- vcf-midatlantic - lists.vcfed.org

OT (Off Topic) Video Game Designer Dan Kitchen at Digital Press in NJ
by Christian Liendo 10 Jan '25

10 Jan '25

For the old school Atari people, Dan Kitchen will be talking about his new Atari 2600 game https://www.dankitchen.com/ https://www.facebook.com/events/1527741917889220/?acontext=%7B%22source%22:… I know there are people here that would be interested in this.

1 0

Repair Workshop 1/11 & 1/12, 2025
by Jeffrey Brace 10 Jan '25

10 Jan '25

I know that some are concerned about snow, but it looks like in Wall, NJ we will only get about an inch on Saturday. So the repair workshop is still going ahead. We have an upcoming repair workshop at Infoage this coming weekend. Click here to signup. <https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1IXvycZsSKrcEqG0CHhikN3bgRwIA0tOm1hB…> *WHERE:* 1) Building 9059 (CDL side and Classroom side) 2) Building 9032-A *TIME:*Saturday START time == 10 A.M. END time == 11PM. Sunday START time == 10 A.M. and END == 5 P.M. *COST:* $15 per person, per day. When you arrive, check in with Jeff Salzman, Thomas or myself. *OVERNIGHT*: There is no more overnight stay available in the Visitor's Center - *Payments* - PayPal: @vintagecomputerfed (or paypal(a)vcfed.org) - Venmo: @VintageComputerFederation - Cash (in person) - Credit card (in person). *EQUIPMENT:* - VCF will provide a table and you can use any available electrical outlet. - Bring your own tools, power strips, power cords, and supplies etc. - If you need particular tools that you don't own or particular parts, please let others know that you need something. They may have what you need. Let them know ahead of time. - Let everyone know what project you are working on ahead of time to inspire collaboration. *DRINKS*: You should bring your own. We have a refrigerator in CDL to keep them cold. VCF will buy some water and soft drinks for member use. *FOOD*: *Saturday afternoon*: Everyone is on their own. *Saturday Night Dinner at 7PM?*: We often go out to dinner together. *Sunday Morning*: We usually meet at a diner around 9AM *Sunday Afternoon*: Everyone is on their own. *Address:* InfoAge Science and History Museums 2201 Marconi Road Wall, NJ 07719 *PARKING:* Park in the main parking lot, unless you are unloading. Don't park on the lawn. Also park on one side of the road for fire safety. *PHONE:* (732) 722 - 5015 *EMAIL: *repairworkshops(a)vcfed.org Have fun everyone! :-D Repair workshops are events which are open to the general public where members of all levels technical abilities and experience get together to help each other repair vintage computer hardware. Repair workshops are a chance to work with other VCF members to help repair your vintage artifact. *We are not there to do repairs for you*, *only to allow you the facilities and partnership to help you figure out how to repair it*. Repair workshops are held about 9 times per year at the InfoAge location in Wall. Take care! Jeff Brace VCF National Board Member Chairman & Vice President Vintage Computer Festival East Showrunner VCF Mid-Atlantic Event Manager Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity https://vcfed.org/ <http://www.vcfed.org/> jeffrey(a)vcfed.org

1 0

Repair Workshop: Windows 3 & 1/2 disk
by Jeffrey Brace 09 Jan '25

09 Jan '25

Someone needs a Windows 3 & 1/2 disk read. Presumably it is just Microsoft Word files. He doesn’t remember exactly. It’s from 2002 on a System Max computer. He lives locally and will come on Sunday. Can some bring a system where it can be read, and transferred to a cloud drive? Thanks! Jeff Brace

3 5

CES 2025 is the 40th anniversary of the Commodore 128 — the last 8-bit PC first appeared at CES 1985
by Christian Liendo 09 Jan '25

09 Jan '25

Nice writeup on the C128 https://www.tomshardware.com/desktops/ces-2025-is-the-40th-anniversary-of-t…

1 0

Used paper tape for craft projects
by Jeffrey Brace 08 Jan '25

08 Jan '25

Hello everyone, I received an unusual request through our museum e-mail address. Someone is looking for unneeded used paper tape. They want to use it for craft projects, i.e. making paper ribbon/bows to use on wreaths. If you know of anyone, then please let me know. She would consider making her own, but I doubt that equipment would be easy to operate for someone who isn't a technical user. In any case, let me know if you have ideas. Take care! Jeff Brace VCF National Board Member Chairman & Vice President VCF East Showrunner MARCH Fundraising Manager Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity https://vcfed.org/ <http://www.vcfed.org/> jeffrey(a)vcfed.org

1 0

Reminder: System Source Workshop on January 18th and 19th!
by Ryan Burke 07 Jan '25

07 Jan '25

The Computer Museum at System Source is hosting another repair workshop next week on the 18th and 19th. It is a great opportunity to get help with projects, see what others in the community are working on, and tour the museum. To register and find out more information, please visit the following link: https://ca.syssrc.com/wp/?page_id=85&civiwp=CiviCRM&q=civicrm%2Fevent%2Finf…

2 1

It's New Years, did you book your room yet?
by Christian Liendo 06 Jan '25

06 Jan '25

Reminder to book rooms. Here are the hotel blocks https://vcfed.org/vcf-east-hotel-blocks/ See you guys soon

1 0

Software forensics lay MS-DOS, CP/M controversy to rest
by Herbert Johnson 03 Jan '25

03 Jan '25

Bottom line: there is no controversy. It was resolved many years ago. The article referenced, is simply a code-analysis product developer, showing off their product at an August 2016 conference. The article writer, shows no informed knowledge of the subject. The rest of this post, reviews the context of the referenced article, the un-controversial subject is resolved, and the promotional nature of the developer's efforts is laid out- all matters of my opinion but I'm informed and I make those cases. If this matter is not important to the reader, you can stop here, my apologies for the length remaining. I have some early CP/M information and references to CP/M related litigation on this Web page, with links to other pages. Thus my interest in the subject. My Web pages were recognized by an IEEE biographer of Gary Kildall when IEEE awarded recognition to him on the 40th year of his CP/M creation. https://www.retrotechnology.com/dri/dri_16bit.html ----------------------- The beginnings of MS-DOS was an 8086 operating system that was written to support the equivalent CP/M-80 BDOS operating system calls under an 8086/88 processor. Also an equivalent 8086/88 BIOS was written closely following CP/M-80's BIOS scheme. The CP/M file system was NOT supported, instead what became the FAT-16 file system was developed. (I'm glossing over details, to make a point not a Wikipedia entry.) As for claims of outright source-code copying: inspection of source-codes by eye won't readily find copying. How do we know these things? the developer of what became MS-DOS, Tim Patterson, testified under oath to those facts, during litigation between an owner of the CP/M intellectual property (there were many at various times) and Microsoft. subsequently, Tim Patterson acknowledged his development process, on a Web site he created (which I've forgotten and I won't look up today). Patterson admitted using CP/M *documentation* to guide his development of what became MS-DOS. Repeating, documentation, not source codes. And in the general discourse about CP/M vs MS-DOS in the era, during times of litigation in particular, these facts were reported. and, simple inspection of early MS-DOS documentation shows anyone with knowledge of CP/M, that match between CP/M-80 BDOS calls and INT 21 calls of MS-DOS. as to the referenced article. The article referenced is from Aug 2016. "Software forensics lay MS-DOS, CP/M controversy to rest, By Brandon Lewis, Editor-in-Chief, Embedded Computing Design". It covers what is called a forensic review of alleged CP/M code using a toolset called CodeSuite. the review was done by the CodeSuite developer. The writer of the article makes the following claims among others: > The greatest possibility of copyright infringement came in the system calls, where, as seen in Figure 5, the numbering of the calls is almost identical across programs. For instance, in both MS-DOS and CP/M, 15 and 16 are the calls to open and close a file, respectively. Here we come to a gray area in that, while the system calls were implemented and used differently in each program, the similarities are undeniable. That being said, however, this is most likely a case of Microsoft not reinventing the wheel and sticking with the recognizable calls of the day. In copyright terms this is referred to as fair use. Did anyone buy MS-DOS as a result of the CP/M system calls? Probably not. The article ends: > As for the CodeSuite findings, Zeidman presented them earlier this month at the Vintage Computer Festival that took place at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, CA. He’s confident enough in his findings that he has offered a $100,000 reward for anyone that can disprove his findings that Microsoft did not copy source code from CP/M, and an additional $100,000 for anyone that can find Kildall’s mysterious secret function. > > Until someone does, I think it’s time to put these rumors to bed. So, I observe the following in the article, in my own opinions. 1) It's a lot of tech-chat about some forensic methods of this CodeSuite software. Consequently, the article is really about CodeSuite, CP/M vs MS-DOS is an excuse. 2) The article author dismisses the claim about system calls as copyright infringement. That was the issue under litigation, among others, as I recall. In modern terms: can a set of API protocols be copyrighted? There were settlements, so the claim was not entirely bogus. 3) the article author misses the point about MS-DOS as a product of its time. Because of the close alignment between CP/M calls and MS-DOS calls, 8080-coded programs under CP/M-80 could be *mechanically translated* to 8086-coded programs under MS-DOS. As revealed in litigation, that was the intent of Tim Patterson, who literally had DRI manuals at-his-keyboard (he says) as he developed what became MS-DOS. So, go figure. 4) Factually, when IBM announced and distributed their IBM-PC with MS-DOS, producers of CP/M programs performed that very task of conversion. Why? To offer their old CP/M products to the new IBM-PC under MS-DOS. So the author's question: "Did anyone buy MS-DOS as a result of the CP/M system calls?" is not "absolutely not" but "certainly so, but they didn't realize why". Persons and companies bought the IBM PC to run software reasonably compatible with software on their previous CP/M-80 computers. My contemporary memory recalls, it took a few years for that transition of software products to complete (remember this was 1981). In those few years, developers moved from the CP/M platform to the MS-DOS platform (although CP/M systems remained in use for several more years). 4) Note the end of the article. The CodeSuite producer and distributor, goes to a conference - why? *to promote his product*. How best to promote it? Stir up a contemporary controversy, inject his product into it, and produce the same finding as was already known. To spice up his presentation, he adds a bogus prize that *no one will be able to claim*. Proving a negative is the hardest proof to achieve, it requires exhaustive checking of all possibilities. But the CodeSuite developer already knows, there's no source-code copying to be found. That was already settled in litigation; and also something an informed Intel processor programmer could tell you by eyeball in a matter of hours. Thus: a bogus claim and prize. Finis Regards Herb Johnson -- Herbert R. Johnson, New Jersey USA https://www.retrotechnology.com OR .net preserve, recover, restore 1970's computing email: hjohnson AT retrotechnology DOT com or try later herbjohnson AT comcast DOT net

2 1

Software forensics lay MS-DOS, CP/M controversy to rest
by Christian Liendo 03 Jan '25

03 Jan '25

I wouldn't normally post this to the group except for this one part "As for the CodeSuite findings, Zeidman presented them earlier this month at the Vintage Computer Festival that took place at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, CA." I figured this would be important enough. Here is the link to the article in question. https://embeddedcomputing.com/technology/software-and-os/software-forensics…

2 1

Guy in San Francisco getting rid of old books and manuals
by Christian Liendo 03 Jan '25

03 Jan '25

Someone is getting rid of old manuals, do we know someone near San Fran that would be interested in looking into this? The link to the reddit post: https://www.reddit.com/r/computercollecting/comments/1hscrgf/donation_of_ol… >From the post: "Donation of old computer manuals and textbooks from the 1970s to 2000s?" "I am cleaning out my parent’s house and I have a large assortment of old computer manuals, programs, and textbooks from the 1970s to 2000s from my father’s work. Are there any organizations that may want these to archive? Ones in the San Francisco Bay Area would be particularly good because that is where I am located. Otherwise, they are just going to get tossed."

1 0

Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Happy New Year, hope to be more active in the group this year
by Jeffrey Brace 03 Jan '25

03 Jan '25

Happy New Year to you too Keith. I hope that you are more active this year as well! On Wed, Jan 1, 2025 at 12:50 PM David Keith via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > Epoch time 1735689600 >

1 0

Happy New Year and Wishing a Great 2025
by Christian Liendo 03 Jan '25

03 Jan '25

I know many of us won't be awake by midnight and so I am wishing you all a good 2025. I know there will be some great computer anniversaries to look forward to like the SWTPC, Altair and Amiga. May we be able to celebrate these and other great things next year.

5 4

Happy New Year, hope to be more active in the group this year
by David Keith 01 Jan '25

01 Jan '25

Epoch time 1735689600

1 0

mini computers wanted.
by Bill Degnan 31 Dec '24

31 Dec '24

DEC PDP-9 Computer Automation PDC-816 Decade DCC 70/2 EAI 640 EMR 6130 Hewlett Packard 2116B Honeywell DDP-516 Interdata Model 3 IBM 1130 Lockheed MAC-16 Raytheon 703 Scientific Control SCC-4700 SEL 810A Varian 620 i thanks. Happy to pick up. Happy New Year. Bill

1 0

Re: [vcf-midatlantic] PDP-8/L restoration
by Chris Fandt 30 Dec '24

30 Dec '24

Hey Mike, Thanks for your response! Yeah, I sure do need to catch up on stuff. Back in the 80s when I was at Bausch & Lomb Analytical Systems Division, I could quote to you specs about nearly any 8-bit and a few 16-bit CPUs extant at the time. I did digital design and competitive analysis of competitor's products and have forgotten more since then than I can recall nowadays, doggone it. Since then, I've been working in the machine tool control realm and, later till retirement, electrical contact physics at Cummins Inc. So, I want to tutor myself on FPGA tech and the available (and free :-) ) programmings apps as part of catching up, amongst a lot of other stuff. At least the ARM processor architecture is rather standardized now such that the RasPi and other modern solutions can be understood and readily adapted without spending time and financial resources on learning nuances of yet another CPU architecture. Never let yourself just sit and get 'rusty' in retirement. I'm sure I'll bug the list once in a while on some of the old hardware questions. Kind regards, -Chris F. On 12/28/2024 11:41 AM, Mike Rieker via vcf-midatlantic wrote: Hi Chris, The Zynq is a processor chip like a BCM used on a RaspberryPI but instead of simple GPIO, it has a big FGPA 'fabric' between its internal ARM processor and GPIO pins. The ZTurn is a particular board that contains a Zynq chip and brings out 90+ pins to connectors on the back. So it is well suited to interface to a processor's IO and memory busses. You can write Verilog or VHDL to program the FPGA to look like the device registers, then the ARM can do the IO simulation and update the device registers. Mike -- ================================================================ Christian R Fandt Jamestown, NY 14701 > Electrical/Electronic Collector & Historian: Radios, Early Computers, Test Equipment > Radio restorations: Pre-1970s Automotive & Home radios > Retired engineer/consultant on electrical/electronic contact physics -- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. www.avast.com

1 0

Book: Too Much Fun: The Five Lives of the Commodore 64 Computer
by Jeffrey Brace 30 Dec '24

30 Dec '24

I just found out about a new book released on December 10, 2024: Too Much Fun: The Five Lives of the Commodore 64 Computer by Jasper Juul. I haven't gotten the book yet, but I really like the premise. Has anyone gotten this book? Take care! Jeff Brace VCF National Board Member Chairman & Vice President VCF East Showrunner MARCH Fundraising Manager Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity https://vcfed.org/ <http://www.vcfed.org/> jeffrey(a)vcfed.org

2 1

OT: Collective Access Software
by Martin A. Flynn 29 Dec '24

29 Dec '24

If your computer museum is using CA, please contact me off list at: martin.flynn(a)infoage.org Specifically interested in metadata configuration and if any of the profiles provided worked for your organization out of the box. https://manual.collectiveaccess.org/providence/user/editing/metadataelement… Cheers! Martin

2 1

Update Re: A 4004 Based Microcomputer the Comstar System 4
by Herbert Johnson 29 Dec '24

29 Dec '24

Christian, you and I often disagree on things like this - what something is or isn't, how to describe it - because you and I are of different ages and have different backgrounds. These things, they happened in my early working engineering lifetime; for you they are well before you were born; i think that's a noteworthy difference. We have other differences. These are not criticisms, I'm stating empirical conditions. So you and I will not likely agree, that is a statistical estimate, again not a criticism. So: the previous posting you reference, is likely the thread of Jan 10 2024 "A 4004 Based Microcomputer the Comstar System 4". YOu and I and others posted at length. Web access to the vcf-midatlantic list will provide that content to anyone interested. Comstar apparently made a number of things. IN the prior discussion it emerged that Comstar produced a programming product, and a controlling product. That variety of items was part of the confusion about which thing is/was in discussion, and what to call those things. Whether some of them are controllers, some of them are computers, some are both? Those are just words, descriptors, given by Intel or Comstar or someone for some purpose of communicating something. We can guess at their intentions, based on content we can read retrospectively and individually interpret. From both my first-hand experiences in the 1970's, and my retrospective experiences decades later, I say the following. Lots of things in the 70's era were called "computers", because it was a shorthand way of saying some thing was making decisions and taking actions and producing some kind of information. That was in the way people of the era, were generally aware that "computers" of other sorts, were doing those sorts of things. And, those people who wrote, they wanted to get some kind of idea across to people, in few words, because it suited their purposes. We can guess at those purposes based on context - but to-my-point, I bring a different view of context to the situation, than Christian does, Likely others have their view-of-contexts, and different sets of evidence. But if you Christian insist that if Comstar or Intel calls something "a computer", that makes it a computer in some other ways? or is official in some fashion? that goes from reportage to judgement. Judgement is fine when backed by evidence. If you insist that a literal reference is conclusive, "you win", Intel and Comstar called some things computers, they are the experts, therefore it is so. That's a logic I am guessing you are employing. Myself, I have other "logics" which I consider, and other evidences and interpretations. The quote you post about the bottle-loading machine, is from an Intel ad in Electronics Magazine page 44-45. It does not name the Comstar 4 literally. The three paragraphs about Comstar's product, reference "an Intel micro computer" (more on that shortly) and "The little computer in a 6" x 6" x 1 1/2" space" which apparently is the Comstar product. Do you see a Comstar 4 named device on the photo of the bottling machine? or is the Comstar 4 item you have of that size? The three paragraphs also say "Comstar estimates the micro computer halved the cost of the control portion of this system". Does that mean that Comstar made a control-er? Or did Comstar replace a control-something with a computer-something? The ad itself, has a title in very large letters: "Intel Micro Computers". The two-page ad has four sections titled "Make point of sale terminals", "make compact business machines", "do process control", "do data communications processing". The Comstar product is under "control". Doesn't that suggest, the Comstar is a "process control-ler", if not part of a process controller? The data communications section of the ad, refers to a "Bekins controller" used by Action Communications Systems. Apparently the two companies with direct help from Intel, literally used Intel's SIM4-02 (4004 prototype boards) and "Intel micro computers" (presumably 4004 processor based). Again, Intel refers to controllers made from microprocessors, that's my reasonable interpretation. The other two sections refer to terminals made from Intel micro computers and PROMs, and a "general-purpose data processing machine" (business data entry and sorting, simple accounting) made from INtel micro computers, Intel's PROMs and RAMs. What's the point of the ad? In my opinion, based on my presence as a student electrical engineer at the time the ad was produced, and my subsequent EE knowledge thereafter: The point of the ad was that engineers can use Intel's micro computers - microprocessor chips, PROMs, RAMs, and development tools collectively referenced as MCS-4 and MCS-8 systems - to produce products of the era which previously were made from mechanical or small-scale-digital logic (TTL, DTL chips). Those products were things like point-of-sale terminals, data-processing machines, process controlling machines, and data communication systems. Intel references prior and familiar situations - people worked POS cash-registers, did data entry, ran data comm equipment, and worked in factories using process-controllers. Intel's ad, was talking to engineers of those systems. Not the end users I just mentioned, who would not be reading Electronics, a trade magazine. None of these examples - NONE - are general purpose computers used by end-users entering programs from a selection of programs, to perform a variety of tasks as determined by the end user. NONE! The end-use was determined by engineers/technicians, working for companies which sold the completed product for repetitive use only. The final products, were sold to another company, which employed people for the repetitive use. The day-to-day users of these products, did one thing only - data entry or data-communications or bottle-loading or cafeteria food-sales. Zero - Z-E-R-O - end-user "computing". So I call out the difference between some device that someone in the 1970's called "a computer" of some sort; and the idea about a class of devices that are used "as computers" in the ways I just suggested constitute "computing" by end users. That's my read, my interpretation, the contexts I considered. That's the requested help I provide under the terms given by Christian at the end of his post. I'm not categorically "better at research", that's argumentative. I did put in some time today, a few hours. I bring different things in different quantities "to the table". I regret if my views create some personal friction, which is why I am reluctant to provide them. But I have a point to make about "computers" of that era, which is of considerable interest to me. Regards Herb Johnson still not a bot > Christian Liendo cliendo at gmail.com > Thu Dec 26 21:17:24 UTC 2024 > > I posted about some research on the 4004 based computer that I found > and I remember there was some concern that what I had was not in fact > a computer, but a controller. > > So I have been digging a bit more and I think I found something > interesting to support that the Compstar was a "Micro Computer" > > Intel used the System 4 in their own advertising calling it a "Micro Computer" > > In The Intel MCS 4 User Manual Feb 1973 page 171 and in Electronics > Magazine Jan 1973, they promote the 4004 and 8008 and use the System 4 > as an example. > > http://www.bitsavers.org/components/intel/MCS4/MCS-4_UsersManual_Feb73.pdf > > https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Electronics/70s/73/Electronics-19… > >>From the sources: > > "An Intel micro computer does all the thinking for this automatic > bottle-loading machine. The micro computer, built by Comstar > Corporation of Edina, Minnesota, for Conveyor Specialities, tells the > machine how to load bottles of different sizes and when to perform > each step in the loading process. > > So I am still working on this but I don't have a lot of time. If > anyone wants to join in or knows someone who is better at research > than I would could use the help > > Thanks, Chris -- Herbert R. Johnson, New Jersey USA https://www.retrotechnology.com OR .net preserve, recover, restore 1970's computing email: hjohnson AT retrotechnology DOT com or try later herbjohnson AT comcast DOT net

5 8

Re: [vcf-midatlantic] PDP-8/L restoration
by Ethan Dicks 28 Dec '24

28 Dec '24

On Sat, Dec 28, 2024 at 12:14 PM Mike Rieker via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > Hi Ethan, > > I am going to make some 'V2.0' Zynq boards, basically heavier drivers to > work against the 8/L's pullups... > > If you want, I can have some extras made. I have the PCB company assemble > the surface mount parts then I solder the through-hole stuff myself. Hi, Mike, I'm tentatively interested in 1-2 board sets, depending on price. I can do SMT myself but I understand that these days, the incremental cost to have things pre-stuffed is pretty low (the RK05 emulator comes with all SMT populated and the kit is adding through-hole parts). I have enough projects on my queue that ordering blank boards is a barrier to getting started. I have a drawer (and to-do spreadsheet) for PCBs on hand in various stages of construction. > The ZTurn-7020 boards come from MYIR and are around $150. Good to know the scale of the cost. Given that I've wanted to boot OS/8 on an -8/L since I was 16, I think I can allocate that level of funding. If you share some numbers I can gauge if I would want 1 or 2. Thanks! Cheers, -ethan

1 0

Re: [vcf-midatlantic] PDP-8/L restoration
by Dave McGuire 28 Dec '24

28 Dec '24

On 12/28/24 12:14, Mike Rieker via vcf-midatlantic wrote: > If you want, I can have some extras made. I have the PCB company > assemble the surface mount parts then I solder the through-hole stuff > myself. I'd have to see how much extra it costs to have more boards > made. If you want (because of my love of all things PDP-8), I'm happy to handle the surface mount parts gratis if you want to pass a run of these through me, if that would make this any easier. -Dave -- Dave McGuire, AK4HZ New Kensington, PA

2 1

Re: [vcf-midatlantic] PDP-8/L restoration
by Ethan Dicks 28 Dec '24

28 Dec '24

On Thu, Dec 26, 2024 at 9:03 PM Mike Rieker via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > If anyone is interested Seriously interested! I have been trying to add mass storage to my PDP-8/L since I got it in High School in the early 80s! There were only a few options then and I never encountered any for sale at a price I could approach. > I finished a Zynq thing that plugs into the back > of my PDP-8/L to provide disk, tape, tty functionality. The thing > actually boots and runs OS/8! Outstanding! That's been my goal all along - boot OS/8 on an -8/L. > Anyway I made an Hackaday page > https://hackaday.io/project/202048-pdp-8x2fl-enhancements Nice photos. Would love to see more detail. > About all I had to do to get the PDP running was replace a few (half dozen > or so) 7400 series chips, some corroded diodes on the core stack and a > power resistor. Hasn't missed a beat since. Sure. In my years of maintaining gear from that era, I find a lot of dead 7474 and 7440 and some dead 7420 make up 90% of the bad ICs. Every once in a while, a diode. > I don't know if any of you have interest in this sort of thing. I don't > have a PDP-8/I but it might not be too difficult to adapt it to one of > those or other PDP-8s and maybe 11s. I think most PDP-8/i are negibus, and the -8/i itself is expecting to implement memory expansion to 8K internally (including using an M702 "memory detector" card in a particular slot). I have a 4K -8/i that I tried to upgrade to 8K when i was still learning (and lacking in the PDF scans we have now) that I was unsuccessful with due to my lack of deep understanding of how all the parts work (G020 -> G021 was one I totally missed as a teenager). It might be easier on an -8/i to remove the original memory parts and just use the Zynq board for all 32K (or do what was somewhat common back then, 8K with DEC parts and "external 24K" which _was_ done with non-DEC expansion boxes). I would definitely love to learn how to get one or two of these. Not as interested in the frontpanel emulators. I can see how they are handy but I'd prefer the original look. Thanks for sharing! -ethan

2 1

Re: [vcf-midatlantic] PDP-8/L restoration
by wmrieker＠nii.net 28 Dec '24

28 Dec '24

> Hi Mike, > > You wrote below: "I don't know if any of you have interest in this sort > of thing." > > Wow ... Are you kidding!!Â :-) > > I'm sure I speak for at least a few others on this list who love to hack > (in the old, more correct usage of the term) hardware and/or software in > order to non-maliciously learn stuff, restore something important, > and/or at least bring something back to life. Reverse Engineering and > creation of solutions at its best and most fun :-) > > I retired back in March (finally, at age 70) from the major USA-based > independent diesel engine maker and plan to work thru a bunch of DEC > PDP-11 gear, my DG Nova 1200, IBM 9370 w/9375-60 Processor, several > ASR-33 TTYs, plus a flock of other radio & TV restoration and ham radio > projects which have been in 'idle storage' for 10-to-50 years. This > email subject matter will definitely apply -depending, of course, upon > how my wife and I stretch our SS checks, a modest pension and random > restoration and consulting work. > > I need to catch-up on what that 'Zyng thing' is you mention and other > recent hardware/software items like this which have appeared in the last > decade or so. Hi Chris, The Zynq is a processor chip like a BCM used on a RaspberryPI but instead of simple GPIO, it has a big FGPA 'fabric' between its internal ARM processor and GPIO pins. The ZTurn is a particular board that contains a Zynq chip and brings out 90+ pins to connectors on the back. So it is well suited to interface to a processor's IO and memory busses. You can write Verilog or VHDL to program the FPGA to look like the device registers, then the ARM can do the IO simulation and update the device registers. Mike > > I personally encourage keeping activity like this going, folks! > > Thanks much and best regards, > Â Â Â -Chris F. > > > On 12/26/2024 9:02 PM, Mike Rieker via vcf-midatlantic wrote: > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > Hey All, > > If anyone is interested, I finished a Zynq thing that plugs into the back > of my PDP-8/L to provide disk, tape, tty functionality. The thing > actually boots and runs OS/8! > > Anyway I made an Hackaday page > https://hackaday.io/project/202048-pdp-8x2fl-enhancements > > There is also a simple RasPI based board that plugs in the front panel > slot to do automated testing. > > About all I had to do to get the PDP running was replace a few (half dozen > or so) 7400 series chips, some corroded diodes on the core stack and a > power resistor. Hasn't missed a beat since. > > I don't know if any of you have interest in this sort of thing. I don't > have a PDP-8/I but it might not be too difficult to adapt it to one of > those or other PDP-8s and maybe 11s. > > Mike > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > -- > ================================================================ > Christian R Fandt > Jamestown, NY 14701 > > Electrical/Electronic Collector & Historian: Radios, Early > Computers, Test Equipment > > Radio restorations: Pre-1970s Automotive & Home radios > > Retired engineer/consultant on electrical/electronic contact physics > > > -- > This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. > www.avast.com >

1 0

Next Repair Workshop Jan 11-12, 2025
by Jeffrey Brace 28 Dec '24

28 Dec '24

Sign up for the next repair workshop is here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1IXvycZsSKrcEqG0CHhikN3bgRwIA0tOm1hB… Keep in mind that we are moving the repair workshops to 9032-A and won't be in 9059 going forward. Take care! Jeff Brace VCF National Board Member Chairman & Vice President VCF East Showrunner MARCH Fundraising Manager Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity https://vcfed.org/ <http://www.vcfed.org/> jeffrey(a)vcfed.org

1 0

World of Commodore 2024 Report (Nov. 30-Dec. 1, 2024)
by Jeffrey Brace 27 Dec '24

27 Dec '24

Sorry, this report is a few weeks late. I've been busy! I went up by myself to World of Commodore which takes place in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. I went there representing VCF and promoting our shows and museum. I showed off TheC64 Mini, TheC64 (Maxi) and a real C64 with SuperCPU attached. I was assisted by Steve Lowry from time to time when I needed a break and once by Josh Bensadon. I seem to have gotten some of the Candadians interested in crossing the border to visit our show! It was a nice and easy trip up there. It's a small show compared to ours, but it was fun and everyone there is really nice. I wasn't able to see any of the talks as I was at the VCF tables most of the time. It was fun going out to dinner with them after the show on Saturday night. It was a nice and easy trip back as well. I recommend this show to any Commodore Computer fan! I would also like to mention something to those that knew Bryan Pope. Someone approached me who was with him at the end of his life. In his final days Bryan watched VCF East walkthroughs which brought him great joy as he spent his final hours in the hospital. He really loved our group. I also received his MARCH t-shirt that he had bought many years ago. For those that didn't know him Bryan was there during the founding of MARCH back in 2005. He had lived in New Jersey for years before returning back to Canada. He will be greatly missed as he passed away from cancer months ago. Here are my pictures: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1FmKRV-u4E6TYEGVD2BGxORNHtl_iW8QP?us… Someone on Facebook did a video walk through: https://www.facebook.com/vince.giannini/videos/890614656465401/?idorvanity=… Enjoy! Jeff Brace VCF National Board Member Chairman & Vice President Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity https://vcfed.org/ <http://www.vcfed.org/> jeffrey(a)vcfed.org

1 0

Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Holiday gifts 2024
by Hopkins, Justin 27 Dec '24

27 Dec '24

See Dave Plummer’s recent video on how getting his PDP to recognize all the new hardware probably shortened his life by a few years…. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=IBFeM-sa2YY ________________________________ From: vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic-bounces(a)lists.vcfed.org> on behalf of Derrik Walker via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> Sent: Friday, December 27, 2024 9:12:59 AM To: vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> Cc: Derrik Walker <dwalker(a)doomd.net> Subject: Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Holiday gifts 2024 This message and any attachments are intended only for the use of the addressee and may contain information that is privileged and confidential. If the reader of the message is not the intended recipient or an authorized representative of the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please notify us immediately by e-mail and delete the message and any attachments from your system.

1 0

Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Holiday gifts 2024
by Andrew Diller 27 Dec '24

27 Dec '24

Don't forget some sweet Atari emulation on that Mac, I got a Mini and finally got the Windows Altirra Emulator working with Wine on OSX: https://www.atariorbit.org/2024/12/26/altirra-arm-and-sequoia/ Then you can run the fujiNet posix app on your mac and go do all the FujiNet fun - without leaving your MacBookPro. -andy > On Dec 27, 2024, at 11:12 AM, Derrik Walker via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > > From: Derrik Walker <dwalker(a)doomd.net> > Subject: Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Holiday gifts 2024 > Date: December 27, 2024 at 11:12:59 AM EST > To: vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> > > > I got The Spectrum. Programming on that thing is pretty crazy. > > Not retro-related, but I got a MacBook M4 Pro. Very fast. Runs the Amiga and C64 emulation great. Now I just have to get the C64 and Amiga cross-compiler tools built for it. I build them from source as I like to understand how they work, and I like the old school UNIX feel of building stuff myself. > > Not for the holidays, but I also recently obtained the C64 Reloaded MK2 for a custom C64 I’m bulling that I intend to mostly use as a Synthesizer. > > BTW. The C64Maxi is awesome. I just wish there was an easy way to plug a MIDI interface into it. But if you just want to experience using a C64, that’s about as good as you'll get without the real deal. I am looking forward to the Amiga Maxi ( or whatever they are going to call it ). > > - Derrik > >> On Dec 27, 2024, at 00:20, Jeffrey Brace via vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: >> >> Did anyone else besides Dave Shevett and Ben Krein receive any vintage >> computer related gifts this month? >> >> I got The400 Mini, which is a modern reproduction of The Atari 400. I >> already have TheC64 Mini and TheC64 Maxi. I'm hoping to get TheA500 Mini >> someday! >> >> I use these when traveling long distances to vintage computer shows when >> I'm flying. >> >> Jeff Brace > > >

1 0

Holiday gifts 2024
by Jeffrey Brace 27 Dec '24

27 Dec '24

Did anyone else besides Dave Shevett and Ben Krein receive any vintage computer related gifts this month? I got The400 Mini, which is a modern reproduction of The Atari 400. I already have TheC64 Mini and TheC64 Maxi. I'm hoping to get TheA500 Mini someday! I use these when traveling long distances to vintage computer shows when I'm flying. Jeff Brace

7 9

Re: [vcf-midatlantic] PDP-8/L restoration
by Chris Fandt 27 Dec '24

27 Dec '24

Hi Mike, You wrote below: "I don't know if any of you have interest in this sort of thing." Wow ... Are you kidding!! :-) I'm sure I speak for at least a few others on this list who love to hack (in the old, more correct usage of the term) hardware and/or software in order to non-maliciously learn stuff, restore something important, and/or at least bring something back to life. Reverse Engineering and creation of solutions at its best and most fun :-) I retired back in March (finally, at age 70) from the major USA-based independent diesel engine maker and plan to work thru a bunch of DEC PDP-11 gear, my DG Nova 1200, IBM 9370 w/9375-60 Processor, several ASR-33 TTYs, plus a flock of other radio & TV restoration and ham radio projects which have been in 'idle storage' for 10-to-50 years. This email subject matter will definitely apply -depending, of course, upon how my wife and I stretch our SS checks, a modest pension and random restoration and consulting work. I need to catch-up on what that 'Zyng thing' is you mention and other recent hardware/software items like this which have appeared in the last decade or so. I personally encourage keeping activity like this going, folks! Thanks much and best regards, -Chris F. On 12/26/2024 9:02 PM, Mike Rieker via vcf-midatlantic wrote: ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Hey All, If anyone is interested, I finished a Zynq thing that plugs into the back of my PDP-8/L to provide disk, tape, tty functionality. The thing actually boots and runs OS/8! Anyway I made an Hackaday page https://hackaday.io/project/202048-pdp-8x2fl-enhancements There is also a simple RasPI based board that plugs in the front panel slot to do automated testing. About all I had to do to get the PDP running was replace a few (half dozen or so) 7400 series chips, some corroded diodes on the core stack and a power resistor. Hasn't missed a beat since. I don't know if any of you have interest in this sort of thing. I don't have a PDP-8/I but it might not be too difficult to adapt it to one of those or other PDP-8s and maybe 11s. Mike ------------------------------------------------------------------------ -- ================================================================ Christian R Fandt Jamestown, NY 14701 > Electrical/Electronic Collector & Historian: Radios, Early Computers, Test Equipment > Radio restorations: Pre-1970s Automotive & Home radios > Retired engineer/consultant on electrical/electronic contact physics -- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. www.avast.com

1 0

PDP-8/L restoration
by wmrieker＠nii.net 26 Dec '24

26 Dec '24

Hey All, If anyone is interested, I finished a Zynq thing that plugs into the back of my PDP-8/L to provide disk, tape, tty functionality. The thing actually boots and runs OS/8! Anyway I made an Hackaday page https://hackaday.io/project/202048-pdp-8x2fl-enhancements There is also a simple RasPI based board that plugs in the front panel slot to do automated testing. About all I had to do to get the PDP running was replace a few (half dozen or so) 7400 series chips, some corroded diodes on the core stack and a power resistor. Hasn't missed a beat since. I don't know if any of you have interest in this sort of thing. I don't have a PDP-8/I but it might not be too difficult to adapt it to one of those or other PDP-8s and maybe 11s. Mike

1 0

Mechanical Calculator Using Wooden Gears
by Chris Fala 26 Dec '24

26 Dec '24

This guy did a lot of work to build this. vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org

1 1

A 4004 Based Microcomputer the Comstar System 4
by Christian Liendo 26 Dec '24

26 Dec '24

A number of years ago I got my hands on a Comstar Programmer, it programmed roms for a computer called the Comstar System 4. I was told both the programmer and the System 4 were intel 4004 based. I asked around and kept getting told no computer was 4004 based. I really didn't do much due diligence just some searching here and there but I found enough to show that the computer did exist and was 4004 based. The website "Internet Scripophily Museum of Computing" has a page on the history of The Warner & Swasey Company. It's a decent timeline of the company http://ismoc.blogspot.com/2017/06/the-warner-swasey-company.html In "Auerbach Guide to Minicomputers" April 1976, the computer is mentioned on page 54 and page 70. On page 70 are the specifications and they show it being 4004 based. http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/auerbach/Auerbach_Guide_to_Minicomputers_Apr76… In the IEEE Spectum May 1975 on page 26 the compiler and the System 4 are talked about having a 4004 https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?arnumber=6368812 In the ACM's archives "Development of a portable compiler for industrial microcomputer systems" by LEROY H. ANDERSON The Warner & Swasey Company, it discusses the system and has images on the unit. https://www.computer.org/csdl/pds/api/csdl/proceedings/download-article/12O… And finally the Computer History Museum put the manual up for download. https://www.computerhistory.org/collections/catalog/102686568 I'm still trying to get more info, but I think this is some decent evidence to show there was a 4004 based computer in 1972

2 2

Re: [vcf-midatlantic] When your family really loves you - they give you Unix nerdery for christmas.
by Dave Shevett 26 Dec '24

26 Dec '24

I dont own the original images. You can find them out on the internet - tbh, the ownership of this artwork is a little murky. I'd love to get a clear answer about is it okay to distribute the raw images - anyone know? Best I've found is that Gary passed away a while ago, and his wife has held the position that people are welcome to use the images, just don't profit by them. On Thu, Dec 26, 2024 at 2:16 PM Joan Touzet via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > Very nice! Are the PDFs available so others can repeat this gift of joy? > > -Joan > > On 2024-12-26 13:01, Dave Shevett via vcf-midatlantic wrote: > > I have to share this - > > https://bsky.app/profile/vintageapparatus.com/post/3lea24xs3bk2h > > > > My family took super-high resolution scans of the original Gary Overacre > > 'unix feuds' 'unix magic' and 'unix views' posters, and had them > > professional printed on high quality stock. Add in full size frames and > > proper sizing, and I have artwork I can put in my nerd cave and be mighty > > proud of it. > > > > Here's a thumbnail - see the link on bsky for the full glory. > > [image: image.png] > > > -- Dave Shevett shevett(a)pobox.com

1 0

When your family really loves you - they give you Unix nerdery for christmas.
by Dave Shevett 26 Dec '24

26 Dec '24

I have to share this - https://bsky.app/profile/vintageapparatus.com/post/3lea24xs3bk2h My family took super-high resolution scans of the original Gary Overacre 'unix feuds' 'unix magic' and 'unix views' posters, and had them professional printed on high quality stock. Add in full size frames and proper sizing, and I have artwork I can put in my nerd cave and be mighty proud of it. Here's a thumbnail - see the link on bsky for the full glory. [image: image.png] -- Dave Shevett shevett(a)pobox.com

4 3

Merry Christmas And Happy Hanukkah
by Christian Liendo 25 Dec '24

25 Dec '24

Wishing all of you who celebrate a Merry Christmas And Happy Hanukkah. Sorry I didn't see you at Festivus and hope to see you guys at other events. Also A Happy New Year and hopeful for a good 2025 and a great VCFE. Warm Wishes Christian

5 4

Happy Festivus to all those who celebrate ;)
by Jeffrey Brace 23 Dec '24

23 Dec '24

I wanted to wish everyone a Happy Festivus on this the official day of Festivus (December 23). We had observed our Festivus party on December 14. I counted 43 in attendance. Some couldn't make it due to illness or obligations. It was a fun time with food, friends and drink. The game room was filled with fun games. Thanks to Ian Primus, Jonathan Sturges, Thomas Gilinsky and others who brought games. The swap meet room was fun with interesting stuff in the free pile. It looked like a lot of people made some great sales. We ate all the food that was there and left nothing. Thanks to Bernie S for grilling the burgers. Thanks to Emilio for helping in many ways. Thanks to those who helped me set up early on Friday and breakdown and cleanup on Sunday. I saw faces from those from the early days of MARCH, the middle days as well as fresh faces that recently joined. It was a fun time for all! I wish everyone a fantastic 2025 and look forward to seeing everyone again at VCF East 2025 on April 4-6! Take care! Jeff Brace VCF National Board Member Chairman & Vice President VCF East Showrunner MARCH Fundraising Manager Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity https://vcfed.org/ <http://www.vcfed.org/> jeffrey(a)vcfed.org

1 0

PDP 11/23 in Grand Rapids, Michigan needs help selling
by Jeffrey Brace 21 Dec '24

21 Dec '24

Someone contacted me to see if I could help them sell their PDP 11/23. I have yet to respond as I really don't know how to tell them that I don't have time. But, I can at least post to this list and see if someone here can help them. Let me know and I will send you their email address. Take care! Jeff Brace VCF National Board Member Chairman & Vice President VCF East Showrunner MARCH Fundraising Manager Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity https://vcfed.org/ <http://www.vcfed.org/> jeffrey(a)vcfed.org

4 7

Any Photos?
by Christian Liendo 21 Dec '24

21 Dec '24

I didn't get to go. I wondered if anyone had photos for those of us who missed

5 5

Vendor Registration VCF East 2025
by Jeffrey Brace 21 Dec '24

21 Dec '24

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe6N-8KLx1IxfdwtNxymvCwgH1vOD86I5e… Take care! Jeff Brace VCF National Board Member Chairman & Vice President VCF East Showrunner MARCH Fundraising Manager Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity https://vcfed.org/ <http://www.vcfed.org/> jeffrey(a)vcfed.org

1 0

DG Nova on Facebook Marketplace
by Joseph Giliberti 20 Dec '24

20 Dec '24

This just popped up and the price isn't astronomical. Screenshots attached for those not on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/share/15WMnUTeWY/

4 3

More VCF West 2024 videos coming on YouTube!
by Jeffrey Brace 20 Dec '24

20 Dec '24

After some delay, I'm working on getting the remaining talks from VCF West 2024 out the door. Just posted an interview of Ron Wayne by Dan Kottke (both of Apple Computer). Enjoy! https://youtu.be/w8GU3JelIlk Jeff Brace VCF National Board Member Chairman & Vice President VCF East Showrunner MARCH Fundraising Manager Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity https://vcfed.org/ <http://www.vcfed.org/> jeffrey(a)vcfed.org

1 0

Festivus grape leaves
by bernieS 18 Dec '24

18 Dec '24

> Date: Sun, 15 Dec 2024 09:51:28 -0500 > From: Joseph Giliberti <kd2dhp(a)gmail.com> > To: vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> > Subject: [vcf-midatlantic] Festivus grape leaves > > I think this is an on topic message. > > Who brought the stuffed grape leaves to Festivus? I think I was the only > one who was eating them because I'm guessing I'm the only one who knew > what they were. They were excellent. If it were socially acceptable, > I may have eaten them all. I'd love the recipe > > Regards, > > Joe Giliberti. Joe, thanks for the complement about the stuffed grape leaves I brought to Festivus! It would've been fine with me had you eaten them all, because many were leftover after Festivus and I ended up taking more than a dozen home with me. I can't take credit for making them, though. The note I placed by the tray said "Vegetarian. Made in Turkey, but no turkeys were harmed." These are SULTAN brand Stuffed Grape Leaves, and they're available from Amazon! But I bought mine from a local grocer that specializes in middle-eastern foods. https://www.amazon.com/Sultan-Stuffed-Grape-Leaves-14/dp/B076DK3FLY The cylindrical cans they came in says, "Stuffed grape leaves, also known as Dolma or Dolmads, have a rich history that dates back to the Ottoman Empire. Popular throughout the Mediterranean, these little vegetarian parcels have been stuffed with rice & herbs, and are hand rolled in a time honored tradition. Often found in a Mezze platter, it can be served hot or cold, and as either an appetizer or main dish. For Meal Solutions and Recipes go to: https://www.ziyad.com Distributed by ZIYAD BROS. IMPORTING Ciciera, IL 60804" I hope this answers your questions and that you can get more of these Dolmades from Amazon or locally. Sadly, I can't give you the recipe because it's a closely-guarded secret of the Ziyad family, who are originally from Syria. I'm guessing the Ziyad family stopped advertising that fact in 1979 when the U.S. State Dept designated Syria (under President Hafez al-Assad) a State Sponsor of Terrorism for allegedly providing continued political and military support to various terrorist groups. His son Bashar took over in 2000, and *his* government was overthrown ten days ago, so he fled to Russia where he was granted political asylum. Perhaps some terrorists enjoyed eating delicious dolmades in the field. It seems unlikely that Syrian political prisoners were fed delicious dolmades. On Saturday, Herman, a curator at the InfoAge Electronic Warfare Museum, told me it's probably that Bashar stashed Billions of stolen Dollars in Swiss bank accounts before fleeing Syria. That'll buy a lot of dolmades so he can feel right at home in Russia. -bernieS

1 0

MARCH Steering Committee Election results
by Thomas G 17 Dec '24

17 Dec '24

Hello all, Sorry for getting this out so late, but I've been in a bit of a tizzy from Festivus. The results from the most recent steering committee are as follows: Doug Crawford: 30 Jeff Salzman: 29 CJ Reha: 28 Dean Notarnicola: 25 Rick Lewis: 11 Doug Crawford and Jeff Salzman have both won re-election for their seats, and CJ Reha shall be assuming Dave McGuire's seat coming into 2025. In addition, as Ian Litchfield is resigning at the end of this year, his seat shall be filled by the first runner-up (as we have done in the past, for instance, when Dave McGuire assumed Alex Jacocks's seat following his resignation one year ago) - as such, Dean Notarnicola shall assume Ian Litchfield's seat for the remainder of his term, which ends at EOY 2025. As its first act, the steering committee has also elected yours truly - Thomas G. - as official chairman of the MARCH Steering Committee. I look forward to serving in this role to the best of my abilities! Congratulations to both the winners and all involved, and thank you very much to all who voted! These results will also be available in the upcoming newsletter for the month of January, 2025. -Thomas G. Chairman of MARCH & Collections Manager

5 4

Re: [vcf-midatlantic] 'twas the night before Festivus ...
by Dean Notarnicola 15 Dec '24

15 Dec '24

Saved On Sun, Dec 15, 2024 at 11:27 AM Sentry TV via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > Excellent!Hit Print before its deleted. > > On Sunday, December 15, 2024 at 11:22:45 AM EST, Dean Notarnicola via > vcf-midatlantic <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > ’Twas the Night Before Christmas at the Museum > > > ’Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the place, not a > creature was stirring, only just a Brace! > > > The punch cards were stacked by the Altair with care, > > In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there. > > The terminals hummed with a soft, gentle glow, > > While visions of BASIC danced to and fro. > > With volunteers nestled snug at their screens, > > Dreaming of tech from the ’70s scene. > > > When out from the bench there arose such a clatter, > > I sprang from my desk to see what was the matter. > > Away to the Univac, I flew like a flash, > > Hoping the data tapes hadn’t been trashed. > > > The glow of monitors cast an odd light, > > Giving life to machines asleep for the night. > > When what to my wondering eyes should appear, > > But a miniature drive sled and eight robotic reindeer. > > > With a jolly old driver so lively and quick, > > I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick. > > Faster than a Cray his coursers they came, > > And he whistled and shouted and called them by name: > > “Now Tandy! Now Apple! Now Commodore, too! > > On Atari! On Osborne! On Macintosh, you! > > To the top of the rack, to the end of the hall, > > Now compute away, compute away all!” > > > As floppy disks spin when systems engage, > > The relics came to life on this magical stage. > > Up to the mezzanine the reindeer they flew, > > With a sleigh full of parts and St. Nicholas, too. > > > And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the floor, > > The clacking of keyboards and drives as they roared. > > As I drew in my head and turned back around, > > Down the mini-computer St. Nicholas came with a bound. > > > He was dressed in red silicon, circuits aglow, > > With wires and LEDs making him show. > > A bundle of cables was flung on his back, > > And he looked like a coder unloading his stack. > > > His eyes—how they twinkled! His dimples, how merry! > > His cheeks like capacitors, his nose a red cherry! > > His droll little mouth was drawn up in geek delight, > > As he gazed at the machines in the soft winter night. > > > He spoke not a word, but went straight to his task, > > Refurbishing systems—no need to ask. > > He restored the old servers, fixed bugs in the code, > > And breathed life anew into systems that slowed. > > > Then laying his finger aside of his key, > > He hit “Run” on the program, delighting in glee. > > Through the leaky roof, he rose to his sleigh, > > Ready to spread more joy the tech-lover’s way. > > > He sprang to his ride, gave a shout to his team, > > And away they all flew like a well-coded dream. > > But I heard him exclaim, as he soared out of sight, > > “Happy computing to all, and to all a good night!” > :-) > > > On Sat, Dec 14, 2024 at 12:49 AM Jeffrey Brace via vcf-midatlantic < > vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vcfed.org> wrote: > > > and all through the place, not a creature was stirring, only just a > Brace! > > > > Finish the poem! > > > >

1 0

Festivus grape leaves
by Joseph Giliberti 15 Dec '24

15 Dec '24

I think this is an on topic message. Who brought the stuffed grape leaves to Festivus? I think I was the only one who was eating them because I'm guessing I'm the only one who knew what they were. They were excellent. If it were socially acceptable, I may have eaten them all. I'd love the recipe Regards, Joe Giliberti.

3 2

Breakfast tomorrow (Sunday Dec.15)
by Jeffrey Brace 14 Dec '24

14 Dec '24

For those still around after Festivus we are going to the diner: Americana Diner in Shrewsbury at 9:30AM. GPS: https://maps.google.com?q=Americana%20Diner,%201160%20NJ-35,%20Shrewsbury,%… Address: 1160 NJ-35, Shrewsbury, NJ 07702 See you there! Jeff Brace VCF National Board Member Chairman & Vice President Vintage Computer Festival East Showrunner VCF Mid-Atlantic Event Manager Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity https://vcfed.org/ <http://www.vcfed.org/> jeffrey(a)vcfed.org

1 0

Festivus 2024 Video Game Signup
by Jeffrey Brace 14 Dec '24

14 Dec '24

Signup here which games that you are bringing: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Xe1Wz62cI1q04TUVy--NAUHKzz7T0aedXTl… I need to know how many tables need to be set up.

5 9

Safely moving machines...
by Herbert Johnson 14 Dec '24

14 Dec '24

Discussion about foamed boxes to move S-100 chassis, caught my eye. ONe consideration for hobbyists is to acquire th epacking from local resources - say the big box hardware stores, found boxes. Hardware stores have best prices on heavyduty moving boxes of size, and packing materials. Taking time to make your own moving boxes gives you good storage boxes too. Make sure the boxes you use have heavy cardboard - not thin boxes to ship paper towels! Myself, I have used sheet styrofoam insulation, cut-to-fit whatever box, assembled around the S-100 chassis. The pink insulation is firmer and good for outside layers. The white insulating is yielding and good for the inside nearest the chassis. Not a bad idea, to have a layer of big-bubblewrap as a cushion on the bottom of the chassis, for a little bounce. Or some semisoft foamy carpetpadding (not the chunky composite stuff). Fabric stores sometimes have foam padding on sale. Or find some yoga floormat that's too soft at a thrift store. By big bubble bubblewrap, I mean like one-two square inches. Not air bags, if one of them breaks you got nuttin. Bag the chassis, to keep the dust and styro bits out; what used to be called "recycling trash bags" are transparent (you can't put recycles in plastic bags anymore), but get bags with some thickness if you can. YOu can cut-out areas in foam, where you have extensions from the chassis, like front-panel toggles. Fill in empty space not full of toggles, with large-bubble bubblewrap. Small bubble bubblewrap is OK for light flat objects, not heavy items. Where to get boxes other than hardware stores? Dunkin Donuts, small retailers, some groceries and dollar stores (some have policies against). Shop your local dumpsters. Knowing the sizes you need, gives you opportunities in-the-field to find such things when you see them. With luck you'll find styrofoam too, bubble wrap. PS: For Apple II owners: I found 25-pound mozzarella boxes really good for Apple IIs! Fit is good and the sides overlap, very sturdy. Don't tell Grandpa it's icky to pull stuff from dumpsters. Save the planet from throwing out things still useful and filling up your local landfill - your trash taxes pay those landfill fees. Dumpster reclamation is how you ended up with your IMSAIs and Altairs, you know. ho ho ho Herb Johnson still not a bot -- Herbert R. Johnson, New Jersey USA https://www.retrotechnology.com OR .net preserve, recover, restore 1970's computing email: hjohnson AT retrotechnology DOT com or try later herbjohnson AT comcast DOT net

3 2

Open time for Festivus
by Jeffrey Brace 14 Dec '24

14 Dec '24

is officially 10AM, but I will likely be there by 9AM. The door should just pull open. Call the VCF landline if you need to contact me: (732) 722-5015 See youze guys there! Jeff Brace VCF National Board Member Chairman & Vice President Vintage Computer Festival East Showrunner VCF Mid-Atlantic Event Manager Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity https://vcfed.org/ <http://www.vcfed.org/> jeffrey(a)vcfed.org

1 0

Food 4 Festivus
by Jeffrey Brace 13 Dec '24

13 Dec '24

Shoprite burgers, hotdogs and related software has been ordered and will be picked up tonight. Jersey Mike’s subs are ordered and picked up tomorrow at noon. 3 catering boxes this time. Around 2 PM pizza and garlic bread will be ordered from Vic’s. Burgers start cooking at 5:30PM Steering Committee meeting at 6 while we eat. Take care! Jeff Brace VCF National Board Member Chairman & Vice President Vintage Computer Festival East Showrunner VCF Mid-Atlantic Event Manager Vintage Computer Federation is a 501c3 charity https://vcfed.org/ <http://www.vcfed.org/> jeffrey(a)vcfed.org

5 4

Safely moving machines...
by William Sudbrink 13 Dec '24

13 Dec '24

Ok, I guess I'm publicly committing here... I'm planning on bringing several full size S-100 chassis and 8 inch floppies to VCF East 2025 (it's the Altair's 50th birthday). I've always, in the past, crammed my car full of stuff for VCF but this ain't gonna fit. So, I'm going to rent a van or a truck. The question is how to put this equipment into a van/truck without damaging it. I'm thinking about having foam-in-place boxes made for each chassis. This seems fairly safe to me, plus having heavy duty boxes with handhold cutouts will make them a lot easier to move. I have no idea how much this would cost so I'm asking here. Is there some way to do it cheap? Is there a service that does it well? Is there a better idea? Thanks, Bill S. -- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. www.avast.com

4 3