April 13, 2009 at 5:12 pm
Yes, Pete, many cuts. I saw a paper tape reader on a CDC mainframe that had a gear motor an optical sensors. It used the drive holes on the tape to generate clock pulses. There was no take up reel. It was too fast for a take up reel. They used a large rubbish can to keep the tape from going every where. Not inches per second. This bad dude was rated in feet per second.
Lynn: There was an old trick if you did not want to ring the bell at the far end. You sent CHAR / NUM shift codes repeatedly. This was like hitting and releasing the shift key on an ancient typewriter. It's intended to cause the machine to shake and make noise. You could get the remote operators attention that way. There was a special circuit hooked up to the bell. Five bells was a hot flash story. Ten bells in a row was a National Alert.
ATBCharles Kincaid
April 13, 2009 at 6:08 pm
Heh.... then there were the new Mylar cuts and the "angel dust" the punches made. Nasty.
Anybody remember the old Remington punch cards?
--Jeff Moden
Change is inevitable... Change for the better is not.
April 14, 2009 at 6:09 am
Charles Kincaid (4/13/2009)
Yes, Pete, many cuts. I saw a paper tape reader on a CDC mainframe that had a gear motor an optical sensors.
The optical paper (mylar) tape sensors were the "new technology" introduced while I worked for CDC (third or fourth computer job). Anybody else remember tape cores, or magnetostrictive delay line storage?
Once, I couldn't figure out why I was getting spurious EOFs reading a card deck, until I watched the new keypunch operator correcting errors as she had on her typewriter: backspace, then retype the corrected character 2 or 3 times!
(Steve, can you spawn these recent comments into an "Old Farts" thread?)
April 14, 2009 at 2:27 pm
Jim Russell (4/14/2009)
...can you spawn these recent comments into an "Old Farts" thread?
Given the depth of industry experience that's demonstrated daily on this site, that one could have the potential to rival "The Thread" in total size.
Probably be inordinately valuable to future historians as well, a single source for the social and psychological influences to be drawn from the arrival of the binary gods.
😎
Peter Edmunds ex-Geek
April 14, 2009 at 3:37 pm
Jim Russell (4/14/2009)
Charles Kincaid (4/13/2009)
Yes, Pete, many cuts. I saw a paper tape reader on a CDC mainframe that had a gear motor an optical sensors.The optical paper (mylar) tape sensors were the "new technology" introduced while I worked for CDC (third or fourth computer job). Anybody else remember tape cores, or magnetostrictive delay line storage?
Once, I couldn't figure out why I was getting spurious EOFs reading a card deck, until I watched the new keypunch operator correcting errors as she had on her typewriter: backspace, then retype the corrected character 2 or 3 times!
(Steve, can you spawn these recent comments into an "Old Farts" thread?)
I guess the bonus there is that "White Out" hadn't been invented yet... just imagine...:-P
--Jeff Moden
Change is inevitable... Change for the better is not.
April 14, 2009 at 7:26 pm
Charles Kincaid (4/9/2009)
I think that there is a point that we have ignored though. I was thinking about the differences between COBOL and APL. It will take a short paragraph to illustrate the point.COBOL is "Common Business Oriented Language" while APL is "A Programming Language". Admiral Hopper had a hand in both. COBOL was intended to solve business problems while being as much like English as possible. APL was intended to be a general purpose language that was as UNLIKE any Human language as is possible. To our focus, SQL is "Structured Query Language". Notice that these languages have a different intent. Kernegan and Ritchey had two different computers, made by different companies, and wanted a way to share source code. PHP started as "Personal Home Page". On and on. These languages each started with a different INTENT.
There is your paragraph. While forming that paragraph in my head something struck me. Each of the languages has an intent. Then there is the nature of computer languages vs human languages. In the first case these are designed for US to communicate to the computer while in the second they are evolved for US to communicate with each other. There is something foundational here.
Thank you, Mr. Kincaid. You have stated what has been bouncing in my head (be it no so eloquently) while following this conversation.
April 15, 2009 at 3:43 pm
Jeff Moden (4/13/2009)
Let alone writing a wordprocessor in BASIC for a 16k commodore ....... oops:doze:
Heh... I'm just glad I'm not the only old fart on this site. My first "program" was on unit record equipment that used a "peg board" module that you plugged banana-plug wires into. The only way to sort data was to run it through the card sorter and the only thing that came close to a real program was the special punched card you could put into the keypunch to automatically skip white space and force character type for the fields on the cards.
Hey - I was only 18 when I wrote that! And *I* didn't have to worry about dinosaurs stepping on the kit! 😛
I'm a DBA.
I'm not paid to solve problems. I'm paid to prevent them.
April 15, 2009 at 3:51 pm
Jeff Moden (4/13/2009)
Aaron N. Cutshall (4/13/2009)
Jeff Moden (4/13/2009)
Heh... I'm just glad I'm not the only old fart on this site. My first "program" was on unit record equipment that used a "peg board" module that you plugged banana-plug wires into. The only way to sort data was to run it through the card sorter and the only thing that came close to a real program was the special punched card you could put into the keypunch to automatically skip white space and force character type for the fields on the cards.Just when I thought I had put behind me the memories of tripping and spilling my box of cards all over the floor and having to put the entire deck back together manually!:crazy:
BWAA-HAA! You had a box? We were always fighting over those. 😀
A BOX? Pure bloody luxury. We had to make do with a thimble to carry slate cards punched with a cobbler's awl! And *that* was only when we were working on a Sunday. Other than that we had to make do with using our bare hands with cards of molten lava we had to blow holes into! And we had to pay double time to work on a Sunday .......
Incidentally - TV prog in the background has just started playing the intro to "Killing in the Name". Bet they don't get to the chorus.
I'm a DBA.
I'm not paid to solve problems. I'm paid to prevent them.
April 15, 2009 at 3:53 pm
Charles Kincaid (4/13/2009)
Speaking of boards, one of the ones I kept hidden away was one that would dup a stack of cards and punch sequential numbers into the appropriate columns. Once you got your COBOL program working this was a requirement to put it into production. Pink cards with right hand corner cuts. The only cards the programmers had access to were white with left corner cuts. Makes spotting changed decks quite easy. The operators were on the lookout and would not run your job to update production libraries.OK, who remembers splicing punched paper tape? My title at work, COF. That's Certified Old Fart.
You know that the only reason this will never rival "THE THREAD" is that most of us still here will die of old age first.
I'm a DBA.
I'm not paid to solve problems. I'm paid to prevent them.
April 15, 2009 at 3:58 pm
Jeff Moden (4/14/2009)
Jim Russell (4/14/2009)
Charles Kincaid (4/13/2009)
Yes, Pete, many cuts. I saw a paper tape reader on a CDC mainframe that had a gear motor an optical sensors.The optical paper (mylar) tape sensors were the "new technology" introduced while I worked for CDC (third or fourth computer job). Anybody else remember tape cores, or magnetostrictive delay line storage?
Once, I couldn't figure out why I was getting spurious EOFs reading a card deck, until I watched the new keypunch operator correcting errors as she had on her typewriter: backspace, then retype the corrected character 2 or 3 times!
(Steve, can you spawn these recent comments into an "Old Farts" thread?)
I guess the bonus there is that "White Out" hadn't been invented yet... just imagine...:-P
Wasn't that invented by the mother of one of the guys in the Monkees?
I'm a DBA.
I'm not paid to solve problems. I'm paid to prevent them.
April 15, 2009 at 4:20 pm
andrew gothard (4/15/2009)
Jeff Moden (4/14/2009)
Jim Russell (4/14/2009)
Charles Kincaid (4/13/2009)
Yes, Pete, many cuts. I saw a paper tape reader on a CDC mainframe that had a gear motor an optical sensors.The optical paper (mylar) tape sensors were the "new technology" introduced while I worked for CDC (third or fourth computer job). Anybody else remember tape cores, or magnetostrictive delay line storage?
Once, I couldn't figure out why I was getting spurious EOFs reading a card deck, until I watched the new keypunch operator correcting errors as she had on her typewriter: backspace, then retype the corrected character 2 or 3 times!
(Steve, can you spawn these recent comments into an "Old Farts" thread?)
I guess the bonus there is that "White Out" hadn't been invented yet... just imagine...:-P
Wasn't that invented by the mother of one of the guys in the Monkees?
They had "mothers"? :hehe:
--Jeff Moden
Change is inevitable... Change for the better is not.
April 15, 2009 at 5:20 pm
andrew gothard (4/15/2009)
Jeff Moden (4/14/2009)
Jim Russell (4/14/2009)
Charles Kincaid (4/13/2009)
Yes, Pete, many cuts. I saw a paper tape reader on a CDC mainframe that had a gear motor an optical sensors.The optical paper (mylar) tape sensors were the "new technology" introduced while I worked for CDC (third or fourth computer job). Anybody else remember tape cores, or magnetostrictive delay line storage?
Once, I couldn't figure out why I was getting spurious EOFs reading a card deck, until I watched the new keypunch operator correcting errors as she had on her typewriter: backspace, then retype the corrected character 2 or 3 times!
(Steve, can you spawn these recent comments into an "Old Farts" thread?)
I guess the bonus there is that "White Out" hadn't been invented yet... just imagine...:-P
Wasn't that invented by the mother of one of the guys in the Monkees?
That would be the same Monkees member that wrote, The Long Sandy Hair of Neftoon Zamora (1998).
April 16, 2009 at 4:21 pm
dphillips (4/15/2009)
andrew gothard (4/15/2009)
Jeff Moden (4/14/2009)
Jim Russell (4/14/2009)
Charles Kincaid (4/13/2009)
Yes, Pete, many cuts. I saw a paper tape reader on a CDC mainframe that had a gear motor an optical sensors.The optical paper (mylar) tape sensors were the "new technology" introduced while I worked for CDC (third or fourth computer job). Anybody else remember tape cores, or magnetostrictive delay line storage?
Once, I couldn't figure out why I was getting spurious EOFs reading a card deck, until I watched the new keypunch operator correcting errors as she had on her typewriter: backspace, then retype the corrected character 2 or 3 times!
(Steve, can you spawn these recent comments into an "Old Farts" thread?)
I guess the bonus there is that "White Out" hadn't been invented yet... just imagine...:-P
Wasn't that invented by the mother of one of the guys in the Monkees?
That would be the same Monkees member that wrote, The Long Sandy Hair of Neftoon Zamora (1998).
Never heard it, but the title alone suggests it'd be a fine advertisment for his mother's product
I'm a DBA.
I'm not paid to solve problems. I'm paid to prevent them.
April 16, 2009 at 4:23 pm
Jeff Moden (4/15/2009)
andrew gothard (4/15/2009)
Jeff Moden (4/14/2009)
Jim Russell (4/14/2009)
Charles Kincaid (4/13/2009)
Yes, Pete, many cuts. I saw a paper tape reader on a CDC mainframe that had a gear motor an optical sensors.The optical paper (mylar) tape sensors were the "new technology" introduced while I worked for CDC (third or fourth computer job). Anybody else remember tape cores, or magnetostrictive delay line storage?
Once, I couldn't figure out why I was getting spurious EOFs reading a card deck, until I watched the new keypunch operator correcting errors as she had on her typewriter: backspace, then retype the corrected character 2 or 3 times!
(Steve, can you spawn these recent comments into an "Old Farts" thread?)
I guess the bonus there is that "White Out" hadn't been invented yet... just imagine...:-P
Wasn't that invented by the mother of one of the guys in the Monkees?
They had "mothers"? :hehe:
Jury is still out on fathers though 😎
I'm a DBA.
I'm not paid to solve problems. I'm paid to prevent them.
April 16, 2009 at 4:34 pm
andrew gothard (4/15/2009)
Jeff Moden (4/14/2009)
Jim Russell (4/14/2009)
Charles Kincaid (4/13/2009)
Yes, Pete, many cuts. I saw a paper tape reader on a CDC mainframe that had a gear motor an optical sensors.The optical paper (mylar) tape sensors were the "new technology" introduced while I worked for CDC (third or fourth computer job). Anybody else remember tape cores, or magnetostrictive delay line storage?
Once, I couldn't figure out why I was getting spurious EOFs reading a card deck, until I watched the new keypunch operator correcting errors as she had on her typewriter: backspace, then retype the corrected character 2 or 3 times!
(Steve, can you spawn these recent comments into an "Old Farts" thread?)
I guess the bonus there is that "White Out" hadn't been invented yet... just imagine...:-P
Wasn't that invented by the mother of one of the guys in the Monkees?
"Liquid Paper" was invented by Michael Nesmith's mother in 1951. didn't really become big until the late 60's I think.
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Proactive Performance Solutions, Inc. [/font][font="Verdana"] "Performance is our middle name."[/font]
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