Real PDP11 model question

From: Ashley Carder <wacarder_at_usit.net>
Date: Mon Sep 20 20:23:58 2004

>
> I suppose what I would want to know is what can I run RSTS from that
> won't scare my wife, and
> would look sort of like a PC (box only)

Scare your wife? I can tell you how to do that. She used to think I
was a bit extreme because I had 7 PCs in various places in the house
and in my workshop, and I made a big deal of wiring every room with
two ethernet connections when we built our new home 3 years ago.

Then my buddies and I "rescued" a PDP-11/23 in a short cabinet with
two RL01 drives, a portable dual RX01 unit, a VT100 terminal, an LA120
DecWriter, and 5 boxes of manuals, cables, etc.

About a month later, North American Van Lines arrived with a PDP-11/34
with two RL02 drives. Then came two RK05 drives. About a month after
that a fellow drove up with two 6' tall PDP-11 racks, panels, another
RL02 drive, and some other misc stuff. Then I traded a local fellow
and got another RL02 drive. Occasionally a VT52 terminal would show
up on the doorstep, courtesy of FedEx. Then one day an LA36 DecWriter
and an ASR-33 showed up. Another time several boxes containing a
dismantled PDP-11/35 arrived.

Somewhere during all of this, I built a 12' x 10' room to house all
this equipment, which is overflowing into the surrounding game room
and guest room. Some of it has been racked in the tall racks.

My wife can't wait for the next 6' rack to arrive with another
vintage PDP-11 in it. It should be here in about a month or so. I
think I'll stop after that one.

She hasn't left me yet! She seems to have adapted to this new level
of geekdom that I have entered. I try to show her how magical it is
to fire up the big iron and watch RSTS/E as the startup processes
display on the VT52 terminal. I try to get her to marvel as the
program source that has been held captive since 1977 on my 27 year
old paper tapes once again comes to life via the paper tape reader
on the ASR-33 teletype.

She somehow does not see the magic in all of this.

But.... that's how to scare your wife!

Ashley
Received on Mon Sep 20 2004 - 20:23:58 BST