Pointless guessing game about old computers
- Thread starter westipton
- Start date
rons
Ron Standley
This s fun, makes me feel not so old (or maybe older).
Had a C64, still have an Amiga, Mac 512, mac SE.
Used a ASR-33 and a pdp-8 at work to do my homework going to college. Yes I had permission.
Hollerith cards, 069 code on a CDC-6400.
To go REALLY far back, for a scout project I bought a new fangled thing called a transister and made a radio. PNP junction raytheon CK722.
Excuse me, i need to leave now. My head hurts.
Had a C64, still have an Amiga, Mac 512, mac SE.
Used a ASR-33 and a pdp-8 at work to do my homework going to college. Yes I had permission.
Hollerith cards, 069 code on a CDC-6400.
To go REALLY far back, for a scout project I bought a new fangled thing called a transister and made a radio. PNP junction raytheon CK722.
Excuse me, i need to leave now. My head hurts.
kerry_mcmurtrey
Lazy Member
Meybe an Aldus?
rons
Ron Standley
Yes, you remember also. Had to find just the right spot.
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mikecolangelo
Well-known member
Not to turn this even more into a Nerdfest, but I thought Paul Allen bought DOS for $50,000 from the Seattle Computer Company.
You're correct about the licensing scheme that Gates demanded. IBM felt that the profits would be on the hardware side. Gates, Allen, and Ballmer knew that the money was in the software.
So, anyone here seen the new Star Trek movie?
Richard Broadhead
Flag & Com
I'm no Microsofter nor computur history buff.
But as I understand it, fledgling MS was using CP/M which WAS owned by a Seattle based computer company.
DOS was initially written by a guy in Renton. Don't know if he worked in Renton, lived in Renton or commuted to Renton from some other town. Any way, he wrote DOS as a 'hobbiest' computer nerd. Then, eventually went to work for MS. I don't think MS paid $50,000 for it but rather, employed the inventor, paid him a small stipend and then invested in further development of DOS.
What various egos have done with the story over the years, I don't know. I'm sure you can find 23 or more variations of the history.
But as I understand it, fledgling MS was using CP/M which WAS owned by a Seattle based computer company.
DOS was initially written by a guy in Renton. Don't know if he worked in Renton, lived in Renton or commuted to Renton from some other town. Any way, he wrote DOS as a 'hobbiest' computer nerd. Then, eventually went to work for MS. I don't think MS paid $50,000 for it but rather, employed the inventor, paid him a small stipend and then invested in further development of DOS.
What various egos have done with the story over the years, I don't know. I'm sure you can find 23 or more variations of the history.
gordon_jones
older than most
To let you all know how young I am. My first computer was a Mk1. It was a firecontrol computer aboard a USN destroyer. It could handle all of 32 inputs and come out with a continously varying solution. It was about 4' X 8' X 4' in size. Electrical/mechanical. Servos,gears,cams,levers all cramed into this space. The World has changed. G
Richard Broadhead
Flag & Com
LOLOL.. YES!!! DD845
2250 class.Mk1 Able Fire Control computer! complete with gyro stabilizer. Ours was down in a compartment which we shared with the IC guys next to the dish washer.
They say the guy who invented the MK1 went insane.
Good thing the MK1 A was an electro-mechanical machine. IC's were in charge of movies. When a new batch came aboard, the FT and IC guys would spend all night leaning over the MK1 watching the new movies and filling the room with DENSE smoke and coffee stains. Not a good environment for todays computers
Fortunately, at GQ I was up in the gun director running the MK 25 FC radar
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Steve Adams
Just this guy, ya know?
USS Baussell...
Richard Broadhead
Flag & Com
You found it
Although we were based out of 32nd street in San Diego when I was aboard, it got the FRAM I conversion right here in Puget Sound and was completed about 1 month before I went aboard. Plus, we did the Midshipman cruise in to Tacoma for the Rose Cup Ball one year (Middies were bused to Portland). I think that was done intentionally so some Middy didn't DARE go home with his young lady of the night and miss the bus back! A 'home town' attachment to the Sound any way.
Tactical call sign: Electron then later, Navigate.
Sadly she's with Davey Jones now. Used as a cruise missile test target More dignity then being turned in to scrap iron I guess.
The 'famous' Mk1 A computer
Despite all the 'hand cranks' for finite adjustments (or manual input), it really did sit there and groan out solutions all by itself. And, it worked fast enough to give a firing solution on Russian Bear bombers or Mig 25's. Great fun harrassing them as they harrassed us.
Those old gears got a work out during the one 30 day period we fired over 7,000 rounds of HE, WP and star shells under her guidance.
Although we were based out of 32nd street in San Diego when I was aboard, it got the FRAM I conversion right here in Puget Sound and was completed about 1 month before I went aboard. Plus, we did the Midshipman cruise in to Tacoma for the Rose Cup Ball one year (Middies were bused to Portland). I think that was done intentionally so some Middy didn't DARE go home with his young lady of the night and miss the bus back! A 'home town' attachment to the Sound any way.
Tactical call sign: Electron then later, Navigate.
Sadly she's with Davey Jones now. Used as a cruise missile test target
More dignity then being turned in to scrap iron I guess.The 'famous' Mk1 A computer
Despite all the 'hand cranks' for finite adjustments (or manual input), it really did sit there and groan out solutions all by itself. And, it worked fast enough to give a firing solution on Russian Bear bombers or Mig 25's. Great fun harrassing them as they harrassed us.
Those old gears got a work out during the one 30 day period we fired over 7,000 rounds of HE, WP and star shells under her guidance.
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Steve Adams
Just this guy, ya know?
How many guys were physically manipulating input on that thing at one time in order to provide firing solutions on aircraft? Seems like a lot of fiddling necessary in a pretty short amount of time.
Richard Broadhead
Flag & Com
ZERO physical 'fiddling' for aircraft. Primary inputs for an air target such as range, azimuth, elevation angle and closing rate all in analog form were provided by the fire control radar locked on the target. For air targets the computer was in 'automatic mode' and the operators could observe and check the dials and indicators for anything that looked abnormal.
Computers function was to plot a firing solution with continuous updates telling the gun mount where to point the gun to have the shell intersect the point where the aircraft would be when the shell reached it. In addition the computer sent a 'signal' to the ammo loader to set either a time delay detonation fuse (based on calculated time of flight) or, fuse "quick" (detonate on impact). If there was some 'error' occuring the weapons control officer could call for a 'spot' adjustment and one of the hand cranks would be turned to refine the solution.
The hand inputs were of PRIMARY value during shore bombardment. With nothing for a radar to lock on (sometimes used a beacon) the computer was on its own. The first firing solution was based upon range and azimuth to target using military map coordinates. Then a 'spot round' would be fired. Using radio communications, a 'spot' would be called back to the ship in yards of azimuth or range. You used the "SPOT" knobs to do that maintaining the initial firing point as your 'base' solution. It made the response quicker because the 'computer' didn't have to resolve the entire equation.
Once the people calling for the fire mission were "pleased", all hell broke loose with the comand "FIRE for effect". Which meant don't stop sending them till we tell you too. We had some big brusser loaders in one of our gun mounts that could hand load and fire a total of over 40 (20 form each barrell) 5" rounds a minute. Serious hell on earth.
The computer could actually have two different guns firing different shells at the same time to achieve different objectives over the same target using the knobs.
Sounds like a simple task but in addition to that, the computer was constantly adjusting for the motion of the ship in speed, changing direction of travel and with the gyro, role. Accuracy? Ours was pretty accurate. A 'typical spot' was usually less then 40 yards with targets as far as 10 miles away (with obviously some error from the initial coordinate called in).
"Typically" there were 3 or 4 enlisted men operating the computer either 'hands on' or keeping an eye on the dials and outputs to make sure the computer was solving the problem correctly. Tell tails on some dials indicated whether things were going well or out of whack. The operators would CONFIRM before any firing that the machine was showing a 'good' solution. In addition, an officer would be in the room to over see things. This was a job for a junior officer (ensign or Lt JG) in the weapons department and the enlisted guys knew far more about what was happening.
I suspect Gordon Jones knows a heck of a lot more about it then I do. It wasn't my primary piece of gear or responsibility.
Computers function was to plot a firing solution with continuous updates telling the gun mount where to point the gun to have the shell intersect the point where the aircraft would be when the shell reached it. In addition the computer sent a 'signal' to the ammo loader to set either a time delay detonation fuse (based on calculated time of flight) or, fuse "quick" (detonate on impact). If there was some 'error' occuring the weapons control officer could call for a 'spot' adjustment and one of the hand cranks would be turned to refine the solution.
The hand inputs were of PRIMARY value during shore bombardment. With nothing for a radar to lock on (sometimes used a beacon) the computer was on its own. The first firing solution was based upon range and azimuth to target using military map coordinates. Then a 'spot round' would be fired. Using radio communications, a 'spot' would be called back to the ship in yards of azimuth or range. You used the "SPOT" knobs to do that maintaining the initial firing point as your 'base' solution. It made the response quicker because the 'computer' didn't have to resolve the entire equation.
Once the people calling for the fire mission were "pleased", all hell broke loose with the comand "FIRE for effect". Which meant don't stop sending them till we tell you too. We had some big brusser loaders in one of our gun mounts that could hand load and fire a total of over 40 (20 form each barrell) 5" rounds a minute. Serious hell on earth.
The computer could actually have two different guns firing different shells at the same time to achieve different objectives over the same target using the knobs.
Sounds like a simple task but in addition to that, the computer was constantly adjusting for the motion of the ship in speed, changing direction of travel and with the gyro, role. Accuracy? Ours was pretty accurate. A 'typical spot' was usually less then 40 yards with targets as far as 10 miles away (with obviously some error from the initial coordinate called in).
"Typically" there were 3 or 4 enlisted men operating the computer either 'hands on' or keeping an eye on the dials and outputs to make sure the computer was solving the problem correctly. Tell tails on some dials indicated whether things were going well or out of whack. The operators would CONFIRM before any firing that the machine was showing a 'good' solution. In addition, an officer would be in the room to over see things. This was a job for a junior officer (ensign or Lt JG) in the weapons department and the enlisted guys knew far more about what was happening.
I suspect Gordon Jones knows a heck of a lot more about it then I do. It wasn't my primary piece of gear or responsibility.
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Steve Adams
Just this guy, ya know?
Hopelessly off-topic (whatever that means on this forum ), of course, but that was pretty interesting. Thanks!
), of course, but that was pretty interesting. Thanks!
Richard Broadhead
Flag & Com
Not as far as you might think, Steve.
The Mk1A used the results of the output from ENIAC (an even older computer) in much of its computations
The Mk1A used the results of the output from ENIAC (an even older computer) in much of its computations
Steve Adams
Just this guy, ya know?
I meant, off-topic in terms of a forum about ICSCC racing. Very on-topic for this particular, extremely off-topic thread.
gordon_jones
older than most
I was on the USS Higbee DDR 806 untill it went into FRAM. I then transfered tothe USS Braine DD 630 a 2100 class ship. I also spent time in the gunfire control director manning the Mk 25 and the rangefinder. I also was the radar operator for the "handlebar" radar amidship for the 3"50 guns. I served from 1961 till 1964. G
Richard Broadhead
Flag & Com
Gordon,
63 to 67 here
We only had ONE person (FT) who claimed he could work the range finder (I never could). However, using the radar to 'test him' he never got closer then 300 yards. Better then my couple of thousand but still, not great.
FRAM removed the rear gun mount (replaced by DASH) and any other midships guns she may have had initially (replaced by ASROC). So no 3" guns.
Looking forward to meeting you at the track some day
63 to 67 here
We only had ONE person (FT) who claimed he could work the range finder (I never could). However, using the radar to 'test him' he never got closer then 300 yards. Better then my couple of thousand but still, not great.
FRAM removed the rear gun mount (replaced by DASH) and any other midships guns she may have had initially (replaced by ASROC). So no 3" guns.
Looking forward to meeting you at the track some day
randy_buell
Autobahnracing
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robjacobsen
The Pros From Dover
Gordon,
Looking forward to meeting you at the track some day
You probably would recognize his car, Richard. He usually waves out of both windows since his wingspan is longer than the car is wide and by a fair margin. He drives the #25 white BMW 2002 and occassionally works a corner. I think he does that to catch up on all the catty comments the workers are making about his compettitors.