Re: [N8VEM: 14056] A different sort of project ...

[Paul Birkel <pbi...@gmail.com>]

All worthy, although I think that the PDP-11 is getting "too modern" :->.

Regarding available software for IBM System/360, this page is
interesting: http://www.ibiblio.org/jmaynard/

(For reference regarding System/370, see: http://www.hercules-390.org/)

(For more fun, see:
http://www.designspark.com/content/my-raspberry-pi-thinks-its-mainframe)

Does the licensed RDOS include compilers/tools (and where is it
available)?  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RDOS doesn't have a lot to
say ...

On Wed, Jun 27, 2012 at 1:50 PM, John Coffman <john...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Paul,
>
> Just some more thoughts of other CPU's to consider:
>
>         DG Nova    (likewise, Nova 1200, Nova 800)
>         DEC PDP-11
>         DEC PDP-1    (18-bit, one's complement)
>         IBM 7090 or 7094
>
> The PDP-10 (successor to the PDP-6) was a 36-bit machine.  Likewise the
> 7090/94.  These are an interesting challenge in today's 8/16/32/64 bit
> environments.
>
> The original Nova is really a RISC machine; but the I/O structure is
> unique.  DG has licensed the RDOS operating system to hobbyists.
>
> --John
>
>
>
>
>
> On 06/26/2012 10:54 PM, Paul Birkel wrote:
>
> Perhaps completely off-topic, but I was thinking that rather than
> moving in the direction of a current/modern OS & HW environment that
> we might consider exploring the direction of an historic "big iron"
> computing environment -- one of the legendary mainframes from the 60's
> or so coupled with a slightly more modern (but still legacy) HW
> technology.
>
> So, perhaps use bit-slice technology coupled with a suitable
> micro-programmed sequencer to implement a member of the IBM
> 360-series, the CDC 6000-series, or the DEC PDP-10-series computers?
> I'd be partial to a PDP-10 environment as it clearly overlaps with the
> birth of uP technology & software development, however the IBM 360 or
> CDC 6000 environment have their own attractions as being mainstay
> computing environments in their (slightly earlier) eras.
>
> (One could head back even further to an IBM 1401 ...)
>
> Possibly the chip-count would be too high for a SBC-level
> implementation (probably of a low-end series-model) or there's little
> interest in these legacy architectures?  It seems to me that any one
> of these environments offers plenty of worthy challenges as well
> significant historic computing value.
>
> Doing yet another Unix on a contemporaneous high-performance chip
> would be a different sort of challenge, of course ...
>
> Just testing the water here ... I'm in no position to lead such a
> project but I thought that it was worth publicly contemplating :->.
>
> -----
> paul
>
> --
> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
> "N8VEM" group.
> To post to this group, send email to n8...@googlegroups.com.
> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to
> n8vem+un...@googlegroups.com.
> For more options, visit this group at
> http://groups.google.com/group/n8vem?hl=en.