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Not sure how those got missed.
"There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics."
- Benjamin Disraeli
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'Tis all you need.
... such stuff as dreams are made on
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Back in the day, a TRS-80 and a 300 baud acoustic coupler was
all the power I needed.
(To login to the Cray at work)
73
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Yep! The first program I ever sold was written for a TRS-80 in 1979. And don't forget VectorGraphic, either. 
We all get stupid in groups of 5 or more...
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I wrote some watch faces (mainly because the default font was too small for me) and some simple apps (shopping calculator, scoring board, ...) for the Pebble smart watch. Unfortunately, Pebble has been taken over by Fitbit and they killed the Pebble smart watch.
Enjoy life, this is not a rehearsal !!!
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Besides the already mentioned classic professional systems there are many more:
- Micro controllers (plain devices)
- Classic home computers like Amstrad CPC , Apple I, Atari, Commodore, Sinclair
- Programmable calculators (Casio, HP, TI)
Just have a look at List of computers running CP/M - Wikipedia[^] to know how many systems there was once in the classic home and professional area.
I have coded for at least one of each category.
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As below -- mini-computers, particularly from DEC.
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You missed much of the legacy computing devices.
I have coded for various minicomputers, including Digital Equipment Corp's PDP-8, LINC-8 and PDP-11; a Data General clone - the DCC-116; various Hewlett Packard mini's; Tandem-16; Sun Microsystems SPARC; and the AT&T Unix PC7300.
OK, you young whippersnappers - how many of these machines do you recognize?
__________________
Lord, grant me the serenity to accept that there are some things I just can’t keep up with, the determination to keep up with the things I must keep up with, and the wisdom to find a good RSS feed from someone who keeps up with what I’d like to, but just don’t have the damn bandwidth to handle right now.
© 2009, Rex Hammock
modified 27-Nov-17 15:33pm.
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I recognize many of the names. When I started my first programming job (at DEC, circa 1987), each dev was given one of these[^] babies, along with a full developer doc set that covered 2 bookshelves of a cubicle wall. 
/ravi
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Basically, all my schooling was on DEC -- I'm from the Boston area after all.
PDP-11 with RSTS-E in high school, and VAXen in college. Then Alphas until about 2002, since when I have used OpenVMS only as a hobbyist -- to keep from totally rusting.
Computers.png[^]
DECbooks.png[^]
Oh, and I had to manage a Stratus System 2000 running VOS for a short time in the early 90s -- it was particularly nasty.
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IBM-4370 ... yes I am a grey beard... 
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IBM 360, IBM 370
(I'm not that old; I was corrupted at an early age. )
If you have an important point to make, don't try to be subtle or clever. Use a pile driver. Hit the point once. Then come back and hit it again. Then hit it a third time - a tremendous whack.
--Winston Churchill
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I suppose 360/370 goes in the "mainframe" group - aren't those the epitome of "mainframe"?
I, too, miss the minis (like PDP-11, ND-100) and superminis (like VAX, ND-5000). Also. lots of us in the 50+ age range have programmed calculators such as TI-58/59, HP-41C. (I even programmed a "database" application on a desktop calculator with tape casette for program storage and data base, running on 230VAC.)
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I programmed an HP programmable calculator (I forget the model number). The programs were stored on magnetic cards, and every researcher had his own favourite collection.
I also did some work on a PDP-11, using RSTS BASIC. I never worked on Vaxen.
If you have an important point to make, don't try to be subtle or clever. Use a pile driver. Hit the point once. Then come back and hit it again. Then hit it a third time - a tremendous whack.
--Winston Churchill
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I wonder how unique one of my programming experiences are: Microprogramming a 2901.
For those who don't recognize the number: 2901 was s 4-bit "bit slice" processor that could be lined up, say, 4 in a row to make a 16 bit CPU, or 8 to make a 32 bit. The ALU was fairly complete for its time (e.g. with carry-out and carry-in, handled automatically), but lots of the execution logic and signals to other units were external. Microcode RAM was external: In our kit, a 16 bit by 64 unit, with 16 flip switches and a "deposit and advance" pushbutton. In our student project, with a single 2901, if I remember right, the task was to create an input instruction, and add instruction and an output instuction, so that we could write a "high level" machine code program (again, by flipping binary switches and pressing "deposit", but that was in "real" program code, not microcode!) for reading two 4-bit numbers, add them and output the sum to four red LEDs.
We were students of programming, not of electronics, so I never had any direct use of this experience. Neverhteless, when I explain e.g. the programming of a vectored interrupt mechanism to a youngster, I realize that having touched this kind of things, at least with your fingertips, makes it a lot easier to make sense of how these more fancy machine mechanisms operates.
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My experience has been limited to 8-bit (or more) processors. I imagine that programming a 4-bit processor to do something useful (e.g. like Intel's 4004 in the Casio calculator) must be a real challenge.
EDIT: the calculator was actually produced by Busicom, another Japanese company.
If you have an important point to make, don't try to be subtle or clever. Use a pile driver. Hit the point once. Then come back and hit it again. Then hit it a third time - a tremendous whack.
--Winston Churchill
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At college in 1989 we had a Prime minicomputer - not sure which model - but we were made to write Pascal on it.
At one job we used HP-UX workstations talking to a Meiko Computing Surface, a 'supercomputer' comprising of a large wardrobe like box of INMOS transputers, that was fun (for some definition of fun).
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Hmm. From the top: HP 1000 minicomputer, IBM 360 mainframes, DEC PDP-11 mini, DEC VAX-11/780 superminis, Data General Nova 4, 8085 microprocessors, Z-80 microprocessors, 6800 microprocessors, 8088, ...
Software Zen: delete this;
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Throw in the IBM 1800 Process Control System (360 era). Big brother to the 1130.
Mid 60's.
Arguing with a woman is like reading the Software License Agreement. In the end, you ignore everything and click "I agree".
Anonymous
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PDP-11, but Beard's not completely grey yet!
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I'm obviously not quite as grey-bearded as you, but minicomputers were an obvious omission for me, as well as 80's "Workstation" class unix boxes that were meant for a single user, but more closely related to minicomputers than to desktops of the era. I started my career writing assembly language on Data General MV Series, and also did a stint writing assembly for DEC VAX. Before either of those, I spent a few months each working on IBM Mainframes (as an intern) and early Silicon Graphics IRIS workstations (as a temp tech support person at SGI). I think the distinction between mainframe and minicomputer is completely lost on most people who didn't actually work on them.
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I've worked on a Tandem, before they were bought by Compaq.
Still have my single fault tolerant Tandem mug too.
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I recognize a number of those machines but I've only messed with the PDP-11. I'm an electrical engineer that got interested in microprocessors back in the 70's. Basically all my 'real' programming has been in the embedded world. 6800 family, 8080, z80, 8051 and derivatives, 68000 family, TI DSPs, TI Tiva family and numerous Windows utilities and scripts. Low level programing and DSP algorithms are the most 'fun'.
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The IBM 709/7090 series (Fortran before it needed an number); CDC 3600 and 6600(COBOL and assembler); IMSAI to write firmware for the Z80 processor; PDP-8, etc.
Is that snappy enough?
Joan F Silverston (Grey but not bearded)
jsilverston@cox.net
nhswinc.com
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Mea Culpa! I was taken to task in several personal messages regarding my use of the term "grey-beard:"
- The term is sexist, implying that only men need apply.
- I used the British spelling. I should have used "graybeards."
- The term should only be used in reference to wizards.
As a self-described English major, what is your opinion?
__________________
Lord, grant me the serenity to accept that there are some things I just can’t keep up with, the determination to keep up with the things I must keep up with, and the wisdom to find a good RSS feed from someone who keeps up with what I’d like to, but just don’t have the damn bandwidth to handle right now.
© 2009, Rex Hammock
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