From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on inbox.vuxu.org X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-1.0 required=5.0 tests=MAILING_LIST_MULTI, T_SCC_BODY_TEXT_LINE autolearn=ham autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 Received: (qmail 5107 invoked from network); 2 Jul 2023 14:14:27 -0000 Received: from minnie.tuhs.org (2600:3c01:e000:146::1) by inbox.vuxu.org with ESMTPUTF8; 2 Jul 2023 14:14:27 -0000 Received: from minnie.tuhs.org (localhost [IPv6:::1]) by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id C1FB84366A; Mon, 3 Jul 2023 00:14:20 +1000 (AEST) Received: from smtpauth.rollernet.us (smtpauth.rollernet.us [208.79.240.5]) by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix) with ESMTPS id 5EEB1432C6 for ; Mon, 3 Jul 2023 00:14:08 +1000 (AEST) Received: from smtpauth.rollernet.us (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by smtpauth.rollernet.us (Postfix) with ESMTP id 233852800041; Sun, 2 Jul 2023 07:14:03 -0700 (PDT) Received: from smtpclient.apple (unknown [IPv6:2600:1700:3d70:abec:4459:b539:d0a0:aa1f]) (using TLSv1.3 with cipher TLS_AES_128_GCM_SHA256 (128/128 bits) key-exchange X25519 server-signature RSA-PSS (2048 bits) server-digest SHA256) (Client did not present a certificate) by smtpauth.rollernet.us (Postfix) with ESMTPSA; Sun, 2 Jul 2023 07:14:02 -0700 (PDT) Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Mime-Version: 1.0 (1.0) From: Dave Brown In-Reply-To: <202307020710.3627ApF9024225@freefriends.org> Date: Sun, 2 Jul 2023 10:13:51 -0400 Message-Id: <12B5570C-9834-4081-A832-F89408B9C44B@bagpuss.nu> References: <202307020710.3627ApF9024225@freefriends.org> To: arnold@skeeve.com, tuhs@tuhs.org X-Mailer: iPhone Mail (20F75) X-Rollernet-Abuse: Contact abuse@rollernet.us to report. Abuse policy: http://www.rollernet.us/policy X-Rollernet-Submit: Submit ID 3c3f.64a1862a.e9c63.0 Message-ID-Hash: SDYX7FT77RGD4ZJ7NVI2QF2EXVWG5DYW X-Message-ID-Hash: SDYX7FT77RGD4ZJ7NVI2QF2EXVWG5DYW X-MailFrom: dave@bagpuss.nu X-Mailman-Rule-Misses: dmarc-mitigation; no-senders; approved; emergency; loop; banned-address; member-moderation; nonmember-moderation; administrivia; implicit-dest; max-recipients; max-size; news-moderation; no-subject; digests; suspicious-header X-Mailman-Version: 3.3.6b1 Precedence: list Subject: [TUHS] Re: Jerq menuhit/mhit List-Id: The Unix Heritage Society mailing list Archived-At: List-Archive: List-Help: List-Owner: List-Post: List-Subscribe: List-Unsubscribe: Was there a connection between MGR and Blit? Just from a programming standp= oint there is similarities in that they both transport agnostic; using escap= e sequences for graphical/UI functions. I know MGR code does little more th= an provide a bitblit interface and it=E2=80=99s upto whoever ports it to imp= lement the interface to the hardware. I took the MGR code, and extended the distribution for the Atari ST (added n= ew demos, fonts and libraries); many years ago. =20 Might be worth porting it to SDL for a giggle. Sent from my iPhone > On Jul 2, 2023, at 3:11 AM, arnold@skeeve.com wrote: > =EF=BB=BFI had a DMD 5620 for a few (too short) years at Georgia Tech; AT&= T > gifted a number of them as well as two 3B20s to us. We used the DMDs > on a vax running 4.2 BSD. They were heavy suckers! I think close to > 50 pounds! >=20 > It was wonderful to use. Extremely productive as compared to a regular > terminal with just one session. >=20 > Unfortunately, there were enough of the things in use that it drove > the poor vax to its knees. >=20 > Nonetheless, I have fond memories of it to this day. >=20 > Arnold >=20 > Rob Pike wrote: >=20 >> The original name was Jerq, which was first the name given by friends at >> Lucasfilm to the Three Rivers PERQ workstations they had, for which the >> Pascal-written software and operating system were unsatisfactory. Bart >> Locanthi and I (with Greg Chesson and Dave Ditzel?) visited Lucasfilm in >> 1981 and we saw all the potential there with none of the realization. My >> personal aha was that, as on the Alto, only one thing could be running at= a >> time and that was a profound limitation. When we began to design our answ= er >> to these problems a few weeks later, we called Lucasfilm to ask if they >> minded us borrowing their excellent rude name, and they readily agreed. >>=20 >> Our slogan: A jerq at every desk. >>=20 >> This was cool, we had good shirts, and Bart even made license plates that= >> read JERQ. But when the thing started to get interesting, Sam Morgan, 127= 's >> director, got very nervous. He didn't want to talk to his colleagues abou= t >> how good our jerqs were. So he proposed "RX" (research experimental) and >> Bart and I immediately huddled down and came up with blit, from bitblt, a= nd >> that was accepted. So it was Sam who forced the issue. A shame really, bu= t >> BTL management wasn't famous for its sense of humor. >>=20 >> This is all with the 68000 original, which had been hand-built by us usin= g >> wire wrap and then in larger but still modest numbers by a company on Lon= g >> Island whose name was Northern Atlantic if I remember right. Wing Moy did= >> most of the work there. >>=20 >> Teletype came and measured and analyzed and proposed building some with >> metal cases and more mass producible board technology, and that became wh= at >> people around the company, and later elsewhere, called the Blit. >>=20 >> The DMD-5620 was the WE32000 version, which resulted from a decision by >> Scanlon to ram up WE32000 production by selling this product with the chi= p >> in it, at a loss because the chip alone cost something like $2000, compar= ed >> to something like $25 for the 68000. Also, the WE32000 was far less >> suitable a chip, being buggy and also slower at the specific tasks like b= it >> shifting that you needed for fast graphics. >>=20 >> I still have the license plate. Here's a picture I made today. >>=20 >> [image: IMG_4673.jpg] >>=20 >> For those perhaps too young to understand what a revolution the merging o= f >> graphics and multitasking was back then, some testimonials from the time:= >>=20 >> =46rom dmr Tue Apr 7 02:01 EST 1981 remote from research >>=20 >>=20 >> Don't lose interest in the jerq terminal stuff, no matter what >>=20 >> momentary problems you have with the device or the system. >>=20 >> I think the approach and the progress so far are very exciting. >>=20 >>=20 >>=20 >> =46rom wild!scj Sun Nov 21 09:52 EST 1982 >>=20 >> Well, after an afternoon with the bilt, seeing asteroids, crabs, maxwell,= >>=20 >> etc. etc, I asked Sarah what she liked best. >>=20 >>=20 >> "I liked mpx best" >>=20 >>=20 >> "What did you like about it?" >>=20 >>=20 >> "I liked making all the different boxes, and making all the different thi= ngs >>=20 >> happen in them, and making them go away." >>=20 >>=20 >> I think "universal appeal" is not too strong a term... >>=20 >>=20 >>=20 >> =46rom alice!vax135!tbl Sat May 14 12:07:42 1983 >>=20 >> To: alice!rob >>=20 >> Subject: you've spoiled me >>=20 >>=20 >> I can't believe it. I'm sitting here at home in front of my >>=20 >> 2621, and I can't work. >>=20 >>=20 >> Damn it. I've got to get a blit at home. >>=20 >> [Turner and I are really pleased with the software. Good job!] >>=20 >>=20 >>=20 >> -rob >>=20 >>=20 >> On Sat, Jul 1, 2023 at 1:35=E2=80=AFAM Seth Morabito wr= ote: >>=20 >>> Speaking of the Jerq... >>> Is there a definitive history anywhere of the progression from Jerq up >>> through the AT&T 730MTG? When I wrote my DMD5620 emulator I tried to fin= d a >>> complete history, but wasn't able to. I just found various (possibly >>> apocryphal) bits and pieces here and there about AT&T objecting to vario= us >>> names until "DMD" was settled on by marketing at some point, and forcing= >>> the use of a WE32K in the 5620 for make-corporate-happy reasons. >>> -Seth >>> -- >>> Seth Morabito * Poulsbo, WA * https://loomcom.com/