eager.cx> - 2020-06-16 06:40 +0000
                                                                Re: Radium girls, not Fun with X-rays John Levine <johnl@taugh.com> - 2020-06-15 17:29 +0000
                                                  Re: BATTERY RADIOS & STIRLING MOTORS Peter Flass <peter_flass@yahoo.com> - 2020-06-12 07:49 -0700
                                                  Re: BATTERY RADIOS & STIRLING MOTORS robin.vowels@gmail.com - 2020-06-12 08:50 -0700
                                            Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Bob Martin <bob.martin@excite.com> - 2020-06-12 06:07 +0000
                                        Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Niklas Karlsson <anksil@yahoo.se> - 2020-06-14 14:50 +0000
                                          Re: What ASCII Should Have Been "Kerr-Mudd,John" <notsaying@invalid.org> - 2020-06-14 15:01 +0000
                                          Re: What ASCII Should Have Been J. Clarke <jclarke.873638@gmail.com> - 2020-06-14 11:36 -0400
                                            Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Niklas Karlsson <anksil@yahoo.se> - 2020-06-14 18:03 +0000
                              Re: What ASCII Should Have Been usenet@only.tnx (Questor) - 2020-06-18 18:48 +0000
                            Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Quadibloc <jsavard@ecn.ab.ca> - 2020-06-09 07:26 -0700
                              Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Dan Espen <dan1espen@gmail.com> - 2020-06-09 12:02 -0400
                                Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Dallas <dallas@texas.usa> - 2020-06-09 11:08 -0500
                                  Subject line evolution Ahem A Rivet's Shot <steveo@eircom.net> - 2020-06-09 17:33 +0100
                                  Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Peter Flass <peter_flass@yahoo.com> - 2020-06-09 11:51 -0700
                                  Re: What ASCII Should Have Been usenet@only.tnx (Questor) - 2020-06-18 18:48 +0000
                                Re: fast emulators, not What ASCII Should Have Been John Levine <johnl@taugh.com> - 2020-06-09 17:43 +0000
                              Re: What ASCII Should Have Been usenet@only.tnx (Questor) - 2020-06-18 18:48 +0000
                            Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Quadibloc <jsavard@ecn.ab.ca> - 2020-06-09 07:32 -0700
                              Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Quadibloc <jsavard@ecn.ab.ca> - 2020-06-09 07:47 -0700
                                Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Peter Flass <peter_flass@yahoo.com> - 2020-06-09 11:51 -0700
                                Re: What ASCII Should Have Been usenet@only.tnx (Questor) - 2020-06-18 18:49 +0000
                              Re: What ASCII Should Have Been usenet@only.tnx (Questor) - 2020-06-18 18:50 +0000
                            Re: What ASCII Should Have Been John Levine <johnl@taugh.com> - 2020-06-09 15:24 +0000
                          Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Peter Flass <peter_flass@yahoo.com> - 2020-06-09 11:51 -0700
                          Re: What ASCII Should Have Been pechter@lakewoodmicro.com () - 2020-06-16 20:55 +0000
                Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Bob Eager <news0073@eager.cx> - 2020-06-05 21:27 +0000
                  Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Dallas <dallas@texas.usa> - 2020-06-05 16:54 -0500
                  Re: What ASCII Should Have Been scott@slp53.sl.home (Scott Lurndal) - 2020-06-05 22:44 +0000
                    Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Bob Eager <news0073@eager.cx> - 2020-06-05 23:18 +0000
          Re: What ASCII Should Have Been robin.vowels@gmail.com - 2020-06-03 16:37 -0700
            Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Bob Eager <news0073@eager.cx> - 2020-06-04 05:23 +0000
        Re: What ASCII Should Have Been robin.vowels@gmail.com - 2020-06-03 16:35 -0700
          Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Andy Walker <anw@cuboid.co.uk> - 2020-06-04 11:31 +0100
            Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Quadibloc <jsavard@ecn.ab.ca> - 2020-06-04 07:05 -0700
      Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Peter Flass <peter_flass@yahoo.com> - 2020-06-04 07:06 -0700
        Re: What ASCII Should Have Been scott@slp53.sl.home (Scott Lurndal) - 2020-06-04 15:23 +0000
          Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Quadibloc <jsavard@ecn.ab.ca> - 2020-06-04 09:38 -0700
        Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Ahem A Rivet's Shot <steveo@eircom.net> - 2020-06-04 17:31 +0100
          Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Andy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk> - 2020-06-09 10:25 +0100
    Re: What ASCII Should Have Been Quadibloc <jsavard@ecn.ab.ca> - 2020-07-05 16:35 -0700

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#211884

FromBob Martin <bob.martin@excite.com>
Date2020-06-12 06:07 +0000
Message-ID<hkgkdmFfl7rU1@mid.individual.net>
In reply to#211875
On 11 Jun 2020 at 17:31:46, Thomas Koenig <tkoenig@netcologne.de> wrote:
> Peter Flass <peter_flass@yahoo.com> schrieb:
>> Thomas Koenig <tkoenig@netcologne.de> wrote:
> 
>>> The Stirling motor is especially interesting; the first big
>>> application failed because of the introduction of the transistor.
> 
>> Sounds interesting, makes me want to know more.
> 
> The first big application for Stirling motors was radios
> in places where there was no electricity.
> 
> Because of the high power requirements of vaccum tubes, you needed
> a fairly big power source to power them - batteries did not have
> enough capacity.

We had a valve radio in the 40s.
HT (I think it was 120V) was supplied by a battery as big as a biscuit tin
and the valves' heater current came from an accumulator, a glass jar filled
with liquid and two electrodes.
The accumulator was exchanged weekly at the local cycle shop.
 
> 
> Along came the transistor and the transistor radio, which
> you could power with batteries without a problem.
> 
> And the market was gone.
 

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#211946

FromNiklas Karlsson <anksil@yahoo.se>
Date2020-06-14 14:50 +0000
Message-ID<hkmrpvFp6q4U1@mid.individual.net>
In reply to#211869
On 2020-06-11, Thomas Koenig <tkoenig@netcologne.de> wrote:
>
> The Stirling motor is especially interesting; the first big
> application failed because of the introduction of the transistor.

It has, of course, made a comeback.

Niklas
-- 
Dark chocolate and stem ginger--though tasty--are probably sub-optimal
materials for constructing FTL-capable spaceships.            --Tanuki

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#211947

From"Kerr-Mudd,John" <notsaying@invalid.org>
Date2020-06-14 15:01 +0000
Message-ID<XnsABDCA2F60A52Fadmin127001@144.76.35.198>
In reply to#211946
On Sun, 14 Jun 2020 14:50:39 GMT, Niklas Karlsson <anksil@yahoo.se> wrote:

> On 2020-06-11, Thomas Koenig <tkoenig@netcologne.de> wrote:
>>
>> The Stirling motor is especially interesting; the first big
>> application failed because of the introduction of the transistor.
> 
> It has, of course, made a comeback.
> 
> Niklas

I tried making one out of cola cans, but obviously my engineering skills 
are not up to it.
I wanted [still do] a fan to go on the woodstove. None of this peltier 
effect conversion inefficiency!

-- 
Bah, and indeed, Humbug.

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#211948

FromJ. Clarke <jclarke.873638@gmail.com>
Date2020-06-14 11:36 -0400
Message-ID<atgcefhr8b907ssub8h7t6vpn52qu8l9bv@4ax.com>
In reply to#211946
On 14 Jun 2020 14:50:39 GMT, Niklas Karlsson <anksil@yahoo.se> wrote:

>On 2020-06-11, Thomas Koenig <tkoenig@netcologne.de> wrote:
>>
>> The Stirling motor is especially interesting; the first big
>> application failed because of the introduction of the transistor.
>
>It has, of course, made a comeback.

It has?  Where are they in widespread use?

By the way, Philips is the outfit that was making them to power
radios.  They made 250 of them, couldn't sell them all, decided that
they weren't cost-effective, and that was pretty much the end of that.
The transistor had only a small part in it.

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#211951

FromNiklas Karlsson <anksil@yahoo.se>
Date2020-06-14 18:03 +0000
Message-ID<hkn73qFquk2U1@mid.individual.net>
In reply to#211948
On 2020-06-14, J  Clarke <jclarke.873638@gmail.com> wrote:
> On 14 Jun 2020 14:50:39 GMT, Niklas Karlsson <anksil@yahoo.se> wrote:
>
>>On 2020-06-11, Thomas Koenig <tkoenig@netcologne.de> wrote:
>>>
>>> The Stirling motor is especially interesting; the first big
>>> application failed because of the introduction of the transistor.
>>
>>It has, of course, made a comeback.
>
> It has?  Where are they in widespread use?

Well, "widespread" is in the eye of the beholder, but they are used as
air-independent propulsion on non-nuclear submarines in at least two
countries (Sweden and Japan).

I've also seen it used as an alternative to photovoltaic panels in solar
power.

Regards,
Niklas
-- 
The true sysadmin does not adjust his behaviour to fit the machine.  He adjusts
the machine until it behaves properly.  With a hammer, if necessary.
                     -- Brian Kantor

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#211992

Fromusenet@only.tnx (Questor)
Date2020-06-18 18:48 +0000
Message-ID<5eebb6f5.5809483@news.dslextreme.com>
In reply to#211848
On Tue, 9 Jun 2020 07:22:46 -0700 (PDT), Quadibloc <jsavard@ecn.ab.ca> wrote:
>On Tuesday, June 9, 2020 at 3:17:30 AM UTC-6, Questor wrote:
>> Uh, no.  They did not "discontinue the DECsystem-20 in favor of the VAX."  The
>> way you phrased it, it sounds like there was a deliberate, intentional strategy
>> to move PDP-10 customers (who used TOPS-10 or TOPS-20) to the VAX.  There simply
>> wasn't.  DEC screwed up so badly in producing a follow-on processor to the KL10
>> model that they eventually threw in the towel and discontinued the product line
>> with a sudden end-of-life announcement.
>
>Oh. I did not know that, instead I uncritically accepted the posts here by a 
>former DEC employee about the demise of the PDP-10 architecture which was, in 
>her eyes, very unfortunate.

It was very unfortunate.  I think you're mischaracterizing what happened, which
of course was complicated.  "DEC discontinued the DECsystem-20 in favor of the
VAX" is true in the sense of the relative allocation of corporate resources to
the respective product lines, but not in the sense that there was a direct
connection between the two product lines and their user communities, or that
there was some kind of competition as to what direction DEC should take in their
product offerings.  The VAX was explicitly an extension of the PDP-11, and its
users largely came from the various PDP-11 communities.  Many PDP-10 sites had
already been around for years before the VAX debuted.  However despite their
success with the PDP-10, the bulk of DEC's bread and butter came from the PDP-11
and then the VAX.  DEC's identity, inside and out, was that of a minicomputer
company.  That identity started shifting -- implicitly at first, and later
explicitly -- to that of 'the VAX/VMS company.'

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#211849

FromQuadibloc <jsavard@ecn.ab.ca>
Date2020-06-09 07:26 -0700
Message-ID<36e00da0-1c2d-40a4-aa38-6ba897f6b477o@googlegroups.com>
In reply to#211846
On Tuesday, June 9, 2020 at 3:17:30 AM UTC-6, Questor wrote:

> Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.  Uh, no and no.  It sounds like what you are proposing
> is running a PDP-10/TOPS-20 emulation on the VAX.  Yes, that was theoretically
> possible -- just "a small matter of programming" -- but the performance would
> have been terrible.  One might as well write TOPS-20 for the VAX and run it on
> the bare metal.

Well, this *is* what IBM did to help the legions of its customers with 7090 
computers and 1401 computers migrate gradually to the 360.

Given the nature of the VAX instruction set, I assumed, perhaps incorrectly, 
that VAX implementations were _microprogrammed_ instead of hardwired. While some 
additional circuitry would still be needed to assist in emulation of what was 
very different hardware, a microprogrammed processor, in general, has the 
potential to have a relatively small performance loss when doing emulation.

John Savard

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#211853

FromDan Espen <dan1espen@gmail.com>
Date2020-06-09 12:02 -0400
Message-ID<rbobr4$h5l$1@dont-email.me>
In reply to#211849
Quadibloc <jsavard@ecn.ab.ca> writes:

> On Tuesday, June 9, 2020 at 3:17:30 AM UTC-6, Questor wrote:
>
>> Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.  Uh, no and no.  It sounds like what you are proposing
>> is running a PDP-10/TOPS-20 emulation on the VAX.  Yes, that was theoretically
>> possible -- just "a small matter of programming" -- but the performance would
>> have been terrible.  One might as well write TOPS-20 for the VAX and run it on
>> the bare metal.
>
> Well, this *is* what IBM did to help the legions of its customers with 7090 
> computers and 1401 computers migrate gradually to the 360.

For the 1401 S/360 emulation was faster the 1401 it replaced.  Don't
know about 7090s.

-- 
Dan Espen

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#211854

FromDallas <dallas@texas.usa>
Date2020-06-09 11:08 -0500
Message-ID<rboc5t$k1e$1@dont-email.me>
In reply to#211853
On 6/9/2020 11:02 AM, Dan Espen wrote:
> Quadibloc <jsavard@ecn.ab.ca> writes:
> 
>> On Tuesday, June 9, 2020 at 3:17:30 AM UTC-6, Questor wrote:
>>
>>> Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.  Uh, no and no.  It sounds like what you are proposing
>>> is running a PDP-10/TOPS-20 emulation on the VAX.  Yes, that was theoretically
>>> possible -- just "a small matter of programming" -- but the performance would
>>> have been terrible.  One might as well write TOPS-20 for the VAX and run it on
>>> the bare metal.
>>
>> Well, this *is* what IBM did to help the legions of its customers with 7090
>> computers and 1401 computers migrate gradually to the 360.
> 
> For the 1401 S/360 emulation was faster the 1401 it replaced.  Don't
> know about 7090s.
> 

What is the current expectation for evolving the Subject: text for these threads here in 
alt.folklore.computers ?

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#211855 — Subject line evolution

FromAhem A Rivet's Shot <steveo@eircom.net>
Date2020-06-09 17:33 +0100
SubjectSubject line evolution
Message-ID<20200609173352.a8be1298afefa2a44edd17b1@eircom.net>
In reply to#211854
On Tue, 9 Jun 2020 11:08:29 -0500
Dallas <dallas@texas.usa> wrote:

> What is the current expectation for evolving the Subject: text for these
> threads here in alt.folklore.computers ?

	Subject lines might change if/when someone remembers to do so,
threads will drift. It's been that way for a very long time now.

-- 
Steve O'Hara-Smith                          |   Directable Mirror Arrays
C:\>WIN                                     | A better way to focus the sun
The computer obeys and wins.                |    licences available see
You lose and Bill collects.                 |    http://www.sohara.org/

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#211860

FromPeter Flass <peter_flass@yahoo.com>
Date2020-06-09 11:51 -0700
Message-ID<864719163.613421429.833878.peter_flass-yahoo.com@news.eternal-september.org>
In reply to#211854
Dallas <dallas@texas.usa> wrote:
> On 6/9/2020 11:02 AM, Dan Espen wrote:
>> Quadibloc <jsavard@ecn.ab.ca> writes:
>> 
>>> On Tuesday, June 9, 2020 at 3:17:30 AM UTC-6, Questor wrote:
>>> 
>>>> Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.  Uh, no and no.  It sounds like what you are proposing
>>>> is running a PDP-10/TOPS-20 emulation on the VAX.  Yes, that was theoretically
>>>> possible -- just "a small matter of programming" -- but the performance would
>>>> have been terrible.  One might as well write TOPS-20 for the VAX and run it on
>>>> the bare metal.
>>> 
>>> Well, this *is* what IBM did to help the legions of its customers with 7090
>>> computers and 1401 computers migrate gradually to the 360.
>> 
>> For the 1401 S/360 emulation was faster the 1401 it replaced.  Don't
>> know about 7090s.
>> 
> 
> What is the current expectation for evolving the Subject: text for these threads here in 
> alt.folklore.computers ?
> 
> 

Expect nothing, and you’ll never be disappointed.

-- 
Pete

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#211994

Fromusenet@only.tnx (Questor)
Date2020-06-18 18:48 +0000
Message-ID<5eebb712.5837724@news.dslextreme.com>
In reply to#211854
On Tue, 9 Jun 2020 11:08:29 -0500, Dallas <dallas@texas.usa> wrote:
>On 6/9/2020 11:02 AM, Dan Espen wrote:
>> Quadibloc <jsavard@ecn.ab.ca> writes:
>>> On Tuesday, June 9, 2020 at 3:17:30 AM UTC-6, Questor wrote:
>>>
>>>> Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.  Uh, no and no.  It sounds like what you are proposing
>>>> is running a PDP-10/TOPS-20 emulation on the VAX.  Yes, that was theoretically
>>>> possible -- just "a small matter of programming" -- but the performance would
>>>> have been terrible.  One might as well write TOPS-20 for the VAX and run it on
>>>> the bare metal.
>>>
>>> Well, this *is* what IBM did to help the legions of its customers with 7090
>>> computers and 1401 computers migrate gradually to the 360.
>> 
>> For the 1401 S/360 emulation was faster the 1401 it replaced.  Don't
>> know about 7090s.
>
>What is the current expectation for evolving the Subject: text for these threads here in 
>alt.folklore.computers ?

None, per the moderator.

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#211856 — Re: fast emulators, not What ASCII Should Have Been

FromJohn Levine <johnl@taugh.com>
Date2020-06-09 17:43 +0000
SubjectRe: fast emulators, not What ASCII Should Have Been
Message-ID<rbohod$1pd0$1@gal.iecc.com>
In reply to#211853
In article <rbobr4$h5l$1@dont-email.me>,
Dan Espen  <dan1espen@gmail.com> wrote:
>> Well, this *is* what IBM did to help the legions of its customers with 7090 
>> computers and 1401 computers migrate gradually to the 360.
>
>For the 1401 S/360 emulation was faster the 1401 it replaced.  Don't
>know about 7090s.

All of the emulations were at least as fast as the original. That's
why the 709x emulator needed a 360/65.

-- 
Regards,
John Levine, johnl@taugh.com, Primary Perpetrator of "The Internet for Dummies",
Please consider the environment before reading this e-mail. https://jl.ly

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#211993

Fromusenet@only.tnx (Questor)
Date2020-06-18 18:48 +0000
Message-ID<5eebb705.5824815@news.dslextreme.com>
In reply to#211849
On Tue, 9 Jun 2020 07:26:56 -0700 (PDT), Quadibloc <jsavard@ecn.ab.ca> wrote:
>On Tuesday, June 9, 2020 at 3:17:30 AM UTC-6, Questor wrote:
>
>> Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.  Uh, no and no.  It sounds like what you are proposing
>> is running a PDP-10/TOPS-20 emulation on the VAX.  Yes, that was theoretically
>> possible -- just "a small matter of programming" -- but the performance would
>> have been terrible.  One might as well write TOPS-20 for the VAX and run it on
>> the bare metal.
>
>Well, this *is* what IBM did to help the legions of its customers with 7090 
>computers and 1401 computers migrate gradually to the 360.
>
>Given the nature of the VAX instruction set, I assumed, perhaps incorrectly, 
>that VAX implementations were _microprogrammed_ instead of hardwired. While some 
>additional circuitry would still be needed to assist in emulation of what was 
>very different hardware, a microprogrammed processor, in general, has the 
>potential to have a relatively small performance loss when doing emulation.

The bleedin' microprogramming don't enter into it... the VAX wasn't as fast as a
KL10 to begin with.  And with your magic wand, you're also conjuring up some
"additional circuitry," which would be substantial.  It's not just that the CPU
is a different architecture, it's also all the peripherals.  For example, a
typical KL10 had one or two PDP-11 front-ends that communicated via direct
memory access and facilitated much of the I/O.  The VAX of that time simply
couldn't handle the same load.

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#211850

FromQuadibloc <jsavard@ecn.ab.ca>
Date2020-06-09 07:32 -0700
Message-ID<e4dba915-686b-481c-86c3-835074526d4fo@googlegroups.com>
In reply to#211846
On Tuesday, June 9, 2020 at 3:17:30 AM UTC-6, Questor wrote:
> DEC screwed up so badly in producing a follow-on processor to the KL10
> model that they eventually threw in the towel and discontinued the product line
> with a sudden end-of-life announcement.

> Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.  Uh, no and no.  It sounds like what you are proposing
> is running a PDP-10/TOPS-20 emulation on the VAX.  Yes, that was theoretically
> possible -- just "a small matter of programming" -- but the performance would
> have been terrible.

Of course, if DEC wasn't competent to *build* a new PDP-10 computer, then 
presumably they would also not be competent to build an add-in card containing a 
36-bit ALU, an extra bit or to by which to widen microprogram ROM, and a new 
microprogram to allow a VAX to also be a *reasonably fast* PDP-10, since, while 
theoretically possible (remember, IBM pulled it off) it _is_ harder than simply 
implementing the PDP-10 architecture in new and upgraded technology.

So if they can't do the easier thing, indeed I am mistaken in being sanguine 
about them doing the harder thing.

John Savard

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#211851

FromQuadibloc <jsavard@ecn.ab.ca>
Date2020-06-09 07:47 -0700
Message-ID<20ff8386-77f3-490e-97ea-8895806fd312o@googlegroups.com>
In reply to#211850
On Tuesday, June 9, 2020 at 8:32:37 AM UTC-6, Quadibloc wrote:
 
> Of course, if DEC wasn't competent to *build* a new PDP-10 computer, then 
> presumably they would also not be competent to build an add-in card containing a 
> 36-bit ALU, an extra bit or to by which to widen microprogram ROM, and a new 
> microprogram to allow a VAX to also be a *reasonably fast* PDP-10, since, while 
> theoretically possible (remember, IBM pulled it off) it _is_ harder than simply 
> implementing the PDP-10 architecture in new and upgraded technology.

Also, widening the microprogram ROM with an add-in card...

would obviously involve some *backplane wiring*.

Except that a VAX 11/780 was implemented using LSI and was thus at a higher 
level of integration than an early IBM System/360 which was implemented by 
something that just barely qualified as SSI. (Fake 7400-style logic made from 
mounting naked discrete transistors on tiny circuit boards... I know this isn't 
an entirely fair description of SLT, but it'll have to do for kids nowadays.)

So it's not clear that the functions one would have to alter are in fact brought 
out to the backplane where they're accessible. Instead, they would have to 
redesign the whole CPU to include a reasonably fast emulation (not simulation in 
software) feature.

John Savard

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#211859

FromPeter Flass <peter_flass@yahoo.com>
Date2020-06-09 11:51 -0700
Message-ID<44772059.613421305.141323.peter_flass-yahoo.com@news.eternal-september.org>
In reply to#211851
Quadibloc <jsavard@ecn.ab.ca> wrote:
> On Tuesday, June 9, 2020 at 8:32:37 AM UTC-6, Quadibloc wrote:
>  
>> Of course, if DEC wasn't competent to *build* a new PDP-10 computer, then 
>> presumably they would also not be competent to build an add-in card containing a 
>> 36-bit ALU, an extra bit or to by which to widen microprogram ROM, and a new 
>> microprogram to allow a VAX to also be a *reasonably fast* PDP-10, since, while 
>> theoretically possible (remember, IBM pulled it off) it _is_ harder than simply 
>> implementing the PDP-10 architecture in new and upgraded technology.
> 
> Also, widening the microprogram ROM with an add-in card...
> 
> would obviously involve some *backplane wiring*.
> 
> Except that a VAX 11/780 was implemented using LSI and was thus at a higher 
> level of integration than an early IBM System/360 which was implemented by 
> something that just barely qualified as SSI. (Fake 7400-style logic made from 
> mounting naked discrete transistors on tiny circuit boards... I know this isn't 
> an entirely fair description of SLT, but it'll have to do for kids nowadays.)
> 
> So it's not clear that the functions one would have to alter are in fact brought 
> out to the backplane where they're accessible. Instead, they would have to 
> redesign the whole CPU to include a reasonably fast emulation (not simulation in 
> software) feature.
> 
> John Savard
> 

That was supposed to be their VAX follow-on (forgot the name). All
microprogrammed to support multiple personalities. Of course by that time
most of the PDP-10 users had moved on.

-- 
Pete

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#211995

Fromusenet@only.tnx (Questor)
Date2020-06-18 18:49 +0000
Message-ID<5eebb71d.5848850@news.dslextreme.com>
In reply to#211851
On Tue, 9 Jun 2020 07:47:40 -0700 (PDT), Quadibloc <jsavard@ecn.ab.ca> wrote:
>On Tuesday, June 9, 2020 at 8:32:37 AM UTC-6, Quadibloc wrote:
>> Of course, if DEC wasn't competent to *build* a new PDP-10 computer, then 
>> presumably they would also not be competent to build an add-in card containing a 
>> 36-bit ALU, an extra bit or to by which to widen microprogram ROM, and a new 
>> microprogram to allow a VAX to also be a *reasonably fast* PDP-10, since, while 
>> theoretically possible (remember, IBM pulled it off) it _is_ harder than simply 
>> implementing the PDP-10 architecture in new and upgraded technology.
>
>Also, widening the microprogram ROM with an add-in card...
>
>would obviously involve some *backplane wiring*.
>
>Except that a VAX 11/780 was implemented using LSI and was thus at a higher 
>level of integration than an early IBM System/360 which was implemented by 
>something that just barely qualified as SSI. (Fake 7400-style logic made from 
>mounting naked discrete transistors on tiny circuit boards... I know this isn't 
>an entirely fair description of SLT, but it'll have to do for kids nowadays.)
>
>So it's not clear that the functions one would have to alter are in fact brought 
>out to the backplane where they're accessible. Instead, they would have to 
>redesign the whole CPU to include a reasonably fast emulation (not simulation in 
>software) feature.

And while they're doing that, why don't they just redesign a whole new PDP-10
processor, hey?  It took somewhere between two and three VAX 780s to equal
a KL10 to begin with.  And the whole goal was to produce a substantially faster
PDP10.  Regardless of microprogramming, backplane re-wiring, etc. a VAX of that
era wasn't going to deliver the required performance. 

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#211996

Fromusenet@only.tnx (Questor)
Date2020-06-18 18:50 +0000
Message-ID<5eebb737.5874977@news.dslextreme.com>
In reply to#211850
On Tue, 9 Jun 2020 07:32:35 -0700 (PDT), Quadibloc <jsavard@ecn.ab.ca> wrote:
>On Tuesday, June 9, 2020 at 3:17:30 AM UTC-6, Questor wrote:
>> DEC screwed up so badly in producing a follow-on processor to the KL10
>> model that they eventually threw in the towel and discontinued the product line
>> with a sudden end-of-life announcement.
>
>> Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.  Uh, no and no.  It sounds like what you are proposing
>> is running a PDP-10/TOPS-20 emulation on the VAX.  Yes, that was theoretically
>> possible -- just "a small matter of programming" -- but the performance would
>> have been terrible.
>
>Of course, if DEC wasn't competent to *build* a new PDP-10 computer, then

DEC certainly was competent.  It's more complicated than that.  It's largely an
issue of resources and timing.

Lots of ideas for new PDP-10s got kicked around -- bigger versions, a smaller
one that could fit under a desk, etc.  In the end, only one project was approved
and funded.  It's code name was Jupiter, and it was going to be a much faster
machine.  It would have to be, because in a sense it was already "late."  This
is what I mean when I say the timing was bad.  I don't know why a follow-on
processor to the KL10 took so long to get started, but it did.  That might have
been the first sign of neglect of the PDP-10 product line.

I don't have any of the technological details, so I can only make some broad
statements.  The Jupiter project was aiming for somewhere between seven and ten
times the performance of a KL10.  It would have extended the life of the PDP-10
product line well through the '80s.  But apparently the design was a little
risky.  There was trouble getting it to work.  Eventually it was concluded that
at best they could only get two to three times the speed of a KL10.  By the time
they might have been able to release it to the market, it would have long been
too little, too late.  Retrenching and starting over with a different design
would have taken even longer.  There was nothing else on the drawing board, no
plan B.  It had already been over eight years since the KL10 debuted.  Even in
those days, that was way, way too long between new and improved models.

At the same time the Jupiter project -- the only new PDP-10 processor in active
development -- was failing, there were at least four, and possibly more, new VAX
CPUs in the works.  Projects that were approved, funded, and in progress.  Even
if one or two of them bombed, there would still be other new models.  This is
what I mean when I say allocation of corporate resources.  Implicitly or
explicitly, the decision had been made years before:  DEC was the VAX company.
The announcement of the Jupiter project's cancellation and the end-of-life for
the PDP-10 product line was simply more confirmation of that corporate identity.


>presumably they would also not be competent to build an add-in card containing a 
>36-bit ALU, an extra bit or to by which to widen microprogram ROM, and a new 
>microprogram to allow a VAX to also be a *reasonably fast* PDP-10, since, while 
>theoretically possible (remember, IBM pulled it off) it _is_ harder than simply 
>implementing the PDP-10 architecture in new and upgraded technology.

You speak about what is theoretically possible, while I am talking about
practical reality.  The suggestions you made would be more complicated, take too
long to implement, and still would not deliver the performance required.  None
of those would have been started while the Jupiter project was still viable.
And by the time it became clear that the Jupiter project wasn't going to meet
its goals, it was way too late.

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#211852

FromJohn Levine <johnl@taugh.com>
Date2020-06-09 15:24 +0000
Message-ID<rbo9jq$oh9$1@gal.iecc.com>
In reply to#211846
In article <5edf53ba.4570291@news.dslextreme.com>,
Questor <usenet@only.tnx> wrote:
>>Since the PDP-10 was a 36-bit big-endian system, and the VAX a 32-bit little-
>>endian system, however, one will have to forgive some limitations. Instead, they 
>>should simply have done what IBM did with the 360: allow the VAX to run the 
>>PDP-10 compilers and the code they generate in emulation mode.
>
>Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.  Uh, no and no.  It sounds like what you are proposing
>is running a PDP-10/TOPS-20 emulation on the VAX.  Yes, that was theoretically
>possible -- just "a small matter of programming" -- but the performance would
>have been terrible.  One might as well write TOPS-20 for the VAX and run it on
>the bare metal.

IBM did exactly that to migrate people from older systems to the 360.
As a matter of policy, they only offered emulations that were at least
as fast as the original, so you could emulate a 1401 on a 360/30, but
to emulate a 7094, you needed a high end 360/65 mainframe.

DEC was a much smaller company than IBM and given that they didn't
have the engineering depth to build a new PDP-10 it's implausible they
would have been able to do the extra microcode and probably hardware
to do emulated PDP-10 on a VAX.

-- 
Regards,
John Levine, johnl@taugh.com, Primary Perpetrator of "The Internet for Dummies",
Please consider the environment before reading this e-mail. https://jl.ly

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