4 ms·

This video, discussed on the blog, is a very fascinating memorialization of when NYT phased out linotype https://vimeo.com/127605643 https://vimeo.com/127605643

dang 3y ago
Related: Farewell Etaoin Shrdlu (1978) [video] - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31312035 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31312035 - May 2022 (49 comments) Etaoin Shrdlu - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29071164 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29071164 - Nov 2021 (33 comments) Farewell Etaoin Shrdlu (1978) [video] - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23538028 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23538028 - June 2020 (46 comments) 1978 – 'Farewell, Etaoin Shrdlu' - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16907778 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16907778 - April 2018 (2 comments) Farewell – ETAOIN SHRDLU (1978) - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15806072 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15806072 - Nov 2017 (1 comment) Farewell – ETAOIN SHRDL: The Last Day of Hot Metal Typesetting at the NY Times - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13070183 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13070183 - Nov 2016 (1 comment)
tivert 3y ago
That film is fantastic. Does anyone know what terminals they're using at the end? It looks like they have two types. At lest one of the computers looks like it's some kind of Data General machine. There's also a shot of what looks like an IBM System 370 front panel like this one: (https://old.reddit.com/r/vintagecomputing/comments/7l79hs/rare_ibm_370_controller_looking_for_info_and_value/ https://old.reddit.com/r/vintagecomputing/comments/7l79hs/ra..., https://www.computerhistory.org/collections/catalog/102668095 https://www.computerhistory.org/collections/catalog/10266809...).
- shrubble 3y ago
  Data General made some graphics display terminals. Judging from the rows of extra function keys they look very similar and some of the backend hardware also is DG.
- ghaff 3y ago
  Probably a Nova 1200 or something like that though there's a lot of other specialized equipment in that film as well. ADDED: It wouldn't surprise me if the terminals were something specialized for the purpose. Pretty sure they're not DG terminals.
  - tivert 3y ago
    > Probably a Nova 1200 or something like that though there's a lot of other specialized equipment in that film as well. I'm more interested in the terminals. Here are some screenshots from the movie of what I'm talking about: https://imgur.com/a/Vm0LGw4 https://imgur.com/a/Vm0LGw4
    - ghaff 3y ago
      Hmm. It looks like there are a couple of different models there. I can't make out the specifics too clearly but they don't look to my eye like standard minicomputer terminals like DG would have sold. There are too many extra blocks of keys and lights. FWIW, a few years later, the Post brought in a system that Raytheon designed for them. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1980/10/06/posts-new-look-reflects-era-of-computerization/392125a6-dea7-447b-a6e6-7daa422edd93/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1980/10/06/p... So I'm guessing they're something either custom or from one of the early phototypesetting companies. This is pretty early days though. It was very common in the late 70s for editorial at small papers to still be working on typewriters and the final copy was re-inputed into phototypesetting equipment.
      - tivert 3y ago
        > So I'm guessing they're something either custom or from one of the early phototypesetting companies. That was the clue I needed. I think I found a brochure describing somewhat later models. The AM Verityper Comp/Set 4800 area composition terminal seems to have the same font and similar graphics capabilities of the integrated-keyboard terminal in the close ups: https://archive.org/details/TNM_AMtext_425_word_processor_with_full-page_disp_20171101_0059/page/n9/mode/2up https://archive.org/details/TNM_AMtext_425_word_processor_wi... The AMtext 425 seems to have a similar keyboard layout to the two-piece terminals only seen in the wide shots: https://archive.org/details/TNM_AMtext_425_word_processor_with_full-page_disp_20171101_0059/mode/2up https://archive.org/details/TNM_AMtext_425_word_processor_wi... Looks like they were made by a company called AM Jacquard Systems: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AM_Jacquard_Systems https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AM_Jacquard_Systems The post has a interesting picture that shows correspondence between the screen display and printed output: https://creativepro.com/scanning-around-gene-back-when-typesetting-was-craft/ https://creativepro.com/scanning-around-gene-back-when-types...
- Photogrammaton 3y ago
  Some newspapers in the 1970s used the Atex publishing system. The now-defunct Dallas Times Herald, a daily, used it when I worked there, roughly 1978 to 1980. The Atex system there relied on custom terminals--that is, supplied by Atex, not off-the-shelf from another manufacturer--and Atex terminals could be among those shown in the screenshots. Unfortunately, I don't remember much about how the Atex terminals looked, and (call me lazy) I haven't looked for photos.

dang 3y ago

Related: Farewell Etaoin Shrdlu (1978) [video] - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31312035 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31312035 - May 2022 (49 comments) Etaoin Shrdlu - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29071164 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29071164 - Nov 2021 (33 comments) Farewell Etaoin Shrdlu (1978) [video] - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23538028 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23538028 - June 2020 (46 comments) 1978 – 'Farewell, Etaoin Shrdlu' - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16907778 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16907778 - April 2018 (2 comments) Farewell – ETAOIN SHRDLU (1978) - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15806072 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15806072 - Nov 2017 (1 comment) Farewell – ETAOIN SHRDL: The Last Day of Hot Metal Typesetting at the NY Times - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13070183 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13070183 - Nov 2016 (1 comment)

tivert 3y ago

That film is fantastic. Does anyone know what terminals they're using at the end? It looks like they have two types. At lest one of the computers looks like it's some kind of Data General machine. There's also a shot of what looks like an IBM System 370 front panel like this one: (https://old.reddit.com/r/vintagecomputing/comments/7l79hs/rare_ibm_370_controller_looking_for_info_and_value/ https://old.reddit.com/r/vintagecomputing/comments/7l79hs/ra..., https://www.computerhistory.org/collections/catalog/102668095 https://www.computerhistory.org/collections/catalog/10266809...).

shrubble 3y ago
Data General made some graphics display terminals. Judging from the rows of extra function keys they look very similar and some of the backend hardware also is DG.
ghaff 3y ago
Probably a Nova 1200 or something like that though there's a lot of other specialized equipment in that film as well. ADDED: It wouldn't surprise me if the terminals were something specialized for the purpose. Pretty sure they're not DG terminals.
- tivert 3y ago
  > Probably a Nova 1200 or something like that though there's a lot of other specialized equipment in that film as well. I'm more interested in the terminals. Here are some screenshots from the movie of what I'm talking about: https://imgur.com/a/Vm0LGw4 https://imgur.com/a/Vm0LGw4
  - ghaff 3y ago
    Hmm. It looks like there are a couple of different models there. I can't make out the specifics too clearly but they don't look to my eye like standard minicomputer terminals like DG would have sold. There are too many extra blocks of keys and lights. FWIW, a few years later, the Post brought in a system that Raytheon designed for them. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1980/10/06/posts-new-look-reflects-era-of-computerization/392125a6-dea7-447b-a6e6-7daa422edd93/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1980/10/06/p... So I'm guessing they're something either custom or from one of the early phototypesetting companies. This is pretty early days though. It was very common in the late 70s for editorial at small papers to still be working on typewriters and the final copy was re-inputed into phototypesetting equipment.
    - tivert 3y ago
      > So I'm guessing they're something either custom or from one of the early phototypesetting companies. That was the clue I needed. I think I found a brochure describing somewhat later models. The AM Verityper Comp/Set 4800 area composition terminal seems to have the same font and similar graphics capabilities of the integrated-keyboard terminal in the close ups: https://archive.org/details/TNM_AMtext_425_word_processor_with_full-page_disp_20171101_0059/page/n9/mode/2up https://archive.org/details/TNM_AMtext_425_word_processor_wi... The AMtext 425 seems to have a similar keyboard layout to the two-piece terminals only seen in the wide shots: https://archive.org/details/TNM_AMtext_425_word_processor_with_full-page_disp_20171101_0059/mode/2up https://archive.org/details/TNM_AMtext_425_word_processor_wi... Looks like they were made by a company called AM Jacquard Systems: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AM_Jacquard_Systems https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AM_Jacquard_Systems The post has a interesting picture that shows correspondence between the screen display and printed output: https://creativepro.com/scanning-around-gene-back-when-typesetting-was-craft/ https://creativepro.com/scanning-around-gene-back-when-types...
Photogrammaton 3y ago
Some newspapers in the 1970s used the Atex publishing system. The now-defunct Dallas Times Herald, a daily, used it when I worked there, roughly 1978 to 1980. The Atex system there relied on custom terminals--that is, supplied by Atex, not off-the-shelf from another manufacturer--and Atex terminals could be among those shown in the screenshots. Unfortunately, I don't remember much about how the Atex terminals looked, and (call me lazy) I haven't looked for photos.