DG Nova 4/x software fiddling

From: Tom Jennings <tomj_at_wps.com>
Date: Sat Feb 26 04:33:23 2005

Loading tapes to disk!

There's a lot of really dull backups of the fortran program that
did the data collection. Also a bunch of read errors. Also, an
annoying servo error on the tape drive, but tweaking the tape
position every 30 minutes correct seems to solve it.

Utterly confused by the RDOS update system, I managed to load a
crapload (english units) to DP0, then couldn't boot. Duh.

Got fortran4 and fortran5 loaded semi-reasonably. I recall now
using macros (aka scripts, batch files, etc) to create the zillion
links necessary to run anything.

Still can't sysgen. Well, strictly-speaking I can sysgen, but the
gen'ed system not only doesn't boot, it ruins the bootstrap.
Probably the wrong system tapes -- you'd think the pile of tapes
that 'came with' wold match the machine, butof course that's not
guarenteed, they could have 'come in the mail' and been tossed in
the box, everyone sensible (eg. the list of all possible RDOS
users minus me) knowing they're obviously wrong.

But basically it's up. Haven't tested the lineprinter (Dasher LP2)
or second tty (that will be the outside world connection, if I can
come up with the right paradigm for an inter-machine device).

So now what do I now? :-)

Well, re-learn the text editor (essentially teco) and compile a
HELLO WORLD in fortran4 and 5...

It's so pleasantly alien. The unit of measure is not the byte, but
the word, 16 bits. One level of subdirectory. ALL UPPER CASE. No
control codes (hardly) \ is the cancel-line character.

RDOS has got a spectacularly nice filespec syntax though:

FOO FILE.<SV SR LB LS>

is equiv to
FOO FILE.SV FILE.SR FILE.LB FILE.LS

and

(FOO, BAR) FILE.SV

is equiv to
FOO FILE.SV
BAR FILE.SV

You can combine them; you can nest <>. Quite nice. A whole unix
shell script in a dozen characters.

(PRINT, DELETE) FILE.<LS XR>

Schweet!



Well dumping DP0 (bootable partition) to tape (box of 10 new tapes
for $25 on eBay!) then time to sleep...
Received on Sat Feb 26 2005 - 04:33:23 GMT