IBM 5100

From: Fred Cisin <cisin_at_xenosoft.com>
Date: Sat Aug 7 14:39:09 2004

On Sat, 7 Aug 2004, Ron Hudson wrote:
> > time traveler who went back from 2036 to 1975 to obtain a
> > classic computer, specifically IBM 5100. Needless to say,
>
> John - the time traveler made the following claim of the 5100
> It could translate between Basic, APL and UNIX
"translate between"???? two languages and an OS
There ain't no sech animal in THIS universe.
Although cross interpreters between APL and BASIC
are certainly possible, I don't recall any commercial ones.

The 5100s in THIS universe can RUN BASIC, and can RUN APL,
(both interpretive languages), but "translate"??

The time traveller must have been successful!
and went back far enough to steal the only prototype.
What WE know of as the 5100 was a later attempt to
replace the stolen prototype, but with much more
limited capabilities. The limited capabilites of
the replacement 5100 (that came after the magical
one that could TRANSLATE between BASIC, APL, and UNIX),
are easily replicated in many later machines, and
are hardly unique. Even the VideoBrain had an APL
cartridge. And one of the INITIAL offerings when the
5150 was released was a diskette based APL interpreter.
(complete with key labels)
Received on Sat Aug 07 2004 - 14:39:09 BST