From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: tuhs-bounces@minnie.tuhs.org X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.1 (2015-04-28) on inbox.vuxu.org X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-0.8 required=5.0 tests=DKIM_SIGNED,DKIM_VALID, DKIM_VALID_AU,HEADER_FROM_DIFFERENT_DOMAINS,HTML_MESSAGE,MAILING_LIST_MULTI, RCVD_IN_DNSWL_NONE autolearn=ham autolearn_force=no version=3.4.1 Received: from minnie.tuhs.org (minnie.tuhs.org [45.79.103.53]) by inbox.vuxu.org (OpenSMTPD) with ESMTP id 19b93da7 for ; Sun, 1 Jul 2018 22:23:14 +0000 (UTC) Received: by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix, from userid 112) id 90088A18B8; Mon, 2 Jul 2018 08:23:12 +1000 (AEST) Received: from minnie.tuhs.org (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 5FA65A185C; Mon, 2 Jul 2018 08:22:48 +1000 (AEST) Authentication-Results: minnie.tuhs.org; dkim=pass (1024-bit key; unprotected) header.d=yaccman.com header.i=@yaccman.com header.b=hjASBqdz; dkim-atps=neutral Received: by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix, from userid 112) id 600289E5C1; Sun, 1 Jul 2018 23:29:58 +1000 (AEST) X-Greylist: delayed 131975 seconds by postgrey-1.35 at minnie.tuhs.org; Sun, 01 Jul 2018 23:29:57 AEST Received: from homiemail-a42.g.dreamhost.com (sub5.mail.dreamhost.com [208.113.200.129]) by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix) with ESMTPS id BD6469E5BF for ; Sun, 1 Jul 2018 23:29:57 +1000 (AEST) Received: from homiemail-a42.g.dreamhost.com (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by homiemail-a42.g.dreamhost.com (Postfix) with ESMTP id 6A5AD9005B00; Sun, 1 Jul 2018 06:29:57 -0700 (PDT) DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha1; c=relaxed; d=yaccman.com; h=message-id :from:to:in-reply-to:subject:date:content-type:mime-version; s= yaccman.com; bh=s41jbEs/cgj3Yr/VfDZc4sPU5fM=; b=hjASBqdzMF5XS0YD RUCMlYiubce20vBEQgzhNGUbTsI5VKGGslRvtzWsHbjIbBIwJX2p1m/gid5LPhdM BsbP0UEJ8CREh1/5I2JvbB++136Ws/2xxjmBz0patS6QhgDAtVv6BdoBPC/bjslj lG3/cehYZqazrlgvGpPlNJZH3sc= Received: from localhost (alc-nat.dreamhost.com [66.33.206.8]) (using TLSv1 with cipher ECDHE-RSA-AES256-SHA (256/256 bits)) (No client certificate requested) (Authenticated sender: scj@yaccman.com) by homiemail-a42.g.dreamhost.com (Postfix) with ESMTPSA id 6125B900433F; Sun, 1 Jul 2018 06:29:57 -0700 (PDT) Message-Id: <285b5c9f6210cfbc4f2ff3a84c11e674cc230879@webmail.yaccman.com> From: "Steve Johnson" To: "Doug McIlroy" , tuhs@tuhs.org X-Mailer: Atmail 7.8.0.2 X-Originating-IP: 24.176.233.231 in-reply-to: <201806301824.w5UIOO71062430@tahoe.cs.Dartmouth.EDU> Date: Sun, 01 Jul 2018 06:29:57 -0700 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="=_fb97bd3f04fc9084af70bb5664f65222" MIME-Version: 1.0 X-Mailman-Approved-At: Mon, 02 Jul 2018 08:22:43 +1000 Subject: Re: [TUHS] AT&T Hardware (3B2) X-BeenThere: tuhs@minnie.tuhs.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.20 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" --=_fb97bd3f04fc9084af70bb5664f65222 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable The 3B2 was designed for AT&T by Convergent Technologies.=C2=A0 I later= =0Aworked with several people at Convergent, one of whom had a framed=0A= circuit board on his wall.=C2=A0 It was a wonder to behold -- the board= =0Ahad wires all over it that were added later, and nearly a dozen "bugs= "=0A-- in the days of discrete logic chips, a bug was when you took=0Aan= other chip and glued it, upside down, on top of an existing chip and=0At= hen ran wires to the pins in the air.=C2=A0 =C2=A0As I recall, the story= was=0Athat the first demo of the 3B2 happened roughly six weeks after t= he=0Ainitial request, using the board on the wall.=C2=A0 Now, that's wha= t=0Ashould really be in the computer museums...=0A=0AIn those days, if t= here was floating point it was a separate chip, and=0Athe 3B2 had none.= =C2=A0 =C2=A0Floating-point instructions caused a fault,=0Awhich meant a= context switch to the OS, where the instruction was=0Aemulated and then= the program returned.=C2=A0 =C2=A0The performance, as I=0Arecall was ab= out 800 FLOPS - dismal.=C2=A0 =C2=A0We fixed the compiler so it=0Awould= generate calls to subroutines that did the floating point=0Aoperations,= and the performance improved by over an order of magnitude=0A-- still d= ismal, but no longer ridiculous...=0A=0AOne of the events that led me to= leave AT&T was that they fired the=0Ahead of the benchmarking group at= Indian Hill, a most competent woman,=0Abecause they didn't like the res= ults she was presenting.=C2=A0 When a=0Acompany's information channels s= top functioning reliably, it's time to=0Aleave...=0A=0ASteve=0A=0A-----= Original Message -----=0AFrom: "Doug McIlroy" = =0ATo:=0ACc:=0ASent:Sat, 30 Jun 2018 14:24:24 -0400=0ASub= ject:Re: [TUHS] AT&T Hardware=0A=0A Anent 3B's: Last time I visited Paul= Allen's Living Computer Museum=0A the only working Unix on display was= running on a 3B2. Apparently=0A the machine was robust if nothing else.= =0A=0A doug=0A --=_fb97bd3f04fc9084af70bb5664f65222 Content-Type: text/html; charset=UTF-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable The 3B2 was designed for AT&T by Convergent Technologies.=C2= =A0 I later worked with several people at Convergent, one of whom had a= framed circuit board on his wall.=C2=A0 It was a wonder to behold -- th= e board had wires all over it that were added later, and nearly a dozen= "bugs" -- in the days of discrete logic chips, a bug was when you took= another chip and glued it, upside down, on top of an existing chip and= then ran wires to the pins in the air.=C2=A0 =C2=A0As I recall, the sto= ry was that the first demo of the 3B2 happened roughly six weeks after t= he initial request, using the board on the wall.=C2=A0 Now, that's what= should really be in the computer museums...

In those= days, if there was floating point it was a separate chip, and the 3B2 h= ad none.=C2=A0 =C2=A0Floating-point instructions caused a fault, which m= eant a context switch to the OS, where the instruction was emulated and= then the program returned.=C2=A0 =C2=A0The performance, as I recall was= about 800 FLOPS - dismal.=C2=A0 =C2=A0We fixed the compiler so it would= generate calls to subroutines that did the floating point operations, a= nd the performance improved by over an order of magnitude -- still disma= l, but no longer ridiculous...

One of the event= s that led me to leave AT&T was that they fired the head of the benc= hmarking group at Indian Hill, a most competent woman, because they didn= 't like the results she was presenting.=C2=A0 When a company's informati= on channels stop functioning reliably, it's time to leave...
<= br>
Steve



---= -- Original Message -----
From:
"Doug McIlroy" <dou= g@cs.dartmouth.edu>

To:
<tuhs@tuhs.org>
Cc:

S= ent:
Sat, 30 Jun 2018 14:24:24 -0400
Subject:
R= e: [TUHS] AT&T Hardware


=0AAnent 3B's: Last time I visite= d Paul Allen's Living Computer Museum
=0Athe only working Unix on dis= play was running on a 3B2. Apparently
=0Athe machine was robust if no= thing else.

=0Adoug
--=_fb97bd3f04fc9084af70bb5664f65222--