BS: Computer folklore:

Subject: RE: BS: Computer folklore:
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 23 Aug 07 - 07:33 PM

I was on the UQ Computing Consultancy Committe when IBM made a big fuss about 'making the UQ the Computing Hub of the South Pacific' - and offered massive discounts.

Only 2 people were suspicious: the Head of The Computer Science Dept, and me...

They did the same trick to the WA Uni... later heard they sued IBM - seems that IBM had a bunch of new crap amd wanted to shift the old crap.... :-)

When the big boxes arrive some fun occurred...

Well you see, one of the big selling points was the 'VM'... :-)

Was in the computer lab one quiet day, when one student in Prof Nyssen's mad mob, started running his assignment - a mini hospital DB thing - :-) - the sysop was horrified to see on student take 27% of the system - as he watched, teh 2nd student logged in, another 27% - by the time he got the Dept Comp Sci head on the phone, the 3rd had started.... by the time they started down the corrifor, the 4th had joined.... 4 x 27 >> 100% ... :-)


Also they wanted to run UNIX as a VM ... the trial showed that this humungous bloody big box would let 8 users run before 100% utilisation.... :-)

Well, you see, the intelligent disk controllers said "hey, this guy wants a byte from here, I'll just help him by queuing the whole track, just in case he needs it... but UNIX with its i-node file structure is not really compatible with that.... :-P

Well, it seems that the Sysops had not had the time to read the manuals closely...

You see with VM, each VM OS thinks that it has the whole machine, but the supervisor OS allocates REAL memory to the slave OSes on the basis of its VIRTUAL memory. Now the slave OSes think they are on a real machine, so they have 'real' & 'virtual' memory too.. and they swap THEIR virtual memory out.... but Big Daddy also helpfully tries to swap out various chunks of what it sees as 'virtual' memory, but the slaves think is 'real memory'.... :-)

The sysops missed the fine print about locking the 'virtual real' memory in 'real real' memory... :-)

Computing Rule 1(a)...

RTFM, VERY CAREFULLY!

Subject: RE: BS: Computer folklore:
From: beardedbruce
Date: 23 Aug 07 - 10:31 AM

says that there were only two.


"Only two IBM 360/95 computers were made, both for NASA. One went to the Goddard Space Flight Center, in Greenbelt, Maryland, and the other went to the Goddard Institute for Space Studies, part of Columbia University, in New York City. According to IBM's 360 and Early 370 Systems by Pugh, Johnson, and Palmer, IBM produced fourteen Model 91 computers, four of which it kept for internal use. At least one source estimates that about 25 Model 195 computers were produced."

Subject: RE: BS: Computer folklore:
From: beardedbruce
Date: 23 Aug 07 - 10:18 AM

Well, there were 4 /95s made that I know of- three at Social Security, and one at Goddard.. It replaced the 7094 there. Of course, we had a pair of 360/75s to play with, for less serious work.

Subject: RE: BS: Computer folklore:
From: EBarnacle
Date: 23 Aug 07 - 09:45 AM

I am envious. The newest 360's I dealt with were 360/67's.

Subject: RE: BS: Computer folklore:
From: beardedbruce
Date: 23 Aug 07 - 06:05 AM

Robo-

Remember what year that was?

Mine is a copy of the one I found in the 360/95 room at GSFC ( Goddard Space Flight Center) when I was there ( 1978 on). No idea how long it had been there: no-one remembered NOT seeing it there. I had seen it before then, at other sites, though.

It sounds as if we have it back to at least 1955 or so.

Subject: RE: BS: Computer folklore:
From: EBarnacle
Date: 22 Aug 07 - 11:39 PM

Yep, I remember being able to do correlations in one pass on my Marchant. It had enough digits for me to do it all without overlaps.

Subject: RE: BS: Computer folklore:
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 22 Aug 07 - 08:29 PM

Remember those mechanical 'adding machines' - like huge typewriters with hundreds of cogs and wheels and electric motors?

When you set it to divide by zero, it would 'add one' for eternity...

Subject: RE: BS: Computer folklore:
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 22 Aug 07 - 08:22 PM

When I went to my first telephone exchange (Aust) when employed in 1970, this piece was stuck on the panel with all the lights and switches. This was the 'new' 'Crossbar' switching equipt control/monitoring panel - the exchange also still had some 'step by step' sections that had not been replaced.

Subject: RE: BS: Computer folklore:
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 22 Aug 07 - 07:41 PM

At some point in the '80s I typeset the blinken light doohickie from a photocopied sheet that I somehow acquired. Since I don't have the original galley, I don't know (from my header) when exactly or on which equipment (but probably Varityper CompEdit rather than Varityper 6400 or Compugraphic). Knowing which equipment (and the font number) would help date it by where I was working at the time.

I just ran across a copy photocopied from that galley when I was going through a box of old humor recently. (Yeah, I'm German and compulsive and save and archive that sort of thing -- and a lot of other sorts of things.)

I vaguely remember, though, seeing it earlier than that, but can't remember when exactly.

Linn

Subject: RE: BS: Computer folklore:
From: robomatic
Date: 22 Aug 07 - 05:49 PM

I first saw it as a kid during a visit to the WCRB radio station in Waltham, Massachusetts, to celebrate Beethoven's birthday ("Happy Birthday Ludwig") on the cake. I thought it was just about the most witty thing I'd ever seen!

The radio station, a classic station in more than one sense of the word, was known for giving away such colored bumper stickers as:

Oberon was a fairy

Soothe a savage breast today

Eschew obfuscation

Bach is beautiful

On Saturday Night the station "vice president", Richard L. Kaye, would play various humorous skits based off of topics which cropped up on Chase's calendar, a book that came out every year with topical calendar dates. Richard L. Kaye introduced the Hub (Boston area) to the Goons, Monty Python albums, I'm Sorry I'll Read That Again, Beyond The Fringe, and many other of his obsessions. He was friends with a station manager in Cleveland, so sometimes they would trade each other's shows off and we learned to celebrate Hinckley Buzzard Day.

Subject: RE: BS: Computer folklore:
From: Bill D
Date: 22 Aug 07 - 03:49 PM

"Anyone remember Comptometers?"

I worked in a business school about 1963 where they taught Comtometers

Subject: RE: BS: Computer folklore:
From: bobad
Date: 22 Aug 07 - 03:45 PM

"This "silliness" dates back to least as far as 1955 at IBM and had already gone international by the early 1960s, when it was reported at London University's ATLAS computing site. There are several variants of it in circulation, some of which actually do end with the word blinkenlights."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blinkenlights

Subject: RE: BS: Computer folklore:
From: bobad
Date: 22 Aug 07 - 03:41 PM

The above was apparently based on the following, original version, from the early 1960s:

Alles touristen und non-technischen looken peepers! Das machinkontrol is nicht for gefengerpoken und mittengrabben. Oderwise is easy schnappen der springenverk, blowenfus, undpoppencorken mit spitzensparken. Der machine is diggen by experten only. Is nicht fur geverken by das dumpkopfen. Das rubber necken sightseenen keepen das cotton-picken hands in das pockets. So relaxen, und vatchen das blinkenlights.

And here's the phony-English version the Germans use:

This room is fullfilled mit special electronische equipment. Fingergrabbing and pressing the knoeppkes from the computers is allowed for die experts only! So all the "lefthanders" stay away and do not disturben the brainstorming von here working intelligences. Otherwise you will be outthrown and kicked anderswhere! Also: please keep still and only watchen astaunished the blinkenlights.

Of course, this warning would not be complete without the Internet version:

Das Internet is nicht fuer gefingerclickend und giffengrabben. Ist easy droppenpacket der Routers und overloaden der Backbone mit der spammen und der me-tooen. Ist nicht fuer gewerken bei die Dummkopfen. Die mausklicken Sichtseeren keepen das Bandwidth-spewen Hands in die Pockets muss; relaxen und watchen das cursorblinken.

Finally, the Palm Pilot version:

Das PalmPilot ist nicht fuer gefingerpoken und mittengrabben. Ist easy scratch der Screene, zappen RAM, und droppen-smashen. Ist nicht fuer gewerken bei das Dummkopfen. Das rubber-necken Sichtseeren keep die Hands in die Pockets -- relaxen und watchen Das Blinkenlights.

http://techrepublic.com.com/5208-6230-0.html?forumID=8&threadID=173701&messageID=1767560

Subject: RE: BS: Computer folklore:
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 22 Aug 07 - 03:40 PM

It wasn't only computers that had these signs. Photocopiers (then known as Xerox machines) had them too. Remember when copiers were so temperamental and so expensive that you were supposed to have a trained operator to run one?

It wouldn't surprise me if that sign were much older than office computers. Anyone remember Comptometers? Addressographs? And there were other kinds of office machines whose names I don't remember.

Subject: RE: BS: Computer folklore:
From: MMario
Date: 22 Aug 07 - 02:46 PM

*grin* haven't seen that since my keypunch course in college!

Subject: BS: Computer folklore:
From: beardedbruce
Date: 22 Aug 07 - 02:35 PM

Does anyone know of who FIRST used the following?

"ACHTUNG !!

DAS MACHINE IST NICHT FÜR DER
FINGERPOKEN UND MITTENGRAPEN.
IST EASY SCHARPPEN DER SPRINGENWERK,
BLOWENFUSEN UND POPPENCORKEN
MIT SPIZTENSPARKEN. IST NICHT FÜR
GEWERKEN BY DAS DUMM KOPPEN. DAS
RUBBERNECKEN SIGHSEERE KEEPEN
HANDS IN DAS POKETS. RELAXEN UND
WATCH DAS BLIKENLIGHTS."

ALL the computer rooms I have been around ( from 1969 to the late 1980's) had one of these signs. Anyone know where the first one may have been? And are there any still in place ( besides the one I have at home)?