Rumor has it that pat_at_cart-server.purdueriots.com may have mentioned these
words:
>On Sat, 23 Mar 2002, Roger Merchberger wrote:
>
>> I've tried 'help' but there are a lot of things that *just* *won't* *run*
>> whatsoever, including [but not limited to] every text editor I've tried,
>> because I can't figure out how to get the terminal screen configured...
>> which (of course, with my luck) 'help' either 1) doesn't tell me, or 2) has
>> obfuscated it *so* badly that I won't have a chance in Hades of ever
>> finding it there...
>
>If you have an ANSI terminal (or a vtXXX) hooked up to it, all you need to
>do is 'set term/ansi'. If you're using a framebuffer monitor, I think
>you're outa luck, both myself and a guy I know that worked for DEC either
>can't figure it out or have deemed it impossible to do ANSI emulation on
>those things (or anything useful). My suggestion is to try and get it to
>work with a text-terminal first.
Well, I've rescued a Wyse sumthinorother terminal, unknown condition but
with an RJ-11 interface for the keyboard, and over the winter, I've finally
found an RJ11-based Wyse keyboard... but with the move, I've not had time
to actually test it... let alone I don't have a serial adapter that will
work for it (or at least I'm not sure...) so that's something else I'd have
to do...
However, up until now I didn't have a terminal to use -- I kinda thought
that a 2Mbyte 8-plane grafix framebuffer would have been good enough... :-/
>Second, once you install DecWindows (http://www.openvms.compaq.com:8000/),
>it should auto-magically start up OR you can start it using a DCL script
>called 'DECW$STARTUP.COM' or something similar. It should be available
>under the 'SYS$MANAGER:' drive-alias. The URL above is a GREAT reference
>to (Open)VMS - I've been able to figure out just about any problem with
>those docs and this list. (thanks guys!)
Thanks for the tip... I'll check it out once the system is set up again
(prolly in a couple of months, if I'm lucky...)
>Nice setup, makes my VAXstation 3200 look puny. :( Just promise to never
>stop running VMS on it. With people like Gunther running Ultrix or NetBSD
>on it ( <cough> sick bastards <cough> ;) the world needs as many VMS
>users as it can get to stay in sync.
Well, I also have one of the latest versions of Ultrix for it, and I had
installed it to see what it was like... and I found it slow - but it did
install *very* easily (unlike my trials & tribulations with VMS...)
============= and ==============
Rumor has it that Carlini, Antonio may have mentioned these words:
> What terminal do you have connected?
> If it's one of the VT series, try:
> $ SET TERMINAL/INQUIRE
> and don't type anything until the $ prompt
> comes back
I don't have a terminal, but I'll try this when I get the system set up
again - but I tried everything in the "help set terminal" and "set terminal
xxxxx" most everything, and I couldn't get the framebuffer to recognize
anything useful to get an editor working...
============ and ==================
Rumor has it that Geoff Roberts may have mentioned these words:
>> >> The only classic machine I can't get to print is my MicroVAX 3100/m38 -
>> >and
>> >> that's only because I can't get it to talk TCP/IP... :-( <sniff>
>> >
>> >Er, why not? What version of VMS?
VMS 7.1...
>IIRC, the VMS docs are viewable online at DEC^H^H^HCompaq's web site
>somewhere.
As others has stated, too... but it's tough to take those into the 'loo'
for a little 'light reading...' ;-)
>HELP SET TERMINAL should work, if you use a VT term into the console port.
I tried to do that 'till I was blue in the face (at *least* 16 hours worth)
-- it just doesn't work with a framebuffer... :-(
>Hmmm, I managed to get a Vax 6310 going when I didn't have any idea what VMS
>was,
>so I'm sure you can do this..
Working, yes... working usefully... alas, no. :-(
>EVE or just plain EDIT should work, again from a terminal. If the graphic
>display working at all?
Sure, the display is working great - until you try to start a text editor.
Then I get something to the effect of (it's been a long time): Unknown
Terminal.
>> 2Meg 8-plane grafix buffer [this is
>> the biotsch that won't config right for the terminal settings, hence no
>> text editors] 17" display, keyboard, mouse [of course]
>
>?? I didn't think the video device need to be configured. VMS should take
>care of that, and it should 'just work'.
It 'just works' to display text -- lots of it (110+ columns at 58 lines or
somesuch - looks bitchin' on the 17" monitor that it came with!) And it
works great in Ultrix. Just won't let VMS run a damn text editor... :-(
>Are you sure the monitor and graphic buffer are compatible? Error message?
>Anything on the display?
I pieced together 2 3100's to get the right mix of memory, hard drives,
framebuffer & monitor, but the framebuffer & monitor were a matched pair; I
just raided the second box for mem/HD.
>Shouldn't be THAT hard.....Did you install VMS, or was it there already?
I installed it myself - I think it took 2 tries, but once I got the hang of
it it wasn't unusually difficult... it's trying to make it do something
without a text editor afterwords that's been the PITA...
============== and ====================
Rumor has it that Eric Dittman may have mentioned these words:
>> HELP SET TERMINAL should work, if you use a VT term into the console port.
>
>HELP doesn't require a VTxxx terminal.
Yea, but the "SET TERMINAL" part does... I've used SET TERMINAL this, that
& the other, to no avail...
>> EVE or just plain EDIT should work, again from a terminal. If the
graphic
>> display working at all?
>
>Use EDIT/EDT in line mode.
<Sarcasm>
Holy-my-goodness... Why not just use EDLIN?
</Sarcasm> <Really-Rude-Sarcasm>
I've spent more than 6 years on this list, and all I hear is VAX this...
VMS that... Ya Wanna Real System? VAX is the Only Way... VMS is the *only*
Real OS...
So I *finally* got one for myself - and I have to use a _line_ _editor_???
It was easier getting a full-screen text editor running on my CoCo, for
crimeny sakes... [[and it has a real OS, to... ;-) ]]
</Really-Rude-Sarcasm>
The sarcasm is just letting off a little steam - I'm joking, really!
Honestly, the hardware's great - and I'm sure VMS is all it's cracked up to
be, if a little wordy (SET DEFAULT [000000] versus cd / ... thank god I top
out at 110wpm... ;-) but I really wish it would have been a little easier
to get working without having to hang a termainal off of it...
And to be perfectly honest, at first all I really wanted to do with it:
Write & run BASIC programs! I'd figured *hopefully* the BASIC was much more
powerful than anything in the PeeCee world, and I wanted something faster
than my CoCos...
... And learn VMS, in the process.
>> > [1] Well, OK - to be technical, the thing runs *great* - I just can't
*do*
>> > a frelling thing with it...
>
>Someone is a "Farscape" fan.
I wondered if anyone would pick up on that... ;-)
As always, I've appreciated any & all advice that comes from the list, but
the framebuffer/terminal issues seem like they're a rather tough nut to crack.
To be honest, I think I'm going to mothball the VAX/VMS combo for now, and
try installing VMS on my wife's retired DEC 3000/300 machine. It's only got
64M RAM, but if at least I can get DECWindows to install right off on the
machine, it might give me a better "taste" of VMS to tinker with before I
dive headlong into the VAX again... But I'm not giving up! ;-)
Laterz,
Roger "Merch" Merchberger
--
Roger "Merch" Merchberger --- sysadmin, Iceberg Computers
Recycling is good, right??? Ok, so I'll recycle an old .sig.
If at first you don't succeed, nuclear warhead
disarmament should *not* be your first career choice.
Received on Mon Mar 25 2002 - 20:11:10 GMT