From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.2 (2018-09-13) on inbox.vuxu.org X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-0.8 required=5.0 tests=HEADER_FROM_DIFFERENT_DOMAINS, MAILING_LIST_MULTI,RCVD_IN_DNSWL_NONE autolearn=ham autolearn_force=no version=3.4.2 Received: from minnie.tuhs.org (minnie.tuhs.org [45.79.103.53]) by inbox.vuxu.org (OpenSMTPD) with ESMTP id f7b9ce27 for ; Sun, 26 Jan 2020 17:50:53 +0000 (UTC) Received: by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix, from userid 112) id E3A139C62B; Mon, 27 Jan 2020 03:50:51 +1000 (AEST) Received: from minnie.tuhs.org (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id A10FF9C610; Mon, 27 Jan 2020 03:50:35 +1000 (AEST) Received: by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix, from userid 112) id CDCB19C610; Mon, 27 Jan 2020 03:50:32 +1000 (AEST) Received: from fourwinds.com (fourwinds.com [63.64.179.162]) by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix) with ESMTPS id 63A669C60F for ; Mon, 27 Jan 2020 03:50:32 +1000 (AEST) Received: from darkstar.fourwinds.com (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by fourwinds.com (8.15.2/8.15.2) with ESMTPS id 00QHoVdx334707 (version=TLSv1.3 cipher=TLS_AES_256_GCM_SHA384 bits=256 verify=NOT) for ; Sun, 26 Jan 2020 09:50:31 -0800 Received: from darkstar.fourwinds.com (jon@localhost) by darkstar.fourwinds.com (8.15.2/8.15.2/Submit) with ESMTP id 00QHoVH4334704 for ; Sun, 26 Jan 2020 09:50:31 -0800 Message-Id: <202001261750.00QHoVH4334704@darkstar.fourwinds.com> From: Jon Steinhart To: TUHS main list In-reply-to: References: Comments: In-reply-to Ken Thompson via TUHS message dated "Sun, 26 Jan 2020 08:56:12 -0800." MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-ID: <334702.1580061031.1@darkstar.fourwinds.com> Date: Sun, 26 Jan 2020 09:50:31 -0800 X-JON-SPAM: local delivery Subject: Re: [TUHS] More Spider X-BeenThere: tuhs@minnie.tuhs.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.26 Precedence: list List-Id: The Unix Heritage Society mailing list List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Errors-To: tuhs-bounces@minnie.tuhs.org Sender: "TUHS" Ken Thompson via TUHS writes: > > the pierce loop had its own protocol on its own wire. > that meant it could only be local-area. the PL was > in operation on a packard-bell 516 when i arrived > at the labs in june '66. carl christensen was the > software person for both the loop and the 516. > i assume that pierce and condon were the hw > guys, but that was before my time. > > spider was similar, but was designed to run on > the standard telephone T1 lines. thus, the whole > idea was more wide-area. the major draw back > of spider, and probably the reason it was never > really used, was that it couldnt make a connection. > all connections were pre-created at boot time. > a lesser reason was that the controller was a > tempo computer that no one loved. the system > software sucked. quickly it became unmaintained. > i think tempo went out of business. anyway, the > spider controller was the first and only tempo > computer that i saw or even heard of. Oh wow, that jogs loose some more stray memory cells. Found the Tempo manual on-line which had a front panel picture. There was one of these sitting in a rack near the window in the 516 lab back when we were in building 2. Not sure if it ever made it to building 7, might have been tossed. This thing a telephone handset hanging off of it. Nice to see the networked IC test system that I mentioned the other day in the datamation article on page 52. It was on the loop, not the spider, when I worked on it. Jon