Tim wrote:
On Thu, 2008-04-03 at 23:44 +0100, Nicholas Robinson wrote:
The typical session started with bootstrapping RIM into the PDP 8e and then
loading the BIN loader off paper tape. Assuming you didn't make a mistake
hand-loading the 30odd 12 bit instructions in the RIM loader and the paper
tape didn't jam/fall out of the reader/stop for no apparent reason, you were
in business and could then load another paper tape with something more
interesting on it, like BASIC or Algol or an assembler (subject to the
jams/falls/stops noted before). If the optical paper tape reader (300 or so
cps) failed then we had to resort to the old teletype reader which was rated
at 10 cps, but always seemed slower. Even with only 8k core memory, it still
took a long time to load a big programme.
Ah, how the younger ones on the list must be enjoying reading about the lives
of the when-we's.
Who've never had the displeasure of trying to load programs from audio
cassette tape on a personal computer from the 1980s... On a friend's
C64, it was almost guaranteed that anything that took longer than two
minutes to load would foul up and require multiple attempts. Even
without screw-ups, it was awfully slow.
Now, with these kids and their Windows box, they still get to experience
something like that (even if applications are quick to start), with
prolonged boot-ups, and all those reboots... :-p
Load"*" ,8,1
I mainly used it for games.
Raid Over Moscow
Racing Destruction Set
Zaxxon
Mission Impossible
Bard's Tale
Zork
I had hundreds of games. I wish EA would bring back Racing Destruction Set.
Max
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