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Originally Posted by Amanda Morrison
Next, WFA winner Al Skierkiewicz will share with us the technological miracle of computer punchcards...  |
I was thinking of expounding on the nature of entering an eight bit binary bootstrap program manually using toggle switches on a DEC PDP-11 to get a paper tape reader going. Have any idea how hard it is to convert decimal to binary in your head and then load it using switches? BTW that was after a memory upgrade from 2K to 4K core (real core that is, wires and donuts) in a computer that was almost a full rack high with power supply and paper tape reader. Oh God, now I am going to have nightmares again! 00010011, 10111010, 1110101, no that was 11101101, oh darn where was I again....
Fortran IV?!?, yea they couldn't get it right in their first three attempts, what make you think it will be any better now?
Ok, the bootstrap is loaded, the paper tape is running, hopefully the program will finish loading before we get back from lunch.
Nice Amanda, now you have me started...Hit the "off" button someone, Quick!