28-04-2011, 11:59 AM (This post was last modified: 28-04-2011, 12:01 PM by Skywave.)
That is indeed an interesting article; thank you for bringing it to my attention.
However, I do have a few issues with some of the comments made in that article.
Re: para. 2: "While it is easy to buy the parts of a modern PC - motherboard, graphics card and processor - the sheer complexity would defeat any attempt to build one starting with electronic components such as resistors, capacitors and chips".
Now although I would not disagree with that comment, simply obtaining the parts for a modern computer is the relatively simple part of such an exercise. It is having the technical knowledge of which particular parts to obtain and how to get them all efficiently to work together that is the main challenge. This has been over-looked, despite the fact that it was just as relevant in years gone by as it is now.
Re: para. 4: "Is it still possible to construct an 8-bit machine from a pile of parts?"
Probably: the SN74181 (or a variant) is still available, as are 1k x 1-bit DRAMs and the SN7489 64-bit static memory chip. These are the key components of a discrete processing unit; the other parts can be basic SN74xx combinational and sequential logic elements.
Quote: "The difference between a pile of parts and a working computer is solder - the metal alloy used to connect components to circuit boards."
Although not untrue, it misses the essential difference: a computer must have a program to make it 'do something'. A "pile of (electronic) parts" can be put together in such a manner that all the hardware is present that comprises a computer, but without a program to run - and run without crashing - it remains nothing more than
a "pile of parts".
The policy of fitting in small parts first, then the bigger parts around them seems to be contradictory to anyone who has assembled individual electronic parts onto a form of assembly board. Advance planning is needed and it is nearly always the case that the larger parts will require location first, simply because it is much easier to fit small parts around large ones than vice-versa.
And finally, the comment from Mr Honniball: "Half of the stuff here is to frighten the circuit boards into working: they know the treatment they it will get if they do not work properly!" induces me to comment that if he has staff who report to him, I can only hope that he restricts that attitude to the hardware he comes into contact with!
In conclusion, an interesting article and it did indeed bring back many memories of working with early computer systems that used punched paper tape, several rows of 'bit-switches', custom-designed keyboards and monochrome (green screen) monitors.
interesting article
at least early hard ware was repairable we used to do quite a few specys and comodor c64s. sadly a i never got time to learn how to program any of them. i remember spending about 2 hours typing in a program for a startrek game only to be told there was a syntex error in line 1000ish never found what it was, and never tried again
rob t
Took me back, not so much the home machines but long before.
My first time with an ICL 1902T running George III, no screens then just Teletypes. Then came the Dual ICL 2970 and screens to communicate with it. A huge 12MB of main store running VME/B with meep and signet, this allowed us to split the machine and run one half emulating George III, the hardware split was achieved by a space age huge panel (SCP) assigning all hardware to different configs.We had a huge network of terminals the wonderful 7501 as seen on many a late 70's sci-fi show.
Then the ICL 2966 2968 and finally the quad node 3980 with VISA cube (VME inoperable system access) still running VME, the cube was like ORAC from blakes 7. When the system was dead not bootable, this one unit was guaranteed to be running, from there you could gain access and diagnose the system condition and build your way out until full system access could be established, ahh the days of base and superstructure support. I will never forget the huge washing machine sized EDS200 disk drives yep 200MB and they were removable as and when programs required. All these taking up an entire floor of a huge modern office block
Then moving on to unix systems with SUN/OS Solaris, DRSNX, UNIXO, PERQ's the GUI had arrived, ever getting smaller and more powerful until they finally took up a small corner of the floor the old Mainframe used to occupy. During this time the PC arrived and was mainly used to hook up to these systems with terminal emulation packages. I remember the PC processors coming out what seemed like at weekly intervals 8088, 8086, 286, 386, 486, SX & DX choice, maths co- processor or not, the Pentium1, pentium2, who remembers the ISA-BUS, DOS DRDOS. My first PC was the Amstrad PC1512 with GEM desktop and no hard disk just 5.44 floppies which needed swapping about as the OS required.
BBS's, Janet prior to the Internet and Compuserve connecting with dial-up modems 2400, 9600, 28k, 56k Baud rates, the advance of networks Token Ring which was able to transmit data at 4Mbps, 10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX, and 1000BASE-T, running at 10 Mbit/s, 100 Mbit/s, and 1000 Mbit/s (1 Gbit/s), respectively. When I first used the internet there was nothing much on it, mainly documents, I remember Ebay starting up and there was hardly much for sale. Novell Netware 3 with Bindary services, Netware 4 and the NDS (directory services) concept, Microsoft NT server was around but not considered of much use.
The inevitable rise of Microsoft, Windows 2 (bet not many of you remember that) windows 3, windows 3.11, windows 95, windows 98, Windows ME, windows XP and the advent of Windows server 2000 and Active directory (hmm directory services now where did I see that before) by which time the old mainframe was long gone as was Novell and to some degree Solaris. Eventually the whole lot went the room was empty, where was it? all hosted off-shore and you guessed it all running Windows Server.
Incredibly from when I started at the age of 16 with the 1902T teletype mainframe, to the final project to move it all offshore connected by VPNS/MPLS at the age of 44, was 28 years, an amazing revolution and journey that took place before my eyes.
p.s
I fondly remember the time before e-mails, where one could go on leave for two weeks and not return to 800 e-mails, I kid you not!!!
Chris - your last Post (above) evoked a few more memories.
My earlier post harked back to my days when I was involved with early computing systems for the printing industry: 1974 +. I was involved with the development of an editing console: its 'processor' used about 300 TTL packs, 16k bytes of dynamic RAM and a software-programmable character generator with its own 2k byte memory. Input and output was via paper tape with custom-designed monochrome monitor and keyboard. The floppy disc came later - in the form of the Shugart 800 series: 160 k-byte floppy disk (single-sided). Looking back, the subsequent early PCs running DOS 2.1 with a 10 MB hard drive seem almost crude by comparison to today's equipments, but, of course, they met most of the requirements of those times and were a substantial improvement on the earlier CP/M systems that were around at that time.
It was in those nascent years that the hardware guys were the acclaimed wizards: how things have now changed!
The main thing I hated about my career was after 30 years in IT most of what I learnt if not all was obsolete, bar the previous couple of years all you carried with you was logic/problem solving and experience. If I had been a master carpenter 30 years of amassed knowledge and experience would count for more. From when I started with the company in 1979 I was the last original member left, it felt quite symbolic throwing the final switch with all the echos of the past rushing through my mind.
Hi All,
My first experience of computing was when i was a lab tech and we bought a Commodore PET and if I recall correctly we bought it with a double amount of memory - 8k ROM instead of 4k (yep, it wasn't Mb in those days). It had a 'nice' 8" green screen and double 5.25" drives.
I also recall that we (the lab staff) all wanted a Winchester disk drive for one of major lab analysis kits which was massive and 20mb but we couldn't afford it as they were just too expensive. Its hard to think that early dot matrix printers wre bought for thousands too!
Hi Chris,
Yes, your experience (30 years + in I.T.) matches mine very closely.
Although I started off as a youngster in the late 1960's (radio & electronics R & D), I soon moved into (what later became known as) "I.T." simply because the wages were a vast improvement on the pittance I was then being paid in my Government job. Then followed 30 hectic years spread out over about 6 companies, as firms were merged, sold, did management buy-outs - or simply went bust. Jobs varied from bench technician to field engineer to specialist technical support and technical training manager. And it was that last-named role that I enjoyed the most: lots of international travel plus the teaching component - which I have always enjoyed. In the year 2003, I was made redundant yet again, but I could see that my accumulated experience and (predominately) hardware knowledge were now worth very little. Although I did seriously try my hand at computer programming, I just did not feel happy with it, especially C++ :@. Eventually, things went full circle and I landed a job back in the Radio Industry - which lasted until the recession kicked in a few years back, when the firm folded.
And I've been unemployed ever since - although I do do several 'one-offs' now and again to earn a few £ and also provide admin. support to the wife's business.
Looking back, I can honestly say that when I left college, the Plan was nothing like it actually turned out to be. I can only surmise that we are in far less control of our destinies than we like to think we are, although in fairness, things could have been a lot worse: most of my life in I.T. was reasonably well-paid & fun - whilst it lasted.
Hi Al,
So many things in your post ring true, the relentless, reorganisations, the constant takeovers, the "efficiencies". Looking back at it all with hindsight (that marvellous bench tool we never have when it's really needed) just coming out of the winter of 78 into 79, when I just started at the one and only company I would work for over the next 30 years I'm reminded of Dickens
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair."
