kenw2dtc wrote:
> "but my first class on computer design was programming in machine
> language (Hex, not assembler) with the program and date input from a
> numeric keypad"
>
> Boy, you had it easy. One of my early jobs required me to make
> changes to a computer program via toggle switches and a push button.
> One toggled in the address, the operator, the data and the parity bits.
>
<:-)) Sounds similar to Westinghouse P2000s we had at work. You had to
punch in the machine code loader from the front panel push buttons which
took about an hour and then the ultra modern paper tape would load. We
paid over a quarter million each for quite a few. About 4 or 5 years
later we purchased a "truck load" of them for $450. A couple years
later I purchased one for $32 and that had a whole 32K of "core
memory". That memory looked like a backlash on a bait casting reel.
<:-)) There was nothing wrong with it, that's just the way they looked.
I do still have my first computer, an Ohio Scientific C28P. It was
running a 6502 at 1 MHz, 48K of really expensive dynamic ram, and dual,
single sided 8" floppies. Those 16K X 1 memory chips were $29 plus
change and I blew out a whole bank of them. The computer? It cost $4,000
with floppies, but no keyboard or monitor. I used a 9" CC monitor and a
model 28 TT for a printer. It would take it about 8 hours to do a merge
sort on the repeater database for Michigan, Northern Ohio, and Western
Ontario. [No, I don't have the original box<:-))]. I just built up a
quad core Phenom (AMD) with 4 Gig of DDR-2 PC6400 RAM, a total HD
capacity (internal) of a tad over 3 Terabytes, and a 22" wide screen,
high definition monitor for less than half that. It also has a TV HD
tuner and a top end video card and has the capability of controlling my
whole station...eventually. The graphics and animation is something I
only dreamed about back in 80 with that C28P. BTW memory is less than
1/4 of what it cost a year ago.
I remember how proud we were when my folks purchased their first 21"
television. It was all two men could do to get the thing in the house
and here I set with a bank of 22", color, high definition monitors that
cost a tiny fraction of what that old B&W set cost.
Then out in the shop I have the SX-101, HT-32, and HT-33B station
supporting a complete modern station. What a comparison in contrasts,
but I have to admit that old station with "one knob, one function" has a
certain appeal . <:-)) AND they are lot easier to see with my bifocals.
73
Roger (K8RI)
> 73,
> Ken W2DTC
>
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