Re: above 50 years old and still programming
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Anyone else remember programming a computer so early that the CPU register panel used incandescent bulbs?
Not sure what type the bulbs were, but I certainly remember using/programming computers that had a front panel of lights that displayed address, instruction etc in binary (DG, HP and DEC come to mind). On some, you had to hand code the boot sequence in binary using toggle switches as well before the os would load from the drum and start! Or for the 'lucky' ones, would start reading the paper tape that would install the os into memory to run. 110 baud teletypes and all. Ah those were the interesting days! When we got a new system that had a 'soft' front panel using a monitor with a keyboard that emulated the hardware front panel, we thought Christmas had come early!
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Remember how we laughed away the hours
Dreamed of all the great things we would do?
Those were the days, my friend
We thought they'd never end
Re: above 50 years old and still programming
I'm sure that age doesn't affect how a person can program! The main thing is desire !!!
Re: above 50 years old and still programming
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Originally Posted by
dilettante
Anyone else remember programming a computer so early that the CPU register panel used incandescent bulbs?
I don't remember programming on one of these but I do remember operating one. It was a Raytheon, can't remember which, using punch cards as the data input mechanism. It was a tape to tape system where one tape was used for data input and another was used for temporary storage and the program to run was input by punchcard. No drives of any sort, no drums, nor discs. The front panel had all the registers displayed using lamps with buttons below so that you could set the registers, latch pressed on/off or disabled.
Pressing one during a program run was strongly discouraged! The program runs would take all night. It was the analysis of seismic data from seismograph analysis trucks searching for resources, mainly gold all across South Africa.
In the same room was the only VAX 11/780 allowed in sanction-hit South Africa. Presidential approval had to be given to allow the Vax to even enter the country with the proviso that no South African government official was to be allowed anywhere near it.
Re: above 50 years old and still programming
I can remember when recompiling the operating system with option changes or patches was entirely tape to tape. Then to load it after compiling you booted from binary punched cards where a few cards were bootstrapping code that loaded the next block of cards that could copy the OS from tape to disk, then finally start the new OS for the first time.
This was always a tense operation. Most big computers couldn't be offline very long, downtime cost big money and could even cost lives. You spent an awful lot of time making sure you didn't have any bugs, because it might be weeks before you could fix the bugs and get another shot at compiling and reloading. The compilation itself tied up so many resources that you had to schedule time separately for that.
At that time most big computers weren't really online. They ran batch programs for the most part, and maybe supported a few terminals in addition to the system console terminals.
Others had very large terminal networks and were also networked to other big systems and "internets" and had to stay up as close as possible to 24x7. Keeping response time low was also critical. We had a cartoon poster with a gorilla jumping on top of a cop car captioned "Response Time is Critical!"
