Wow, that takes me back some....
We used to compete to see who could write the most complex program of self
loading code one 80-column card. Reading a deck of following cards and
printing the data to a line printer was readily done IIRC.
Once we had decoded the card load and execute code, we set up a system where
we loaded program decks on disc, and had a control program that read a deck
of data cards and created a disk file, worked out which programs should be
run to process the data, loaded them from disc, ran the programs in
sequence, and tidied up at the end. This relieved the operator of having to
make tricky decisions on program sequence, and loading multiple card deck
programs, and worked very well. All in a system with 8k of ram, and a
couple of 2M HDD.....
We had a semi-resident IBM engineer, as we were a bit out in the sticks. Ran
out of things to relieve the boredom once, so we played a little trick on
him. The 1440 had start and stop buttons, green for start, red for stop,
and they were lit from behind. It was common for programs to signify a
decisiom point by halting (red light on) with a certain code number
displayed on the console. Depending on the decision made, the operator would
either press Start (green light comes on) - program continues on, or press a
Reset button then start - program changes path, green light on.
Well, one day at lunch time we swapped the red and green stop/start buttons
in the panel sockets. Finally somebody noticed that the red light was lit -
that's not right is it? press the green button - nothing seemed to be
happening when it should now be processing??? Press the red button, discs
rattled , printer worked etc, when it shouldn't. We were killing ourselves
laughing, trying not to show it. About the time the engineer decided he need
help from higher up the technical chain, we told them what we had done, and
got away with a light chastisement. Proved that everybody was taking their
cues from the colour, and not the position of the buttons....
jp
-----Original Message-----
From: HP-3000 Systems Discussion [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf
Of Tracy Pierce
Sent: Tuesday, 24 July 2007 3:12 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [HP3000-L] from before HP
it's machine code for IBM 1400 series, maybe others? this sequence is
used to boot from cards.
Hitting the LOAD button would
read a card into core positions 1-80,
set a wordmark in position 1,
and branch there.
comma is SetWordmark, the next 6 chars are 2 three-char addresses. so
,007014 would set wordmarks for the next two instructions to be
executed, then the cpu would move to the next address and (now
wordmarked, a cross-check requirement for executing an instruction)
execute the instruction there. continue the pattern a bit, and soon you
have wordmarks set under 'real' instructions with which to do some work.
the 1st 3 cards in a deck are the bootstrap code, which would do the
self-start as above and then load the rest of your program into
contguous memory, then branch there. I don't remember many addresses,
but 1-80 = card reader, 101-180 = card punch, 201-332 = line printer.
sorry, I don't recognize the 2nd one.
Tracy Pierce
> -----Original Message-----
> From: HP-3000 Systems Discussion
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Joe Weisman
> Sent: Sunday, July 22, 2007 8:04 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: from before HP
>
> I have a sign over my desk from my past: ",007014,022029"
>
> Anybody know what it is?
>
> How about "3400032007013600032007024902402511963611300102"
> --
>
> Joe Weisman - [log in to unmask] - 541-745-5265
>
> "In short, humanity creates meaning for itself by liberating itself so
> that it can fulfill itself. This is also a solipsism, but one as big
> as all existence. Odd, isn't it, that atheists can be right about God
> but wrong about religion and much else about the modern condition,
> while a believer can be wrong about God but at least on the right
> track concerning the current spiritual malaise?"
> - Danial Lazare; Nation 28may07
>
> * To join/leave the list, search archives, change list settings, *
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>
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