unix for the Interdata model 70 ???

From: Eric Chomko <chomko_at_greenbelt.com>
Date: Mon Apr 16 22:29:27 2001

Heinz Wolter wrote:

> I recently picked up a nice Interdata model 70.

I used to work on a 7/16 in high school. I have docs!
Paper tape programs as well. I'd fire up my TTY and dupe
you the tapes if you said you had a way to read them.

>
> Cool architecture, 16/32 bit instructions, fixed and
> floating point - the partial manual I have claimed IBM-360-like
> instructions. It's a microcoded machine with a "supervisor
> call" instruction but no memory managment or address
> extension beyond the 16 bit address bus.

Yes, absolutely correct. I wrote a few assembly language programs
on that system. Little did I know at the time, but it IS an excellent
architecture. I've worked on PDPs (in college), but I must say that
I am more fond of the Interdata system mostly for nostalgic reasons.

The American high schools in Germany in the mid to late 70s ALL had
Interdata 7/16s. The Army had a contract C3 corp (now defunct).
That was the first machine that I ever spent any serious time on.

>
>
> Does anyone have more info on these beasts - or what happened
> to them after Perkin Elmer bought Interdata?

There was a nice follow up on exactly that on alt.folklore.computers
about six months ago. I saved it on a different system than the one I am

on now. I'll post it when I find it. Soon!

>
>
> I've run a google search and came across many mentions of very
> early versions on unix being ported to the Interdata. Does anyone
> have an OS or heard of an early version of Unix for it?

The only two OS's that I was aware of were: BOS (Basic Operating
System -nothing to do with BASIC language), and MUE (Multi User
Executive). As the names imply, the former was a single user OS, the
latter
allowed multiple users. The system we had 10 or 12 TTYs (ASR-33)
connected
to it. MUE was loaded first and then the BASIC interpreter.

>
> The machine seems to provide native hardware support for TTY
> paper and mag tape but I've seem no mention of disks....Unix without
> disks running on on 16Kb of 1 microsecond core could be very slow...

We eventually got floppies for it, though I don't think they ever worked
properly
and the TTYs provided THE I/O and hardcopy as well as user inputs. The
thing
had a wonderful front panel IIRC. I remember toggling in instructions
that way
when I didn't want to wait to load BOS, the editor and the assembler.

The system in Darmstadt had a 20 MB disk system (10 mb fixed w/10 mb
removable).
The disk system WAS nice! If you could get one of those generic 20 mb
units (forget
manufacturer -will look up), then your Unix possibility might become a
reality.

Good luck with it! I'll dig up what I can on it.

Regards,
Eric


>
>
> Regards,
> Heinz Wolter
Received on Mon Apr 16 2001 - 22:29:27 BST