4 ms·

The next addition to this series once the PiDP-10 is released should be the PiDP-1. Upon its release, we will have a reproduction of the entire chronology of h

by rahen 3y ago

The next addition to this series once the PiDP-10 is released should be the PiDP-1. Upon its release, we will have a reproduction of the entire chronology of hacker culture, featuring three of the most iconic computers in history: the PDP-1 (Spacewar, TECO, LISP, DDT), the PDP-10 (ITS, emacs, TeX, Scheme), and the PDP-11 (UNIX). These three machines stand as the primary ancestors of GNU/Linux and the BSDs. What an exciting era to be alive as a computer hobbyist! Maybe this could launch a small industry as well. I wouldn't mind having small scale "blinkenlights" replicas of other iconic machines too - the EDSAC, the Bull Gamma 60, the IBM 360/40, the CDC 6600 and the Cray 1 come to mind, but finding software for them would be the hard part.

A7C3D5 3y ago
No, F that. PiVAX 9000 incoming. We have the technology. I want a room sized replica of the computer that helped ruin the only decent employer in my state for a generation. I need to experience the majesty of SID scalar and vector processor synthesis for myself.
- shrubble 3y ago
  There is a VAX 9000 in the flesh, at the Large Scale Systems Museum near Pittsburgh, PA. The processor complex board is crazy looking ... However, there is not enough power in that city block, to turn it on :-) https://lssmuseum.org https://lssmuseum.org (you may be redirected to MACT.io which is the same people).
- PopePompus 3y ago
  I think the handwriting was on the wall when the VAX 8600 was introduced. It was introduced 7ish years after the 11/780, and was only a few times faster. Today, in the twilight years of Moore's Law, a factor of a few speedup over 7 years would not be all that bad, but back then it was shocking. I felt the VAX line was a slowly sinking ship from that point on.
  - rahen 3y ago
    I would choose a VAXi-11/780 if its appearance wasn't so plain and dull. In comparison, the early PDP-10s, particularly the KA-10 and KI-10, are charming. They are probably the epitome of computer aesthetic alongside the 11/40-45-70 series.
    - sillywalk 3y ago
      Do you happen to know what the KA and KL prefixes stand for?
      - rahen 3y ago
        I'm uncertain about the 'A' in KA, it might suggest that it was the initial release. 'I' stands for 'Integrated', as it was the first PDP-10 CPU to utilize ICs, and 'L' stands for 'LSI'. There was also the ill-fated KC-10, which was unfortunately killed for various reasons, both technical and strategic as it was competing with the 11/780. It was to use integrated NAND chips like the 11/750 (or even the Cray 1). I'm not sure what the 'C' stood for. Oh, I should also mention the small KS-10, which had a mini form factor (the DEC10-20 was a mainframe). I guess you can figure what the 'S' stood for.
  - sillywalk 3y ago
    Also, the PRISM/MICA project got cancelled so Dave Cutler (and whomever he took with him) left for Microsoft. Then they tried MIPS for a while, and I think(?) PRISM became the basis for the Alpha. Also the other 'minicomputers' - IBM AS/400 came out in 1988, and the HP3000 switched to PA-RISC.
    - __d 3y ago
      The DECstation line was MIPS-based, and DEC sold Ultrix, a BSD-based Unix. I used a 2100, 3100, 4000/25, and 4000/125 (?) I think. They were decent workstations for their time.
kjs3 3y ago
IBM 360/40 Oh, no...if you're gonna do it, make it something like the 360/91 or 360/195. The more blinkenlights, the better. Cray 1 Didn't really have a front panel, tho. Several people have done a Cray-1 3d print case. CDC 6600 Since the 'operator console' for the 6600 was a dual vector scope display (think giant oscilloscopes), this would be awesome.
- cameron_b 3y ago
  Iirc Cray used a Data General Nova as an operators console for some of their systems. It’s a different color scheme, but pleasingly similar tactile qualities
  - kjs3 3y ago
    Alas, not all Novas have front panels either. Cray supported a couple of different front ends; I dunno what the options were for the Cray-1, but in the mid-80s the PSC X/MP-48 was front-ended by a VAX cluster.
- flyinghamster 3y ago
  There's also the Cray-on-an-FPGA: http://www.chrisfenton.com/homebrew-cray-1a/ http://www.chrisfenton.com/homebrew-cray-1a/
- speed_spread 3y ago
  If you want blinkenlights, Connection Machine wins.

by rahen 3y ago

A7C3D5 3y ago

No, F that. PiVAX 9000 incoming. We have the technology. I want a room sized replica of the computer that helped ruin the only decent employer in my state for a generation. I need to experience the majesty of SID scalar and vector processor synthesis for myself.

shrubble 3y ago
There is a VAX 9000 in the flesh, at the Large Scale Systems Museum near Pittsburgh, PA. The processor complex board is crazy looking ... However, there is not enough power in that city block, to turn it on :-) https://lssmuseum.org https://lssmuseum.org (you may be redirected to MACT.io which is the same people).
PopePompus 3y ago
I think the handwriting was on the wall when the VAX 8600 was introduced. It was introduced 7ish years after the 11/780, and was only a few times faster. Today, in the twilight years of Moore's Law, a factor of a few speedup over 7 years would not be all that bad, but back then it was shocking. I felt the VAX line was a slowly sinking ship from that point on.
- rahen 3y ago
  I would choose a VAXi-11/780 if its appearance wasn't so plain and dull. In comparison, the early PDP-10s, particularly the KA-10 and KI-10, are charming. They are probably the epitome of computer aesthetic alongside the 11/40-45-70 series.
  - sillywalk 3y ago
    Do you happen to know what the KA and KL prefixes stand for?
    - rahen 3y ago
      I'm uncertain about the 'A' in KA, it might suggest that it was the initial release. 'I' stands for 'Integrated', as it was the first PDP-10 CPU to utilize ICs, and 'L' stands for 'LSI'. There was also the ill-fated KC-10, which was unfortunately killed for various reasons, both technical and strategic as it was competing with the 11/780. It was to use integrated NAND chips like the 11/750 (or even the Cray 1). I'm not sure what the 'C' stood for. Oh, I should also mention the small KS-10, which had a mini form factor (the DEC10-20 was a mainframe). I guess you can figure what the 'S' stood for.
- sillywalk 3y ago
  Also, the PRISM/MICA project got cancelled so Dave Cutler (and whomever he took with him) left for Microsoft. Then they tried MIPS for a while, and I think(?) PRISM became the basis for the Alpha. Also the other 'minicomputers' - IBM AS/400 came out in 1988, and the HP3000 switched to PA-RISC.
  - __d 3y ago
    The DECstation line was MIPS-based, and DEC sold Ultrix, a BSD-based Unix. I used a 2100, 3100, 4000/25, and 4000/125 (?) I think. They were decent workstations for their time.

kjs3 3y ago

IBM 360/40 Oh, no...if you're gonna do it, make it something like the 360/91 or 360/195. The more blinkenlights, the better. Cray 1 Didn't really have a front panel, tho. Several people have done a Cray-1 3d print case. CDC 6600 Since the 'operator console' for the 6600 was a dual vector scope display (think giant oscilloscopes), this would be awesome.

cameron_b 3y ago
Iirc Cray used a Data General Nova as an operators console for some of their systems. It’s a different color scheme, but pleasingly similar tactile qualities
- kjs3 3y ago
  Alas, not all Novas have front panels either. Cray supported a couple of different front ends; I dunno what the options were for the Cray-1, but in the mid-80s the PSC X/MP-48 was front-ended by a VAX cluster.
flyinghamster 3y ago
There's also the Cray-on-an-FPGA: http://www.chrisfenton.com/homebrew-cray-1a/ http://www.chrisfenton.com/homebrew-cray-1a/
speed_spread 3y ago
If you want blinkenlights, Connection Machine wins.