So it seems we all have a lot more in common then our political posts would indicate. Our computer pasts. So my turn to brag a little. After in left the USAF in 1967 installing and maintaining crypto machines that used bi-stable ferromagnetic cores for flip flops rather than silicon, I went to work for Univac installing maintaining and repair their Univac 494 system, including the magnetic tape drives, memory drums, modems transmissions and computer and memories. The 494 was a competitor at the time to the computer Russ's mentioned: IBM 360. While IBM was using bytes (32 bit words 4x8), Univac was using octal machines at the time, the 494 being 30 bit words (3x10). Although I wasn't trained in programming I did understand how each instruction (ie shift left, replace, etc.) worked through it's dozens of timing operations. You needed that for equipment maintenance. I use to write programs though in machine language just to mess around. Actually its depressing discussing these old machines. It shows how old we all are getting.
Anybody remember the 80 column punchcard?
It encouraged rather careful programming. An hour? Pah.Jeremy
I certainly do. I started programming in 1976 using PortaPunch cards, which were 40-column cards that you "punched" by knocking out pre-perforated chads with a pencil. I then moved on to punching 80-column cards using a cast-iron gadget with a dozen keys (one for each row) which had to be pressed in combination to create the characters, after I'd learned that, for example 0-2 was R and 0-3-8 was left parenthesis. We'd then post the deck from my school to Imperial College in London, where they'd be run through their CDC-7600 (run-time limit 15 seconds) and posted back to us, with the printed output, a week or so later.It encouraged rather careful programming. An hour? Pah.Jeremy
I don't know if it has encouraged careful programmimng. Picking up the computer error print-outs from the printer room, punching the new cards in another room and then carrying the heavy card boxes to yet another computer room wasn't exactly conducive to calm and productive thinking. It took me always more compile runs than anticipated.
Oh come on, Les. Are you talking about all those "features?"
You mean like in my Sony camera's menu? By the time you change to the settings you want, the sun set.
As a new Sony owner, no such problems for me.
Never was when it was a "product." Only when it was "in development."
Well, good for you!
one of the things I discovered at the college was that when it comes to programming, you either have it or you don't. It's sort of like musical ability. It's something you're born with -- or not.
Hats off to all you computer geeks. Backwards or not
