Gary Oliver wrote:
> Does anyone on this list have pointers to old Control Data software,
> specifically 7 track tapes (yes I can read these) and possibly
> documentation (though I do have many of the old user manuals.)
> I've tried contacting the lastest version of CDC and they offer no help
> whatsoever.
My guess is that Control Data Systems doesn't have any 3600 software,
anyway. When I worked there in the 1980's, there were no 3600 systems left
in the building (although the prototype 7600 was still on the test floor).
It's also been a long time since they were supporting any 3600 customers.
There might be some software in a corporate archive someplace, but Ceridian
is as likely to have ended up with it as Control Data Systems. In either
case, they'd probably only pull something from the archive if it was for
company purposes.
You might have better luck with universities that had 3600 machines.
Michigan State was one of them; email me privately and I'll pass on a
contact there. Purdue and Northwestern are other possibilities.
Re reading old tapes, the following is hearsay, but it sounds plausible to
me. Old tapes have a tendency to shed bits of oxide. If that oxide lodges
on the heads or tape guides, and if the tape speed is high, friction may
generate enough heat to permanently damage the tape and also the heads.
Thus, it is prudent to carefully clean the tape before trying to read it.
----
John Dykstra jdykstra_at_nortelnetworks.com
Principal Software Architect voice: +1 651 415-1604
Nortel Networks fax: +1 612 932-8549
Received on Thu Jan 21 1999 - 09:45:46 GMT