[TUHS] Bootstrapping UNIX - how was it done

[ron minnich via TUHS]

I believe on the -8 it was called the RIM loader?

On Mon, Mar 23, 2026 at 10:37 AM Paul Winalski via TUHS <tuhs at tuhs.org>
wrote:

> On Mon, Mar 23, 2026 at 12:20 PM John Levine via TUHS <tuhs at tuhs.org>
> wrote:
>
> > It appears that Peter Weinberger (温�  � �) via TUHS <pjw at google.com>
> said:
> > >As I remember, the 11/70 was booted just as John describes. One keyed
> > >in a boot loader at the console.
> >
> > I'm pretty sure our PDP-11 at Yale had a boot ROM, so you just set
> > the starting address from the switches and started it.
> >
> > Before that I toggled boot loaders into PDP-8's and I don't miss it.
> >
> > The 11/70 most certainly had a boot ROM--the M9312.  Perhaps the version
> of Unix in question wasn't compatible with the M9312 bootstrap loader, or
> they just preferred their own bootstrap loader to the M9312?  Or maybe they
> didn't have a M9312 installed.
>
> -Paul W.
>