Doug Miller wrote:

In article , wrote:


There my memory fails me. But do you remember a minicomputer named Sue?

No, but I remember a boy named Sue...


Lockheed came out with the computer shortly after the song, IIRC. The acronym
stood for "System User Engineered", a blatant example of reaching a little
too far for a catchy name :-).

As delivered, it came with a teletype. After writing a program, I first had
to punch it out on paper tape using "ghost" code (4 bits per frame), then:

Load the Fortran compiler.
Load my source tape.
Punch out the assembler code.
Load the assembler.
Load the assembler code.
Punch out the object code.
Load the link editor.
Load the object code.
Load the subroutine library tape(s),
Punch out the executable program.
Load the executable program.

All this at an effective speed of 55 baud :-).

If I avoided getting a tape jam in all of that, I then got to test my program
and do the whole thing over again if I found a bug. It did tend to make one
into a verrry careful programmer :-).

I also got very good at wrapping paper tape by the bowtie method :-).

--
It's turtles, all the way down

Larry Blanchard (in ) said:

| As delivered, it came with a teletype. After writing a program, I
| first had to punch it out on paper tape using "ghost" code (4 bits
| per frame), then:
|
| Load the Fortran compiler.
| Load my source tape.
| Punch out the assembler code.
| Load the assembler.
| Load the assembler code.
| Punch out the object code.
| Load the link editor.
| Load the object code.
| Load the subroutine library tape(s),
| Punch out the executable program.
| Load the executable program.
|
| All this at an effective speed of 55 baud :-).

That's amazing given that "high-speed" reel-to-reel paper tape readers
and very much faster paper tape punches were in common use by that
time. Even the fairly primitive (no RAM and no semiconductors)
pre-FORTRAN Bendix G-15 came equipped with both of these paper tape
devices - and even then there was a mag tape option. I'd have expected
better of Lockheed.

The overall chain of load-input/execute/output sequences is still
pretty much the same - it's just that the media and the logic have
become faster and larger.

--
Morris Dovey
DeSoto Solar
DeSoto, Iowa USA
http://www.iedu.com/DeSoto

wrote in message
ups.com...
One of the things that has completely ruined other "hobby" type
newsgroups that I've spent years on has been people trying to make a
profit from the group. What happens is that the number of profiteers
increases over time. The group then turns into nothing but a bunch of
marketers and is no longer useful to anyone in the hobby. Fights erupt
when multiple people try to market the same product or when someone
profits off the free advice of another. Marketers then become less
"hobbiest" and more business men.

I really hope this group doesn't degrade into that because I've already
left two hobbies behind that have gone that route. I mention this for
everyone to consider. If there is no line drawn then ads from every
marketer of woodworking products will flood this group. I've watched
it happen. What's the difference between the OP and incra, delta or
any other manufacturer? I also think the OP was pretty bold to suggest
that we all pull together in order to make a bulk purchase. A purchase
that would basically send $1K+ in his direction. This is also a
practice I've seen in the two forementioned newsgroups.

I don't mind it when people who have products to sell come here to
exchange ideas and talk about woodworking. I'd just rather see them
limit their marketing to their own website. A hyperlink in your
signature is a lot less intrusive and would be less likely to offend
people than a blatant advertisement.

That's my .02 worth.

As a member of this group for 6 years I've rarely seen Ed mention his
product, but I have seen him many times add helpfull advice to us. I also
appreciate his giving the opportunity to purchase it at half price. I
purchased mine at full price & think it's a great product

Ken

On Sun, 5 Nov 2006 11:51:52 -0600, "Morris Dovey"
wrote:

That's amazing given that "high-speed" reel-to-reel paper tape readers
and very much faster paper tape punches were in common use by that
time. Even the fairly primitive (no RAM and no semiconductors)
pre-FORTRAN Bendix G-15 came equipped with both of these paper tape
devices - and even then there was a mag tape option. I'd have expected
better of Lockheed.

I suspect it's a training issue- we've still got programs on magnetic
cassette tapes at work. My machines use 3.25" floppies (still old,
IMO- I'd like to see them all networked), but all the breaks have the
old FANUC cassette readers.

They could change them, sure- but that would require more than just
retooling. It would also require retraining the operators to use a
new interface and storage medium as well. Judging by the general lack
of computer skills that is still fairly common even today, that could
add up to a lot of downtime and botched parts. The guy on first shift
has been running one my machines for seven years, and he *still*
doesn't know that he can reorder the list of programs in the office to
put them in ascending order, and wastes a lot of time scrolling
through huge lists of part numbers to find what he needs.

Heck, there was even a paper tape reader on a machining center in the
place I worked at in 2003. Nobody knew how to use it anymore, so we'd
program it via the controller, but it was there.

Then again, I don't know that much about Lockheed- it could be that
you're right, and they are generally more on the ball than that.

Morris Dovey wrote:

| All this at an effective speed of 55 baud :-).

That's amazing given that "high-speed" reel-to-reel paper tape readers
and very much faster paper tape punches were in common use by that
time. Even the fairly primitive (no RAM and no semiconductors)
pre-FORTRAN Bendix G-15 came equipped with both of these paper tape
devices - and even then there was a mag tape option. I'd have expected
better of Lockheed.


Oh, I'm sure there were better interface devices available. But this was a
bare bones operation. The computer was dedicated to driving a large Xynetics
flatbed plotter, and there were only a few programs that needed to be
written.

I cannot seem to remember how we eventually input the plot data, but the
operation folded after a few months so perhaps it never got that far.

There were some very odd devices that appeared and disappeared during the
first few decades of computers. One I remember was a "positioning head
drum", a large vertically mounted drum with up to four sets of heads, each on
it's own moving bar. The reason it sticks in my mind was that a separate
computer could be hooked up to each of the head sets. I went so far as to
design a timesharing system based around it, and ran some promising
simulations, but could never convince my bosses to budget for it.

--
It's turtles, all the way down

On Fri, 03 Nov 2006 15:10:24 GMT, (Doug Miller)
wrote:

In article .com, " wrote:

I never made a
veiled threat to anyone.

Sure looked to me like a veiled threat. And to other people.

Fourteen.

I don't live south of the mason dixon anymore.

Oddly enough, the NNTP headers of this message show that it was posted through
'lds.al.charter.com'. That wouldn't happen to be located in... Alabama...
would it?

Fifteen.


eBay seller - user ID todd1814 - location Birmingham, AL

Hi Folks,

This is just a promised reminder: Only 21 days left! A few have taken
advantage of this offer. One has even put up several on Ebay:

http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQfgtpZ1QQ...sassZtamprocom

I only do this once per year, and only for the members of
rec.woodworking. You will never see a better price on brand new
Aligners. Here's the link:

http://www.ts-aligner.com/recwworderform.htm

Let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks,
Ed Bennett

http://www.ts-aligner.com

=============================

To show my appreciation to the wreck for all your help and support I
thought I would do something completely different this year.

How about a HALF PRICE sale!

Well, there are some strings attached...

First, I'm only offering one particular configuration of TS-Aligner Jr.
at half price (top teir dealer pricing). It's not a stripped down
model but it's also not a premium version. You get the complete
TS-Aligner Jr. with the Storage Case and the DVD but only one choice of
dial indicator: the standard MHC brand:

http://www.ts-aligner.com/optional-i...s.htm#Standard

No other parts or accessories or configurations are included in this
offer. The units will be brand new with the standard warranty and
everything.

Second, you have to buy a whole case of Jr's at once (16 units) - all
shipped to a single address. So, the offer isn't such a great deal for
someone who doesn't belong to a group or doesn't have any friends.
But, this is rec.woodworking. If you are reading this message then you
are already part of a really big group! All you guys have to do is
decide which of you is trustworthy enough to organize the purchase and
distribute the Aligners when they come in.

Third, the offer has a specific and limited duration. It will start on
November 1, 2006 and end on December 31, 2006.

Please let me know if you have any questions or comments. If you think
the group would benefit from the answer please feel free to post your
question/comment here. It would also make sense to use this thread to
organize your purchase(s).


Thanks,
Ed Bennett


http://www.ts-aligner.com
Home of the TS-Aligner

Hi Folks,

This is just a promised reminder: Only 5 days left! A few have taken
advantage of this offer. One has even been putting his up for sale on
Ebay:

http://search.ebay.com/search/search...tle=ts-aligner

These are his last six units so if you want to get a Jr. at a really
good price (several have sold for as little as $105!) this is your
chance to do it.

I only offer a special once per year, and only for the members of
rec.woodworking. You will never see a better price on brand new
Aligners. Here's the link with all the details:

http://www.ts-aligner.com/recwworderform.htm

Let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks,
Ed Bennett

http://www.ts-aligner.com

=============================

To show my appreciation to the wreck for all your help and support I
thought I would do something completely different this year.

How about a HALF PRICE sale!

Well, there are some strings attached...

First, I'm only offering one particular configuration of TS-Aligner Jr.
at half price (top teir dealer pricing). It's not a stripped down
model but it's also not a premium version. You get the complete
TS-Aligner Jr. with the Storage Case and the DVD but only one choice of
dial indicator: the standard MHC brand:

http://www.ts-aligner.com/optional-i...s.htm#Standard

No other parts or accessories or configurations are included in this
offer. The units will be brand new with the standard warranty and
everything.

Second, you have to buy a whole case of Jr's at once (16 units) - all
shipped to a single address. So, the offer isn't such a great deal for
someone who doesn't belong to a group or doesn't have any friends.
But, this is rec.woodworking. If you are reading this message then you
are already part of a really big group! All you guys have to do is
decide which of you is trustworthy enough to organize the purchase and
distribute the Aligners when they come in.

Third, the offer has a specific and limited duration. It will start on
November 1, 2006 and end on December 31, 2006.

Please let me know if you have any questions or comments. If you think
the group would benefit from the answer please feel free to post your
question/comment here. It would also make sense to use this thread to
organize your purchase(s).


Thanks,
Ed Bennett


http://www.ts-aligner.com
Home of the TS-Aligner