[TUHS] PDP-11 questions

Johnny Billquist bqt at update.uu.se
Mon Jan 25 23:49:32 AEST 2016


On 2016-01-25 13:54, John Cowan wrote:
> Johnny Billquist scripsit:
>
>> The 310 was not called a Professional, though. It was the EDUsystem
>> if I remember right.
>
> I never heard of an EDUsystem built into a desk; they all predated
> the 8/A.  This was running COS-310, an offshoot of OS/8.
> See Doug Jones's PDP-8 FAQ.

Felt a little bored, so I started digging around some.

In the PDP-8/A mincomputer handbook 
(http://bitsavers.trailing-edge.com/pdf/dec/pdp8/handbooks/MinicomputerHandbook_1976.pdf), 
the desktop models are called MS800A, MS800B, MS880A and MS880B. But I 
know there is some manual that calls them DECsystem as well, but that 
might not be any document that has been scanned. I have paper copies of 
a lot of stuff somewhere in my cellar.

The COS-300/310 system reference manual is on Bitsavers 
(http://bitsavers.trailing-edge.com/pdf/dec/pdp8/cos-300/DEC-08-OCOSA-F_D_COS_300_310_System_Reference_Manual_Jul75.pdf). 
Reading through it, it's very clear that this is not OS/8, or any 
derivative of it. Check the file system details for example, the file 
name syntax (device is added after the filename, with a comma 
separator), various CUSPS like PIP, or the transfer program available to 
transfer files to/from OS/8.

I tried searching around more on COS-310, but only came up with other 
peoples memories (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk%3ADIBOL), but which 
also suggested that COS-310 came with the 8/e and later 8/a, including 
in a desktop config.

As for the EDUsystem thing, that must have been my brain. I can't find 
any connections. The EDUsystems were in fact having numbers like 10, 20, 
25, 30, 40 and 50. No 310 or anything close...
But EDUsystems do not really predate the 8/A. They carried on in the 
PDP-11 systems as well, beyond the 8/A era.

	Johnny

-- 
Johnny Billquist                  || "I'm on a bus
                                   ||  on a psychedelic trip
email: bqt at softjar.se             ||  Reading murder books
pdp is alive!                     ||  tryin' to stay hip" - B. Idol



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